Want to make Al Gore proud? Check out one of the many events in the city leading up to Earth Day on April 22. All this week, during “off-peak hours,” take in Giant Earth Images, a slideshow of environmentally themed art by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Rafal Olbinski, projected on two north columns in Grand Central’s main concourse, punctuated by “nature sounds.” Nothing like the melody of tweeting birds to soothe your stressful commute! Speaking of music, the Green Apple Music & Arts festival will sponsor 56 shows around the city “to cultivate awareness of environmental issues through the unifying voice of music.” Get your green groove on at S.O.B.’s with the Chicago Afro-Beat All-Stars and D.J. Rich Medina on April 19. Catch Long Island’s pretty-boy quintet From Autumn to Ashes at the Fillmore at Irving Plaza on Friday night, and former D Generation punk rocker Jesse Malin at the Mercury Lounge on Saturday.
On Sunday, the Birkenstock-sporting set can flock to Radio City Music Hall for a performance by Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds. On April 20 and 21, the usual suspects—including the Audubon Society, Greenpeace and other environmental groups—will have all the essentials on saving the planet at the EarthFair street festival, across from Grand Central on Vanderbilt Avenue. You can make “flower” bouquets out of wheel spokes with Recycle-A-Bicycle, learn about “simple travel choices you can make to improve air quality” from Clean Air NY, and buy energy-saving light bulbs from TruLight, a group of high-school students raising money for solar-development projects in West Africa. For more ambitious types, the Friends of Hudson River Park will host a river clean-up on Sunday, picking up trash along the shore from the Village to Clinton Cove and doing painting and gardening projects at the Piers. Props to those dedicated green thumbs! For more Earth Day information, check http://www.earthdayny.org
