After 45 years, we get it that every day should be Earth Day, but it’s still meaningful to mark this annual celebration of eco-consciousness on the day itself — April 22. Below are some Earth Month opportunities for teaming up with others to help save the ‘aina and kai while having fun.
» Take sustainability workshops, see films, eat locally sourced vegetarian food, do yoga ecstatic dance and enjoy a free concert with Paula Fuga, Mike Love and others at the University of Hawaii at Manoa Earth Day Festival and Concert, which aims to minimize its eco-footprint as much as possible. The daylong event runs from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesday at the Legacy Pathway and Campus Center Courtyard; facebook.com/uhmearthday.
» Bring an instrument and sing along for free with Teresa Bright, Ka‘ala Carmack, Mahealani Cypher and others in "Aloha ‘Aina: A Kanikapila for Earth Day" at Windward Community College from 2 to 5 p.m. Wednesday. Celebrate in style around the newly acquired Steinway piano in the new Hale A‘o Hawaiian studies music halau. Refreshments will be provided; windward.hawaii.edu.
» Take the Earth Month Instagram Challenge with Blue Planet Foundation using the Island Pulse real-time energy dashboard to guess how much of Oahu’s electricity will come from renewable energy at noon Wednesday April 22, April 29 and May 6. Post your guess and a selfie-with-dashboard before midnight the day before. Winning guesses will be entered in a drawing for an iPad Mini. For more info, blueplanetfoundation.org/island-pulse.
» Enter RevoluSun’s Social Earth Day Challenge for a chance to win a portable solar charger. Tag #RevoluSunLiving on your Facebook page when posting photos or videos of yourself performing any green action — cleaning a beach, recycling, biking to work — and the company will share your post on its Facebook page as well. The most "liked" post will win; revolusun.com.
» If you’re a certified rescue scuba diver or an open-water or advanced diver with a rescue buddy, come help rescue a coral ecosystem off Hawaii Kai in the Earth Day Reef Clean Up with Island Divers Hawaii from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesday. Meet at 377 Keahole St. Suite 101-E and take the dive boat to China Walls to pick up fishing and boating debris. The $20 fee includes refreshments (equipment rental $25 extra); facebook.com /IslandDiversHawaii.
» Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Kailua, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii partners with other organizations to host the Earth Day Cleanup at all seven Kailua Beach public access points, from the boat ramp at the beach park to Castles at the north end of the beach. Volunteers will be rewarded with a free "thank you" concert by Mike Love and friends. Food and T-shirts are also free while supplies last; sustainable coastlineshawaii.org.
»When’s the last time you weighed your CO2 emissions or measured your eco-footprint? Earth Day Network’s calculator takes into consideration your diet and energy consumption to determine how many global acres and tons of carbon it takes to support your lifestyle. It’s fun, quick and motivational; earthday.org/footprint -calculator.
»Need upcycling ideas for those unique bottles, balls, buckles, toys and other objects you found while cleaning the beach or your garage? For inspiration, visit Mark Cunningham’s delightful "Mother Earth Mother Ocean" found-art show at town restaurant in Kaimuki. Proceeds from a portion of sales will benefit the Plastics Pollution Coalition. Now through June 27; townkaimuki.com.
» Head to Consolidated Theatres’ Kahala 8 on Wednesday for the 7 p.m. screening of "Planetary," a visually stunning documentary that sheds "new light on the ways our world view is profoundly affecting life on our planet," according to the filmmakers. Imagery from NASA Apollo missions, Buddhist monasteries and urban landscapes are interwoven with interviews from astronauts, philosophers, environmentalists and others. Tickets: $11.