Happy Earth Month 2026
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Happy Earth Month! What better way to celebrate the arrival of spring and the return of greenery than joining your fellow Madisonians for Earth Day activities? All month long, organizations across our community are hosting events to raise awareness about environmental issues, share skills to help everyone level up our sustainability game, and invite you to take action. Earth Month is a time to recognize the progress we've made in protecting our environment while also raising awareness and fostering collaboration to address future challenges. Visit the City's Sustainability and Resilience page to explore the steps the City of Madison is taking to protect the health of our environment and our community.
We hope you'll join fellow Madisonians in celebrating Earth Month at these exciting events!
RoundTrip Spring Roll Challenge | All Month
Log your sustainable trips all month long for a chance to win prizes! Free and open to everyone 18+ in Dane County. Register with RoundTrip and log trips made by bike, bus, carpool, walking, or rolling throughout April. The goal is to reach 10,000 green trips in Dane County this April, with weekly and grand prize drawings.
Learn more about the Spring Roll Challenge
Sustain Dane: Earth Month Bingo Cards | All Month
Sustain Dane has created two Earth Month bingo cards to spark friendly competition, build awareness, and promote sustainability actions, great for individuals or workplace teams.
Farmers Market Food Scrap Drop-Off Program | Starts April 11 at Westside Community Market
The City of Madison and Sustain Dane's free composting program returns for its fifth season, with a goal of diverting 48,000 pounds of food scraps this year!
- Westside Community Market: Saturdays, 7am–12:30pm @ Research Park (505 S Rosa Rd), April 11–Oct 31
- East Madison Market: Tuesdays, 4–7pm @ McPike Park (202 S. Ingersoll St.), April 28–Oct 27
- South Madison Market: Tuesdays, 2–6pm @ Madison Labor Temple (1602 S Park St.), May 19–Oct 27
- Capitol View Market: Wednesdays, 3–7pm @ City View Park (5901 Sharpsburg Dr), May 27–Oct 14
Sustainable Breakfast Series: Data Centers & A Sustainable Future | Tuesday, April 14, 8:30–9:30am
Join Sustain Dane for a panel on the rapid expansion of data centers across Wisconsin. Networking starts at 8:00 AM. Speakers include:
- Anna Haensch (UW-Madison Data Science Institute)
- Kathy Kuntz (Dane County Energy & Climate Change)
- Paul Robbins (Dean, Nelson Institute).
Repair Café | Wednesday, April 15, 5-8pm
Gather to repair broken items, reduce waste, and share skills! Bring your small appliances, electronics, clothing, bicycles, or other household items that need a repair. Volunteer repairers will work with you to try to troubleshoot and repair them for free.
Climate Action Listening Session with Dane County Executive Melissa Agard | Thursday, April 16, 5–6pm
Dane County is inviting residents to join Dane County Executive Melissa Agard at a Climate Action Listening Session to hear about the county's work, share your ideas, priorities, and vision for a more sustainable Dane County. This is an opportunity to hear what's working, what more we can do, and how the County is leading on climate solutions. No RSVP required. Meeting starts at 5pm at 5201 Fen Oak Drive on April 16.
Accelerate Sustainability Workshop | Friday, April 17, 8:30am–12pm
Join Sustain Dane's leadership workshop helping businesses and organizations turn sustainability goals into action. Participants will gain practical leadership strategies, drawing from Sustain Dane's 15+ years of experience inspiring action across our community. Includes case studies and guest speakers from Attic Angel Community, designCraft Advertising, and MGE.
UW–Madison Earth Fest | April 17–23
Earth Fest runs April 17–23, 2026, and includes a full week of lectures, community gatherings, outdoor events, arts and crafts, and more in celebration of the environment and sustainability. Earth Fest Highlights include:
- Earth Fest Forum featuring a keynote by Isaias Hernandez, an exhibit hall, art, T-shirt printing, and more.
- A Madison premiere of a dance-film exploring the climate crisis, blending social impacts with Korean myth.
- A sustainability board game competition hosted by the Wisconsin Energy Institute, with games like Catan: New Energies, Daybreak, and Power Grid.
- A family nature program at the UW–Madison Arboretum for families with elementary-age and younger children.
- An event exploring water stewardship and connections between global and local waterways with Mundo Esperanza.
- A medication take-back event hosted by University Health Services.
- A water systems panel exploring how emerging technologies and policy landscapes are transforming water systems.
Free, open to the public, and family-friendly.
Earth Month Cleanup at Garver/Starkweather | Saturday, April 18, 10am
Now in its sixth year! Join Sustain Dane and other volunteers outside the south entrance of Garver Feed Mill. Gloves, trash bags, and hand sanitizer provided. Last year, volunteers collected over 800 pounds of trash. Delta Beer Lab will hand out a free pint certificate card and Ian's Pizza is offering a free slice to each volunteer.
Community Clothing Swap | Saturday, April 18, 9am-3pm
Overture Center's Sustainability Committee invites the Madison community to celebrate Earth Month with a clothing swap focused on reducing fashion waste and embracing conscious consumption. Give your gently used clothing a second life and find something new to love in the process. Clothing donations will be accepted in Overture's Rotunda lobby starting April 10 during building hours through 12pm on the day of the event.
Bilingual Environmental Conservation Fair | Saturday, April 18, 12-4 pm
A bilingual event where participants can learn how to make a difference, connect with valuable resources on environmental conservation, sustainability, renewable energy, EVs, and the health impacts of pollution. Enjoy a fun-filled day with music, free tree saplings, and raffles for water filters and kites.
Register with Wisconsin EcoLatinos
Madison Parks Earth Day Challenge | Saturday, April 25, 10am–12pm
Celebrate Earth Day with your neighbors and friends by volunteering to clean up your local park! Join this community-wide volunteer effort to help make a difference. Accept the Earth Day Challenge with Madison Parks! We are seeking 900 volunteers at 60+ parks, located throughout the city to assist with trash pickup, raking, trail clearing, and invasive plant removal. We supply gloves, garbage bags and rakes.
Earth Day & Repair Fair | Sunday, May 3, 12–4pm
Green Box Composting and Green Life Trading Co. are hosting their 3rd annual Earth Day Fair at the Goodman Community Center. This is a free community gathering where volunteers with repair skills help people fix broken household items like electronics, clothes, furniture, and bikes. This addition promotes skill-sharing, reduces waste, and builds community by fighting throwaway culture. Workshops and demonstrations related to zero waste and repair will be held in an adjacent classroom. It's free and open to all.
Learn more about the Earth Day & Repair Fair
Home Efficiency & Electrification Mini Course | Starts Tuesday, May 5, 5:30-7:30 pm
Over four evening classes, you'll build community with other home sustainability enthusiasts and learn from an experienced Madison Gas and Electric engineer how to:
- Understand your home's energy performance
- Boost efficiency and comfort, and reduce your home's carbon footprint
- Plan for home electrification including obtaining contractor quotes
- Navigate state and federal rebates and incentives associated with upgrades
Participants will be supported during courses and through take-home exercises to create a personalized roadmap for upgrades. By the end of the courses, you will have a tailored plan for upgrades, a corresponding project budget, and potential contractors ready to start work. Scholarships are available.
This content is free for use with credit to the City of Madison Mayor's Office.