Earth Day by the Bay

Celebrate Earth Day in San Francisco with the help of Alcatraz Cruises and Hornblower Cruises’ Respect Our Planet promotion, offering free and family-friendly activities, Saturday, April 20, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Prepare to feel the cool bay breeze while joining earth-friendly activities and programs suitable for all ages.

This Earth Day, and every other day, Alcatraz Cruises is dedicated to innovating technology and services to be better ingrained in the city’s sustainability efforts. This is no new endeavor — Alcatraz Cruises was actually the first maritime organization in the country to run hybrid ferry services. Alcatraz Cruises is a zero-waste company, certified green and consistently recycles 90 percent of its waste — with all this said, Alcatraz Cruises is clearly a viable organization to entrust with your family’s Earth Day festivities.

In partnership with local, environmentally friendly companies and sustainability-forward organizations, Alcatraz Cruises brings free Earth Day festivities to the public, hosted at Alcatraz Landing on Pier 33 in San Francisco. This family event is an easy way to spend the day in the fresh air, with a view and while learning something new about the environment.

Alcatraz Cruises. Photo: Lawrence Weslowski Jr | Dreamstime.com

Festivities include climate education events such as Discover the Bay, where guests play marine biologist with bay water samples and microorganisms under a large-display microscope; educational, green arts and crafts; prizes and giveaways by collecting stamps at every booth in your provided passport; live music; face painting; and eco-art and farming stations. The kids can walk away with an armload of goodies and crafts while they secretly learn a thing or two about marine biology, the history of the Pier and the forward momentum of the region’s green efforts.

You may see some of your favorite Bay Area destinations hosting visitors at their booths, like the San Francisco Zoo and Aquarium of the Bay. Stop by your favorite sustainably-minded organizations and get to know more about them, maybe something to spark the kid’s interests too, or learn something new at any one of the many participating vendors, including the  Beekeeper Station, Tree Frog Treks, NorCal Bats, Marine Mammal Center, Cal Academy, Hilton/Park 55, USGS California Water Science Center, Garden Conservancy and National Park Service — just to name a few.

If you’re in the area for a long weekend, cruise to Alcatraz Island for an amazing tour, even for kids. The interesting history paired with a fun boat ride to a near-deserted island will have the kids entertained, to say the least.