There are many ways you can show your support for environment protection this Earth Day. To celebrate our planet, both Madison College and the Dane County area are offering several earth-friendly activities for students and community members to get involved in.

Madison College’s Programs and Activities Council (PAC) will get students excited to help the environment with their Earth Day kit pick-up event on Thursday, April 22. The kit will include a reusable tote bag, reusable straw and a live mini plant. Kits can be picked up at both the Truax and Goodman South campuses. Students interested can RSVP for theirs at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PACEarthDay.

To get students even more involved in celebrating the Earth, PAC will also be posting Earth Day tips on social media. You can follow their Instagram at @pac_madisoncollege.

Madison College’s Volunteer Center will also be offering their own Earth Day pick-up kit. Theirs can be picked up at both the Truax and Goodman South campuses, too, and sign up can be done at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409044DACAE2FA3FD0-national. This kit will include a volunteer center t-shirt, volunteer thank-you items as well as extra prizes. In addition, they will provide information about community volunteer opportunities and events, as well as a trash bag and work gloves, which students can put to good use on Earth Day.

“We’re encouraging volunteers to use these items at one of the already scheduled Madison or Dane County events, or to do their own trash cleanup wherever they live,” said Madison College Student Program Advisor Brianna Stapleton Welch.

For students and community members looking for cleanup volunteer work, Dane County has multiple options. For example, the City of Madison Parks is hosting an Earth Day Challenge on Saturday, April 24 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The event will include trash pickup, raking, weeding and removing sticks at various parks around Madison. All supplies will be included. People interested in volunteering can register to help at the park of their choice at https://www.cityofmadison.com/isevents/event_detail.cfm?eid=2308.

The Irwin A. & Robert D. Goodman Greenhouse at Spring Harbor in Madison is also looking for volunteers to assist in their Greenhouse and Garden Rejuvenation Day on Saturday, April 24 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Activities will include painting the greenhouse, tending to the gardens, spreading woodchips as well as planting and repotting plants. Lunch and snacks will be provided to volunteers. Anyone interested in helping can sign up at https://www.volunteeryourtime.org/need/detail/?need_id=576198.

And, for those looking for a different way to get involved in helping the planet, McKee Farms Park of Fitchburg will be hosting an Earth Day Dash on Saturday, April 17. Participants can choose to run a 5k or 10k and will receive a t-shirt and other goodies with their registration. It costs $25 to sign up, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Fitchburg Park’s ash tree replacement program at McKee Farms Park. You can register at https://runsignup.com/Race/WI/Fitchburg/SpringRun3.

This Earth Day, do your part at helping support our planet and protect the environment by taking advantage of one of the many opportunities and activities offered in the Dane County area.