The Department of Environmental Protection reminds residents that April is Earth Month.

The theme for Earth Month is "Pick it up PA," encouraging residents to take time to pick up litter around their homes and in public areas."I believe we can make Pennsylvania a better place to live, work and play by taking the time to clean up litter around our homes, businesses and parks," DEP Secretary Chris Abruzzo said. "So gather together a group to help pick it up, Pa."Abruzzo and other DEP staff will clean up the east shore of the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg between Market and Forster streets on April 27.Locally, cleanup events are scheduled in Carbon, Schuylkill and Monroe counties.In Carbon, Beaver Meadows will hold a litter cleanup on April 26; the Jim Thorpe Earth Day committee will hold a river cleanup on April 27; Lausanne Township is holding a litter cleanup April 26 and 27; and Lansford Alive will hold a Community Pride Day litter cleanup on April 26.SKIP in Schuylkill County will hold a countywide litter cleanup event April 26; and the Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania will hold a litter cleanup in McAdoo on April 27.In Monroe, the Close the Loop Company will hold a litter cleanup in the Jonas/Kresgeville/Kunkletown areas on April 5; the Pride of Chestnuthill will hold litter cleanups on April 12 and 26; the Stroudsburg Community Girl Scouts will host a litter cleanup along Schafers Schoolhouse Road in Chestnuthill Township on April 12; and the Girl Scouts of West End Community will hold a Chestnuthill Garden cleanup on April 19.For more information on each cleanup event or for a complete list of events planned, visit the Great American Cleanup of Pennsylvania's website at

www.gacofpa.org and go to "Find an event." Residents also have the option to start their own cleanup event and list it on the website.Other events plannedAnother online events resource is DEP's interactive Earth Month calendar. Residents can use it to identify local Earth Month activities or to post their own events.DEP plans to commemorate Earth Month by showcasing portions of the DEP at Home exhibit at the Phillies "Red Goes Green" day in Citizen's Bank Park on April 17 and in the East Wing Rotunda of the State Capitol Building from April 21 to 25.In addition, DEP will announce the winners of the Environmental Education Grants and the Governor's Awards for Environmental Excellence during April in honor of Earth Month.Earth Day is an annual observance, held on April 22, to remind residents to do their part and take care of Pennsylvania's air, land and water.DEP provides annual support to the Great American Cleanup of Pennsylvania to purchase gloves, trash bags and safety vests for cleanup volunteers. The funding is provided by DEP's Solid Waste Abatement Fund.DEP at Home is an interactive, educational exhibit fashioned into a home structure that features practices and products promoting energy efficiency and environmentally beneficial products for the home. It was created through a grant provided by the U.S. Department of Energy's state energy program.For more information about Earth Month, or to check out the virtual calendar, visit

www.dep.state.pa.us and click on the Earth Month banner.