Green schools and nearly 300,000 green jobs are still in jeopardy in the stimulus package!
While the House of Representatives included $14-billion in funds for creating green, 21st century schools and hundreds of thousands of green jobs, Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Ben Nelson (D- Nebraska) unfortunately led an effort to have this provision stripped out of the Senate version of the package. President Obama has said he wants some of this money restored in the final bill, but we want all of it back in! Many of you took action last week and called your member of Congress; now we need a final push to ensure that we prevail! Call your Representative and Senators and let them know you want school repair and modernization and green jobs in the final stimulus package! Call the Capitol switchboard at 202 224-3121!
Going Solar at School
How to take advantage of the desert sun? Put solar on an elementary school in Phoenix! Last week the solar panels, an eco-mural, an Earth Fair, energy efficient lighting and native plantings premiered at the William R. Sullivan Elementary School in Phoenix as Earth Day Network and volunteers from the University of Phoenix performed a "green makeover" on the school. The greening was part of Earth Day Network's Green Schools Campaign.
Also part of our Green Schools Campaign is our effort to provide healthy, nutritious food to every student. Read our op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle.
National Prayer Breakfast on Creation Care - Sign Up Now!
On February 22-25, the National Religious Coalition on Creation Care is hosting the Washington Week, a faith-based event to encourage the religious community in its emphasis on creation care as an essential element of faith. The activity-filled week kicks off with the National Prayer Breakfast, where renowned author Lester Brown will deliver the keynote speech. Stay tuned for video of the breakfast on Earth Day TV. Find out more here.
Clean Coal? Not really.
Don't listen to the lies - there is no such thing as clean coal in the US today! Emissions from coal combustion for electricity contribute 32 percent of all US CO2 emissions. If we are to fight global warming we have end our addiction to coal. That's why Earth Day Network has joined the Reality Coalition to fight the clean coal myth. You may have seen the important TV advertisement that's also running on our website. New policies can stimulate and increase use of renewable energy and upgrades in efficiency that, when combined with a unified national smart grid, will enable 100% clean, climate-friendly electricity within 10 years.
Planning an Earth Day '09 event? Check out our new web site and updated resources!
The countdown is on: less than three months until Earth Day 2009! Thousands of events are being planned in every corner of the planet, and we want to help make them all successful! Check out our new resources, from the Organizer's Guide to our flyers and merchandise, for ideas and useful tips, and don't forget to register your event in our Global Event Registry. And for our members out of the United States, stay tuned for our pages translated to Spanish and French!
This Valentine's Day, Give the Gift of Water
More than half of all girls who drop out of primary school in developing countries do so because they lack separate toilets and access to clean water. Among children, the leading cause of death in the world is diarrhea, a water-borne disease that is entirely preventable with access to clean water and basic sanitation. This Valentine's Day, show your love by supporting the Global Water Network, a web portal devoted to promoting water and sanitation projects through NGO organizations in South America, Africa and the Middle East. Give the gift of water today!
Water in Your Life - Share Your Story!
What do you or your organization do to improve water and sanitation conditions in your community? Submit a water story, and let the world know what water means to you. The stories will be gathered into a report that will be released on World Water Day and featured on the Global Water Network, reaching a wide audience. The deadline for submissions is March 1, 2009. Please email submissions to gwn@earthday.net
Seeking applicants for the Eastern European Fellowship!
Earth Day Network is seeking an Environmental Fellow from Eastern Europe. This is a 6 months paid position. To read more about the fellowship click here.