Ann Arbor Open (at Mack) Middle School seventh grader's Alex Schmidt, left, and Ryan Downing, work in the school garden, Wednesday afternoon, April 21st. The garden was created, and is taken care of, bu students in Aina Bernier's elective gardening class. Along with the colorful tulips, the garden also contains several varieties of lettuce, garlic, kale, spinach, and peas. Along with the garden, the students also have their own composting site.

Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com

Today is the 40th anniversary of the first Earth Day and folks around the region are holding events to mark the occasion. Here's a look at some of the events going on over the weekend. (For more, check out www.AnnArbor.com/events.)

Friday, April 23

• The University of Michigan Nichols Arboretum or Matthaei Botanical Gardens are open and cyclists and walkers are encouraged to head out and enjoy them in honor of Earth Day from April 21-23.

• Free e-waste recycling event for small businesses and non-profits with electronics to dispose at Washtenaw Intermediate School District, 1819 S. Wagner Road, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pre-registration for the institutional event is requested but not required at michigan.poweron.com/p/register. For more information, visit www.climatesavers.umich.edu/e-waste

Saturday, April 24

• An e-Waste Recycling event is being held in the Pioneer High School parking lot, 610 W. Stadium, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Those who want to dispose of old or unused electronics in an eco-friendly way can bring those items for recycling.

• Children’s Orchard will distribute free basil seedling to families and offer coloring contests and other environmental-related activities for kids.

• The Ypsilanti District Library, 5577 Whittaker Road, is celebrating Earth Day with an event at 3 p.m. for kids to learn about taking care of the planet and making crafts from recycled materials. For ages 6 and up. Free.

Sunday, April 25

• The annual Ann Arbor Area Earth Day Festival is planned from noon to 4 p.m. at Washtenaw Community College's Morris Lawrence Building, 4800 East Huron River Drive. The event will feature live music, entertainment, hand-on activities, and live animal demonstrations, as well as displays from over 60 local environmental, non-profit and governmental organizations. There will be a parade at 2:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.a2earthday.org.