Earth Fest was a free, five-day celebration of the life-giving power of nature and the many people, from all walks of life, who are protecting nature and taking action on climate.
Earth Fest events took place from April 18 until Earth Day on April 22 and included dozens of workshops, events and programs led by community organizations across the municipality. The events were hosted by HalifACT, The Ecology Action Centre, Every One Every Day and Halifax Public Libraries.
The Earth Fest marquee event took place on Sunday, April 21, from 12:30 to 6 p.m. at the Halifax Central Library. This event gave folks a chance to experiment with hands-on activities in five themes of climate action: Food, Nature, Home, Getting Around and Community.
| Climate Action Fair | 12:30-2:30 p.m. |
| Climate Stories & Transformative Climate Futures | 3-4:30 p.m. |
| Community Conversation on Climate Solutions | 4:30-6 p.m. |
Earth Fest activities featured performances that showcased climate innovation and inspiring visions of the future. The Earth Fest Human Library offered a way for residents to learn from people with experience in growing the climate movement.
Before Earth Fest, we hosted a Call to Climate Action with Halifax Public Libraries in November 2023.
A Call to Climate Action: HalifACT Human Library and Ideas Fair
Earth Fest 2024 schedule of events
April 17
| Event | Time | Location | Host | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Time | Location | Host | Description |
| Earth Fest Tea at Spencer House | 1-2:30 p.m. | 5596 Morris Street, Halifax | Spencer House | Earth Fest Tea at Spencer House 1-2:30 p.m. 5596 Morris Street, Halifax Spencer House What does everyday climate action look like? How can we put it into practice at Spencer House? We'll explore gardening ideas, energy efficiency, starting a Green Team, and more! Everyone is welcome. |
April 18
| Event | Time | Location | Host | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Time | Location | Host | Description |
| Understanding Energy Efficiency | 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. | Online | Green Schools/Thinkwell Shift | Available online; enrol at https://forms.gle/ZQ3be5Qgoue14cmK8. |
| Community Climate Coffee Chat | 9:30-10:30 a.m. | 57 Jarvis Lane, Halifax | Mulgrave Park Caring and Learning Centre | Learn how to prepare yourself, your family, and your community for climate-related emergencies like extreme heat, floods, and wildfires. |
| Practical Climate Action for Seniors | 10-11:30 a.m. | 6670 Bayers Road, Halifax | Chebucto Links | Did you know that climate action can save you money, improve your health, keep you safer, strengthen your community and care for our environment? Learn about practical actions everyone can take. |
| How to Talk About Climate | 3-4 p.m. | 1675 Lower Water Street, Halifax | Ecology Action Centre | Learn how to share your concerns in a way that builds bridges and strengthens relationships. Gain practical skills to help normalize conversations about climate change. |
| Climate Conversations at the Natural History Museum | 4:30-8:30 p.m. | 1747 Summer Street, Halifax | Museum of Natural History | Learn about global climate change impacts and solutions with the Museum. |
| Christ Church Climate Café | 7-8:30 p.m. | 61 Dundas St, Dartmouth | Christ Church Hall | A safe and supportive space for people to talk about their feelings around the climate crisis. |
April 19
| Event | Time | Location | Host | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Time | Location | Host | Description |
| Earth Fest 2024 at Musquodoit Valley Family Resource Centre! | 10-11:30 a.m. | 12280 Hwy. 224, Suite 2, Middle Musquodoboit | Musquodoboit Valley Family Resource Centre | This family friendly event features a seed giveaway, seed bomb making activity, seed starting trays and soil, Llama bean fertilizer from Maple River Farm, an Earth Day book display, and refreshments! A collaboration between Musquodoboit FRC and Halifax Public Libraries. |
| Guided Bike Ride | 11:00 a.m. | 6185 South St., Halifax | Dal Bike Centre | Meet at the Dal Bike Centre, head through Point Pleasant, bike up the boardwalk, loop around Commons Park then return to the centre. |
| Green Burial Cafe | 1:00 p.m. | 2169 Gottingen Street, Halifax | Green Burial Society of Nova Scotia | An in-person Green Burial Cafe. Bring your curiosity and questions about natural burial practices. |
| Indigo Dyeing | 1-3 p.m. | 2021 Brunswick St, Halifax | Every One Every Day | Follow the arrows down the driveway off Brunswick Street. We will supply fabric to print on and encourage folks to bring along a white cotton shirt to tie dye. |
| Mastering Recycling: A Guide to Sustainability in Halifax | 2-3 p.m. | Online at https://meet.google.com/ftk-tqpd-dbc | Latispanica Cultural Association | An online, Spanish-language seminar aimed at helping Spanish-speaking newcomers understand recycling in the municipality. |
| Earth Day Get-together! | 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. | 5509 Young St, Halifax | Alliance Francaise | Learn about our pollinator garden project with OSO Planning and Design, and find out about energy efficiency programs with our guests from Efficiency NS and the Ecology Action Centre. |
| Identifying Native Tree Seeds | 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. | 54 Locks Road | Clean Foundation - Thriving Forests | Join Clean's Thriving Forests team in an urban walk. The focus of the session will be to introduce the concept of seed picking in urban spaces. |
April 20
| Event | Time | Location | Host | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Time | Location | Host | Description |
| Guided Bird Walk | 8:00 a.m. | 12280 Hwy. 224, Suite 2, Middle Musquodoboit | Nova Scotia Bird Society | Join Lori Buhlman at the main parking lot on Colby drive for a stroll around the Bisset lake trail and see what migrate warblers, songbirds and waterfowl we can find. |
| Earth Weekend at Discovery Centre | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 1215 Lower Water Street, Halifax | The Discovery Centre | Attend the Centre to engage in activities related to ecology and climate. |
| Donate Your Gently Used Sporting Equipment | 12-5 p.m. | Decathlon Store, 21 Mic Mac Boulevard | Dartmouth Community Health Board | Give your outgrown sports gear a new life and support sport and physical activity in your community. |
| Earth Fest Celebration | 12-2 p.m. | 5805 Highway 357 | Elderbank Recreation Club | All are welcome for a family-friendly Earth Fest celebration featuring a nature scavenger hunt, litter pick up, BBQ, plant / seed swap, and sapling giveaway. |
| Backyard Chickens | 3-4 p.m. | 3115 Veith Street, Halifax | Every One Every Day | An introduction to chicken-keeping. Whether you're a beginner or looking to start your own flock, this session provides helpful information and resources. |
April 21
| Event | Time | Location | Host | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Time | Location | Host | Description |
| Help Build a Community Garden! | 9:00 a.m. | 2415 Maynard Street, Halifax | Rotary Club of Halifax/ Parker Street Food Bank | We’ll focus on building the community garden, but folks can also lend a hand inside to reuse and recycle donated furniture and clothing. |
| Earth Fest Trail Cleanup | 10 a.m - 12 p.m. | 429 Parkland Drive | Halifax North West Trails Association | Help take care of our natural spaces! Please arrive in work clothes and work gloves, ready to pick up litter from this beautiful park. Garbage bags will be provided, but feel free to bring any tools you have that might aid in the cleanup. |
| Wake Up the Garden! | 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. | 1267 Henry Street, Halifax | Dalhousie Urban Garden Society | Come together to wake up the Dalhousie Urban Garden. Learn the process from sprouting indoors to planting in the ground. Celebrate spring with friends, snacks and beautiful plants. |
| Equity within the Clean Energy Sector | 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. | 45 Connolly Rd, Middle Sackville | Clean Energy & Equity Network | Join the Clean Energy and Equity Network for an interactive session on clean energy and equity in Nova Scotia. |
| Vegetable Growing 101 | 12:30 - 2:30 p.m. | 5440 Spring Garden Road | Common Roots Urban Farm | Come chat with the folks from Common Roots who will be talking about vegetable gardening. Ask a farmer about starting your own garden this year. |
| Lunch and Learn | 12 p.m. | 1479 Barrington Street, Halifax | St. Matthew's United Church | Learn about energy poverty and the challenges for landlords and tenants in renovating for more sustainability. |
| Guided Invasive Species Walk | 1-3 p.m. | Frog Pond Park (meet at Dingle Tower parking lot) | Nova Scotia Invasive Species Council | A guided invasive species walk at Frog Pond Park. Please download iNaturalist on your mobile device before the event. |
| Climate Cafe | 1-3 p.m. | 636 Sackville Drive, Halifax | Healthy Minds Cooperative | A climate cafe is a brave, supportive, and confidential space for participant 16+ to share our responses to the climate crisis. |
April 22
| Event | Time | Location | Host | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Time | Location | Host | Description |
| Eco-Talks: Netukulimk with Tammy | 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. | 2169 Gottingen Street, Halifax | Every One Every Day | Netukulimk embodies a profound sustainable connection to the land for seven generations, through stewardship. A reminder that our well-being is intricately tied to the health of our environment. |
| Spring Pollinator Party | 2:30-5:00 p.m. | 27 Farrell Street, Dartmouth | Nourish Nova Scotia | Come have snacks and get your hands in the dirt as we transplant baby pollinator plants into pots to take home or leave to be planted in a community garden nearby. |
| Bead a Badge for Earth Day! | 2 - 3:30 p.m. | 2169 Gottingen Street | Every One Every Day | Join Killa in beading your own nature-inspired badge while learning about the importance of plant medicine through a Mi'kmaq lens. |
| Land and Sea Cleanup | 4-6 p.m. | Wrights Cove: Meet at the end of Bancroft Drive, where Bancroft meets Windmill near the McDonalds and Subway in Burnside (where Bancroft Drive meets Windmill Road | Scotian Shores Ocean Warriors | RSVP at scotianshores@gmail.com. Bags and gloves will be provided. See scotianshores.com for more info. |
| Bike ABCs Workshop | 6:30-8:00 p.m. | 6185 South Street, Halifax | Dal Bike Centre | Bring your bike and learn hands-on skills in bike repair and maintenance, or just come to watch. |
| How to Navigate a World on Fire with Grace, Courage and Good Cheer | 7-9 p.m. | 1084 Tower Road, Halifax | Halifax Shambhala Centre | With guide conversations and contemplations, we will delve into Joanna Macy's Work that Reconnects. |
HalifACT and Earth Day
April 22 is Earth Day. To celebrate, we’re highlighting some of the ways we’re advancing our commitment to climate action across the municipality and sharing tips for everyday changes you can make in your community.
Tips for celebrating Earth Day
- Intensifying storm systems and rainier spring seasons are increasing the risk of flooding for homeowners. Consider nature-based solutions for managing water on your property like using a rain barrel or planting a rain garden. Rain barrels are a great way to reuse collected water during warm weather, and rain gardens offer a range of benefits from reducing flooding and soil erosion to helping pollinators like bees and hummingbirds.
- Learn more about HalifACT, the municipality’s long-term climate action plan. Commitment to climate action means continuing to adapt and prepare for the impacts of climate change while protecting the natural environment and looking for ways to enhance resiliency through green energy. HalifACT is already taking action by transitioning to electric buses and fleet vehicles, retrofitting municipal buildings for energy efficiency, and investing in emergency preparedness, storm water protection and food security. Learn more about our recent efforts in the latest HalifACT community update.
- Explore the parks and trails the Halifax Regional Municipality has to offer. Learn more about the Green Network Plan and naturalization efforts in communities across the region.
- Participate in our LakeWatchers program. Our community-based lake monitoring program, LakeWatchers, gathers water quality data that will help us understand the health of our lakes and how they are changing. Data collected will inform planning policies for future growth and development.
- Clean up after your dogs and throw it in the garbage, even if it’s in a wooded area. Animal waste contains bacteria and parasites, such as E. coli, giardia and salmonella. Waste washes from streets, parks and private property into our waterways, which pollutes our watershed. This poses a health risk to both humans and other animals. High bacteria levels in the water not only pollute our watersheds but can lead to beach closures throughout the summer. Learn more about our Canines for Clean Water initiative.
- Discover how we’re investing in low-carbon transportation options through the Integrated Mobility Plan.