Earth Day in Portland, Oregon

Earth Day is celebrated annually in the American city of Portland, Oregon. In 2018, Zoë Miller included Portland in Business Insider's list of seventeen "cities around the world that do Earth Day right".[1] In 2024, Joseph Gallivan of Axios Portland said, "From student-led climate strikes to multi-use water bottles, the ideals of Earth Day have penetrated Portland culture."[2] A photograph of Governor Tom McCall on the inaugural Earth Day in 1970 is part of the collection of the Oregon Historical Society.[3][4]

Events and activities

Earth Day activities in Portland include fundraisers, neighborhood clean-up efforts, plant sales and swaps, and street festivals.[5][6] In 2010, Martin Patail of Portland Monthly described the first celebration in Portland in 1970, writing: "students across the city engage in weeklong programs to clean up our corner of Mother Earth, even going so far as to scrub Teddy's Rough Rider statue in the Park Blocks with soap and water. Governor McCall uses the day to rally opposition against the Army's nerve-gas storage."[7] In his speech, McCall said, "If we are to succeed in saving our planet, the battle will be won or lost at the local level... Oregon is the key state in the domino structure of North America. If we fail, pollution marches on."[7]

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, local artist Mike Bennett created Earth Day kits for people to paint spring-themed cartoon cutouts at home, in collaboration with Miller Paint.[8] Other activities were organized online.[9] Approximately 130 people cleaned Powell Park, in southeast Portland's Brooklyn neighborhood, with the help of a local radio station KFBW in 2023.[10] In 2024, Portland Community College sponsored a week-long holiday fair with free bicycle repairs, gardening and terrarium lessons, upcycling workshops, and sustainability-related resources. A holiday celebration was also held in Multnomah Village.[11]

Portland saw dozens of Earth Day activities organized in 2025, according to KGW. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) hosted a "bike bus" with nine routes throughout the city.[12][13] PBOT also offered free compost to residents.[14] There was also Make Earth Cool, a family-friendly holiday celebration with a parade, a big brass band, and other activities. Willamette Week said, "If you're looking for a loud boisterous event with people dressed like daffodils wielding giant puppets of nature spirits, boy, do we have the event for you."[15] The group also hosted the Earth Films for Earth Day festival at Tomorrow Theater.[15][16]

Portland State University

In 1970, Portland State University (PSU) commemorated the first Earth Day by dedicating eight pages in the yearbook to landscape photography for the "environment teach-in".[17]

The university's fourth annual Earth Day Festival was held in the South Park Blocks in 2011.[18] It featured food, music, and sustainable living demonstrations. The 2015 festival was hosted by PSU's Environmental Club at the same location. The event had a craft market, free food, a clothing swap, and live music.[19]

PSU's Learning Gardens Laboratory hosts an Earth Day fair annually; the event has been held in southeast Portland's Brentwood-Darlington neighborhood.[20][21] The 2015 and 2017 events were billed as the Earth Day Spring Festival;[22][23] the festival was later called the Earth People's Fair,[24] and later the Earth Day Fair.[25]

Protests

March for Science Portland was among 600 March for Science protests held on Earth Day in 2017; thousands of people attended the local demonstration.[26][27] In 2019, eleven people were arrested on the holiday for sitting on railroad tracks to protest Zenith Energy's import of Alberta tar sands oil.[28]

In 2025, approximately 100 students from multiple local high schools gathered at the Portland Youth Climate Strike outside of Portland City Hall, before marching to Pioneer Courthouse Square, to advocate for more aggressive policies to address climate change.[29] Additionally, local organizers with Indivisible also hosted Earth Day Rally at Caruthers Park, in the South Waterfront district, to protest the Donald Trump administration's energy and environmental policies.[30][31]

References

  1. ^ Miller, Zoë. "17 cities around the world that do Earth Day right". Business Insider. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  2. ^ Gallivan, Joseph (2024-04-22). "What to do on Earth Day in Portland". Axios Portland. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  3. ^ Perry, Douglas (2020-04-22). "On first Earth Day 50 years ago, an Oregon teen took a photo of Gov. Tom McCall that became a part of history". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  4. ^ "50 years later, an iconic photo defines the first Earth Day in Portland". KGW. 2020-04-22. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  5. ^ Stein, Rosemarie (2024-04-15). "Earth Day 2024: 10+ ways to celebrate the planet in and around the Portland area". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2025-04-10. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  6. ^ Nathanson, Emma (2021-04-14). "8 ways to get involved in Portland-area Earth Day events". Street Roots. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  7. ^ a b "Spirit of ’70". Portland Monthly. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  8. ^ "Paint like Portland's Mike Bennett with these $20 Earth Day kits". KGW. 2020-04-21. Archived from the original on 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  9. ^ "Earth Day's 50th Anniversary Faces A New Reality: Virtual Rallies". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  10. ^ "SOLVE, 105.9 The Brew team up to clean Powell Park Saturday morning for Earth Day". 2023-04-22. Archived from the original on 2023-06-06. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  11. ^ "7 ways to celebrate Earth Day around the Portland metro area". KGW. 2024-04-18. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  12. ^ "'Bike bus' part of Earth Day celebrations across the Rose City". KGW. 2025-04-22. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  13. ^ Aljobory, Sana (2025-04-22). "Portland gears up for Earth Day with adult bike bus event". KATU. Archived from the original on 2025-07-22. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  14. ^ Aljobory, Sana (2025-04-26). "Portland offers free compost in celebration of Earth Day". KATU. Archived from the original on 2025-07-22. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  15. ^ a b "Our Top Green-Living Picks for What to Do This Spring and Summer". Willamette Week. 2025-04-29. Archived from the original on 2025-10-11. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  16. ^ "Making Earth Cool collective celebrates 5 years of art and activism". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  17. ^ "1970 | Portland State University". Portland State University. Archived from the original on 2024-05-03. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  18. ^ Kirkland, John (2011-04-12). "Portland State celebrates Earth Day, April 22". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  19. ^ "Portland State's Earth Day Festival 2015 (Photos)". The Oregonian. 2015-04-23. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  20. ^ "Learning Garden Lab hosts an Earth Day Fair". East PDX News. Archived from the original on 2026-01-13. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  21. ^ "'Learning Gardens Lab' hosts Brentwood-Darlington 'Earth Day Fair'". The Bee. 2023-06-03. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  22. ^ "East Portland's 'Learning Garden' hosts Spring Fest". East PDX News. Archived from the original on 2025-12-10. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  23. ^ "Celebrate Earth Day 2017". Portland Tribune. 2017-04-18. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  24. ^ "'We've got your back, Earth' — PSU". Portland State University. 2022-04-22. Archived from the original on 2023-09-27. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  25. ^ "Lively 'Earth Day Fair' in Brentwood-Darlington". East PDX News. Archived from the original on 2025-12-13. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  26. ^ Campuzano, Eder (2017-04-23). "The 14 best signs from Portland's March for Science (photos)". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  27. ^ "March for Science: Worldwide protests begin". CNN. 2017-04-22. Archived from the original on 2026-02-13. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  28. ^ "Portland Police Arrest Protesters Blocking Oil Train Tracks With a Garden". Willamette Week. 2019-04-23. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  29. ^ Nakamura, Beth (2025-04-22). "Earth Day inspires youth rally at Portland City Hall: 'We are the ones' to lead, organizer says". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2025-07-25. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  30. ^ "More anti-Trump protests planned this weekend in Portland". KGW. 2025-04-18. Archived from the original on 2025-04-19. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  31. ^ "Thousands fill Portland streets in anti-Trump rally". KOIN. 2025-04-19. Archived from the original on 2025-04-25. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
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