Southcoast Earth Month Coalition
April 2021 Activities and Events
The Southcoast Earth Month Coalition announces a variety of ways to engage and celebrate a 100% sustainable future throughout the month of April both on the ground and virtually. Includes an art festival, virtual programming, films, cleanups, and more!
Join our Virtual Art Festival
Make your Earth Day statement with art and experience the fun! Show your support for a sustainable Southcoast with your creativity. The only requirements are that you must not use fossil fuels, it must honor the Earth, and you must be mindful of the 4R’s – refuse, reduce, reuse and recycle. Register your painting, sculpture, poetry/spoken word, dance, music or any creative work here
Artwork due April 22nd!
Prizes will be awarded in the following categories:
Family
1st place: Family membership Buttonwood Park Zoo ; 2nd place: Family membership Art Museum ; 3rd place: Day passes to both museums!
5-8th grade - Pizza Party for Your Class
Winners in 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. Sponsored by Domino’s pizza
9-12th grade
1st place – dinner for 4 at No Problemo ; 2nd place: ice cream for 4 at Oxford Creamery ; 3rd place: donuts and coffee at Donut Factory
College - Gift certificates to UMass Dartmouth art store
1st place $50 ; 2nd place $25 ; 3rd place $15
Need Art Supplies? Pick up an art kit at the following libraries:
Dartmouth Southworth, New Bedford Main, Fairhaven and Mattapoisett. Act quickly, supplies are limited!
Climate Reality by Kids for Kids
A video project created by kids! Visit bit.ly/kidsearth | bit.ly/kidsearth2
In honor of the kickoff of Earth month, the Southcoast Climate Reality Chapter created a Climate Action for Kids series featuring honorary chapter members Miles (9), Jake (8), Lena (7), and Iris (5). Tune in to hear them share their thoughts on ways to make a difference during Earth month in your own home, including plastic pollution and veganism. “There’s a lot of chemicals in plastic so you shouldn’t use it because it can make you sick. It isn’t fair that the factories and incinerators are near poor people and people of color,” said Jake. “Plastic is bad for the environment. Living creatures eat the plastic and get really sick. Everybody should use reusables,” said Iris. visit bit.ly/kidsearth | bit.ly/kidsearth2. Enjoy!
Join Team SouthCoast for the Earth Month EcoChallenge!
We’re halfway there, but you can still join Team SouthCoast for the Earth Month EcoChallenge!
Team Southcoast members will compete with other teams by registering their eco-friendly actions on the EcoChallenge platform. Actions all connect to amazing, existing, and proven solutions to the climate crisis as highlighted by Project Drawdown, a research-based organization leading efforts to map, measure, and model existing solutions to climate change. Visit https://earthmonth.ecochallenge.org/about/event-info.
For more info contact Team Leader Elaine Sanchez at esanchez1@umassd.edu
Southcoast Clean Ups registration
o Thursday, April 22nd – Shingle Island River Reserve with Dartmouth Natural Resources - register here
o Saturday April 24th @ 11:30am Palmers Island & West Beach, New Bedford with Operation Clean Sweep - register here
o Saturday April 24th 10-Noon Maplewood Park, Fall River with Fall River Street Tree Planting Program register here
o Saturday, April 24 10 AM-Noon Community Trial and Green-up Day at several locations with the Buzzards Bay Coalition will be hosting on their properties in Acushnet, Mattapoisett, Fairhaven, and West Wareham. Please sign up at this link
Share pictures with Buttonwood Zoo!
All month: Share your pictures and win prizes! Show Buttonwood Park Zoo how you help the environment on a daily basis. Send pictures to contest@bpzoo.org. By submitting a picture, you permit Buttonwood Park Zoological Society to share your picture on social media. If you wish to keep your picture private, please clearly state so in your email. The first 100 submissions will receive an AZA Party for the Planet kit. Head to the Zoo for a visit and pick up your kit at the front desk!
Make a beat for the New Bedford Whaling Museum!
Explore the songs and sounds of marine mammals with The New Bedford Whaling Museum! Show off your personal style by creating a remix by April 15th. Send in your unique "Ocean Beat" and The Whaling Museum will play it during April Vacation Week. end us your unique "Ocean Beat" and we'll play them at the Museum during April Vacation Week. Listen to sounds of marine mammals from our collection. Download your favorite. Drop it into your preferred beat creation tool. Mix and create. Submit your new beat by April 15.
April Vacation Whales Today Live Virtual Program
Interacting live with one of the Museum’s educators, discover what makes a whale a whale, how whales use sound, and what we can do to help protect them in our oceans today. This highly visual program allows participants to ask questions in real-time while exploring life-sized whale models, looking at real whale artifacts, and listening to actual whale recordings.
Tuesday, April 20 | 10am | Register here
Thursday, April 22 | 1pm | Register here
Southcoast Earth Friendly Films
o April 22nd, 23rd, 24th SouthCoast FilmForum will stream the film 2040 free of charge. "Practical solutions to environmental concerns are addressed with the hope that the filmmaker's daughter, 21 years old in the year 2040, will face a hopeful future." Fun and optimistic! Sign up at https://socofilms.org/event/2040/ for streaming link.
o ALL MONTH New Bedford Whaling Museum is sharing Next Virtual Field Trip Stop: The Deep Blue from National Geographic that was filmed at the NBWM. blog.education.nationalgeographic.org/2021/03/31/next-virtual-field-trip-stop-the-deep-blue/
Closing Summit/Ceremony
Tuesday, April 27 at 6:00 pm Registration Link Here
The Intersection Between Movement Organizing and Electoral Politics
(aka What's Next for the Green New Deal?)
An exciting virtual event featuring keynote speaker Varshini Prakash, Founder/Director of the Sunrise Movement, a special statement from Senator Ed Markey, and local Dartmouth activists Laura Gardner of Southcoast Climate Reality; Hannah Robinson of SouthCoast Sunrise; and Sabrina Davis of the Coalition for Social Justice. The event will include welcoming Senator Markey and Varshini Prakash into the SouthCoast Environmental Stewards Family, a lively audience Q&A, and a tour of Earth Month Coalition’s Virtual Art Festival.
Led by the UMass Dartmouth Leduc Center for Civic Engagement, the Earth Month Coalition includes: AHA!, Climate Reality Massachusetts Southcoast, Operation Clean Sweep, UMass Dartmouth Sustainability Initiative, Southcoast Film Forum, Fall River Street Tree Planting, Greater New Bedford Regional Refuse District, Masspirg, Art Lab, Fairhaven Sustainability Committee, Community Boating Center, Be the Solution to Pollution, DNRT, Sunrise Southcoast, 3rd Eye Unlimited, Buzzards Bay Coalition, Oxford Creamery, Buttonwood Park Zoo, No Problemo, Doughnut Factory, Domino’s Pizza, New Bedford Whaling Museum, and Rotch Jones Duff House and Garden Museum.
Join our Virtual Art Festival
Make your Earth Day statement with art and experience the fun! Show your support for a sustainable Southcoast with your creativity. The only requirements are that you must not use fossil fuels, it must honor the Earth, and you must be mindful of the 4R’s – refuse, reduce, reuse and recycle. Register your painting, sculpture, poetry/spoken word, dance, music or any creative work here
Artwork due April 22nd!
Prizes will be awarded in the following categories:
Family
1st place: Family membership Buttonwood Park Zoo ; 2nd place: Family membership Art Museum ; 3rd place: Day passes to both museums!
5-8th grade - Pizza Party for Your Class
Winners in 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. Sponsored by Domino’s pizza
9-12th grade
1st place – dinner for 4 at No Problemo ; 2nd place: ice cream for 4 at Oxford Creamery ; 3rd place: donuts and coffee at Donut Factory
College - Gift certificates to UMass Dartmouth art store
1st place $50 ; 2nd place $25 ; 3rd place $15
Need Art Supplies? Pick up an art kit at the following libraries:
Dartmouth Southworth, New Bedford Main, Fairhaven and Mattapoisett. Act quickly, supplies are limited!
Climate Reality by Kids for Kids
A video project created by kids! Visit bit.ly/kidsearth | bit.ly/kidsearth2
In honor of the kickoff of Earth month, the Southcoast Climate Reality Chapter created a Climate Action for Kids series featuring honorary chapter members Miles (9), Jake (8), Lena (7), and Iris (5). Tune in to hear them share their thoughts on ways to make a difference during Earth month in your own home, including plastic pollution and veganism. “There’s a lot of chemicals in plastic so you shouldn’t use it because it can make you sick. It isn’t fair that the factories and incinerators are near poor people and people of color,” said Jake. “Plastic is bad for the environment. Living creatures eat the plastic and get really sick. Everybody should use reusables,” said Iris. visit bit.ly/kidsearth | bit.ly/kidsearth2. Enjoy!
Join Team SouthCoast for the Earth Month EcoChallenge!
We’re halfway there, but you can still join Team SouthCoast for the Earth Month EcoChallenge!
Team Southcoast members will compete with other teams by registering their eco-friendly actions on the EcoChallenge platform. Actions all connect to amazing, existing, and proven solutions to the climate crisis as highlighted by Project Drawdown, a research-based organization leading efforts to map, measure, and model existing solutions to climate change. Visit https://earthmonth.ecochallenge.org/about/event-info.
For more info contact Team Leader Elaine Sanchez at esanchez1@umassd.edu
Southcoast Clean Ups registration
o Thursday, April 22nd – Shingle Island River Reserve with Dartmouth Natural Resources - register here
o Saturday April 24th @ 11:30am Palmers Island & West Beach, New Bedford with Operation Clean Sweep - register here
o Saturday April 24th 10-Noon Maplewood Park, Fall River with Fall River Street Tree Planting Program register here
o Saturday, April 24 10 AM-Noon Community Trial and Green-up Day at several locations with the Buzzards Bay Coalition will be hosting on their properties in Acushnet, Mattapoisett, Fairhaven, and West Wareham. Please sign up at this link
Share pictures with Buttonwood Zoo!
All month: Share your pictures and win prizes! Show Buttonwood Park Zoo how you help the environment on a daily basis. Send pictures to contest@bpzoo.org. By submitting a picture, you permit Buttonwood Park Zoological Society to share your picture on social media. If you wish to keep your picture private, please clearly state so in your email. The first 100 submissions will receive an AZA Party for the Planet kit. Head to the Zoo for a visit and pick up your kit at the front desk!
Make a beat for the New Bedford Whaling Museum!
Explore the songs and sounds of marine mammals with The New Bedford Whaling Museum! Show off your personal style by creating a remix by April 15th. Send in your unique "Ocean Beat" and The Whaling Museum will play it during April Vacation Week. end us your unique "Ocean Beat" and we'll play them at the Museum during April Vacation Week. Listen to sounds of marine mammals from our collection. Download your favorite. Drop it into your preferred beat creation tool. Mix and create. Submit your new beat by April 15.
April Vacation Whales Today Live Virtual Program
Interacting live with one of the Museum’s educators, discover what makes a whale a whale, how whales use sound, and what we can do to help protect them in our oceans today. This highly visual program allows participants to ask questions in real-time while exploring life-sized whale models, looking at real whale artifacts, and listening to actual whale recordings.
Tuesday, April 20 | 10am | Register here
Thursday, April 22 | 1pm | Register here
Southcoast Earth Friendly Films
o April 22nd, 23rd, 24th SouthCoast FilmForum will stream the film 2040 free of charge. "Practical solutions to environmental concerns are addressed with the hope that the filmmaker's daughter, 21 years old in the year 2040, will face a hopeful future." Fun and optimistic! Sign up at https://socofilms.org/event/2040/ for streaming link.
o ALL MONTH New Bedford Whaling Museum is sharing Next Virtual Field Trip Stop: The Deep Blue from National Geographic that was filmed at the NBWM. blog.education.nationalgeographic.org/2021/03/31/next-virtual-field-trip-stop-the-deep-blue/
Closing Summit/Ceremony
Tuesday, April 27 at 6:00 pm Registration Link Here
The Intersection Between Movement Organizing and Electoral Politics
(aka What's Next for the Green New Deal?)
An exciting virtual event featuring keynote speaker Varshini Prakash, Founder/Director of the Sunrise Movement, a special statement from Senator Ed Markey, and local Dartmouth activists Laura Gardner of Southcoast Climate Reality; Hannah Robinson of SouthCoast Sunrise; and Sabrina Davis of the Coalition for Social Justice. The event will include welcoming Senator Markey and Varshini Prakash into the SouthCoast Environmental Stewards Family, a lively audience Q&A, and a tour of Earth Month Coalition’s Virtual Art Festival.
Led by the UMass Dartmouth Leduc Center for Civic Engagement, the Earth Month Coalition includes: AHA!, Climate Reality Massachusetts Southcoast, Operation Clean Sweep, UMass Dartmouth Sustainability Initiative, Southcoast Film Forum, Fall River Street Tree Planting, Greater New Bedford Regional Refuse District, Masspirg, Art Lab, Fairhaven Sustainability Committee, Community Boating Center, Be the Solution to Pollution, DNRT, Sunrise Southcoast, 3rd Eye Unlimited, Buzzards Bay Coalition, Oxford Creamery, Buttonwood Park Zoo, No Problemo, Doughnut Factory, Domino’s Pizza, New Bedford Whaling Museum, and Rotch Jones Duff House and Garden Museum.