The Best Earth Day Events
The Earth Day Network is organizing a climate rally at The National Mall in an effort to encourage Congress to pass effective clean energy and climate legislation in 2010. Photo: Flickr/thisisbossi
On April 22, countries around the world will gather together to celebrate the Earth in one of the most historic environmental events of the year: Earth Day.
Founded by former U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, the first Earth Day took place in 1970 and was originally intended as a collective environmental protest “to shake up the political establishment and force the issue onto the national agenda.”
Today, the celebration of Earth Day is primarily aimed at raising awareness and encouraging everyday citizens around the world to do their part in preserving the Earth, from recycling to reducing one’s carbon footprint.
Celebrations of Earth Day are as diverse as the cultures themselves. The real beauty of this holiday, however, is the sheer range of events that take place in every country.
Here are a couple of highlights to watch out for, both big and small.
(And if you can’t make it to any of these events, check out Earth911′s Twitter Contest – you can play from anywhere in the U.S. and have the chance to win some cool, green prizes!)
Students in Bangkok raise recycling awareness
A community of students in Bangkok are teaching adults the importance of measuring one’s carbon footprint. Sangam Malani, a student at KIS International School in Bangkok, decided to form an Environmental Committee, which would sell cloth bags, recycled plastics and reusable water bottles at his school fair.
Together, the students formed their own booth and promised to donate 100 Baht from whatever they made to an organization called “Bring the Elephant Home,” which aims to restore the natural habitat of elephants by planting more trees.
“We were selling the bags smartly. However, as the day wore on, the customers began to ignore us,” Malani says. “I realized that many of our customers didn’t understand what we meant when we talked about carbon footprint. And at the end of the day, when I found out that we failed to break even, I noted that next time we would use simpler phrases to get our message across.”
This initial setback did not deter Malani and his Environmental Committee from doing more good work for his community. Shortly after the school fair, the Environmental Committee placed new recycling bins around campus to encourage students to recycle their plastics. Malani adds, “Despite setbacks, what we did was that we made an effort to recycle.”
General Motors to release revolutionary electric car
General Motors, the largest automobile manufacturer in the United States, is planning on releasing an electric car that practically screams eco-friendly.
The Volt will also use only 2,520 kilowatts per hour of energy, which is less than a central air conditioning unit, a water heater and a refrigerator. Photo: Flickr/Passion84Photos
Proving that going green oftentimes just takes a little creativity and resourcefulness, the Chevy Volt uses recycled blue jeans in its car doors to buffer noise and recycled cardboard in its roof to improve acoustics. Even the door handle brackets are made from old carpet.
The Volt may just be the dream car we have all been waiting for, especially as consumers will be able to save an average of 500 gallons of gasoline per year.
The Volt will also use only 2,520 kilowatts per hour of energy, which is less than a central air conditioning unit, a water heater and a refrigerator.
Because 80 percent of U.S. drivers commute 40 miles or less on a daily basis, the Volt is designed to have a battery power of up to 40 miles without using gasoline.
In addition to the Chevrolet Volt, GM now hosts 55 facilities that are landfill-free, meaning that absolutely no production waste or garbage from these factories can be traced to a landfill. These landfill-free facilities recycle or reuse more than 95 percent of all waste, while the remaining 5 percent are usually converted to energy.
The Climate Rally at the National Mall
The growing dependence on Middle Eastern oil and the lack of a major climate bill are only two of the many environmental problems existing in this country. This is why the Earth Day Network is organizing a climate rally at The National Mall in an effort to encourage Congress to pass effective clean energy and climate legislation in 2010.
The climate rally is the highlight of the Earth Day Network’s nine-day festival at the National Mall, and will feature live music from stars like Sting, The Roots, Passion Pit, John Legend, Bob Weir and Booker T.
Other media figures, including film director James Cameron, Reverend Jesse Jackson, author Margaret Atwood and Olympian Billy Demong will be speaking on the necessity for change on both a national and international scale in the fields of clean energy and global warming.
Sebastian Copeland, an art ambassador of Earth Day Network, is taking a photographic journey into the Arctic where he will witness in person the effect that global warming has had on the poles.
Artist explores global warming in the Arctic
Sebastian Copeland, an art ambassador of Earth Day Network, is taking a photographic journey into the Arctic where he will witness in person the effect that global warming has had on the poles.
The Arctic, which receives the smallest amount of sunlight on Earth, should technically be the coldest habitat on Earth. However, due to rising temperatures and melting glaciers, the poles are now warming twice as quickly as the rest of the Earth.
Copeland says on his blog, “As one of the great climate regulators in the Northern hemisphere, vast ice losses in the North threaten the thin balance of its ecosystem, in place for hundreds of thousands of years, and spells trouble for the world.”
Copeland’s photographic expedition will take him across Greenland, where he will capture the disappearing glaciers and the wildlife that exists in the Arctic.
London hosts the Green I.T. Awards
To reward the efforts of green distributors, suppliers and companies, Green I.T. Magazine will be hosting the annual Green I.T. Awards on Earth Day. The ceremony seeks to highlight and honor organizations and projects that have changed the face of the I.T. industry’s environmental performance.
The Green I.T. Awards is historically significant because it comes at a time when individuals and governments are putting more pressure than ever on corporations to take responsibility for their waste and impact on the environment.
Several notable figures will be in attendance at the ceremony, including the Right Honorable Lord Hunt OBE, representatives of Climate Change and the Minister of Energy from the Department of Energy.
Winners, ranging from vendors to nonprofit organizations to distributors, will be announced at the London Zoo in Regents Park in honor of Earth Day and the growing eco-friendly I.T. sector.
Jane Goodall Institute teaches carbon footprint to students in China
On Earth Day, the Jane Goodall Institute in China will be teaching students and instructors in the city of Beijing how to reduce their carbon footprint by switching from conventional tissue paper to handkerchiefs.
Their lesson plan will include games featuring a traditional handkerchief song and dance and a fun lecture on low-carbon treasures and fashion.
The focus of the lesson is to encourage as many students as possible in Beijing to make the easy transition from wasting boxes upon boxes of tissue paper to reusing handkerchiefs. At the end of the lesson, students will sign a large banner declaring their support for the environment and understand that living a low-carbon life “starts right under [their] noses” from all the small changes they can make in their everyday lifestyles.
Artist highlights ‘What is Missing’ on Earth
Can you imagine that every 20 minutes a living plant or animal species disappears forever from the face of the Earth? Or that at this rate, as much as 30 percent of all the Earth’s living flora and fauna will be headed for extinction in just a century’s time?
According to artist Maya Lin, this is a nightmare that may very well come true if we fail to recognize the threat we pose to ecosystems around the globe.
To raise awareness of the Earth’s diminishing biodiversity, Maya Lin created “What is Missing?”, a Web site scheduled to launch on Earth Day that will compile photographs, videos and information from her various art exhibitions.
All of her sculptures share an environmental theme that serve collectively as a digital memorial to the species and habitats we have already lost.
These installations range from the Listening Cone, a permanent sculpture that contains sound and text, to a billboard video featuring a five-minute movie that shows images of extinct and endangered species.
The billboard video will be broadcast in cities across the world on Earth Day, and has already won a highly coveted position on MTV’s billboard in Times Square.
Perhaps the most haunting of Lin’s exhibitions is a creation she calls The Empty Room, which is a traveling show where visitors will actually be able to catch and hold onto projected images drifting in mid-air. Species featured range from songbirds to whales, while each panel will include information that viewers can read.
- Green I.T. Awards. The Green I.T. Awards http://www.earthday.org/events/green-it-awards.
- Chevrolet. Introducing Chevrolet Volt http://www.chevrolet.com/pages/open/default/future/volt.do.
- Earth Day Network. History of Earth Day http://www.earthday.net/node/77.
- Earth Day Network. (04/25/2010). The Climate Rally On the National Mall http://www.earthday.org/climaterally.
- Jane Goodall Institute China. Roots & Shoots Students from Beijing Yucai School Encourage Students and Teachers to Reduce Tissue Paper Use http://www.earthday.org/events/roots-shoots-students-beijing-yucai-school-encourage-students-and-teachers-reduce-tissue-pape.
- Jessica Lin. Earth Day Network. Your Carbon Footprint: Youth in Thailand http://earthday.net/blog/2010/03/10/your-carbon-footprint-youth-in-thailand/.
- Maya Lin. What is Missing? Artist Statement http://www.whatismissing.net/www/#/artist-statement/.
- Sebastian Copeland. Arts for the Earth http://www.earthday.net/artsfortheearth/copeland.html.
As of June 17th 2011 we have upgraded our comment system to use Facebook comments.
The below comments are closed and are listed for historical purposes.
Lynn from GreenMyParents
posted on April 12th, 2010 at 5:35 pm
It is so exciting to hear about everything that is going on! Here’s another great event, particularly for kids. Earth Day will be the nationwide launch of Green My Parents, a youth movement where kids will teach their parents how to save $100 through energy efficiency and other “green” measures. Anyone can check it out at 1 p.m. Eastern on SchoolTube: http://www.schooltube.com
For more info on Green My Parents, follow us at http://www.twitter.com/greenmyparents or check out our FaceBook page or website. .
Meenakshi
posted on April 12th, 2010 at 7:19 pm
This is a wonderful compilation, Katherine. Thanks! I’ve linked to this in our News and Events section
max
posted on April 13th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
Have you checked out greenhome.com lately. They are giving away thousands of dollars worth of free eco-products for Earth Day. Check it out at http://www.greenhome.com/about/earthdayprizes.mhtml/
Crystal
posted on April 14th, 2010 at 11:34 am
The Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies (also founded by Gaylord Nelson) is holding a large event in Madison, Wisconsin.
http://www.nelson.wisc.edu/community/programs/earth-day/2010/overview.html
Susan Rogers
posted on April 14th, 2010 at 12:25 pm
These are all wonderful ways to celebrate Earth Day! It is encouraging that many other opportunities to celebrate Earth Day this year occur in Southern California on other days in April. There will be an Earth Fair at Polliwog Park In Manhattan Beach this Saturday, April 17th from 11am-4pm and another one in Pasadena on April 24th at Memorial Park and the Armory Center for the Arts 10am-4pm. Earth Fairs even continue into other months: WorldFest 2010 will be an exciting festival held on May 16th in Lake Balboa, 10:30am-7pm and Venice Ecofest 2010 will occur on July 10th this year from 10am-7pm. Many individuals and organizations will celebrate together at these events honoring the earth and our environment. Sukyo Mahikari, Centers for Spiritual Development will host a booth at each of these locations and give out free organic seeds, soil and biodegradable peat pots.
Fran Reichenbach
posted on April 14th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
Here’s one for local Los Angeles neighbors:
The Eleventh annual Topanga Earth festival, a 90-percent waste-free non-profit event, will unify people from around the world in celebration and promotion of ecological awareness, cultural respect and music on Saturday, April 17, from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., through Sunday, April 18, from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The 2010 Topanga Earth Day is produced by the Topanga Earth Day Organizing Committee and Rock and Stone, a project of International Humanities Center, a 501(c)(3) Charitable Trust. For all event details, visit: http://www.topangaearthday.org. Patrons are asked to make a $10 (suggested) donation per day of attendance. The festival takes place at the Topanga Community House Fair Grounds, 1440 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd, Topanga, California, 90290.
http://www.topangamessenger.com/articles.asp?SectionID=1&ArticleID=3900
Sanu Kaji Shrestha
posted on April 14th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
I am very much surprised to hear about Earth Day Celebrations. I don’t know why people are celebrating Earth Day, World Environment Day, 350 Day etc. I have a different view on these things. People celebrate these events by spending huge budget to hide their anti-nature, anti-environment-friendly activities at home, in the offices, in the business and in the industries, everywhere they violate the laws of the nature so that their celebrations get highlighted in media circles as “The Best Earth Day Events.” Next day, they will forget everything, their commitment, their assurances, and start the same thing what they were doing before the events. So, what is the use of such events. Can we bring a change in the society with these celebrations without showing ground results of behavioural change? If yes, I have nothing to say.
To protect the Earth, we don’t need to celebrate any day, we just need to change our unnatural and unevironment-friendly behabiours, practices which hurts the Earth, natural environment.
In one hand, we create awareness on impacts of climate change, global warming and celebrate lots of environmental seminars, conferences like COP15 advocating to bring a differences in the society through literatures, concerts, etc. But these events never support even 10% of their budget in action-oriented initiatives of the dedicated people, devoted organizations’ efforts in grass-root level for their environment-friendly community-based programs which are low cost, low tech, easily applicable sustainable technologies matched with the local income, local culture, local education, local environment and which can be replicated with the locally available materials generating employment opportunities locally.
Are you ready to celebrate such a Earth Day which brings a change in the society?
Thanks, Sanu Kaji
RE3.org
posted on April 15th, 2010 at 10:10 am
NC Earth Day events ban be found here – http://re3org.blogspot.com/
Maurizio Maranghi
posted on April 17th, 2010 at 11:25 pm
Great Post! Thanks for the information. I hope cities across the world will celebrate Earth Day. Now I just need to choose which event I will attend that day.
- Maurizio Maranghi -
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
CT DEP
posted on April 19th, 2010 at 10:43 am
CT DEP offers a listing of local community events that celebrate Earth Day around Connecticut
http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2688&q=322356&depNav_GID=1511
Linda A.
posted on April 20th, 2010 at 5:56 am
Katherine, you mentioned the Chevy Volt. What about the Nissan Leaf? I’d take the Leaf over the Volt myself; it’s cuter than the Volt. By the way, how much electricity does it take to fully recharge one of those all-electric cars, anyway? Will fully recharging one send your electric bill through the roof?
Sanu Kaji, as cynical as your post is, you are, unfortunately, right. I remember the very first Earth Day, back in 1970. There were a lot of public events for that one, too, as I recall, and I concur with what you say. Back then, people participated in the PDAs (public displays of affection) for Mother Earth, but then, when the events were over, and the media spotlight turned to other stories du jour, they went back to their old eco-unfriendly ways. If all those who participated in those Earth Day activities and events back on the first Earth Day had made a serious commitment to truly evironmentally-friendly living, MAYBE we wouldn’t be talking about climate change and species extinction today, and, we’d be living on a much cleaner planet.
By the way, as an aside, I would like to see the Ecology Flag brought back. It looked like the American flag, but, instead of red-and-white stripes, it had green-and-white stripes, and the blue field was green with the Greek letter theta replacing the stars, although what that letter had to do with ecology, I still don’t have a clue.
Wangui
posted on April 20th, 2010 at 6:32 am
Earth Day Network and the UNEP-Tunza are working together to engage young generations of global citizens to make a difference for Earth Day 2010. In a unique joint-initiative, we would like to invite you to participate in the Adopt – a – Meter2 program. This program encourages youth around the world to adopt a square meter of land to create eco-art, plant vegetable gardens, promote clean and green spaces- whatever best suits their culture, environment, and imagination! You can participate individually or in groups by bringing together square meters for larger projects like tree planting, park cleaning or roadside pickups.
For more information visit the website: http://www.earthday.org/campaigns/adopt-meter2-land
Ecover Blog
posted on April 21st, 2010 at 7:44 am
This is amazing! Thank you for compiling all of this information about Earth Day and how people can really make a difference this year. Your blog is great, and we’ve added it to Ecover’s blogroll. Thank you again … and Happy Earth Day!
-Deb for Ecover
Manolo Morales
posted on April 21st, 2010 at 12:12 pm
Here in Volcan, Chiriqui Panama (Central America), we are cleanning about 3 miles of side roads and dishes out of trash and grass. Coming from a town that is not very environmental oriented..neightbors from the area decided to get together clean he area and stop blaming the goverment for not cleaning our streets. Tomorrow about 50 High School Students will be also participating practically sweeping the place out of trash. The idea was originated on a private school, (Brother Elred Wetli)…from the kids of Kinder Garden and First Grade, thoughout the effort of the teachers and forigners that decided to come and live in our highlands, the entire project was possible…tomorrow is our Big Day..and what it is more important, the locals around the area are now so happy with the project they want to extend it over to other communities. Two Tumbs Up..for those kids at Brother Elred Wetli School!!
Chris
posted on April 21st, 2010 at 12:45 pm
Good point Linda about the electric cars. How much energy will it draw? Can’t the companies add some type of solar panel? If a car is going to be parked in the baking sun all day, why not charge it? Even if just a small amount.
EPIC SELF | Self Improvement, Wellness, Health, Fitness, Motivation, Green Living » Blog Archive » Green’s Aren’t Just For 4/20: It’s Earth Day!
posted on April 22nd, 2010 at 10:52 am
[...] The Best Earth Day Events- via Earth911.com My fav event: Believe it or not General Motors took takes the cake on this global event list. The Chevy Volt was released today. This hybrid uses recycled blue jeans in its car doors to buffer noise and recycled cardboard in its roof to improve acoustics. Even the door handle brackets are made from old carpet. It’s the most efficient of it’s kind clocking in at 2,520 kilowatts per hour of energy, which is less than a central air conditioning unit, a water heater and a refrigerator. Killer work GM! [...]
Make Green Come True
posted on April 22nd, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Happy Earth Day! http://www.makegreencometrue.com/blog/?p=614
Linda G
posted on May 5th, 2010 at 10:23 am
In recognition of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, Air Force Real Property Agency officials enlisted the participation of people in 40 communities to plant a tree at one of 40 former and active Air Force bases, from Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii to the former Loring AFB in Maine, as well as the Pentagon. A robot built by students in the Clean Diesel Technoloby Center even helped plant at tree at the former Mather Air Force Base in Sacramento, CA.