Earth Day 2014: What You Need to Know About Food and How to Celebrate in the Bay Area

On April 22, the Bay Area -- and the rest of the country and, presumably, the planet -- will celebrate the earth. Fortunately, celebrating Earth Day can be pretty tasty.

Earth Day SF: The San Francisco festival this Saturday, April 19 will feature an entire showcase of organic chefs doing demonstrations from noon to 5 p.m. ForageSF's Iso Rabins will demonstrate how to cure meat; Paula Tejeda will make ensalada chilena; and Danny Garbriner of Sour Flour will show you how to make a bread starter. Check the schedule of food demonstrations to pick your favorite.

Berkeley Vegan Earth Day: There's an argument to be made that many of the sustainability issues facing the earth come down to how we're going to feed the millions of people on the planet. Berkeley's 4th annual Vegan Earth Day on Saturday, April 19 tackles that issue head on. Dr. Will Tuttle will talk about his book, The World Peace Diet, and how to implement that in your life. Keegan Kuhn will show you how to start a micro-vegan garden in any small space. And, of course, there'll be more vegan goodies than you could eat in one afternoon.

Low Carbon Diet Day: Bon Appetit Management Company, which provides food for Google, Electronic Arts, and The Exploratorium, will celebrate Low Carbon Day on Thursday, April 24. The day will include cooking demonstrations and ways to change standard recipes to make them slightly more climate-friendly. Check out the eatlowcarbon.org website for diet tips and where the cafes-turned-classrooms will pop up around the Bay Area.

Alameda's Earth Day Festival: While you're festivaling, check out the farmers market stands for some local produce at the Alameda Earth Day festival -- or at your regular farmers market.

Earth Day Napa: And, what would a Napa Earth Day celebration (4/19) be without a beer and wine garden? Why not learn about sustainable wines with this story from KQED's QUEST while you're at it? Learn and drink at the same time.

As you're snacking, don't forget to recycle your containers and compost (or donate) your leftovers.

In fact, there won't be a better time to take a composting workshop -- like the one being offered at San Jose State's Earth Day celebration on Tuesday, April 22. Or, turn your vegetable garden into a sustainable, water-friendly plot with tips at the Washington Hospital Earth Day celebration on Saturday, April 26.

Throughout the year, you can also take composting and urban gardening classes around the Bay Area at places like Marin Master Gardeners or Contra Costa's Home Composting Workshops or the Alameda County Master Gardeners -- or get certified as a green gardener. Just don't forget that urban soil can be contaminated!

As climate change affects our harvest yields and food supplies, increasingly we'll rely on biotech and sustainable farming methods. Learn about what's coming from PBS' Food Forward series or The Lexicon of Sustainability.

This is only a sampling of everything planned to celebrate the Earth. Check out the schedule of all the Bay Area Earth Day on Cal Recycle's website.