Mall of America to celebrate 50th Earth Day digitally

The nation’s largest mall had planned to celebrate the 50th Earth Day on April 22 with a schedule of events at the 6 million-sq.-ft. property. Instead, it will connect with folks—especially kids—digitally.

Mall of America has partnered with a Minnesota nonprofit called Spark-Y to provide slate of educational programs concerned with environmental problems and solutions. The group has produced STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) content for children of all grade levels on a website accessible on the mall’s main web page.

MOA and Spark-Y are also selling kits that kids can use to create Resilience Garden—the coronavirus pandemic’s version of the World War II Victory Garden. The kits enable the growth of high-yield produce in limited spaces, and Spark-Y will donate a kit to a family in need for each one purchased. 

The mall’s green site also provides viewers with some interesting environmental information about the property. MOA, for instance, houses 30,000 plants and trees thousands of ladybugs that serve as natural pesticide. It maintains a steady temperature of 72 degrees produced by skylights, store lights, and visitors’ body heat, and donates 300 tons of food waste a year to hog farmers.