Events

October 7, 2025
1 – 3 PM
Meetup Location: Greater Cleveland Aquarium
2000 Sycamore Street
Cleveland, OH, 44113

Join us for a beach cleanup and help keep debris out of our waterways. We’ll meet at the Aquarium and walk to Wendy Park to pick up litter. All ages are welcomed, but please dress for the weather and be prepared for a 2.5-mile walk (roundtrip). This is a free, public event.

Register here: https://adopt.greatlakes.org/s/cleanupregistration?c__recId=a2oPm000001HFzlIAG

September 25, 2025
10 AM – 12 PM
Meetup Location: Greater Cleveland Aquarium
2000 Sycamore Street
Cleveland, OH, 44113

Join us for a beach cleanup and help keep debris out of our waterways. We’ll meet at the Aquarium and walk to Wendy Park to pick up litter. All ages are welcomed, but please dress for the weather and be prepared for a 2.5-mile walk (roundtrip). This is a free, public event.

Register here: https://adopt.greatlakes.org/s/cleanupregistration?c__recId=a2oPm000001HFy9IAG

September 20, 2025
2 – 4 PM
Aquatic Visitor Center
360 W Shore Blvd.
Put-In-Bay, OH 43456 (Parking is available along the grass at the top of the center but consider taking public transportation or walking or biking as car and golf cart parking spaces are limited.)

Please join Ohio Sea Grant, The Ohio State University Stone Laboratory and Ohio Department of Natural Resources for a screening of Ripples of Plastic. Directed and produced by Chris Langer and edited by Josh Heese, Ripples of Plastic is guided by Dr. Sherri Mason and other regional voices. The film showcases the collective action of Great Lakes partners who are working together to solve the plastic pollution problem. A panel discussion featuring local voices from the film will follow the film screening.

Registration (free to attend but please register in advance): Ripples of Plastic Screening | Ohio Sea Grant

Contact: Jill Bartolotta, bartolotta.2@osu.edu

Panelists

Dr. Sherri (Sam) Mason, Director, Project NePTWNE at Gannon University

Jill Bartolotta, Education Specialist, Ohio Sea Grant and The Ohio State University Stone Laboratory

Joshua Dykstra, Founder and Director of Eriesponsible Inc.

Film website and trailer

September 12, 2025
10 AM – 12 PM
Meetup Location: Greater Cleveland Aquarium
2000 Sycamore Street
Cleveland, OH, 44113

Join us for a beach cleanup and help keep debris out of our waterways. We’ll meet at the Aquarium and walk to Wendy Park to pick up litter. All ages are welcomed, but please dress for the weather and be prepared for a 2.5-mile walk (roundtrip). This is a free, public event.

Register here: https://adopt.greatlakes.org/s/cleanupregistration?c__recId=a2oPm000001HFwXIAW

September 6, 2025
11 AM – 4 PM
Stone Laboratory Research Docks
878 Bayview Drive
Put-in-Bay, OH 43456

The 2025 Annual Friends of Stone Lab Open House is scheduled for September 6, 2025 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Stone Laboratory. This event is free of charge and registration is not required. Activities include a tour of the historic South Bass Island Lighthouse (transportation not provided), tour of Gibraltar Island, lectures and laboratory sessions, and summer class information and publications.

More info: https://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/news/calendar/2025/09/06/ncqby/2025-open-house

August 28, 2025
10 AM – 12 PM
Meetup Location: Greater Cleveland Aquarium
2000 Sycamore Street
Cleveland, OH, 44113

Join us for a beach cleanup and help keep debris out of our waterways. We’ll meet at the Aquarium and walk to Wendy Park to pick up litter. All ages are welcomed, but please dress for the weather and be prepared for a 2.5-mile walk (roundtrip). This is a free, public event.

Register here: https://adopt.greatlakes.org/s/cleanup/a2oPm000001FB4DIAW/aab24865

Friday, July 11, 2025
12:30 – 5:30 PM
Edgewater Beach – Book Box
7600 Cleveland Memorial Shoreway
Cleveland, OH, 44102

What’s better than a beach read? A library at the beach stocked with great reads! The Book Box at Edgewater Park offers books, DVDs, CDs, and other library materials. Enjoy your favorite finds at the beach. Or tuck them away to enjoy them at home. You can even return items you’ve checked out from the library and sign up for a library card.

BEACHSIDE BOOK ADVENTURES & ENVIRONMENTAL EXPORATION (Fridays, June 13, July 11, and August 15 from 12:30 – 5:30pm) Transform beach time into a fun, comprehensive summer learning adventure for kids ages 7 – 12, combining literacy, environmental education, marine technology, lake conservation, water safety, hands-on robotics workshops, and marine science to inspire young learners and introduce them to environmental stewardship. Presented in partnership with Ohio Sea Grant, Stone Laboratory School of Environment and Natural Resources.

More Information: https://cpl.libcal.com/event/14381115

Thursday, August 7, 2025
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Put-in-Bay, OH 43456

Lake Erie Awareness Day brings the magic of Lake Erie’s history, culture, and natural resources to Put-in-Bay!

Spend the day touring South Bass Island while learning about Ohio’s greatest water resource and visiting education stations to learn about island history, native plants and animals, the dangers of plastic pollution, and boating safety. Fun giveaways and a great day in nature awaits! Go to all the stations and be entered to win a fabulous island themed prize.

More Information: https://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/news/calendar/2025/08/07/0wgxf/lake-erie-awareness-day-2025

July 8 – August 5, 2025
10 AM – 5 PM daily
Greater Cleveland Aquarium
2000 Sycamore Street
Cleveland, OH, 44113

We’re putting the spotlight on sharks and stingrays to build a broader appreciation for the diversity, importance and plight of these FINcredible elasmobranchs. Visit the Aquarium for daily events and activities celebrating sharks and stingrays.

More Information: https://www.greaterclevelandaquarium.com/event/fin-fest/

Saturday, May 3, 2025
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Cleveland Public Library Main Library – Downtown
325 Superior Avenue

Help celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the People’s University’s historic Main Library Building: Join Master Gardeners and fellow community members to dress up the streetscape of the Main Library Campus for the centennial celebration on May 10 by filling the planters along Superior Avenue with beautiful native plants.

Get your hands dirty while you learn about native species that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Explore aromatic herbs and native grasses that provide year-round interest. Harvest tips that may inspire you to add native plants to your gardens.

No gardening experience is necessary. Just bring your enthusiasm, dress for the weather, and bring your water bottle and a pair of gardening gloves if you have them. Registration is appreciated but not required – you can drop in anytime between 10am and 2pm.

Register here: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=4GIkiTBmW02jEbkA_x5DNzziLPXGuBVGrUQ9-uAT52dUOEkzVFNUUzUwRVVDWVZDQ0haRjhPSzhTUi4u&route=shorturl

Saturday, April 26, 2025
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Brecksville Nature Center – Brecksville Reservation
9000 Chippewa Road
Brecksville, OH, 44141

It’s time again to celebrate the beautiful earth we call home. Although Cleveland Metroparks celebrates every day with daily hikes and nature lessons, this day will be set aside with naturalists and artisans in a creative approach called, “Upcycling.” Come join in the fun as we create new things out of old things. Free children’s upcycling crafts, professional artisans with items to purchase, and helpful information on how we can keep our earth healthy and viable for generations to come.
Activities will be held at both the Brecksville Nature Center and Trailside Program Center.

More info: https://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/parks/special-events/april

Saturday, March 29, 2025
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
City of Independence Civic Center, 6363 Selig Drive

In March, the Solid Waste District will host their third annual Reduce Reuse Repair Fair. The event will highlight waste reduction activities and businesses dedicated to repairing personal goods, reducing the waste we create, and changing the mindset of simply throwing things away. Stop by to learn about plarn, materials exchange events, refinishing furniture, making a home repair, fixing a bicycle, extending the life of your personal electronics, and choosing durable goods that last.

More info: https://cuyahogarecycles.org/repair_fair/

Join the Rust Belt Fibershed for their second year at 78th Street Studios for a day filled with creativity, inspiration, and community. The Rust Belt Fibershed Symposium is convening regional voices from across our local fiber and textile community.

Registration is required.
Register here: https://rustbeltfibershed.com/2025-symposium

Join the Western Reserve Land Conservancy on January 23rd from 7-9pm for a film screening of “Ripples of Plastic” followed by a panel discussion at the Capitol Theatre.

Embark on an eye-opening journey through the unseen impacts of plastic pollution in the Great Lakes region. Guided by Dr. Sherri Mason and other regional voices, witness the vast extent of contamination pathways, effects of microplastics, and the unexpected toll on human health. Beyond individual action, the film inspires a collective movement for transformative progress toward a plastic-free future. Explore the unseen impacts of Great Lakes plastic pollution, inspiring a movement for systemic change and a plastic-free future.

An in-person Q&A session with Film Director Chris Langer, as well as Researcher Dr. Sherri Mason and Sustainability Coordinator Jill Bartolotta—both of whom are featured in the movie – will follow the film.

Registration is required.
Register here: https://wrlandconservancy.org/event/ripples-of-plastic-documentary/