Lawrence’s Earth Day celebration continues to grow.

The festivities kick off today with a downtown parade at 11 a.m.

“I think it’s probably going to be one of the bigger ones that Lawrence has seen for a while,” said Brian Sifton, president of KU Environs.

The parade is sponsored by Kansas University Environs, a student organization, and will begin near Seventh and Massachusetts streets and travel south to South Park near 11th and Massachusetts streets.

At least 40 businesses and organizations will be featured in the parade that will consist of floats, walkers and a lot of bicycles.

From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., South Park will offer plenty of family activities. There will be more than 50 information booths, live entertainment and food.

Here’s what happening this week:

Today

¢ 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. – Free rides on the “T,” compliments of Lawrence Transit System.

¢ 11 a.m. – The Parade for the Earth.

¢ 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. – Tree identification tours in South Park by Lawrence Parks and Recreation forestry staff.

¢ 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. – Children’s butterfly garden and rose garden tour in South Park by Lawrence Parks and Recreation horticulture staff.

¢ Noon – Van Go Mobile Arts will unveil green youth sculptures in the southeast corner of South Park

¢ 7 p.m. – LADA Earth Day Fashion Show, Lied Center, 1600 Stewart Drive. Tickets are $10.

Monday

¢ 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. – Community dinner at Ecumenical Christian Ministries, 1204 Oread Ave. Local food dinner for $5 sponsored by Community Mercantile. A panel discussion follows the dinner at 6:30 p.m. Panelists include Gary Nabhan, an ethnobotanist, food preservationist; Kelly Kindscher, KU associate professor with the Kansas Biological Surveys and environmental studies department; Rhonda Janke, associate professor with the Kansas State University horticulture department; and Mercedes Taylor-Puckett, of the Lawrence Farmers’ Market.

¢ 7 p.m. – Films for Action: Crude Impact will be showing at Liberty Hall. It’s a documentary film screening about the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels and peak oil. Cost: $3.

Tuesday

¢ All day – “The Good Fight” Web series will launch on the Sundance Channel. It can be seen at www.sundancechannel.com. The series was created by Lawrence resident Simran Sethi, an environmental journalist. The series includes a feature on the rebuilding of Greensburg.

¢ 7 p.m. – Gary Nabhan Lecture: “Geography of Food Endangerment: Strategies for Renewing America’s Food Traditions, sponsored by the Commons at Spooner Hall, 1340 Jayhawk Blvd.

April 26

¢ 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Community electronic recycling event, Lied Center parking lot, 1600 Stewart Drive. Items accepted for recycling include computer monitors, desktops, laptops, keyboards, TVs, cell phones, printers, DVD drives, etc. There is a $5 fee per computer monitor and a $10 fee per TV.

For more information, visit www.lawrencerecycles.org or call 832-3030.