Story by DDNS Reporter Jerry Don Burton

April 16, 2026

From city-wide cleanups to research demonstrations, several organizations are gearing up to host events for Earth Day in Arkansas.

Earth Day, held on April 22 every year since 1970, is a global event observed to spread awareness and support for environmental issues and practices.  

Melissa Dooley, director of the Arkansas State University environmental, health and safety office, said Earth Day assigns a specific day in which people can sit down and talk about what they are doing or could be doing to help the environment.

“Earth Day is a kind of celebration and a recognition and awareness of things that we can do to help maintain and improve our environment,” Dooley said. “But it’s also a celebration of the Earth as a whole and that we all are here sharing this big rock floating in space together and it’s all our home.”

EARTHDAY.ORG, the global coordinator for Earth Day events, announces a unique theme for Earth Day every year. This year, they chose “Our Power, Our Planet.”

Dooley said centering Earth Day around a theme keeps everyone on their toes and prevents the same events from happening each year. 

Upcoming events

Over 10,000 Earth Day events are scheduled worldwide. More than 60 official EARTHDAY.ORG events are registered in Arkansas alone. 

EARTHDAY.ORG offers an interactive map on its website with the locations and dates of all registered events.

Keep Arkansas Beautiful lists seven pages of environmentally focused events across Arkansas on its website, though not all are organized specifically for Earth Day. 

Keep Arkansas Beautiful is a division of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism and a certified affiliate of Keep America Beautiful Inc.

In Jonesboro, an Earth Day event is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., April 22, at the Heritage Plaza Lawn on the A-State campus. 

Several clubs and organizations will table at the annual event to spread awareness on several topics related to Earth Day. Dooley said some participants will even present their research. 

“We also invite a lot of local vendors who might be interested in setting up a table and talking about what they’re doing for environmental progress, sustainability and whether they have a focus on that this year,” Dooley said. 

An art contest is also scheduled, which will feature works made from recycled materials by local primary school students.

Dooley said the main goal of the event is to reach out to the younger generation and open their eyes to their impact on the world and the importance of sustainability. 

“It’s making them knowledgeable, so as they grow up, and they see mom and dad throw something out the window, they’re like, ‘you shouldn’t litter, mom and dad,’” Dooley said. “If we get everybody as they’re young, they grow up with these good responsibilities of being a steward for this planet and that also gives an opportunity to start thinking of things outside the box that this generation didn’t think of.”

Beverly Parker, Keep Jonesboro Beautiful commission chair, said giving children early experience with practices like litter removal and proper trash maintenance will establish more eco-friendly habits in the future.

Dooley said while the event is generally geared toward elementary and middle school students, anyone can come out and learn something.

The event is funded entirely by donations and volunteering. The EHS director said her department sponsors the event alongside Jennifer Bouldin, dean of the science and mathematics department and director of the ecotoxicology research facility. Dooley said this event represents a significant collaboration between several campus organizations. 

One town over and three days later, Paragould will host a city-wide cleanup from 8 a.m. to noon. The event is led by volunteers and designed to bring together residents and local businesses to improve public areas.

More Earth Day events across the Arkansas Delta are listed below:

• Marianna/Lee County cleanup
  • When: April 18, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
  • Where: No. 1 Court Square, Marianna, Arkansas
  • What: Volunteers will clean up litter in downtown Marianna
  • Coordinator: Pat Audirsch, 870-821-1403, pataud@sbcglobal.net 
• Lake Chicot cleanup
  • When: April 18, 2026, at 9 a.m.
  • Where: Lake Chicot State Park
  • What: Volunteers will clean up areas across Lake Chicot State Park 
  • Coordinator: Brandi Hanson, 870-265-5480, brandi.hanson@arkansas.gov 
• Helen-West Helena cleanup
  • When: April 25, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Where: 319 Philips St., Helena-West Helena, Arkansas
  • What: Volunteers will engage in a city-wide cleanup across Helena-West Helena
  • Coordinator: Chris Schaffhauser, 501-410-5562, schaffhauserchris@gmail.com 

More important than ever

Cherie O’Mary, executive director of the Arkansas Recycling Coalition, said Earth Day excels at highlighting advancements in environmental policies, practices and issues. 

Dooley said one of the biggest environmental issues facing Arkansas now is the amount of trash on the interstates, highways and parking lots.

“You can go anywhere, there’s just trash everywhere,” Dooley said. “All of that trash eventually makes it ways into our stormwater systems and our rivers, our streams, our lakes, where it clogs up the heavy, dense areas in the woods where animals are, and it affects their habitats as well.”

Parker said areas with poor litter or debris management give off an unsafe feeling. 

Arkansas Department of Transportation assistance chief engineer for maintenance, Steve Frisbee, said litter is a problem, from the largest interstate to the smallest back road.

Emma Goad, a writer for ARDOT, said the department spent about $8 million on cleanup efforts. She said the cost comes from several programs, contracts and other services intended to keep Arkansas highways litter-free.

Frisbee said organizations like Keep Arkansas Beautiful help engage the community in cleanup efforts and reduce the environmental damage litter causes.

A litter report form may be filed on the IDrive Arkansas website here.

Recent environmental policy also highlights the significance of Earth Day. 

On July 25, 2025, Arkansas Republican Representative Bruce Westerman introduced the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act. 

The SPEED Act limits the scope of the National Environmental Policy Act and changes the environmental review of major federal actions under NEPA to restrict the number of federal actions that trigger NEPA review and expedite the review process. 

According to House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, more than 300 stakeholders support the bill. Organizations like the Aluminum Association, Steel Manufacturers Association, Data Center Coalition and even Google state they support the SPEED Act because it will accelerate projects and lower costs.

Despite this support, the bill remains controversial legislation.

David Watkins, director of government affairs for the climate and energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said this bill means bad news for the environment.

“It includes goodies like shielding fossil fuel projects from meaningful review or public input before they are permitted, then shielding them from legal recourse after they are approved,” Watkins wrote in a UCS article. “Circumventing science and denying reality will only lead to greater harm to our environment and worse outcomes for communities.”

The SPEED Act is pending approval from the Senate after the House of Representatives voted to pass the SPEED Act on Dec. 18, 2025.

Despite the controversy surrounding this bill and others, Dooley said she thinks, generally, Arkansas does its fair share for the environment.

“We have beautiful parks, beautiful places to go and visit, enjoy and we have some rules in place,” Dooley said. “Could we do better? Yeah, I mean, there’s always room for improvement. But I think we’re headed in a good direction.”

Dooley said stormwater permit requirements are an example of good policy in Arkansas.

The Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality requires any construction project over one acre to apply for a stormwater permit under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System program. 

According to the ADEQ website, stormwater carries dirt, chemicals and other pollutants that could harm water quality. Stormwater permits regulate this runoff and prevent pollutants from entering streams, creeks, ditches and other waterways.

While Dooley said the laws in place and penalties for breaking them are effective, she knows there will always be bad actors. She said this is why speaking up is important.

The ADEQ pollution complaint form may be found here.

O’Mary said Arkansas’ glass recycling programs are another example of how Arkansas is leading the charge in certain areas of sustainability.

The ARC executive director said the real impact of Earth Day may only be felt in the future. Still, O’Mary said now is always the best time to get involved.

Keep the conversation going

Although Earth Day is only celebrated on a single day, Dooley said awareness should continue year-round. She said people are constantly interacting with the environment, making Earth Day an everyday conversation. 

O’Mary, who has served the recycling industry for 15 years, said she feels Earth Day is more prevalent now than in previous years. 

In her five years as the EHS director, Dooley said she noticed younger people becoming more interested in sustainability. Dooley, who also sits on the Keep Jonesboro Beautiful commission, said the community has expressed interest in Earth Day events like city cleanups.

“I was relatively surprised with the amount of people that really want those types of things,” Dooley said.

O’Mary and Dooley said one does not have to wait until Earth Day to start taking care of the planet. 

Dooley said many people do not realize all the different ways they can participate in Earth Day.

O’Mary said calling the local solid waste district and asking how to offer support is a good first step for those interested in recycling but unsure how to start.

The ARC executive director said she is constantly on the phone, helping direct people to where they can recycle unwanted items.

“That’s the ultimate goal, keep it out of the landfill,” O’Mary said. “Reuse, reuse, reuse.”

The ARC may be contacted by calling 866-290-1429 or emailing mail@recycleark.org.

Dooley said events like clothing swaps and practices like electronic recycling are things people don’t think about often, but still help the environment.

The EHS director said, even if Earth Day did not exist, people would still raise awareness for environmental issues and engage in eco-friendly practices. 

“I think we, as a race, as a human race, all recognize that something should be done,” Dooley said.

More information about Earth Day, local events and environmental issues may be found linked below:

• Official Earth Day website
• Keep Jonesboro Beautiful recycling page
• Keep Arkansas Beautiful events page
• Keep America Beautiful litter facts
• Bipartisan Policy Center SPEED Act facts
• Sustain Your Style clothing swap guide