By Renee Jackson
April 27, 2018

This Saturday, community members will gather at Union Plaza to celebrate Lincoln Earth Day. Union Plaza, 21st and Q streets, annually hosts this eco-friendly event to provide education about the earth and celebrate the planet in a variety of ways.

At 9 a.m., Bike LNK and Great Plains Trails Network will put on a Happy Earth Day Bike Ride. The ride will start at the Assurity Life Insurance Company Corporate Office, 2000 Q St, and will continue along the Rock Island Trail towards Highway 2. Tour guides will join the ride to point out the new Bike LNK Bike Share kiosks, and city manager for Bike LNK Jamie Granquist will provide more info about the Bike Share.

This year, a number of performances will take place at Lincoln Earth Day, including Nebraska Ballet Theater Dance Troupe, and Root Marm Chicken Farm Jug Band. Participants can practice yoga, assemble rain barrels, and build compost areas during the Earth Day celebration.

A Nia performance will also take place Saturday afternoon. Kami Ebers, a Nia instructor at Nia Lincoln, will be participating in the Earth Day celebration.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to share Nia and encourage the joy of movement,” Ebers said. “It is my belief that an ingredient to helping the earth be cared for and healed, we need to care for and heal ourselves individually and as communities.” The Nia performance will begin at 10:30 a.m.

Around 60 food trucks and vendors will be present throughout the day at Union Plaza. KZUM, Big Red Worms, Bike LNK, Springo, Planned Parenthood, Prairie Plate Restaurant, Southern Heights Food Forest and Funtastic Faces by Sas are only a few of the many booths and trucks that will be joining the celebration on Saturday.

Lincoln Earth Day works with Carson and Co. Global, The Nebraska Environmental Trust, The Nebraska Academy of Sciences, and many others to celebrate and foster environmental stewardship, education, and sustainable living. Around 2,500 people have attended Lincoln Earth Day every year. KZUM is proud to be a sponsor of Lincoln Earth Day.

Events begin at 9 a.m. and continue until 3 p.m. Check out the full schedule here.

Brittany Ward is an editorial intern with KZUM.