Earth Day is officially Thursday, but several local organizations are holding family-friendly events to benefit the Hawaii environment through the end of April, also known as Earth Month.

Many of the activities, such as street and beach cleanups, focus on educating people to protect the islands’ unique and fragile marine ecosystems, directly affected by what runs off from the land, from contaminated stormwater to plastics.

“Whether you’re a surfer, ocean recreationist or landlocked, we all come from and are dependant on the ocean,” said Cliff Kapono, a Big Island biochemist who studies ocean pollutants in samples taken from surfers’ bodies. He also is a spokesman for the World Surf League’s “We Are One Ocean Campaign,” which promotes 30×30, a global effort to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.

“The ocean is not just our food and medicine supply, but the oxygen in every other breath we take is a result of functioning marine ecosystems,” Kapono said, “and I hope that’s motivating enough to show we care” by supporting 30×30.

In an upbeat change from April 2020, when the state was under stay-at-home orders, several in-person Earth Month events are being offered in accordance with rules requiring mask-wearing, physical distancing and limited gathering size.

From 9 to 11 a.m. Thursday, the Children’s Discovery Center in Kakaako will host play and story time and seed planting in its outdoor courtyard, as well as craft-making with recycled materials indoors. “We are opening just for the event,” spokeswoman Liane Usher said.

Also dear to families’ hearts, the Waikiki Aquarium remains closed, but it’s still holding its annual Mauka to Makai campaign, and those who reserve ahead online can stop by Thursday and pick up a free native plant and keiki activity grab bag, or sign up to volunteer Saturday for various cleanup and public education activities islandwide.

In a free online event Thursday evening, hosted by Pacific Beach Coalition, Big Island artist Caren Loebel- Fried, known for her expressive portraits of Hawaii native species, will share photos and videos from her recent two-month stay on Midway Atoll, “where I was counting nests and observing albatross, with chicks,” she said.

Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to noon, in an Our Kaka‘ako Malama ‘Aina Earth Day Community Clean Up event that will be held in partnership with Surfrider Foundation, volunteers will meet in the Salt Barn on Keawe Street and then fan out to pick up trash in the neighborhood, returning at 11 a.m. or so to be rewarded with a mahalo gift and grab ’n’ go snack bag.

Also free on Saturday will be a free “urban bird watching” event in which five-person teams will compete in a scavenger hunt for hidden stickers depicting the bright-yellow palila songbird, a native honeycreeper found only in 6,000- to 9,000-foot elevations on the slopes of Mauna Kea on Hawaii island. In the 1979 court case Palila v. Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, the Sierra Club successfully prevailed in having mouflon sheep removed from the bird’s habitat.

“Our bird-watching geocaching game is keiki-friendly and designed to help people learn about palila, one of our critically endangered Hawaiian species,” said Cassidy Keiko, associate producer of the local documentary “A Paradise Lost,” directed by local artist and environmentalist Laurie Sumiye. Event sponsors include Conservation Council for Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Forest and Trail and the National Wildlife Federation.

After registering online, participants will need to drive to Bishop Museum on Saturday morning to check in, get instructions and clues, sign release forms and then drive between multiple places downtown. In addition to a car, each team will need a phone to submit their finds, Keiko said.

Sea Life Park is now open, with limited days, tickets and capacity, and on Friday, Saturday and Sunday children and adults can enjoy a special “Celebrating Limu” Earth Month event with the regular price of admission.

The park and Waimanalo Limu Hui have been partnering since 2019 to cultivate and grow native limu in tanks in the park, which the hui then plants in Waimanalo Bay to support the honu, or endangered Hawaiian green sea turtles, who feed on it. The hui also clears invasive limu and helps with the release into the wild of honu hatchlings from the park’s successful breeding program.

The event will teach the public about the vital role limu, or algae, plays in contributing to healthy marine environments and within Hawaiian culture, said Valerie King, Sea Life Park general manager, adding that “increasing awareness for the work of the Waimanalo Limu Hui and respect for limu in the oceans will help ensure that future generations can benefit from the restored beauty and balance that these specialized conservation efforts provide.”

In addition to viewing limu varieties and live honu, guests can do art activities and purchase limu-filled cups for $4 to feed the turtles, with a portion of sales benefiting the hui’s work. People also can eat limu in the park’s special restaurant menu for the event.

Shoreline cleanups are classic Hawaiian Earth Day fare, and from 9:30 a.m. to noon April 30, Surfrider Foundation Oahu will host a cleanup at Kakaako Waterfront Park, in partnership with the Shoreline Hotel Waikiki and Coconut Waikiki Hotel. Volunteers are requested to wear a mask and bring a reusable water bottle and reef-safe sunblock (those listing non-nano zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide as sole active ingredients).

Finally, having learned the positive benefits of virtual communication this past year, ocean lovers can sign WSL’s online petition asking world leaders at the 2021 United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030. Go to weareoneocean.org.

EARTH-FRIENDLY FUN

Below are some of the many eco-friendly activities on offer for all ages from Earth Day through the end of Earth Month:

>> 9-11 a.m. Thursday, the Children’s Discovery Center at 111 Ohe St. will host green activities. Reserve ahead at discoverycenterhawaii.org.

>> 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, pick up a free native plant and educational grab bag outside Waikiki Aquarium; reserve ahead for giveaway and Saturday volunteer activities at maukatomakai expo.com.

>> 7-9 p.m. Thursday, join a virtual presentation on endangered albatross at Midway Island at crowdcast.io/e/PBC-An-Albatross-Earth-Day.

>> 9:30 a.m.-noon Saturday, meet at The Barn at Salt in Our Kaka‘ako, 327 Keawe St., to participate in neighborhood cleanup. Pre-register online at OurKakaako.com/EarthDay.

>> 10:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, participate in an urban “bird watching” scavenger hunt in downtown Honolulu, Kahului, Līhue or Hilo. Register for an in- person or virtual event at aparadiselostmovie.com/ urban-wild. Groups of five need a car and at least one camera phone to play. The event will last until 1 p.m., and a virtual event is also happening from noon to 1 p.m. for people unable to participate in the scavenger hunt.

>> 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Sea Life Park is hosting a “Celebrating Limu” event in partnership with the Waimanalo Limu Hui; buy tickets at sealifeparkhawaii.com.

>> 9:30 a.m.-noon April 30, Surfrider Foundation Oahu will host a cleanup at Kakaako Waterfront Park. RSVP to madesociety.co by April 28.