Earth Day, which takes place every year on April 22, was established in 1970 and is now worldwide. It’s a day meant to promote environmental sustainability and initiatives for preservation. The Westside is host to a number of natural environments, which benefit from environmental protection initiatives, and bring nature to locals every day.
Beaches
The beach adjacent to Santa Monica pier sees hundreds of visitors every day on good beachgoing days. To keep up with the impact of so many humans, Heal the Bay organizes regular beach cleanups on the beach throughout the year. Additionally, an initiative called the Santa Monica Beach Restoration Project aims to preserve beach ecosystems and ensure the survival of beach flora and fauna.
Earth Day this year was sunny and temperate, so the beach saw a large turnout, with the coast full of tents, umbrellas, suntanners and more by the morning.
Temescal
Temescal Gateway Park is located in Pacific Palisades, adjacent to Santa Monica. In total, the park is 141 acres and provides access to Topanga State Park and Will Rogers State Historic Park. Topanga State Park was first opened to the public in 1974, and Will Rogers State Park became a national park in 1944. Temescal Gateway Park was converted from a private retreat into a public park in 1994.
On Saturday, April 22, attendees at the park were playing frisbee, going on hikes, walking their dogs, jogging or just spending a day outdoors with family.
Parks
On Feb. 25, a Santa Monica citywide event aimed to renovate, rename and open parks old and new throughout the area. Among these were the newly-opened Ishihara Park, in a space that used to be a parking lot and now supports lots of wildlife, and the renamed Gandara Park, located just down the street from Ishihara Park with recreational spaces.
While neither park was bustling with people on Saturday, basketball players were making use of the space at Gandara Park, and walkers and joggers were making their way through the parks throughout the morning.
For more information about Santa Monica’s parks and beaches, visit smgov.net.
