Protecting our planet: Organizations showing up for Earth Day, every day - 京东影业影视传媒

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Protecting our planet: Organizations showing up for Earth Day, every day

By Chyna Vargas

2026 Earth Day Blog Post featuring our STEM Action Grantees. In the image, Friends of Ballona Wetlands with students using binoculars to look at landscape.
Photo Courtesy of Friends of Ballona Wetlands

Since 1970, has been observed on April 22. While everyone can do their part in protecting our planet, these organizations are solely focused on the task all day and every day. Read about just a few of our 2025 STEM Action Grantees below whose missions are to preserve and sustain the environment, and how they鈥檙e celebrating Earth Day this year.

The Friends of Ballona Wetlands has been around since 1978. They are dedicated to protecting the wetlands in Southern California. The organization works to preserve Los Angeles鈥 remaining coastal wetlands through conservation, community engagement and environmental education.

2026 Earth Day Blog Post featuring our STEM Action Grantees.

Each year, Friends of Ballona Wetlands celebrates Earth Day with its largest community restoration event. In a single day, more than 100 volunteers come together for a morning of restoration, community connection, and environmental stewardship. Local elected officials and their teams also participate, supporting the organization鈥檚 critical work. For those interested, registration for the event can be found .

鈥淓arth Day serves as a time for reflection for our organization. The Friends of Ballona Wetlands was founded almost 50 years ago, and at this time we’ve had some incredible successes. From bringing the El Segundo Blue Butterfly back to Ballona to constructing the Ballona Freshwater Marsh with our partners/ We’ve taken action to improve Los Angeles鈥 聽last coastal wetlands for our native species. Earth Day is a time to reflect on all the incredible work our organization has done and recommit 聽ourselves to the future.鈥濃Samaya Rubio, Manager of Communications and Community Engagement

The Nature Nexus Institute, located in Culver City, California, brings communities and nature together as they are essential to each other for survival. The organization created equitable, intergenerational pathways to cultivate meaningful relationships with the natural world. To that end, Nature Nexus Institute serves as a hub for science, culture, art and research, cultivating a new generation of changemakers and storytellers.

For the Nature Nexus Institute, Earth Day extends beyond this day. Through a series of programs and events, the organization invites community members to take part in the stewardship of urban parklands, effectively transforming 聽鈥淓arth Day鈥 into 鈥淓arth Quarter鈥.

鈥淔or our organization, Earth Day is an opportunity to connect with and welcome community members who may be new to stewardship activities, new to Los Angeles or new to engaging with the non-human residents of our city, including 聽plants and wildlife.鈥濃Stacey Vigallon, Executive Director

For more than 40 years, this organization has been dedicated to advancing marine science education. Founded in 1979 by volunteers and local community members, it has grown into a leading teaching center committed to developing the next generation of leaders, advocates and marine scientists. Through its work, the organization fosters a deep understanding of and responsibility for protecting our ocean and natural environment, and have a profound sense of responsibility to care for it.鈥淔or us, Earth Day is a reminder of why our work matters. It represents a global moment of reflection and action鈥攁 chance to reconnect people with the natural world and highlight the responsibility we all share in protecting it.

2026 Earth Day Blog Post featuring our STEM Action Grantees.

鈥淎s an organization rooted in marine science education, Earth Day reinforces our commitment to helping people understand how interconnected our ecosystems are and how everyday choices impact the health of our oceans. It鈥檚 a celebration, but also a call to action to learn, care and take meaningful steps toward a more sustainable future.鈥濃Grace Adams, Executive Director

Read and learn more about the Society鈥檚 STEM Action Grantees program聽here.