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April is Earth Month!

We've been celebrating Earth Day almost from the beginning. On Tuesday, April 22nd, Earth Day will be 55 years old! But like they say, everything's bigger in Texas, so we have Earth Month! Whole Earth has lots of ways for you to join in this year. From supporting our Texas State Parks, recycling your old socks, bagging trash along Lady Bird Lake, playing Texas Bird Bingo and more!

Texas State Parks Month

When the weather turns warm, lots of folks head out to our Texas State Parks for a hike, a campout, fun on the water, or a pleasant day of picnicking. With there being so little public land in Texas compared to states to the west of us, we are lucky to have our state parks.  They give us access to the coast, canyons, the Piney Woods, Hill Country and Enchanted Rock, the dark skies of the panhandle and world-class birding.

This is the 14th year that Whole Earth is celebrating Texas State Parks Month, once known as April is Texas State Parks Month. Back in 2011, the Parks were facing some serious budget cuts, and Whole Earth responded with a month-long fund drive for the Parks in our stores. The funds raised were combined with the proceeds from the Banff Mountain Film Festivals shows at the Paramount Theatre in downtown Austin. The total of funds raised through 2024 stands at $317,800!

During the month of April, Whole Earth customers can make donations to Texas State Parks in our stores. Donations in any amount are welcome. For a $5 or more donation, customers receive a limited-edition sticker pack. For a $20 donation, they will receive a $5 Texas State Parks gift card, good for fees or purchases at any Texas State Park and the limited-edition sticker pack. For a $50 donation, a Whole Earth exclusive Texas parks snapback hat or a copy of Texas State Parks: The First 100 Years by George Bristol, a $5 Texas State Park gift card and the limited-edition sticker pack. Supplies for the exclusive snapback hat and book are limited, so don't wait! (Sorry, we cannot accept online donations for Texas State Parks at this time.)

On Sunday April 13th, it's Ranger Day at our Whole Earth stores! From 2 to 4pm, Texas State Park Rangers will be ready to share their knowledge of where to go and what to see in the parks. And anytime you're at Whole Earth, be sure to pick up your Official Texas State Park Guide. This handy, informative booklet arranged by region includes descriptions of all the parks, their amenities and activities, plus a fold out map of Texas highlighting the parks.

We hope you'll join us in supporting the parks by visiting one near you. Create a bucket list of parks you've always wanted to visit or get to know your favorite park through the seasons. We might see you there!

Smartwool Second Cut Project

Give your worn-out socks new life! During the month of April, you can bring those old socks to your favorite Whole Earth store for recycling. Look for the Smartwool Second Cut Project bin and deposit your clean socks in all brands, colors, sizes, and materials. Please, no rolled or paired socks, bags, rubber bands or paper clips. Just add your socks as singletons!

Smartwool is teaming up with Material Return, a circularity platform to collect and deconstruct hard-to-recycle socks and turn them into new goods. Among these items are Smartwool 2nd Cut Project Hike Socks and dog beds!  So far over one million socks, weighing 86,000 pounds, have been repurposed.

So now that you've created some room in your sock drawer, here's a deal to help you restock! In April, when you buy three pairs of Smartwool socks, you'll get a fourth pair for free! The lowest price pair of the four will be free. There are so many socks to choose from. Have fun!

Parks Project Clean Up

The Parks Project is encouraging everyone to get out and visit your favorite place and leave it better than you found it. They're giving out FREE Parks Project Clean Up Kits! You'll find them at a Whole Earth store near you. Each kit contains two trash bags, a pair of gloves and a commemorative bandana. There are a limited number of kits available so please don't wait. The kits can also be purchased on the Parks Project website.

But wait there's more! Parks Project is sponsoring a contest for everyone who fills up their trash bags. Anyone who shares a cleanup photo in feed or to stories using #leaveitbetter and tagging @wholeearthprov and @parksproject by April 21st will be entered to win a $300 Parks Project gift card! Come get your kit, leave your favorite place cleaner, take a fun photo, and keep your fingers crossed to win!

Keep Austin Beautiful Day

If you're planning to be in Austin on April 12th, come join us for Keep Austin Beautiful Day with Whole Earth! We'll be bagging trash at Festival Beach and along the shoreline. You'll find lots of parking at 13 Chicon Street. Have a boat? You can clean up the shoreline on the waterside. Here's the link to register for the Whole Earth group. KAB will be handing out t-shirts to participants. Wear your KAB 40th shirt on April 12th to our Whole Earth stores on North Lamar or Westgate and receive 10% off your purchase!

If you'd like to stay closer to your neighborhood or a favorite place in town, look for it here. During Keep Austin Beautiful Day, thousands of volunteers will be working together to remove litter, restore native habitats, and beautify neighborhoods. This year Keep Austin Beautiful is celebrating their 40th year. The group and its volunteers have truly made a huge difference in our city. Last year alone, 9,286 volunteers removed 78 tons of litter and recycling from Austin's creeks, streets, and green spaces. Hope you'll join us for this special day!

Farm Fest at Samuell Farm

April is festival season! If you're in the Dallas area on April 26th, get the family together and head out to Mesquite for Farm Fest at Samuell Farm. Whole Earth is a sponsor for this fun event. Attractions include a Kids' Zone with inflatables, arts and crafts, traditional games like sack races and egg races, and backyard bass to teach kids basic fishing skills. There will also be touch a truck, pot-a-plant, and goat yoga! And you can also enjoy a hayride. Tickets are $5.

Like any festival worthy of the name, there will be lots of live music throughout the day as well as food trucks and food vendors. Bring your appetite!  Artisans will also be offering their arts and crafts items for sale. Good news! Parking is free and available in three locations. Get details for the event here!

Texas Bird Bingo

Starting in mid April. it's time to play Texas Bird Bingo! Sponsored by Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine and Whole Earth, there are an assortment of bingo cards to choose from. They're regional and include the Central Texas Coast, Far West, Heart of East Texas, Heart of West Texas, Lower Texas Coast, Prairies and Pineywoods East, Prairies and Pineywoods West, and the Upper Texas Coast. You can pick up Bird Bingo cards at your local Whole Earth store. Each card features 24 birds you're likely to see in the region.

Here's how to play. When you spot a bird listed on your card, mark it with an x, a √ or whatever symbol you would like to use. Once you've marked off a row of birds in any of the three directions, horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, you've got a bird bingo! Take a photo of your bingo card and email it to the address on the card. You'll be entered into a drawing for a birding excursion for four to Birding on the Border with an expert birder in Del Rio.

These are just a few of the ways Whole Earth will be celebrating Earth Month. We hope you'll join in the fun by supporting the parks, recycling those worn-out socks, picking up trash to leave a favorite place better than you found it, and playing a few rounds of Texas Bird Bingo!