10 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day in Pittsburgh

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

Two holidays celebrating the environment are right around the corner, and Pittsburgh loves a party.

Earth Day is on April 22, and Arbor Day is on April 25. Various organizations will host a slew of events around the city to celebrate the holiday as well as to encourage sustainable practices year-round. As VisitPITTSBURGH says on its website, even if these holidays officially take place once a year, Pittsburgh Earth Day is an “ongoing initiative.”

From eco-inspired fashion shows to tree planting volunteer days, here is a run down of some of the ways you can get involved in crafting a greener future for the Black and Gold, on Earth Day, Arbor Day and beyond.

Arbor Day 2026 Celebration | West End Overlook Park | April 18

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., visitors can take part in tree plantings, refreshments, music, informational booths and tree giveaways at West End Overlook Park. 

According to city officials, this year marks 21 consecutive years of Pittsburgh being a Tree City USA, a designation that means the city has met four standards set by the Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters. In order to receive the title, the city must have: a community tree board, department or position with legal authority and responsibility for public tree care decisions; a public tree care ordinance that provides clear guidance for planting, maintaining and/or removing trees from public spaces; a minimum of $2 per capita annual expenditure on activities related to community tree care; and an Arbor Day observance and official, annual community proclamation issued and signed by the mayor, city council or equivalent official.

To celebrate more than two decades of Pittsburgh’s Tree City USA designation, the Tree City USA flag typically flies on Mount Washington from Earth Day to Arbor Day each year. According to a press release from the city, the flag will fly for a full week this year, from April 20-27.

Up-Potapalooza | Heritage Nursery | April 18

Tree Pittsburgh will host its third-annual Up-Potapalooza, an event the organization calls “an epic marathon of up-potting seedlings” at its Heritage Nursery, a former brownfield in Lawrenceville. The effort to up-pot baby tree seedlings will help Tree Pittsburgh prepare for the growing season. 

Even if you’ve never up-potted before, Tree Pittsburgh will provide training for transplanting the seedlings as volunteers work to up-pot the next generation of Heritage Nursery trees. There will also be snacks, beverages and music.

Tree Planting | South Side Park | April 18

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy will be planting trees at South Side Park from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on April 18. Volunteers are encouraged to learn about different types of native trees, proper tree planting practices and tree care. 

Registration is required and can be completed online or by contacting Shawn Terrell, WPC’s community engagement coordinator, at sterrell@paconserve.org or 412-586-2327.

Arbor Day Celebration | Riverview Park | April 19

Join the Friends of Riverview Park for a fun-filled day celebrating the MoonTree and Pennsylvania Hawthorn. Riverview Park and Allegheny Observatory are caretakers of a NASA MoonTree — a sweetgum grown from a seed that traveled around the Moon aboard the Artemis I spacecraft. Folks can expect a day of science, art and hands-on discovery inspired by this one-of-a-kind tree. Activities are designed for children in grades K–5 and their families. Festivities begin at 11 a.m. and feature live music, hikes and mini tours of the Allegheny Observatory.

Pennsylvania Hawthorn (Crataegus pennsylvanica) is a globally vulnerable species that occurs in Pittsburgh’s Riverview Park. Hawthorns, however, are notoriously difficult to identify down to the species, park officials say. Join Friends of Riverview Park and international hawthorn experts from the University of Montreal for a hawthorn workshop and nature hike into the park’s Natural Heritage Area. Want to get involved with the conservation of this vulnerable species? The first step is to learn to properly identify it. The workshop begins at 11 a.m.

Registration is required and can be accessed via the event’s website.

2026 Ecolution Fashion Gala: Pop Couture | Heinz Hall, Downtown | April 20

Blending high-impact choreography, music channeling the energy of the 1960s and couture-inspired design, Pop Couture celebrates Pittsburgh’s legacy of bold art, striking image-making and cultural influence. The dance-theatre musical began as a grassroots fashion statement on the steps of Fairmont Pittsburgh and has grown into a celebration of creativity, sustainability and Pittsburgh’s artistic spirit. 

“At its core, Pop Couture: Fashion, Fame & Obsession is a meditation on identity and influence — on what it means to be a muse, an icon, and a creation of the very world that elevates you,” reads a press release. “Through choreographed movement and striking visual composition, the show examines how obsession with beauty and recognition can both empower and consume.”

It will take place from 6  to 11 p.m. on April 20 at Heinz Hall. Tickets may be purchased here.

Party for the Planet | Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium | April 25

From 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on April 25, the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium will kick off the first of five conservation-focused events, which will run on various dates through June. The Party for the Planet includes environmental activities, educational presentations, keeper talks, special sapling and seed giveaways and a storytime with Ruby, the Zoo’s red panda mascot. 

Party for the Planet traditionally includes three events: Earth Day, Endangered Species Day on May 15 and World Ocean Day on June 8. This year, the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium received grant funds from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to enhance its Party for the Planet offerings with two additional events: a Birds & Branches tree planting class that took place on on April 11, where a limited number of registered guests took direct action planting trees in Highland Park; and Migratory Bird Day, which will host on-grounds zoo-themed crafts and activities on May 9. 

Tree Planting at El Paso Street | Morningside | April 25

Tree Pittsburgh and Morningside community members will be out planting trees at the site of the El Paso Street landslide from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on April 25, and they’re inviting volunteers to help. 

Tree Pittsburgh will provide all the safety gear and tools necessary to get the work done, but the organization does encourage volunteers to wear boots, sturdy sneakers, long pants and long sleeves.

Registration is required. All new volunteers also have to fill out this form for Tree Pittsburgh.

Invasive Species Scavenger Hunt | Across Pennsylvania | April 30 through May

 Throughout May, the Pennsylvania iMapInvasives Program will be hosting its 7th annual Invasive Species Scavenger Hunt. The statewide event challenges participants to search for, identify and report findings of five pre-selected invasive species:

• Golden Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus citrinopileatus)
• Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora)
• Ragged Robin (Silene flos-cuculi)
• Five-leaf Aralia (Eleutherococcus sieboldianus)
• Princess Tree (Paulownia tomentosa)

All participants who report at least one presence or absence record to iMapInvasives for each of the five species (based on individual participant surveys) will be entered into a drawing to win a prize package of outdoor gear and an invasive species field guide. Three winners will be selected at random at the end of May.

If you’d like to participate in the 2026 Invasive Species Scavenger Hunt, be sure to register for the April 30 webinar session. Can’t attend live? Register, and after the webinar concludes, you will receive a link to watch the recording at your convenience. If you have a question about this year’s Scavenger Hunt event, contact Amy Jewitt (ajewitt@paconserve.org) or Corinne Garda (cgarda@paconserve.org) at the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.

Tree Trek | University of Pittsburgh | Year-Round

The Tree Trek is a roughly one-mile walk that showcases various tree species around the Cathedral of Learning, Heinz Chapel and the William Pitt Union. It is open to the public, not just students at Pitt. Folks can start the tour at any tree, and the entire route takes about 20 minutes to complete.

The tour highlights 17 tree species, including ginko, Japanese maple, sweetgum and flowering dogwood.

Planets Earth | Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens | Ongoing

A new exhibit in the Center for Sustainable Landscapes takes visitors inside the problem of resource use as a central catalyst for climate change and other environmental issues. 

“There is, of course, only one planet earth. However, the way we currently live — what we demand from the planet — actually requires at least five earths and, perhaps, even more,” reads a post on the exhibit website. 

Planets Earth identifies the ways of thinking that drive conventional decision making when it comes to environmental consumption, encouraging guests to think about new paths forward and to change the way we interact with the world. 

You can buy tickets for Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, and any of its exhibits, online.