Spring Into Earth Month

The month of April often starts off with a mix of spring and lingering winter-like weather, which can make me impatient for the new season to really begin. Flowers and trees are blooming, but it can still be wet and gloomy. A bright spot is that April is designated as Earth Month, with Earth Day celebrated on April 22. There are many ways to celebrate Earth Month and Earth Day, even if you don’t consider yourself a hard-core environmentalist or outdoor person. This issue of AgeWise focuses on some suggestions that may inspire you to celebrate Earth Month and take part in some Earth-friendly activities.

The official 2026 Earth Day theme is “Our Power, Our Planet.” It highlights the role of people, communities, and collective action in driving renewable energy adoption and systemic environmental change. The 2026 campaign focuses on using civic engagement to strengthen environmental protections, reduce pollution, and accelerate the transition to a green economy. The first Earth Day took place on April 22, 1970, which saw 20 million Americans take to the streets to demonstrate against the impact of the country’s industrial growth. It marked the beginning of the modern environmental movement and continues to be one of the biggest days of protest in the world. Today, over 1 billion people in more than 190 countries across the globe take part in Earth Month activities and initiatives.  

The Farmer’s Almanac suggests some earth-friendly activities that can be continued throughout the year: doing a clean-up of plastics your neighborhood, growing plants if you have a garden that support pollinators such as native bees and butterflies, composting your food scraps, and avoiding single-use containers or bags. There are some other great ideas on their website.

You can test your Earth Day knowledge with this quiz from the Farmer’s Almanac: 

In this issue of AgeWise, check out the articles “Think Globally, Act Locally: An Older Adult’s Guide to Environmental Sustainability in Seattle and King County” and “Walking the Waterfront with Our New Tree Walk App” for ideas related to making Earth Month a year-long priority. The Advocacy 101 article this month has also adopted an earth-friendly theme about planting the seed for social change through legislation that may take longer than one session to come to fruition.

Whatever you choose to do, hopefully it will bring you closer to the Earth and help preserve and honor the wonderful environment that we live in here in the Pacific Northwest. In the meantime, enjoy this poem, “An Earth Song,” by Langston Hughes. 

It’s an earth song,

And I’ve been waiting long for an earth song.

It’s a spring song,

And I’ve been waiting long for a spring song.

Strong as the shoots of a new plant

Strong as the bursting of new buds

Strong as the coming of the first child from its mother’s womb.

It’s an earth song,

A body song,

A spring song,

I have been waiting long for this spring song.

Langston Hughes 1902-1967

Contributor Alex O’Reilly chairs the Seattle-King County Advisory Council on Aging & Disability Services. She welcomes input from readers via email (advisorychair@agewisekingcounty.org).

Mark Your Calendars

The following are upcoming events of interest:

• Community Forum for Action Planning for People Living with Memory Loss: Thursday, April 9 (10 a.m. – 12 p.m.); virtual meeting. Meeting link here. See the event flyer here. Washington State Department of Health is hosting several group conversations to create a more age- and dementia-friendly state! Join us to brainstorm and collect ideas for our state action plan!
  This session is for those living with memory loss or dementia at any stage, not professionals or members of the public. 
• ADS Advisory Council Meeting: Friday, April 10 (noon–2 p.m.); virtual meeting unless otherwise specified. To receive the meeting link and information, email michael.adusah@seattle.gov in advance.
• Civic Coffee: Forecasting our AI Future: Friday, April 17 (11 a.m.–12 p.m.) at Chinese Information and Service Center, 611 S Lane St., Seattle, WA 98104. Or online. Contact agefriendly@seattle.gov for more information.
• Foro comunitario en español para la planificación de acciones: Saturday, April 18 (10 a.m. – 12 p.m.); virtual meeting. Meeting link here. See the event flyer here. Washington State Department of Health is hosting several group conversations to create a more age- and dementia-friendly state! Join us to brainstorm and collect ideas for our state action plan!
  
• Age and Dementia Friendly Community Forum: Thursday, April 23 (1 p.m. – 3 p.m.); virtual meeting. Meeting link here. See the event flyer here. Washington State Department of Health is hosting several group conversations to create a more age- and dementia-friendly state! Join us to brainstorm and collect ideas for our state action plan!
• Tribal Community Forum for Action Planning | Age- and Dementia-Friendly Washington: Thursday, April 30 (1 p.m. – 3 p.m.); virtual meeting. Meeting link here. See the event flyer here. Washington State Department of Health is hosting several group conversations to create a more age- and dementia-friendly state! Join us to brainstorm and collect ideas for our state action plan! This session is for Tribal community members.