Prince William County To Celebrate Earth Day Virtually

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA – This Wednesday, April 22, is the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. While historically Earth Day is celebrated by volunteering to clean up parks, plant trees or fundraise for community environmental projects, due to the new coronavirus health crisis this year's celebrations will be done virtually.

The Prince William County schools are celebrating Earth Week this week with daily activities they can do at home while social distancing. On Monday, students were encouraged to open the blinds in their homes to let the light shine in and limit electricity usage. On Tuesday, they learned how to calculate their water footprint.

Throughout the week, students will be encouraged to perform a backyard litter cleanup while remaining socially distant from others, make upcycled art projects, use reusable water bottles to stay hydrated and keep track of food they eat that comes from trees or plants.

In Manassas, parks and public schools will receive 100 trees to celebrate Earth Day, thanks to a donation from SWIFT, a financial message services platform with an office in Manassas. The recipients include four city parks and three public schools.

Baldwin Elementary and Metz Middle School will each receive 10 trees and Weems Elementary School will receive 28 trees. Liberia House Park, which is currently in the middle of an outdoor restoration project, will receive 30 trees. Mayfield Earthwork Fort will receive 10 trees, Winterset Park will receive seven trees and Cavalry Run Park will receive five trees.

A ceremony was planed for Earth Day, but will be rescheduled for after the coronavirus crisis has passed and the stay-at-home order has been lifted.

How are you celebrating Earth Day this year? Be sure to let us know in the comments!