The Green Generation Rocks!
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Flaming Lips lead singer Wayne Coyne inspired the crowd to clean up the Mall after the festival was over © C. Taylor Crothers
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On Sunday April 19th, 2009, over 100,000 people in Washington, DC came to the National Mall and joined the Green Generation™! EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, and actors and activists Chevy Chase and Matthew Modine joined headlining bands The Flaming Lips, moe., Los Lobos, and the Black Violins on stage for our powerful message on renewable energy, green jobs, and a new green economy. The event was viewed online by people all over the world. Check out photos from the event here, and check out photos from volunteers around the country on Huffington Post, here! Hundreds of thousands turned out before the Mall event in ten cities to clean up parks, beaches and perform other important volunteer activities.
Earth Day in the Big Apple
Earth Day Network took the Big Apple by storm, holding a press conference on Earth Day in Times Square in New York city to announce our Day of Service, Day of Action, and Day of Celebration for next year's 40th anniversary of Earth Day. The Times Square New Year's ball was turned for the first time into an "Earth Ball" in honor of Earth Day, and provided a backdrop for our press event to announce our plans for Earth Day 2010 which will inspire "a billion acts of green" by individuals as their contribution to the celebration. Denis Hayes, the original Earth Day organizer; actor Matthew Modine; Kaj den Daas, Chairman Philips Lighting North America and CEO BU Luminaires North America, Executive VP of Philips Lighting B.V.; Pam Lippe of Earth Day New York; the ICLEI organization; Times Square Alliance; and "Mr. G," famed New York weathercaster joined us. Register your act of green here, be it cleaning up a beach, changing a light bulb, or purchasing a hybrid car.
Earth Day Inspires Campuses!
Nearly 1200 US college campuses teamed up with universities across the globe to kick off The Green Generation™ on Earth Day 2009. With the introduction of the most feasible climate bill in years, the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES), young people were more excited than ever to celebrate The Green Generation™ and start taking big steps towards a sustainable future. The No Coal Call made it clear to Congress that the future of America will be a clean, green one, and students educated their communities on the true cost of coal. We will continue to work with campuses toward the transformative moment of Earth Day's 40th Anniversary one year from now!
Religious Events for Earth Day
Since 2007, Earth Day Network has connected with thousands of parishes, urging parish leaders to speak to their communities about the importance of taking action toward protecting our planet and mitigating the effects of global warming and climate change. Earth Day Network is proud to announce that nearly 10,000 Catholic churches worked with EDN to do just that-helping us to broaden and diversify the environmental movement even further.
Green Jobs for Women
Earth Day Network Senior Vice President Susan Bass joined US Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley in Washington for a roundtable on women and green jobs. The roundtable focused on how we can work together in the future to ensure that women have access to the new green economy. Secretary Solis believes that green jobs can be an opportunity for many Americans to regain their economic security and contribute to our nation.
Earth Day Network Hosts a Senate Staff-level Briefing on Green Schools!
On Earth Day, April 22nd, Earth Day Network hosted a Senate staff-level briefing on High-Performing Green Schools sponsored by the Senate Committee On Health, Education, Labor and Pension. The briefing took place from 3 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. in the Capitol Visitors Center and addressed the costs and benefits of green-school construction and operation. Speakers Greg Kats, Tony Geraci, James Elder, and Miguel Brito also discussed the details of green school design and how green schools can and should combine energy-efficient facilities with science-based curricula, healthy food, and enhanced recreational opportunities to achieve improved student test scores, motivation, and health.
Sun and Fun
In the true spirit of The Green Generation™, Earth Day Network headed down to Lakeland, Florida for the annual Sun n' Fun Fly-In earlier this week. Though pilots might not traditionally be thought of as environmentalists, EDN continued its commitment to opening new doors in the environmental community by reaching out to the aviation community at the country's 2nd largest fly-in. Green was in the air at the event's "GreenSpace" which included an electric airplane funded by the Lindbergh Foundation and an Earth Day Press conference with members of the aviation press.
Shake up your Mailbox
Did you know that over 15 billion pieces of paper mail are sent each month in the United States? Luckily, now you can sign up with Zumbox, one of the sponsors of Earth Day 2009, to eliminate all that waste by delivering postal mail to your inbox! Check it out here.