Earth Day

Restoring Wild:
A Resilient Future for Nature and Community

Earth Day serves as an important reminder that we are all responsible for the preservation and restoration of our ecosystems and the habitats where we thrive alongside the natural world. People around the globe come together to learn about our environment, the climate, and the importance of restoration.

At Grace Farms we believe in nature’s ability to heal itself and our own potential to come together as a community to restore our ecosystems, support biodiversity, and create a more resilient future for our planet. This Earth Day, join us in being a part of the solution.

Family-Friendly Activities

Printable coloring pages, recipes that minimize food waste, and more ways to teach children about the importance of caring for our planet.

Conversations and Perspectives

Panel discussions, written perspectives, and how-to guides about ecological restoration, planting native, and sustainable gardening.

Stay Connected

Learn more about the Nature Initiative at Grace Farms and how you can be a part of restoring wild year-round.

As you explore, enjoy the sounds Grace Farms’ 80-acre preserve:

Family-Friendly Activities

Teach your family about environmental stewardship with these fun and simple activities! From celebrating the importance of pollinators and biodiversity to finding ways to reduce food waste by cooking with carrot peels and radish tops, we can all contribute to protecting our planet on Earth Day.

Plant for Pollinators

Learn how to make native plant seed balls that will attract pollinators to your deck or yard. Learn what plants are native to your region and how they help to support butterflies, birds, and beneficial insects.

Cook Without Waste

Don't let your food scraps go to waste! Try these recipes from Grace Farms' Chef Neena Perez that show how we can use all parts of a food when we cook.

Celebrate Biodiversity

Use crayons, markers, or colored pencils to let the biodiversity of our planet shine in these coloring pages from artists Betsey Fowler and David DePalma.

Feed the Birds

Follow our instructions to make birdseed ornaments to hang from the trees, then watch to see how many different kinds of birds come to enjoy a snack!

Go for a Spring Bird Walk

Master Birder Frank Mantlik takes us on a virtual bird walk through Grace Farms' 80 acres. Can you find any of these birds in your neighborhood?

Talk About Trees

Explore your neighborhood to find the season's incredible flowering trees. Bring a camera and share your photos. We'll help to identify the trees and explain why they are important!

Conversations and Perspectives

Learn from industry experts about the innovative methods and techniques being used to protect pollinators, plant native, establish sustainable gardens, and prevent invasive species from affecting our climate. Together we can restore wild habitat and encourage resilience in the natural world and in our own communities.

Planting with Purpose

A virtual conversation about how to successfully grow native plants inside your home, on your patio, or in your yard. Hear from Alexi and Brendan Coffey, Founders of Steward, and Penn Marchael, a Native Meadow Expert and Ecological Landscape Alliance Board Member.

Guide to Planting Native

Uncover the beauty and benefits of planting native. Learn about the plants native to our area and download a guide to turning your yard, patio, and home into a native plant haven.

Why Pollinators Matter

Read our Nature Initiative Director, Mark Fowler's perspective on the importance of pollinators and how they contribute to restoring our ecosystems.

Create a Sustainable Garden

Learn how to use cover crops, Three Sisters gardening, and other innovative solutions to create a sustainable, flourishing garden for years to come.

Re-Think Your Lawn

Follow this guide from Pollinator Pathways and Protect our Pollinators to discover ways to restore wild in your own backyard.

Climate Change and Invasive Species

Read an article by Carrie Brown-Lima, Director of the NY Invasive Species Research Institute at Cornell University, about the connection between climate change and invasive species.

Learn about our Partners and Contributors

Mark Fowler

Nature Initiative Director, Grace Farms

Mark leads Grace Farms' Nature Initiative and creates the concept and content for our Earth Day programming each year. A National Geographic Channel filmmaker and Emmy-nominated wildlife television, Mark is a champion of Restoring Wild and an advocate for the preservation and restoration of ecosystems throughout the world.

Alexi and Brendan Coffey

Co-Founders, Steward

Inspired by the idea of partnering with nature to improve health and transform the spaces we live, work, and play in, Alexi and Brendan founded Steward, an app designed to empower anyone who wants to grow plants to do so with confidence and ease in their own home. They are contributing panelists to our Planting with Purpose conversation, and friends of Grace Farms.

Penn Marchael

Founder, Pennington Grey

Penn is a Landscape contractor aspiring to train a new generation of land managers that will lead the landscape industry away from traditional practices and towards a more sustainable and dynamic approach. Penn was part of the team that designed, installed, and maintained the native meadows at Grace Farms, and is a contributing panelist to our Planting with Purpose conversation.

Frank Mantlik

Master Birder

An avid birder and naturalist, Frank is active in many bird and nature organizations in New England and has served as president of the Connecticut Ornithological Association. An accomplished photographer, he has led birdwatching tours at Grace Farms for several years and contributed his birding expertise to our Go for a Spring Bird Walk page.

Chef Neena Perez

Director of Food & Beverage, Grace Farms

In addition to creating our food and beverage experience on site at Grace Farms, Chef Neena has played an integral part in our food relief efforts, creating healthy meals for those in need. An advocate of fresh, healthy, and sustainable food, Chef Neena created the delicious recipes available on our Cook Without Waste page.

Lauren Elliott

Garden Manager, Grace Farms

A Master Gardener and Manager of Grace Farms' Community Garden, Lauren has contributed her expertise to create a vegan, sustainable garden at Grace Farms. Discover some of the techniques she uses to keep our garden productive and healthy on our Create a Sustainable Garden page.

Betsey Fowler

Wildlife Artist

A friend of Grace Farms and mother to our Nature Initiative Director, Mark Fowler, Betsey is an accomplished wildlife artist known for painting elephants and endangered species in bold, bright colors. Betsey has contributed to Earth Day programs in the past and her drawings are featured on our Celebrate Biodiversity page.

David DePalma

Facilities, Grace Farms

A longtime member of Grace Farms' Facilities team, David is also an incredible artist. He has contributed drawings for our annual Gifting for Good program and developed several coloring pages to send to our food relief recipients, which are also featured on our Celebrate Biodiversity page.

Lea Ann Miller

Events Specialist, Grace Farms

Lea Ann works as an Events Specialist at Grace Farms and has played an important role in our food relief efforts, planning and executing special gifts and activities for our food relief recipients. Lea Ann contributed activities for our Feed the Birds and Plant for Pollinators pages.

Matt Szwed

Technical Director, Grace Farms

In addition to providing his expertise as Technical Director behind the scenes of Grace Farms' programming, Matt spent hours recording the peaceful sounds of nature at Grace Farms and created the audio Morning Birds at Grace Farms.