Apache Junction Mayor Chip Wilson has joined the mayors of other Arizona cities in celebrating Earth Day in Arizona, taking part in a project with Arizona State University’s Sustainable Cities Network.

“Apache Junction is always about Earth Day,” Mayor Wilson says in a video as part of the Sustainable Cities Network project. “Whether it’s having the first LEED (certified) city hall in Arizona, or planting of drought-resistant plants and trees in the beautification of the (Apache Trail) median, our ‘AJ One H2O’ water management program.”

You can see Mayor Wilson’s video at youtu.be/5OHzdg1YZoQ.

More than a dozen mayors from across Arizona for the second year are taking part in the Sustainable Cities Network’s Earth Day AZ, a collective effort to raise awareness about the many ways that Arizona cities, towns and municipalities are demonstrating sustainability and climate action. Cities are holding local events during the week of April 18-22, leading up to Earth Day on April 22.

Read: 9th Annual Earth Day Festival Saturday in Apache Junction

In Apache Junction, the city’s Parks and Recreation department has partnered with local clinic Horizon Health and Wellness for a family-friendly Earth Day celebration on April 23 that includes the release of thousands of ladybugs in the community garden at Earth Heart Park, 625 N. Plaza Drive in Apache Junction. The free event from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. focuses on educating the public on keeping the community healthy.

For more information visit EarthDayAZ.org.