NAPERVILLE | Naperville Park District Celebrates 55th Annual Earth Day with Earth Month Naperville

Events, Plant Sales, Volunteer Opportunities will Take Place throughout April and Beyond to Honor Earth Day

NAPERVILLE–Naperville Park District, the City of Naperville and many other local organizations are hosting numerous community events, sales, volunteer projects and activities to celebrate Earth Month Naperville. Earth Month Naperville will take place from April 7-April 30 in celebration of the 55th annual Earth Day on Tuesday, April 22. The Knoch Knolls Nature Center will have month-long Earth Day exhibits and activities for families with new themes planned each week. This year’s Earth Day theme is “Take Action,” and the Park District invites the community to participate in the special events and ongoing eco-friendly initiatives planned this spring.

Naperville Park District and Naperville Police Department are cosponsoring the annual Shredding Event on Saturday, April 12. This is a free event held in the Centennial Beach parking lot, located at 500 W. Jackson Avenue, where community members may bring unwanted paper to be shredded and recycled. Participants may bring up to two large cardboard banker boxes or paper bags not exceeding 10 lbs. per container. Volunteers will unload boxes and bags from your vehicle. This event will take place from 8:00-11:00 a.m. or until the trucks are filled.

Serve the community and help beautify our local parks with the new recurring volunteer opportunity, Nature Champions. Starting in April, Nature Champions will offer regularly scheduled days and times for volunteers to help support specific park projects across Naperville. Additional information for the initiative is available at napervilleparks.org/volunteer.

One Earth Film Festival is hosting a week-long environmental film festival from Tuesday, April 22-Monday, April 28. Everyone is welcome to view specially selected films in-person across the Chicagoland area or online which highlight Earth Day and sustainable initiatives. The Conservation Foundation will host the 34th annual DuPage River Sweep on Saturday, April 19 from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Deadline to register is Monday, April 7.

Tree and plant sales will take place throughout April and May. Pre-orders for the City of Naperville’s annual Arbor Day Tree Sale are available now until Wednesday, April 16 at 5:00 p.m. Drive-thru tree pickup will be on Saturday, April 19 at the Public Works Service Center, located at 180 Fort Hill Drive. The Morton Arboretum will host its own Arbor Day Plant Sale from Thursday, April 24-Saturday, April 26 at Morton Arboretum. The McDonald Farm Plant Sale, hosted by the Conservation Foundation, is Saturday, May 10 from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at McDonald Farm, located at 10S404 Knoch Knolls Road. The Kendall County Master Gardeners will host the 2025 Master Gardener Plant Sale on Saturday, May 17 from 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. at the Kendall County Extension Office, located at 7775B IL Route 47.