From Oak Park Public Library:

Worms at the Library? Count us in!

Kids, families, teens and grown ups are invited to get up close and personal with worms to learn about their habitat and the wonderful work they do in our soil. Participants will learn about producers, decomposers, and consumers with this interactive worm workshop with an educator from Plant Chicago.

Join in a discussion of the importance of composting and reducing waste while working together to build a worm bin for the library. All ages 4 and up are welcome. Space limited. Registration recommended. Feel free to bring a container to take some worms home with you.

For more information about this event , please click here for the calendar event on the Oak Park Public Library’s website and to learn more about the Oak Park Public Library click here.

The Pumpkin Smash is an annual effort by communities to divert pumpkins from landfills by providing locations for residents to drop-off jack-o-lanterns to be composted. It is held each year the Saturday after Halloween.

SCARCE and the cities of Wheaton and Elmhurst hosted the first pumpkin collections in 2014, diverting 9.31 tons of pumpkins from landfills and helping to improve composting laws in Illinois. By 2016 the Pumpkin Smash grew to over 31 sites across the state. So far this year, many locations have signed up. Just enter your zip code and a short radius to find the closest Pumpkin Smash near you, or sign up to start your own Pumpkin Smash.

Go here: https://www.scarce.org/pumpkins/

The Pumpkin Smash is an annual effort by communities to divert pumpkins from landfills by providing locations for residents to drop-off jack-o-lanterns to be composted. It is held each year the Saturday after Halloween.

SCARCE and the cities of Wheaton and Elmhurst hosted the first pumpkin collections in 2014, diverting 9.31 tons of pumpkins from landfills and helping to improve composting laws in Illinois. By 2016 the Pumpkin Smash grew to over 31 sites across the state. So far this year, many locations have signed up. Just enter your zip code and a short radius to find the closest Pumpkin Smash near you, or sign up to start your own Pumpkin Smash.

Go here: https://www.scarce.org/pumpkins/

From Forest Preserves of Cook County:

Composting can sound complicated, but with a little knowledge and minimal resources, you can turn kitchen scrapes into garden gold. Learn about different types of composting and take a look inside a worm composting bin.

Find link to Facebook Live here: https://fpdcc.com/event/composting-basics/

From Sugar Beet Food Co-op:

Embrace Earth Month this April and learn everything you need to know about composting! In this virtual class, Oak Park's Sustainability Coordinator, Mindy Agnew, will cover the basics of composting, and ease any hesitation you may have about getting started by answering your questions. Whether you live in an apartment or home, everyone can compost!

Register: https://tinyurl.com/avb82fhf

The Pumpkin Smash is an annual effort by communities to divert pumpkins from landfills by providing locations for residents to drop-off jack-o-lanterns to be composted. It is held each year the Saturday after Halloween.

SCARCE and the cities of Wheaton and Elmhurst hosted the first pumpkin collections in 2014, diverting 9.31 tons of pumpkins from landfills and helping to improve composting laws in Illinois. By 2016 the Pumpkin Smash grew to over 31 sites across the state. So far this year, at least 30 locations have signed up. Just enter your zip code and a short radius to find the closest Pumpkin Smash near you, or sign up to start your own Pumpkin Smash.

From Kohl Children’s Museum:

In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Kohl Children’s Museum will hold an Online Mini Film Festival featuring the short, elementary school, winning films from the One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest followed by a Zoom Q&A with the young filmmakers. Films featured will be:

10 a.m. Saturday, April 18: “The Impossible Way” by Grady Roderweiss-O'Brien of Beye Elementary School in Oak Park. 4th Grade.

10 a.m. Sunday, April 19: “No Time to Waste,” by students from Dryden Elementary School in Arlington Heights. 5th Grade.

10 a.m. Sunday, April 26: “We All Can Help the Earth!” by Zoë and Jada Nevels of Mann Elementary School in Oak Park. 2nd and 3rd Grades.

Don't know what to do with that old pumpkin? Why not smash it down Barrie Sled Hill and enter your carved work of art in the mushiest and squishiest event of the season? All participants will start at the top of Barrie Hill and smash their pumpkins to smithereens. Free and open to the public - no need to pre-register, just show up ready to SMASH! Pumpkin parts will be composted at the end of the event.

Sponsored by the Park District of Oak Park.

Dispose of your pumpkins the responsible way, by composting. Bring them to the annual River Forest Pumpkin Smash.

Join University of Illinois Extension staff and volunteers for a composting workshop and learn how to recycle food scraps and yard waste to create compost that can be used to enhance soil.

Registration Required: Call Trailside at 708-366-6530.

Photo by HollyHarry/Shutterstock