The preservation of natural resources isn’t just an ideal in Pennsylvania, it’s written into the state constitution.

“People have a right to clean air, pure water and the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment,” City Sustainability Manager Bethany Ayers-Fisher said, quoting the document.

Adopted in 1971, what is known as the Environmental Rights Amendment also establishes public natural resources as common property and mandates the commonwealth to conserve them.

But the stewardship of those resources does not just fall to the government but to residents as well, Ayers-Fisher said.

That message set the tone for Reading’s 2026 Earth Day celebration Saturday in City Park.

The annual event, hosted by the city and the nonprofit Earth Day Berks County, blended environmental education and entertainment for all ages.

Now in its 36th year, the celebration in the park has grown into one of the largest of its kind in Pennsylvania, organizers said.

“This event just gets larger and larger every year,” Ayers-Fisher said.

Activities began Saturday morning as volunteers from Alvernia University cleared storm drains as part of the Reading Great American Cleanup.

Afternoon festivities in the park got underway with a mayoral proclamation and the planting of a swamp white oak, a tree native to Pennsylvania.

“These trees live for about 300 years,” Ayers-Fisher said, describing the oak as a long-term investment in the park’s future.

Before the tree was set into the ground, Barry Lee, a local Munsee Lenape Native American artist and musician, offered a blessing.

Reflecting on Pennsylvania founder William Penn’s agreement with the Lenape and other native nations to live in peace and steward the land, Lee connected the moment to a deeper sense of place and responsibility.

“Look at this land,” he said. “It is a gift from Kishelemukong, the one that creates the thoughts,” he said, referring to the supreme being, who in the Lenape tradition is responsible for the creation of the world and all life within it. “We do not own this. It is a gift and is to be shared.”

City officials echoed that sense of shared responsibility throughout the program.

Councilman O. Christopher Miller, speaking on behalf of City Council, called Earth Day a global call to action to protect the planet from climate change, pollution and deforestation.

“It’s important to remember how important it is and what Earth Day means every day,” he said.

Throughout the park, dozens of exhibitors, nonprofit groups and vendors offered information on sustainability practices, conservation and environmental initiatives. Families moved from booth to booth, stopping at wildlife displays, recycling demonstrations and hands-on activities for children.

A scavenger hunt-style bingo card encouraged visitors to explore and interact with exhibitors.

“I think we have more of everything this year,” said Risa Marmontello, a planning committee member.

A main stage near the park’s Hill Road entrance offered live performances ranging from the Reading High School Jazz Band to folk and Motown groups. A second stage on the Walnut Street side of the park featured Native American music and storytelling, including performances by Lee and company as Spirit Wing, and musicians such as Stoney’s Boys, a Native American drum circle, and the group’s associated dance troupe.

The event also highlighted the city’s ongoing sustainability efforts.

A city-owned electric pickup truck powered the public address system and provided a practical demonstration of how municipal operations are shifting toward cleaner energy, Ayers Fisher noted.

Visitors had a chance to tour the park’s greenhouse, where recent renovations set the stage for expanded community programming, she said. Through the Seeds of Change project, she said, vegetables and native plants were grown in the greenhouse for distribution to those donating during the event to Helping Harvest Fresh Food Bank.

Ayers-Fisher updated attendees on the city’s large-scale renewable energy projects, including solar installations at City Hall and the Public Works complex. The installations, she said, are expected to generate more than 1.8 megawatts of energy.

For those interested in the park’s history as a public resource, local historian Richard Polityka led guided tours, tracing its transformation from a shared pasture, military parade ground and fairground to a landscaped park and place of recreation.

Organizers said the goal of the annual event is to encourage residents to take small but meaningful steps to conserve natural resources and protect the environment.

“Every little bit that we do makes a huge difference for all of us,” Ayers Fisher said.