What: Earth Day Volunteering
Where: Socrates Sculpture Park
When: Friday, April 18, 9:00 am–2:00 pm
Why: Socrates said, “Let him that would move the world first move himself.” We’ve all tried to make a difference in the environment, either by recycling, bringing our own canvas bag to the grocery store, or by turning off unnecessary lights around our apartment. Just a tiptoe’s distance away from Manhattan, there’s a chance to make an impact on a local level. This wonderful community event kicks off volunteer season at Socrates Sculpture Park, adjacent to the recently featured Isamu Noguchi Museum. Is there a more perfect way to celebrate Earth Day than by giving back to your community? The park provides a day of training for future community program volunteers who will participate in a day of learning specialized skills in gardening and landscaping, such as weeding, planting and pruning. A community vegetable garden will also be planted and the park’s first compost unit will be built. Find an hour or two to lend a hand for the environment.
How to get there: On Sundays only, there is a shuttle-bus service between Manhattan and the Noguchi Museum – just two blocks from Socrates Sculpture Park. It picks up in Manhattan in front of Asia Society (725 Park Avenue at 70th Street) at on the hour between 12:30 pm and 3:30 pm. Return trips depart hourly from The Noguchi Museum between 1 pm and 5 pm.
When this service is not available, take the N or W train to the Broadway station in Astoria and walk eight blocks along Broadway toward the East River. Use the HopStop link below for exact directions from your point of departure.
The park is open 365 days a year from 10am to sunset, and admission is free. (Socrates Sculpture Park, 32-01 Vernon Blvd., Long Island City, 718.956.1819, socratessculpturepark.org)
Photos: Courtesy of Tara Sansone and Socrates Sculpture Park
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram