Earth Day (April 22) is coming. This is the one day that we put aside every year in order to celebrate and thank Mother Earth for all she gives us.

While we should be working to protect and preserve the Earth each and every day, Earth Day is a day of awareness. Earth Day was started in 1970, when Sen. Gaylord Nelson, of Wisconsin, after seeing the damaged caused by the Santa Barbara oil spill of 1969, got together with a group of political and government officials and held protests across the country, demanding environmental discussion and focus.

In Central Massachusetts, Earth Day events – at colleges and museums – are a tradition.

Worcester’s EcoTarium will hold a weeklong series of events and activities dedicated to celebrating the planet, culminating on its Earth Day celebration April 21.

The events will be taking place during the week of April vacation to give students the opportunity to learn about the natural beauty of the world.

This year’s theme is How Does Your Garden Grow? Students will learn how plants grow, the difference between dirt and soil and how plants pollinate and reproduce and what causes plants to decompose. Students will also learn how to grow their own gardens at home and how gardens can benefit the planet.

Every year, the Regional Environmental Council (REC) of Worcester Massachusetts partners with the EcoTarium to help with the Earth Day celebration. This year, to go along with the garden theme, the REC will bring its mobile market to sell seedlings.

“Our goal is to create experiences that all ages can enjoy,” said EcoTarium’s Manager of Education Christina Chappell. “However, during school vacation weeks, we do design our programs with school-aged children and their families in mind.”

“We feel that our Earth Day events really make a difference. Our programs and activities are designed to be interactive and engaging and to promote our mission to inspire a passion for science and nature.” Chappell said. “April is also a time of year that our 55 acres of grounds come to life and people really get into exploring our nature trails and enjoy playing in our Nature Explore Outdoor Exhibit, so it’s really a great day to see all the EcoTarium has to offer, indoors and outdoors.”

Becker College students will also be getting out there to help the environment on Earth Day.

On April 21, the Earth Day Pledge Board will ask Becker College students to measure their carbon footprint and pledge to lower it for next year.

This will be the highlight in a series of events, which includes a cleanup of the Leicester Town Common on April 17, a recycling drive April 18 and a discussion about the effects of marine pollution April 19. On Earth Day, students will work with their food hall to figure how much food waste they produce and discuss ways to reduce it.

“We haven’t done a weeklong series of events before; it always just used to be one day,” said Dexter Viator, Becker College’s Assistant Director of Campus Activities and Leadership Development. “But I feel like our students are committed to sustainable practices and leaving the earth better than they found it.”

If you want to get into the act, the Regional Environmental Council is welcoming volunteers for its 28th annual Earth Day cleanup, a citywide cleanup of parks, gardens and neighborhoods involving more than 1,000 volunteers who will pick up more than 50 tons of trash at more than 60 locations throughout Worcester. This cleanup is from 8 a.m.-noon April 8. Volunteers may create their own teams or join an existing team.

Visit recworcester.org/volunteer for more information about REC’s annual Earth Day cleanup. Towns around Central Massachusetts are scheduling town wide cleanups in April. Visit your town’s website for details.

Adam Campbell