By Lookout Staff
April 22, 2026 -- Santa Monica will celebrate Earth Day this Wednesday with a screening of shorts films by eco filmmakers, a special light show on the world's only solar powered Ferris Wheel and free rides on the Big Blue Bus.
“Earth Day at Emeritus,” a free screening hosted by Santa Monica College's Emeritus program, will take place from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Auditorium at the SMC Emeritus Campus, 1227 Second Street.
The event features short films and clips from works by filmmakers Sheila Laffey, who launched and hosted SMC’s Green Screen eco film series; six-time Emmy winner Joseph Rosendo and Nidhin Patel, an award-winning film educator.
The event includes a panel discussion on the impact of storytelling in cinema and an audience Q&A moderated by Anabelle Munro, founding Director of the Ethos Film Awards, school officials said.
Also on Wednesday, the Blue Bus will offer free rides to "save on gas and parking costs, avoid traffic headaches, and support sustainable transportation," City transit officials said.
The Big Blue Bus currently operates 34 battery-electric buses with 30 more planned for 2027, as the agency transitions to a fully zero-emission fleet" by 2032, officials said.
As darkness falls, Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier will illuminate its iconic solar-powered Ferris wheel with vibrant green and blue lighting, "highlighted by a striking 90-foot-tall spinning globe," park officials said.
The one-night-only display features "eco-inspired patterns and imagery designed to spotlight renewable energy and environmental stewardship along the California coastline."
The Pacific Wheel Earth Day event can also be viewed online at https://www.pacpark.com/live.
This year’s Earth Day theme, Our Power, Our Planet, "aims to promote renewable energy and advocacy for tripling global clean energy production by 2030."
First held on April 22, 1970, Earth Day now features a wide range of events coordinated globally that include 1 billion people in more than 192 countries, according to earthday.org.