Quite frankly, I’m thrilled about this. The Metro Board of Directors today approved a motion by L.A. Mayor and Board Chair Eric Garcetti to offer free rides on Earth Day on Sunday, April 22. Our Earth Day post on IG last year still sums up our sentiments.

Metro Bike Share will also offer free walk up rides all day on April 22. To redeem a free 30-minute ride, use the promo code 4222018 when checking out a bike. You can redeem as many of these rides as you want, but keep in mind: Standard rate of $3.50 per 30 minutes applies if you go over the first 30 minutes. (Which means dock your bike within 30 minutes, then check it out again for another free 30 minutes.)

So much of what Metro does is about sustainability and providing options to getting around — including improved walking and biking. To repeat what we’ve said many times:

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Generally speaking, taking transit occasionally instead of driving alone is a good way to reduce your carbon footprint — i.e. the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) that contribute to climate change.

And let’s face it: we live in a sprawling area where a lot of folks have never had the chance to ride the Metro system. If a freebie day introduces them to a system they could perhaps use more often, that’s a great thing.

There is no shortage of places to go on April 22:

•The L.A. Times Festival of Books is taking place at the Expo Line-adjacent USC campus.

•CicLAvia’s Heart of the Foothills open streets event stretches from San Dimas to Claremont; there’s an organized feeder ride from the Gold Line’s current terminus in Azusa.

•The Dodgers host the Nationals at 5:08 p.m. at Dodger Stadium. The Dodger Stadium Express offers free rides from Union Station and Harbor Gateway.

•The Earth Focus Environmental Film Festival at Laemmle Monica off Downtown Santa Monica Station.

•The new Route 88 shuttle operated by Pasadena Transit will be running from the Gold Line’s Memorial Park Station to the popular Sam Merrill Trail that climbs Echo Mountain, where there are connections to other trails that will take you even higher in the San Gabriel Mountains.

•The ocean covers about 71 percent of the Earth. The Long Beach waterfront and Aquarium of the Pacific is a nice stroll from the Blue Line in DTLB. And the Expo Line is a very short walk to the ocean from the Downtown Santa Monica station, which offers access to Earth Day at Santa Monica Pier.

This is just a sampling of things happening in our region that day. For more events, check out this post here. Want to help us promote Earth Day rides? Please feel free to use any of the pics below. And system maps are at the bottom for those planning their trips.

Credit: L.A. Metro.

L.A. Metro.

L.A. Metro.

L.A. Metro.

L.A. Metro.

L.A. Metro.