March 10, 2026
By Toby Scofield
This year’s Pickerington Community Earth Day Event will be held April 25 at Combustion Brewery & Taproom and will feature volunteer opportunities, tree giveaways, food trucks and pop-up shops.
The day kicks off at 8 a.m. with the Pickerington Lions Community Clean-up, which is the second-largest of Green Columbus’ Earth Day work sites.
“Earth Day aligns perfectly with one of our pillars of service — environment,” said Pickerington Lions President Brian Fox. “We are all about service and getting volunteers together to help the community.”
Volunteer
Participants of all ages are encouraged to volunteer to plant trees and/or collect litter.
Tree planting is limited to volunteers over the age of 13 unless accompanied by an adult and will be done in cooperation with the Hague Nature Preserve. The plan is to plant 1,500 native trees during two shifts, 8 to 10 a.m. and 10 a.m. to noon. Those interested should register soon, as spots are filling quickly.
“The goal of the Hague Nature Preserve is to restore the property to a condition similar to what the area looked like a couple of centuries ago,” explained David Hague, a board member for the preserve. “A key component of this is a much greater tree canopy. Less than 20 percent of the preserve is forest now, so we have a long way to go in planting trees to reach maybe the historical tree coverage of 80 percent or more.”
Litter cleanup volunteers will be sent to locations around Pickerington, including parks and schools. Shifts for litter cleanup are one hour long from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., with volunteers choosing the location they wish to help. Green Columbus will provide tools and gloves.
“Earth Day is a great way to spend a couple of hours being productive with friends and family,” said Lions Club member Debbie Patton. “There’s a great sense of accomplishment when a community works together for the betterment of their environment.”
All volunteers will receive a token good that day for a free drink at Combustion, including non-alcoholic options. To register, visit greencbus.org or search “Pickerington” on SignUp Genius.
“We can and should steward our land in celebration of Earth every day,” said Michelle Hill, chair of the Wild Ones Fairfield County chapter. “We can grow together.”
Donate Plastic Bags & Eyeglasses
The Pickerington Lions will have collection boxes for both eyeglasses and plastic grocery bags. The eye glasses will be gifted to those in need and the bags will be recycled into park benches.
Get Free Trees
From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wild Ones will distribute 550 native trees and shrubs for people to plant in their yards, along with free “pollinator packets” — small packs of flower seeds selected to attract local pollinators. To receive a tree, residents must register in advance via the Wild Ones SignUpGenius. Limit five trees per household.
Food, Booksellers & Tattoos
After volunteering and picking up free plants, visitors are encouraged to stick around as Combustion has a full slate of events scheduled. From 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., the Pitabilities food truck will be serving fresh Mediterranean pitas, bowls and salads. In the afternoon, the taproom will host seven different vendors as part of Independent Bookstore Day. There will even be a tattooist for those interested in new ink.
“Combustion has participated in the Community Earth Day event since its inception because supporting our community and caring for the environment are core values for us,” said Andy Norris, Combustion’s director of operations and sales.
So, come down to Pickerington Village on April 25 to do good and have fun.
“A quick look around and anyone can see that we’re quickly losing natural areas to human development,” Hague said. “Here is a chance to give back to nature.”
