🌎 8 tips for celebrating Earth Day in Orlando

Plus, a new music fest is heading to Colonialtown and Holy Land Experience is opening for two days only.

By Katie Johnston

Happy Earth Day, Orlando.

Mother Nature has a beautiful one queued up for us, with a high of 75 — a temp your editor here thinks makes for the most perfect day.

Fourteen months into a global pandemic, it’s easy to reflect on the heavy stuff. But I challenge you to take a moment today to notice the beautiful things happening right before our very eyes.

Like that Tabebuia tree outside your window that’s full-bloom — or how pretty the sidewalk looks when the buds have fallen to the ground. And the feelings of the warm (okay, hot) sun on your shoulders. If we’ve ever had time to smell the flowers, it’s now, so let’s embrace it. (Just don’t forget your daily dose of Benadryl!)

How else can you celebrate Earth Day at home? Well, we’ve got eight ideas for you down below.

But first, let’s dive into today’s news: A new hippie music fest heading to Colonialtown, what’s going on in Florida legislature these days, and a virtual cooking workshop happening tonight.👇

Today's a good day to have a good day. 📸: @gainedreduction | Wanna see your photo here? Tag either #pulptown or @pulptown on Instagram to be featured as our IG of the Day!

What Orlando is talking about

📢 One of the most controversial proposals to emerge from the Florida legislature this year appears to be dead on arrival. Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Kelli Stargel said she is turning her attention away from a bill she sponsored that would have restricted transgender female athletes from participating on girls’ and women’s high-school and college teams. Another iteration of the bill passed the Florida House last week. (Orlando Sentinel)

🎶 There’s a music fest coming to Colonialtown, and it’ll be outdoors on front porches similar to Sanford PorchFest, and y’all, I don’t remember the last time I was this excited about an event. Porch Stock 2021 debuts May 22 and from the looks of it, it’s going to be groovy and psychedelic. (Bungalower)

🎟 Holy Land Experience is opening for two days next week. The religious theme park has been closed since last March but will reopen to the public April 28 and 29 for two days of free admission, something it used to do once a year to keep its tax-exempt status. (WKMG)

🍲 Local nonprofit org, Peer Support Space, is hosting a virtual cooking class tonight and will be making a vegan-friendly pot pie with a blackberry parfait as dessert. Start time is 6:30 p.m. You can register here. (Peer Support Space on Instagram)

♻️ Our friends over at O-Town Compost are hosting an Instagram Live tonight to talk about Central Florida’s food waste recycling infrastructure and how O-Town Compost is specifically targeting food waste around Orlando. You can tune in at 7 p.m. on IG. (O-town Compost on Instagram)

🌳 Fleet Farming is giving away free fruit trees for Earth Day/Week. Well, with the purchase of their new Edible Landscapes gardens. Basically, Fleet Farming will come in and build (and maintain) a raised garden bed installation for you and then they’ll throw in a free fruit tree too. (Fleet Farming)

🗣 A La Cart and Ideas for Us are hosting an Earth Day social tonight. Call up your fellow vaccinated tree-hugging friends and invite them along for beers, good food, and lots of environmental talk. (Ideas for Us on Instagram)

Related: I took a trip to A La Cart yesterday to sample the lunch specials at Smoke & Donuts and pick up a to-go bag of their new catering kit to make for dinner and wow. I recommend treating yourself to the new Limontella (lemonade + Nutella) doughnut and don't even think about sleeping on the low-country turkey reuben. Mmmk? OK. (Pics to come in a future newsletter.)

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🌎Word to our Mother (Earth)

Today is the 51st anniversary of “Earth Day”, a day meant to consciously celebrate Mother Nature and for 24 hours, do what we can to help her.

Fun fact: According to EarthDay.org, more than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world. 🎉

Here are our top 8 suggestions for really leaning into the day and making a difference:

Exercise outdoors. Go for a hike, take a walk, or bike on one of these Central Florida trails.
Plant a tree. The city of Orlando has a year-round tree program that’s free for residents. They’d be happy to come out and plant a tree for you.
Donate to a local food recovery nonprofit organization like Society of St. Andrew. The local org gleans local crops from surrounding farms, cutting down on food waste and in turn greenhouse emissions.
Get rid of single-use anything. Use recyclable bottles, shop upcycled and follow any of these other 13 energy-saving tips.
See what Greta Thunberg’s up to. Travel with the world’s best-known climate activist as she takes her fight to a global stage. Tune in to WUCF, either on-air or online, tonight at 8 p.m. for a new series following Greta’s year off school to better understand the impacts of climate change.
Become a waste warrior. Can those plastic bottles work as a flower planter? Could that paper towel roll double as a telescope? Research recycling efforts in your ‘hood and if you want tips, we’ll connect you with our resident waste warrior, Andrea Ruiz-Hayes of Eco Strategies Group.
Hug a tree. No really, dust off this old map (jk it’s digital) from The City of Orlando and take a tour of the city’s historic trees. There’s the Mayor in Loch Haven Park, Constitution Green Park off Summerlin, the pines in Dickson Azalea Park (going for the scenic bridge is enough), or an abundance of native trees and plants at Leu Gardens. It’s amazing what you can find in your own backyard!
Keep the celebrations going all weekend long. Celebrate Earth Day at Oakland Nature Preserve or Lake Louisa State Park on Saturday and at the Annual Earth Day Fest (and It’s Just Yoga Fest) at Lake Eola on Sunday.

Have something to add to the list? Drop us a line at hello@pulp.town, subject line: Word to your Mother.

Things to do

Submit your events to our calendar.

Today

♻️ Celebrate Earth Day with local environmentalists and good beers and eats at A La Cart (East Colonial)

🎶 Take a drive to Theater West End to enjoy the off-Broadway musical, "Always... Patsy Cline" (Sanford)

🎶 Grab a ticket to see Grace Potter perform outdoors at the Frontyard Festival on the lawn of the Dr. Phillips Center (Downtown)

Tomorrow

🎶 Sing along to the songs you love from "Mamma Mia" at The Abbey (South Eola)

Saturday

🥞 Celebrate the Annual Mount Dora Blueberry Festival with blueberry pancakes and mimosas through Sunday (Mount Dora)

♻️ Spend your Saturday cleaning up the neighborhood (Ivanhoe)

🎨 Head to Hannibal Square for the 12th Annual Folk & Urban Art Festival (Winter Park)

🌱 Bring the fam to the annual Art & Foliage Fest for a day filled with arts and crafts, plants, and live music (Apopka)

🍻 Go pint for pint and donate blood for a free brew from Persimmon Hollow (Lake Eola)

🦁 Walk on the wild side and spend the day visiting sanctuary animals at the Care Foundation for Earth Day through Sunday (Apopka)

👟 Go for a walk either at Cranes Roost or at home and in support of those in our community struggling with mental health issues (Altamonte Springs/Online)

🌳 If you're a Maitland resident, get a free tree from the city for Earth Day and Arbor Day (Maitland)

🌱 Join OCLS for a celebration of all things that grow! Local organizations will lead workshops and share their expertise on what you can plant in your own front yard (Online)

🎶 Make your way to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra's presentation of Mahler’s ‘Titan’ (Orlando))

Sunday

🛍 Shop local vintage at this pop-up market outside of Ace Cafe (Downtown)

🌱 Nom your vegan heart out at this foodie pop-up happening at the It's Just Yoga and Earth Day festivals (Lake Eola)

☮️ Namaste at this year's It's Just Yoga Fest at Lake Eola Park (Lake Eola)

🎶 Jam out to local musicians at Southern Fried Sundays outdoors at Carlotta's Culture Park (Mills 50)

♻️ Learn more about the folks working to make Central Florida a more sustainable place to live at the annual Earth Day fest (Lake Eola)

🍻 Head to Celery City Craft for a good ol' seafood boil with live music and local craft beers (Sanford)

🎶 Jam out to Hannah Barber and Thomas Wynn over a tasty outdoor brunch (Downtown)

One more thing

Our buddies over at Bungalower rounded up their favorite eateries that have walk-up window options for takeaway food and well, we thought you’d make good use of it too, so here it is, in all its glory.

OK, that’ll do it. Now, hug a tree, turn down the thermostat, and walk to work (your couch). I’ll see you back here tomorrow.

– ✌️ Katie at Pulptown

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