Someone once said, “When we realize heart and earth are made with the same letters, it all starts to make sense.” In the San Juan Islands, guests can experience the true heart of Earth Month this April with cleanups, workshops, film screenings, and more.
Spring into action for Earth Day and join locals for Great Island Cleanups at some of Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan Islands’ most beautiful beaches. This is an opportunity for our community and guests to get outside and help make our islands plastic- and litter-free by the sea. Cleanup after parties will have live music, local food and drinks, and trash art projects for kids.
Ride your bike in the 17th Annual Tour de Lopez on April 29th. Since 2004 the Tour has been the kickoff event for cycling in the beautiful San Juan Islands and serves as a great introduction to what Lopez Island has to offer visitors. This is a great family event – come for the day or come for the weekend. It’s a non-competitive rural road tour with marked short and long routes (3.1, 5, 10, 18 and 31 miles), on public county roads through the scenic landscape of Lopez.
Curious about what climate-conscious agriculture looks like? Learn insider tips for sustainability during the new monthly farm tours at S&S Homestead Farm on Lopez Island. Scheduled on the second Saturday of the month through December, each tour will feature a presentation on a particular topic, tours of the farm, a delicious, nutritionally whole meal from homegrown food, a copy of the book Eating Locally & Seasonally, and transportation via electric vehicles to and from the farm as needed.
Friday Harbor Film Festival’s Best of the Fest hosts two screenings in April. The Pollinators, at the San Juan Island Library on April 14th, is a cinematic journey around the United States following migratory beekeepers and their truckloads of honeybees as they pollinate the flowers that become the fruits, nuts, and vegetables we all eat. Haida Modern, at the San Juan Island Grange on April 28th, tells the story of one of the foremost Haida artists, Robert Davidson. Coming from a family of well-known Haida and Tlingit artists, he has been instrumental in the revival of coastal indigenous art and the revitalization of Haida culture. He is regarded as one of the greatest living artists in the world.
Interested in learning more about local flora and fauna? Join The Whale Museum for their hybrid spring Marine Naturalist Training and get an in-depth look at the San Juan Islands' natural history.
Other Earth Day stewardship events throughout April make a springtime visit to the San Juans not only a relaxing getaway but a great learning opportunity for families with children. After a trip to the Islands, you might just discover the best version of yourself.