Earth Day 2024
Earth Day is an opportunity to reflect on our community’s commitment to sustainability and responsible stewardship of the environment. It is an important chance to recognize outstanding environmental achievements, engage with environmental topics, and commit to making a difference. Each year, the City hosts activities dedicated to celebrating Earth Day and its environmental principles: the Poster and Writing Contest and the Annual Citywide Clean-Up. While Earth Day falls on Monday, April 22, 2024, Earth Day Events are scattered around the spring. Please help us celebrate Earth Day by participating and encouraging others to participate!
2024 Poster and Writing Contest
The Poster and Writing Contest invites Hayward students to create a poster or write a poem/essay about Earth Day and its environmental principles. It gives students an opportunity to draw or write their thoughts on water and energy conservation, renewable energy, sustainable transportation and meals, recycling and composting, a litter-free environment, and environmental justice. See here to download an entry form. Entries are due by March 15, 2024. The winners will be awarded at City Council meeting in April.
Full Contest details available here.
Submissions can also be submitted electronically. To turn in your poster, poem, or essay electronically, please go here (English) or here (Spanish).
See the 2023 winning entries here.
Annual Citywide Clean-Up & Community Fair
The Annual Citywide Clean-Up & Community Fair is a litter pick-up event hosted at Weekes Park. Volunteers come together to collect litter and abandoned debris in various neighborhoods throughout the City. After picking up litter, community members will meet back up at Weekes Park and be provided lunch. There will also be a Community Fair with sustainability themed booths hosted by community organizations with fun activities for all.
The Annual Citywide Clean-Up will take place on Saturday, April 20, 2024. You can sign-up for to participate in the clean-up here. In an effort to make the event zero waste, we encourage participants to bring their own water bottles.
If you are interested in hosting a booth at this year's Community Fair, please contact Elise Pierce at elise.pierce@hayward-ca.gov.
Environmental Awards
The City of Hayward sunsetted the Environmental Awards after the 2019 award cycle. The Environmental Awards recognized residents, businesses, organizations, and schools who had made exemplary efforts to become more sustainable over the past year. Moving forward, the City will be reallocating resources to nominate standout environmental businesses in Hayward to regional awards programs such as Acterra's Business Environmental Award and the StopWaste's Business Efficiency Award. If you believe your business should be nominated to a regional awards program or would like to learn more about certifying your business as a California Green Business, please contact Environmenal Services Manager, Erik Pearson at erik.pearson@hayward-ca.gov.