Happy Earth Day, Scottsdale! Scottsdale is proud to be recognized as a Tree City USA community by the National Arbor Day Foundation for the 39th year, more times than any other Arizona community.

For the 51st anniversary of Earth Day (April 22), we set out to plant 51 trees. We surpassed that goal and now we have 86 new trees. Thank you to our hard working maintenance staff for planting all of these trees and taking such good care of our parks! Watch this video to check out some of the trees we've planted!

Tune in to Scottsdale Video Network at 9 a.m. on Earth Day to watch informative sustainable Scottsdale videos including a video premiere discussing Green Building Programs with Anthony Floyd and Mayor Ortega. You can watch it here on our YouTube channel or Cox channels 11 and 1011(HD), and Century Link channel 8001.

Scottsdale also has partnered with Green Living Magazine to share 30 simple eco-friendly solutions this month on social media along with a fun contest. There's still time to enter! Post a photo or video on social media sharing what actions you are taking to be more eco-friendly and use the hashtag #ScottsdaleSimpleSolutions. You will win a free 1-gallon native mesquite tree that will be available for pick-up at the Old Town Farmers Market Saturday, April 24.

It's Volunteer Appreciation Week in Scottsdale. Each year, we celebrate Volunteer Appreciation Week in Scottsdale to coincide with National Volunteer Week. Mayor David Ortega presented a proclamation and announced this celebration of our volunteers at the April 13 City Council meeting. In pre-pandemic days, we invited the recent William P. Schrader Volunteer Impact Award honorees to join in the presentation. The 2020 William P. Schrader Volunteer Impact Award went to 'The Core Four' - Tony Coates, David Murphy, Jill Kanalos and Roger Lurie. Learn more about the Core Four and the city's Volunteer Program.

Safely dump your drugs at the Prescription Drug Take-Back, Saturday. Stop by two Scottsdale locations from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, April 24, to properly dispose of unwanted, unneeded or expired prescription drugs. Bring items to the Granite Reef Senior Center, 1700 N. Granite Reef Road, or the Foothills District Police Station in the Market Street Plaza at DC Ranch, 20363 N. Pima Road.

The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day addresses a crucial public safety and health issue. According to a recent survey, 9.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers, 4.9 million people misused prescription stimulants and 5.9 million people misused prescription tranquilizers or sedatives in 2019. The survey also showed that a majority of misused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.

Summer registration is right around the corner! Registration for Parks and Recreation summer classes begins at 8 a.m. Monday, April 26, for residents and 8 a.m. Tuesday, April 27, for non-residents. Learn more.

'Riots, Racism and Reconciliation' - understanding our shared experiences. Join us for a virtual dialogue hosted by the Scottsdale Human Relations Commission at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 28. This conversation will review the 2020 Scottsdale riot, local media coverage involving hate crimes and solicit audience stories and conversation so we can better understand these important shared experiences as we continue working toward a Scottsdale for all people. This discussion, moderated by Dr. Joel Martin, will feature content from a TedTalk by Baratunde Thurston to help us explore and better understand the racialized experiences people may have. Register here.

Veg out Saturdays at the Old Town Farmers Market. The market features more than 100 local growers and specialty food producers. Find a variety of organic and pesticide-free produce, seasonal specialties, flowers, natural meats and free-range eggs from Arizona growers. You'll also find cheese, freshly baked artisan breads, jams, tamales, and so much more. The market runs from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays through May, in the public parking lot at 3806 N. Brown Ave.

This week's traffic restrictions in and around Scottsdale. Get the list.

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