Earth Day

2024 Earth Day Slogan Contest Winner

Ella Garr, a fifth-grade student from Académie Lafayette in Kansas City, won the slogan contest with the entry: "Protect the Earth, for what it's worth." Ella was among more than 150 Missouri fifth graders from 13 schools who entered the annual slogan contest.

As the slogan contest winner, Ella will be our special guest, honored during a presentation on the Earth Day stage during the Earth Day opening ceremony. Ella will receive an Earth Day proclamation signed by Gov. Mike Parson, a $50 gift card donated by Central Bank in Jefferson City and a Missouri rock and mineral set donated by Missouri Geological Survey. Ella's teacher, Samia Alileche, will also receive a special award.

Congratulations to Ella and Ms. Alileche and thanks to everyone for entering!

Held in the shadow of Missouri's historic Capitol, our Earth Day celebration offers a variety of fun and educational opportunities for students interested in finding out more about how they can improve the world around them.  

• Teachers’ Resource Station – Teachers will be able to review the latest in educational offerings from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and many of our state, local and university exhibitors. This also will include a place to sit and relax!
• Live stage presentations – Educational stage games (with prizes), presentations by the World Bird Sanctuary and more.
• Exhibit Booths – Exhibits from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources as well as other state, federal and local agencies.
• Hands-on crafts from recycled materials – This popular Earth Day activity will return by popular demand.

Attention Teachers!

• Check out the Missouri State Parks Bus Grant Program page for information about available transportation assistance.
• Since your bus cannot stay on the Capitol grounds, we will have a secure place for you to check-in your coolers and food. If you are bringing lunches for your class, please plan to use our Cooler Corral.
• Earth Day volunteer staff will direct you to the Cooler Corral as you unload buses.
• Staff at the Cooler Corral will tag your items and give a matching stub to the teacher or responsible adult. Use your stub to reclaim your coolers or food later in the day.
• To prevent any tampering, items cannot be dropped off without completing a check-in tag and they cannot be picked up without presenting the matching stub.
• We cannot check or hold other articles or valuables. Please leave articles you don’t need for the day on the bus.

Additional Information

Check back for updates on the following topics for the 2024 event as information becomes available.

• Bus Directions and Map
• Event Map
• State Parking Lots (refer to legend for restrictions)
• Downtown Parking Map (refer to legend for restrictions)
• Stage Schedule
• Tips for Teachers
• Zero Waste Challenge

Events Across Missouri

Many communities in Missouri have Earth Day celebrations and environmental cleanup opportunities. If you would like to submit an event for consideration to be listed on this page, send the details (including a website link) to dnrwebcontact@dnr.mo.gov.

   Festivals:

• Columbia Area Earth Day Festival (April 21)
• Jefferson City Parks Giving Tree Earth Day Celebration (April 21)
• Kansas City Earth Day (April 20)
• Springfield Earth Day Festival (April 27)
• St. Louis Earth Day Festival (April 20-21)

   Cleanup Activities:

• Camden County Community Cleanup (April 27)
• Columbia - Cleanup Columbia (various dates in April)
• Dardenne Prairie - Mission: Clean Stream (April 6)
• Lake of the Ozarks Shoreline Cleanup (April 16)
• Springfield - James River Basin Partnership Earth Day Cleanup (April 22)
• St. Charles - Mission: Clean Stream (April 6)
• St Louis - Confluence Trash Bash (April 13)
• Sugar Creek Missouri River Cleanup (April 13)
• Wentzville - Mission: Clean Stream (April 6)

  Environmental Activities:

• Ballwin - Honeysuckle Hack at Castlewood State Park (April 27) 
• Crestwood - Honeysuckle Hack at Crestwood Park (April 27)
• Creve Coeur - Pollinator Garden Maintenance at Mallard Lake (April 20)
• Normandy - Honeysuckle Hack and Native Planting at St. Vincent Park (April 20)

Events in Missouri State Parks

Visit the Missouri State Parks website often to search for Earth Day events being planned at various Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites.

Missouri Recycling Association

MORA Earth Day Stewardship Showcase

EPA 

• History of Earth Day – Earth Day, which occurs annually on April 22 in the U.S., involves tens of thousands of events, from rallies and teach-outs to concerts and Earth fairs. You'll find them everywhere, in the world's capitals and in its nooks and crannies – together sending a message loud and clear that this turf is precious, perishable and belongs to all of us.
• Learning and Teaching about the Environment – Discover environmental education resources for teachers and students.
• Reducing Food Waste Activity Book – Help Apple and her friends learn how to reduce food waste and help protect the environment.
• EPA Region 7 Trash-Free Waters Challenge – We challenge you to help EPA keep the waters of our creeks, rivers, lakes and oceans TRASH-FREE! Did you know the majority of the trash and plastic items found in the oceans actually came from land a long way upstream? Now that you do, you can help keep trash out of the oceans, even if you live far from the coast. EPA's Trash-Free Waters program is focused on keeping waters trash-free by working with communities to reduce the amount of trash entering U.S. waterways and the world’s oceans.

EarthDay.org

Earthday.org's mission is to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Growing out of the first Earth Day in 1970, EARTHDAY.ORG is the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 150,000 partners in over 192 countries to drive positive action for our planet. Visit earthday.org's How to do Earth Day 2024 and find an event in your location! 

Heartland All Species Project

The Heartland All Species Projects mission is to provide interdisciplinary eco-cultural environmental education and community building action projects for cities, neighborhoods and villages. Just as the Fourth of July reminds us to love our country, Earth Day reminds us to love and care for the earth and our fellow creatures. Visit the Heartland All Species Project's Earth Day in Your Neighborhood and find ways to put on your own local activities.

MoDNR Publications

• Household Hazardous Waste – Learn about common household hazardous waste items and the steps you should take to properly dispose of them.
• The Living Soil Activity Book - PUB0412 – Learn about soil erosion and conservation with the Wormsteads and Farmer Frank.
• Missouri Geological Survey Publications – Find information about Missouri's minerals, soil and water, and learn how MGS encourages their beneficial use.