The Birmingham Botanical Gardens will hold its 12th annual Earth Day at The Gardens, billed as a celebration of the natural world and one of the largest Earth Day events in the Southeast, on Sunday, April 26, from 1-5 p.m. Admission is free. According to Henry Hughes, director of education at the gardens, more than 50 non-profit environmental organizations will participate, helping attendees learn more about Alabama’s ecology and the efforts being made to nurture and protect it.

“The event is a way of getting as many groups together as possible whose core interest is environmental protection,” Hughes says.  Each of these organizations will use interactive, hands-on displays and activities, according to Hughes.  “We’ve required this year that everybody have an interactive display,” he says.  “We want to see something happening, not just people handing out literature.” One example is the Friends of Shades Creek, who will present an interactive display on threatened and endangered fish in the creek. Attendees will also be able to paint canvas bags, make recycled art projects, build pine cone bird feeders and seed magnets, or take part in a scavenger hunt that will help them learn about the environment. There will also be some local for-profit entities at the event. Technical Knock Out, a local electronics recycling company, will set up a booth in the parking lot at the Gardens to collect used or unwanted electronics products. Alagasco will have several natural-gas-powered vehicles on display. A company called Nature’s Tap will demonstrate how rainfall can be captured and reused for irrigation. There will also be live music at the event. For more information, call (205) 414-3900 or go to www.bbgardens.org