Earth Day in Winnipeg kicked off Wednesday with a talk and a walk and will continue with activities throughout the day around the city.

Premier Gary Doer was on the east lawn of the Legislature Building at 9 a.m., talking about provincial park expansion and investments in Manitoba's protected areas. He was joined by James Richardson, chairman of the Manitoba region of the Nature Conservancy of Canada, and Vivian Thompson, a representative with the group Friends of Old Pinawa Dam.

Doer announced the provincial government has partnered with the nature conservancy and the federal government to fund the protection of land in southern Manitoba. If the conservancy reaches it's fundraising goal of $7 million, the two levels of government will match it for a total of $21 million.

The funding will be spread across eight regions of the province, including land near Riding Mountain, the Souris River Valley and the Turtle Mountains. The province has also committed to expanding the Pinawa Dam Provincial Park, Doer said.

As that announcement began, about 250 estheticians and stylists from Aveda salons in Manitoba set off on a five-kilometre walk from the legislature. The journey was in support of the organization Walk for Water, dedicated to helping the world's poorest people gain access to clean water.

The distance was one kilometre less than the average woman in Africa walks daily to get clean drinking water.

Other events in the city:

• Urban Mine is accepting electronic waste at 72 Rothwell Rd.
• 12 p.m.: Greenkids will present the play Palais Oops: A Green Pantomime at Portage Place's Edmonton Court. The event is sponsored by CTV, Portage Place and Greenkids, a children's theatre group that educates children about the positive changes they can make to the environment. CTV will also distribute environmentally friendly bags in exchange for plastic bags.
• 12 p.m. until 4 p.m: CAA will accept batteries for disposal or recycling. They can be dropped off at the CAA Fleet Centre, 220 Dawson Rd. North; CAA Immobilizer Centre, 745 King Edward St.
• 12 p.m. until 6 p.m.: Batteries can be dropped off at either of Sentinel Self Storage's two locations — 11 Paramount Rd. and 3101 Pembina Highway.
• 1:30 to 4 p.m.: Public invited to help pick up litter with the Downtown BIZ staff, starting at Air Canada Park at 355 Portage Ave.
• 3 p.m.: Mayor Sam Katz, Dorothy Dobbie, chairwoman of Tree Canada, and representatives from The Forks and Manitoba Lotteries Corp. will plant a tree at Buskers Lookout at the Forks.