After a weekend filled with volunteer cleanups, habitat restoration efforts, nature walks and other Earth Day activities, events will continue Monday around the Southland on Earth Day itself.
LA Metro is offering free rides on its bus, rail, bike share and Metro Micro services, and all Metro buses and trains will be free beginning at 3 a.m. Monday until 2:59 a.m. Tuesday.
“Every Day is Earth Day at L.A. Metro,” Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins said. “(Public) transit is the cleanest way to travel, and by using our electric trains and low-emission buses, you can lower your carbon footprint by 45% compared to driving.
“This Earth Day, we encourage Angelenos to take a free ride on Metro, leave the car at home and enjoy everything L.A. County has to offer.”
Bus fare boxes will be deactivated, and all train-station fare gates will be opened. Metro Bike Share users can redeem free 30-minute rides by selecting “1-Ride” at any Metro Bike Share kiosk, online or in the Metro Bike Share app by entering the promo code 042224. A credit or debit card is required. The first 30 minutes of all rides are free. Rides longer than 30 minutes are $1.75 each additional half-hour. Electric Metro Bike unlocking fees are waived.
Metro Micro customers can redeem free rides on Metro’s on-demand electric rideshare service by using the Metro Micro app or browser and entering code EarthDay24. The promo code will be available during regular operating hours for Metro’s Call Center (323-GoMetro or 323-466-3876) from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Over the weekend, there were numerous events around the Southland ahead of Monday’s Earth Day.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass took part in one at Griffith Park that included park rangers discussing fire safety and other conservation efforts, along with volunteers planting native plants, cleaning out catch basins and removing invasive plants.
“The climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges of our time, and it requires us to not only work to transform our city, but also to transform the way we address this crisis,” Bass said in a statement.
“Only together can we really curb the impacts of climate change and make Los Angeles a greener, more sustainable and resilient city for the future.”
In other Earth Day events Monday:
— Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson and other city officials will flip a ceremonial switch to turn on solar canopies that were recently installed on top of the two parking structures at Long Beach Airport.
The project is part of the Public Works Department’s Citywide Solar Project, which is installing solar panel canopies atop 11 city-owned facilities.
— The L.A. County Library will host an Author Talk at 3 p.m. featuring Board of Supervisors Chair Lindsey Horvath and Rosanna Xia, environmental reporter for the Los Angeles Times. The talk will be at the West Hollywood Library, 625 N. San Vicente Blvd., and also be streamed on YouTube at bit.ly/HorvathXiaTalkLive.
— In Agoura Hills, members of the #SaveLACougars campaign and supporters will gather to celebrate progress on the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over the Ventura (101) Freeway.
The public event will run from 4-7 p.m. at the Adobe Cantina restaurant, 29100 Agoura Road, and will include appearances from filmmakers working on a documentary titled “Wildlife on the Edge.”
The film, narrated by actor Beau Bridges, tracks the lives of mountain lions and other wildlife living in the mountains surrounding Los Angeles. Just last week, construction crews successfully installed the first girder and initial level of the crossing in the Liberty Canyon area near Agoura Hills.
When completed, the crossing will be the largest of its kind in the world, a first in California, and a model for urban wildlife conservation, wildlife advocates said. Construction began in 2022, and is expected to be completed by late 2025 or early 2026.
The fully landscaped crossing is designed to provide a connection between the small population of mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains and the larger and genetically diverse populations to the north.
— At 7:30 p.m., the Santa Monica Pier’s solar-powered Ferris wheel will “go green” by displaying, in lights, a 90-foot-tall spinning globe, along with a variety of green and blue colors, patterns and icons.
Earth Day was established in 1970 to raise awareness of environmental issues and work to protect the planet from threats including pollution and deforestation.