Celebrate Earth Day with the City of Charlotte

Published on April 22, 2026

A bee collects pollen inside a yellow flower at a local garden.

Happy Earth Day, Charlotte! Here at the City of Charlotte, we're committed to continuously improving, protecting and preserving the environment. From long-term goals for 2050 to the everyday activities of our field crews, Team Charlotte is always working toward a better, brighter future for all, and that starts with taking care of our planet.

Want to join the City of Charlotte in our Earth Day efforts? Check out some opportunities to support, attend, volunteer and learn through the links below.

Sign Up for TreeMail

The City of Charlotte’s Landscape Management division is always doing its part to protect and preserve our tree canopy. From providing free tree plantings for residents to hosting volunteer events, our city arborists celebrate Earth Day every day of the year. Stay up to date on all things trees by subscribing to TreeMail, a bi-monthly newsletter from the City of Trees team. Residents can sign up on the TreeMail subscription page.

Test Your Tree Knowledge

For National Arbor Day on Friday, April 24, the City of Charlotte’s arborists are challenging residents to test their tree knowledge. Take this 16-question Arbor Day Quiz and be entered in a random drawing for a City of Trees swag bag!

The goal of this quiz is to educate Charlotte residents about trees. You don’t have to get every question right to be eligible for the prize. In fact, correct answers will be revealed as you answer each question, so you’re welcome to change your answers as many times as you’d like until you get the right one.

The quiz closes at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 8. Winners will be notified on Monday, May 11. If you encounter any technical issues with the quiz, please contact Tabitha Warren at tabitha.warren@charlottenc.gov.

Submit a Nomination for the Crown Tree Awards

Nominations are currently open for the Crown Tree Awards, which celebrate Charlotte’s amazing urban forest and the citizens who preserve, grow and advocate for it.

Nominations must be submitted by 5 p.m. on May 31. Applicants must include the award category, pictures and a description of why their nominee should win. Winners will receive a beautiful, locally sourced wood plaque and certificate.

Recycle Right

Solid Waste Services would like to remind residents about what does and does not belong in recycling carts.

Some Dos: Glass bottles, empty aerosol cans, clean pizza boxes and junk mail.
Some Do Nots: Plastic bags, paper plates, batteries and clothes hangers.

Find in-depth collection guidelines on the Solid Waste Services web pages and take the city’s recycling service survey.

Clean the Queen

In partnership with the Innovation Barn and Keep Charlotte Beautiful, Solid Waste Services hosts Clean the Queen—an annual, week-long volunteer event dedicated to making Charlotte cleaner, greener and more sustainable. The entire week of Earth Day, volunteers can pick up litter, sort materials and build sound panels. Sign up on the Clean the Queen registration page.

All throughout the year, Keep Charlotte Beautiful coordinates local cleanups, planting events and volunteer opportunities, inspiring residents to take action to improve and beautify their communities.

During Earth Week, SWS will be setting up three raised planting beds with a variety of seeds. Once the fruits and veggies grow, employees can take what they need!

Learn about Water at a Charlotte Knights Game

Charlotte Water will be doing outreach and education at the upcoming Charlotte Knights game on Friday, April 24.

Three Charlotte Water employees man a booth at a Charlotte Checkers game, where they provide information about water.

Charlotte Water employees doing outreach during a Charlotte Checkers game.

Participate in the Water For People 5K

The 2026 Water for People Charlotte 5K & Virtual 5K provides a great opportunity for Charlotteans to get active, connect with community and support Water For People, a nonprofit committed to ensuring every person has access to reliable, safe water and sanitation services. This event will take place at McAlpine Creek Park on Saturday, April 25. Learn more and sign up on the Run Sign Up website.

Attend the Textiles Recycling Expo USA

Held during the last two days of Earth Month, the Textiles Recycling Expo USA has come to Charlotte. The City of Charlotte’s Chief Sustainability & Resilience Officer, Heather Bolick, will be speaking on a panel at the event.

For Businesses: Join a Sustainability Program

The Green Crown Program is one of many sustainability initiatives led by the city. This Earth Month, the city will be relaunching a revamped and expanded version of the program, now open to businesses in the restaurant, beverage and hospitality industries. Businesses can join the program and receive recognition for their sustainable practices. Come learn more at the relaunch event happening on Thursday, April 30 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Fonta Flora Brewery at Optimist Hall.

Power Down the Crown is the city’s voluntary building energy performance benchmarking program. It aims to reduce energy consumption in buildings around the city given that the buildings sector accounts for about 50% of carbon emissions in Charlotte.