Join us on Thursday, April 27^th from 10am – 2pm for the 2017 NIH Earth Day Celebration at Bethesda, Maryland.  This year’s Earth Day event will take place at two locations: on the front lawn of Bldg. 1 and at the Natcher Building (Bldg. 45), both inside and on the lawn.   Celebrate Earth Day with a variety of exhibits, activities, movies, and vendors to embrace your passion for mother earth.

Some of this year’s Earth Day festivities at Bethesda campus are listed below.  A detailed list of Earth Day events at various NIH locations can be found at https://nems.nih.gov/Pages/earthday.aspx.

Exhibits: Scales and Tales from Maryland Department Natural Resources will display live birds and reptiles.  The Audubon Society will showcase ways to identify common wildlife from their skulls, bones, and pelts.  Eco City Farms will explain how kitchen waste turns to compost with live worms.  Learn various ways to reduce, reuse, or recycle waste at the Montgomery County recycling booth.  Meet News Channel 4 meteorologists who will demonstrate storm chasing in a simulated environment inside a Storm Tracker vehicle.  A limited number of Dogwood tree seedlings will be given away for planting at home (thanks to the generosity of the NIH Federal Credit Union!)

Activities:  Join the NIH Stream Walk to learn about plants and wildlife on the campus.  Build your own animal track footprint with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.  Summon the clouds to create rain and witness the effects of storm water runoff with the EnviroScape Model.  Attend live cooking demonstrations featuring local fresh seasonal ingredients.  Sample the dishes and take-home healthy recipes.  View a display of electric and hybrid vehicles from the NIH fleet and from NIH employees and a Nissan Leaf will be available for test drives.

Lunch: Purchase lunch from food trucks including: Phat Yummies, South Meets East, Pasta La Vista Baby, NeatMeat DC, Captain Cookie and the Milkman and Ben & Jerry’s.

Vendors: Farmer’s market vendors with products for sale will include:  8Myles BBQ Sauce, Cupcakes Lounge, Randalia Bee Hives, M&M Plants, Crest Hill Bakery, Phil’s Dills, Favor Ceylon Tea, and Apple Valley.

Environmental Films:  The Planet Earth film series will be shown from 10am to 2pm at the Natcher Conference Center. These are several short films that introduce environmental stewardship principles to children will also be shown.