From shoreline cleanups to geology hikes to a climate film festival, the 7th Annual Aquidneck Island Earth Week kicks off Saturday, April 18, with more than two weeks of events spread across Newport, Middletown and Portsmouth.
Organized by Sara Poirier of Spark Strategic Science Communication, the nine-day celebration runs through April 26 and draws together local nonprofits, town committees and businesses around hands-on environmental action.
“Aquidneck Island Earth Week is about coming together to ensure our island remains a vibrant, healthy place for generations to come,” Poirier said. “Whether you’re learning about sustainable fashion, planting trees, or joining a shoreline cleanup, every action contributes to a larger impact.”
The week launches Saturday with a plogging event at the Newport Marathon at Easton’s Beach, a Friends of the Waterfront cleanup at King Park, a pump track cleanup at Big Blue Bike Barn, and a Climate Future Film Festival at the Middletown Library.
Highlights throughout the week include an Earth Day block party with Aquidneck Resilience at Ragged Island Brewery on Wednesday, April 22; a presentation on sustainable fashion at Rough Point on April 21; invasive species removal at Albro Woods in Middletown on April 25; and a free guided bird walk at Norman Bird Sanctuary on April 26.
Norman Bird Sanctuary hosts several events across the week, including a Conservation Crew open house, an Earth Day poetry walk and a golden hour geology hike. Rough Point also offers a landscape tour tracing the property’s history from Olmsted to Doris Duke.
Weekend cleanups span the island, with events planned at Third Beach and Weaver Cove in Portsmouth, Fort Adams in Newport, Nanaquaket Bridge in Tiverton and Easton’s Beach on the final day.
The full schedule and registration information is available at aquidneckearthweek.com.
