Celebrate Earth Month
by Sarah Wilkinson, Southside ReLeaf Communications Manager
Earth Month is a wonderful time to slow down and rejoice in the arrival of spring with its warmer days, brilliant blooms, and sunsets that linger longer into the evening. It’s also a time to reflect on the impacts that humankind is having on Earth, and what we can do as individuals and collectively to reverse, prevent, and heal what harms our communities, especially the Black and Brown communities on the frontlines of climate change.
For our blog post this April, we’ve rounded up a collection of resources and ideas for how you can show up for your neighbors, yourself, and our one Earth. If you’re new to the movement for environmental justice, we welcome you and hope that whatever step you take to get involved this Earth Month, it will be the first of many that you take with us.
Celebrate
Join Southside ReLeaf and our collaborating partners on Earth Day for the launch of our new city-wide “Cool the City” campaign. The campaign aims to enhance health outcomes, foster community wealth, and bolster climate resilience in Richmond’s Black and Brown communities. At our free, family-friendly launch event, enjoy delicious food and green-themed activities, learn more about the Cool the City campaign, and get involved in climate action in your community. ASL and Spanish interpretation will be available.
Become a Flow-Rider
April showers bring May flowers! Mark the arrival of spring by joining our community science project, "Go With the Flow." We're working with the University of Richmond to map where it floods in Richmond. By gathering this data, we can help bring attention to the issue of flooding and catalyze funding opportunities at local and state levels to help address it. There are two ways to engage:
Become a Flow Rider: Help us map flooding by completing a brief mobile survey whenever it rains: bit.ly/Flow-Riders
Sign up for text alerts: We'll remind you when rain is in the forecast! Text FLOWRIDERS to (866) 719-9501.
Volunteer
Tree Maintenance Day at Boushall Middle School’s Moon Tree Dedication
Saturday, April 12, 2025 | 10 am - 1 pm
We’re seeking volunteers to help us perform tree care maintenance on trees planted behind Boushall Middle School at their very special Moon Tree Dedication event.
Planting Day at Hillside Mini Farm
Saturday, April 12, 2025 | 10 am - 2 pm
Our partner, Groundwork RVA, is also hosting a workday on April 12 for those interested in planting trees.
Inaugural Day of Service & Celebration
Saturday, April 26, 2025 | 9 am - 3 pm
Celebrate our collective impact and the beginning of Dr. Danny Avula’s term as mayor. There will be a kick-off at 9 am at the Southside Community Center; community service projects will be happening all over the city from 11 am - 3 pm.
Get Involved
Join the Office of Sustainability for a guided tour exploring the intersection of climate action, equity, and resilience in Richmond. Each tour will cover one district. The following districts have tours: 8th District, East End, Jackson Ward, 6th District, and 9th District.
Vote for Projects in Your District through RVA People’s Budget
You can vote for up to three projects in your district until April 15, 2025. There are a variety of great project proposals from community members that seek to enhance public green spaces, improve transit access, and increase pedestrian safety.
Youth Bike Swap and Earth Day Celebration
Saturday, April 19, 2025 | 12 - 3 pm
Hosted by Groundwork RVA, youth will have the opportunity to trade in their old, outgrown bikes for a new or newly refurbished ride of their choice. There will be food, tree climbing, and more activities!
Repair Cafe RVA at Studio Two Three
Sunday, April 27, 2025 | 1 - 4 pm
Get your favorite broken thing fixed by volunteer repair experts at this free event. Bring any broken appliances, bikes, electronics, furniture, jewelry, textiles, toys, and more.
Arbor Day Celebration at Bellemeade Park
Friday, April 25, 2025 | 9 am - 12 pm
Join Friends of Bellemeade Park, Richmond Parks and Recreation, and Oak Grove-Bellemeade Elementary School to celebrate Arbor Day as they mark the special achievement of Bellemeade Park’s accreditation as a Level One Arboretum.
Make Noise
Sign Virginia Interfaith Power & Light’s “Clean Car Standards Petition”
Sign the petition demanding Governor Youngkin and Attorney General Miyares reverse their action to end clean car standards in Virginia.
Contact Your Elected Officials with 5Calls
Do you want to protect our national forests from unregulated logging? Do you want to defend our national parks? Do you want to protect the mission of the Environmental Protection Agency? 5Calls has scripts and phone numbers all in one place, making it easy for you to let your lawmakers know that our parks, natural resources, and communities are worth protecting.
Sign the Petition to Support the EPA Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights
Urge Administrator Zeldin to abandon his harmful efforts to dismantle the EPA Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights. Dismantling this office would significantly hinder the EPA’s ability to protect human health and the environment.
Sign the Petition to Urge the EPA to Prioritize Drinking Water
In an effort to weaken regulations, the EPA has announced plans to revise the definition of 'waters of the United States'—a critical term in the Clean Water Act that determines which rivers, streams, wetlands, and other waters are protected under federal law.
Learn
Check out this guide from the Office of Sustainability to discover helpful tools for advancing your personal sustainability journey.
Solarize Virginia Informational Webinar
Wednesday, April 23, 2025 | 12 - 1 pm
Join Solarize Virginia for an informative webinar on the benefits of solar, how their solar campaign works, and how we as a community can come together for a brighter future.
Participate
Take a survey to help the Climate Equity Working Group (CWEG) develop solutions that would increase energy efficiency and lower utility bills.
Take a survey to help C3 make policy changes and expand resources to lower energy burden and costs.
Read
Our Fragile Moment: How Lessons from Earth’s Past Can Help Us Survive the Climate Crisis by Michael E. Mann
Explore the role of climatic changes (some driven by humans, and some not) in creating and collapsing civilizations across human history. Takeaway lessons that can help us survive our current “fragile moment.”
World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatahil
Activate your sense of awe and embrace lessons on how to stay curious, find beauty, survive hostile environments, and appreciate the world’s gifts.
Afoot and Lighthearted by Bonnie Smith Whitehouse
Harness the power of walking to cultivate and nourish attention, inspiration, and determination in your daily life. Break away from the screen for a while and tap into the transformative magic of creative journaling.
Watch
Film Screening: Underwater & Uprooted
Join Virginia Interfaith Power & Light and the Black History Museum for a film screening of "Underwater & Uprooted: The History of Climate Gentrification and Black Displacement in Virginia" on Saturday, April 26.
In an epic three-part documentary series, FRONTLINE investigates the decades-long failure to confront the threat of climate change and the role of the fossil fuel industry.
Listen
WNYC Studios Radiolab for Kids: Terrestrials
Uncover the strangeness right here on Earth with the young ones in your life. In each episode, host Lulu Miller (co-host of Radiolab) will introduce you to a creature or earthly phenomenon that will defy your expectations of how nature is supposed to work.
Experience this musical project uniting the seafaring cultures of the Pacific and Indian Oceans through song as they make a statement about the frontline of the climate crisis and how it is impacting the people living on islands that are rapidly disappearing.
Hello Ranger is a National Park Community social application, podcast, and blog, with the overarching goal of showcasing a kaleidoscope of communities within the national parks, and how these places unite us together.
Support
Southside ReLeaf is working to achieve environmental justice in South Richmond. Our projects range from planting and maintaining trees and supporting community science efforts, to advocating for people-centered policy and building new green spaces. Your support helps us accelerate our resilience work to meet this moment of accelerating climate change, which our Black and Brown communities are disproportionately experiencing.