4 ways to celebrate Earth Day in the Orlando area

27 lively photos from Central Florida Earth Day at Lake Eola

April 22 is officially Earth Day. Many Orlandans spent Saturday celebrating the upcoming holiday at Lake Eola's Central Florida Earth Fest with a pet parade, nature walks, food and more. Around this time of year, people tend to get on the recycling train, putting their cans, bottles and stray papers in the Orange County-approved green and orange recycling bins. You can do more to celebrate this earth-friendly holiday than just old school recycling, though. Here are some ideas:

• Step up your recycling game this year, you can participate in No Nonsense's pantyhose recycling drive. If you, for some strange reason, have  held on to all of your old pantyhose or tights, put 'em all in a box, print out a label and mail 'em to No Nonsense. They'll happily recycle for you.
• Through May 4 at Art & History Museums -- Maitland, you can catch Environmental Pioneers: The Florida Audubon. This exhibition celebrates the Florida Audubon Society and their successful efforts to save Florida birds from extinction.
• If you think watching movies is a wise way to help the planet on Earth Day, then head on over to the Earth Day Film Series at the Southeastern Museum of Photography in Daytona. All day tomorrow, they'll be screening earth tearjerkers Mother: Caring for 7 Billion, Trashed, Call of Life: Facing the Mass Extinction, and Shored Up. For a full schedule of the film, visit the museum's website.
• On Friday, April 25 you can catch another earth-friendly flick at East End Market. At 6 p.m., they will be hosting a screening of GMO OMG. After the screening, hang around for the panel discussion, which will cover healing the planet and sustainable living.
• On Saturday, at Lake Concord Park in Casselberry, you can celebrate the one-two punch of Earth Day and Arbor Day at the same time. From 12 - 8 p.m., the City of Casselberry will be holding an Earth Fest 2014 and Arbor Day Celebration. The event is free and features workshops and both tree and bee talks.

If none of these Earth Day events are your (canvas) bag, you can always get your Earth Day fuzzies by eating at Burger Fi. Not only do they claim to celebrate Earth Day every day, but on actual Earth Day, they want to celebrate with their customers by offering a free Freestyle soda, bottled water, or junior sundae to anyone who can prove that they took an eco-friendly journey to their restaurant, via carpool, bike, roller blades or any other means that will diminish the negative environmental by-products of motor vehicle use.