Live samba music played from Abbott Square Market as Santa Cruzans floated from booth to booth. Community members from across the county gathered on April 18 in Downtown Santa Cruz to celebrate Earth Day 2026.
“The one takeaway we want people to have when they leave this event is the knowledge and power to know they can make an impact in their world, based on decisions that they make every single day, no matter how small,” said Tiffany Martinez, the communications officer for the county of Santa Cruz Community Development and Infrastructure Department.
Earth Day in Santa Cruz is a yearly celebration organized by the county of Santa Cruz and supported by various sponsors. The event is held rain or shine, with about 3,000 to 4,000 attendees every year. 
A Santa Cruz employee demonstrates the correct way to sort through recyclables to a group of interested community members.
Climate action-focused organizations and local business booths lined the intersection of Pacific Avenue, Cooper Street and Abbott Square Market. A number of the stalls provided engaging ways to teach youth about eco-friendly living practices, like a hands-on composting workshop.
As the Trump administration continues to roll back climate action initiatives across the country, local events like Earth Day 2026 are integral to uplifting climate activism.
“This administration is destroying the ability for people to have jobs to do good things, to take care of the planet, to take care of all life on it,” said Ron Pomerantz, a 1973 UC Santa Cruz alum and Santa Cruz local.
“Every day is earth day, and you gotta be involved, you got to be active, you can’t assume somebody else is gonna be doing the work,” Pomerantz added. “Give it your all.”
