Where To Celebrate 'Earth Day'

Magnolia Bakery's special "Earth Day" cupcakes. (Photo: Magnolia Bakery)

We can help preserve our great planet by doing the smallest things, from using eco-friendly lights and grocery bags to riding bikes and observing Meatless Monday.

But April 22 is Earth Day, and a few spots around town plan to do it up big:

Those who visit River North's Elate can chow down on gratis gazpacho from chef Michael Noll. His contains ingredients from Green City Market, so you know it's ultra fresh. Full portions of the GCM gazpacho will also be available for $9. They're also doing a special cocktail, Elate Ginger Fixx TREEtini (with Veev Acai Spirit and ginger beer), and the first 40 guests to order one will get a complimentary Acai Berry Bracelet.

Magnolia Bakery offers a customized Earth Day cupcake for $3.50, and $1 of each cupcake sold will be donated to the Active Transportation Alliance, a local charity encouraging cycling in the city. You can only get them on April 22.

And both Uncommon Ground locations (Lakeview and Edgewater) feature a number of eco-conscious cocktails every day. What's super cool is that $.50 from every Agripolitan sold is donated to the Chicago Rarities Orchard Project. It's made of blood orange-infused Organic Rain Vodka, creme de cassis, fresh grapefruit and lemon juice, simple syrup, and topped off with a lemonade float. There's also the Uncommon Bloody Mary (smoked poblano pepper, sweet onion, red & green bell pepper and garlic house-infused Organic Rain Vodka, stout, house-made uncommon spicy bloody blend and a market vegetable skewer) and Basilica Limon (Veev Acai Spirit, muddled basil, fresh squeezed lemonade and a splash of soda).