Now more than ever, it can feel like our planet is absolutely doomed—But we still love gestures every now and then that give us some semblance of hope, even if it's mostly symbolic.
This Earth Day, New York City's most famous street, Broadway, will completely close itself off to cars for several blocks and encourage more New Yorkers to walk and learn about the mother of all mothers, Mother Earth.
The closure will affect 30 city blocks spanning from 45th Street all the way down to 17th Street, which is the northern end of Union Square. Although Earth Day is on Tuesday, April 22, the closures will take place on Saturday, April 26 (we're guessing to make it a little less inconvenient for commuting New Yorkers). The closures will remain in effect from 10am until 4pm.
The Car-Free Earth Day initiative has taken place for the past nine years and has since expanded to every borough, including the Bronx with 9 locations, Brooklyn with 19 locations, Manhattan with 16 locations, Queens with 8 locations and Staten Island with 2 locations. Other notable and expansive street closures include 34 Avenue in Jackson Heights and Willoughby Avenue in Brooklyn's Fort Greene.
Earth Day began in 1970 with a protest that included involved 20 million Americans. Since then, the date has been used as way to bring awareness to ongoing challenges the planet faces from us greedy, resource obsessed humans.
Aside from wide open streets that will allow you to stroll through roads typically reserved for cars, there will also be plenty of educational opportunities and even performances along Broadway that will provide information and awareness around the environment and the forces currently endangering it—including climate change, which is exacerbated by fossil fuel-driven vehicles.
You can see a full list of Earth Day street closures and activities that will take place along the closed off streets on the Department of Transportation's website.