What do the Vietnam War, the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, and spring break have to do with Earth Day? Here’s what you need to know.
Los Angeles will celebrate the planet Monday with events in honor of Earth Day.
Established in 1970, Earth Day offers an opportunity to highlight environmental issues and the work being done to protect the planet from pollution, deforestation and other threats. The theme for 2024 is focused on the threat plastics pose to the environment.
In the spring of 1970, Sen. Gaylord Nelson helped create Earth Day to force environmental issues onto the national agenda. By December 1970, Congress authorized the creation of a new federal agency to tackle environmental issues, now know known as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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Nelson was inspired, in part, by the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill. A blowout on a offshore drilling rig spilled tens of thousands of barrels of crude oil into the Santa Barbara Channel, creating slick that damaged miles of coastline and killed sea animals and birds.
Below, some of the ways Los Angeles will celebrate Earth Day.
Free rides on LA Metro
LA Metro is offering free rides on its bus, rail, bike share and Metro Micro services. All Metro buses and trains will be free beginning at 3 a.m. Monday until 2:59 a.m. Tuesday.
Bus fare boxes will be deactivated, and all train-station fare gates will be opened. Metro Bike Share users can redeem free 30-minute rides by selecting "1-Ride" at any Metro Bike Share kiosk, online or in the Metro Bike Share app by entering the promo code 042224. A credit or debit card is required. The first 30 minutes of all rides are free. Rides longer than 30 minutes are $1.75 each additional half-hour. Electric Metro Bike unlocking fees are waived.
Metro Micro customers can redeem free rides on Metro's on-demand electric rideshare service by using the Metro Micro app or browser and entering code EarthDay24. The promo code will be available during regular operating hours for Metro's Call Center (323-GoMetro or 323-466-3876) from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Long Beach solar canopies
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson and other city officials will flip a ceremonial switch to turn on solar canopies that were recently installed on top of the two parking structures at Long Beach Airport. The project is part of the Public Works Department's Citywide Solar Project, which is installing solar panel canopies atop 11 city-owned facilities.
LA County Library Author Talk
The L.A. County Library will host an Author Talk at 3 p.m. featuring Board of Supervisors Chair Lindsey Horvath and Rosanna Xia, environmental reporter for the Los Angeles Times. The talk will be at the West Hollywood Library, 625 N. San Vicente Blvd., and also be streamed on YouTube.
Agoura Hill Save LA Cougars campaign
In Agoura Hills, members of the #SaveLACougars campaign and supporters will gather to celebrate progress on the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over the Ventura (101) Freeway. The public event will run from 4-7 p.m. at the Adobe Cantina restaurant, 29100 Agoura Road, and will include appearances from filmmakers working on a documentary titled ``Wildlife on the Edge." The film, narrated by actor Beau Bridges, tracks the lives of mountain lions and other wildlife living in the mountains surrounding Los Angeles.
Last week, construction crews successfully installed the first girder and initial level of the crossing in the Liberty Canyon area near Agoura Hills. When completed, the crossing will be the largest of its kind in the world, a first in California, and a model for urban wildlife conservation, wildlife advocates said. Construction began in 2022, and is expected to be completed by late 2025 or early 2026. The fully landscaped crossing is designed to provide a connection between the small population of mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains and the larger and genetically diverse populations to the north.
Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel lights
At 7:30 p.m., the Santa Monica Pier's solar-powered Ferris wheel will "go green" by displaying, in lights, a 90-foot-tall spinning globe, along with a variety of green and blue colors, patterns and icons.
