By Globe Staff

Hundreds of Bay Area youth learned how “We’re All Connected” during the Earth Day 2009 festivities at the Oakland Zoo.

Photos by Trumaine Cox

The family fun event held Sunday featured Bay Area environmental organizations who helped participants explore the connections between the land and living beings. The event included 40 earth stations, hands-on learning, crafts, face painting, Wildlife Theater presentations and a performance by the dazzling EarthCapades environmental vaudeville. Youth also were shown ways to live a “greener” lifestyle.

Earth Day — April 22 each year — is a time for communities, neighbors, relatives, friends, acquaintances and people from all walks of life — from around the globe — to come together to celebrate, show appreciation for and give a little something back to the earth.