Five virtual events for San Diegans sheltering in place this Earth Day

The 50th anniversary of Earth Day will largely be a virtual celebration as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Rather than driving to a local eco-conscious festival on Wednesday, April 22, many earthlings will fire up their computers in order to pay homage to their planet.

With San Diego’s annual EarthFair rescheduled for September, here are five alternative Earth Day events that don’t require folks to leave their homes:

Earth Day Live 2020 and San Diego Zoo Global

The nonprofit Earth Day Network and other groups plan to offer a live stream on Wednesday at wedonthavetime.org. The theme of the event is climate change and speakers include everyone from Pope Francis to 350.org founder Bill McKibben to United Nations Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa.

Scheduled to talk at 11:30 a.m. is San Diego Zoo Global ambassador Rick Schwartz. He will introduce the staff at the organization’s Safari Park’s Nikita Kahn Rhino Rescue Center and talk about conservation efforts to save the northern white rhino from extinction. Viewers can ask questions through a live feed on the San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s Facebook page.

Virtual Climate Uprising

Activists in San Diego are planning to hold an online rally to call attention to the worsening climate crisis. The event — which is being organized by SanDiego350 and Sunrise Movement San Diego — is scheduled to be live streamed from noon to 7 p.m. at climateuprisingsd.org.

Events include everything from environmentally themed cooking classes to yoga and mindfulness instruction to panels. Local activists with the Climate Action Campaign, SanDiego350 and Sunrise Movement San Diego are slated to inform viewers on local efforts pressuring city leaders to take action on limiting greenhouse-gas emissions.

Other speakers include Bobby Wallace of the Barona Band of Mission Indians, San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher and Aaron Masikip, a senior and leader of the Eco-Club at Olympian High School. Shannon Cotton with the UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest and California Nurses Association is also slated to give a talk.

The San Diego Unified School District Board recently approved a resolution encouraging students and families to participate in the event.

Mammalz app launch

San Diego-based startup Mammalz plans to launch its official social media platform for animal lovers on Wednesday. The website mammalz.com/post, which has been in beta testing, allows users to share wildlife videos and live-streamed content. The platform will also be available for download through the Apple app store.

The developers have described their brainchild as “Twitch for nature lovers.”

The site is aimed at connecting nature lovers with wildlife filmmakers and photographers, who can post everything from short live-streamed videos to full-length feature films. The company says it has about 200 professionals lined up to produce content and potentially take donations from users.

Pacific Animal Productions

Educational wildlife sanctuary Pacific Animal Productions would usually be traveling throughout Southern California for birthday parties and other events on Earth Day. This year, the group will host a virtual tour featuring of some of its more than 200 exotic animals from around the world.

The free event will be streaming live on company’s Facebook page starting at noon. For more information about paid virtual tours, visits the pacificanimalproductions.com/virtual-programs.

Lux Art Institute

The Lux Art Institute in Encinitas is offering a free live stream on Wednesday at 2 p.m. Guusje Sanders, associate curator; Nicholas Kahn, artist in residence; and Michelle Montjoy, regional artist will host a conversation on “the power of art” as it relates to the environment.

Visit luxartinstitute.org/on-air to register for the event, which will be hosted via Zoom.