Earth Day on the National Mall brings 100,000 to the heart of Washington, DC and kicks off The Green Generation ™

On Sunday, April 19th, the eyes of the world turned to the National Mall in Washington, DC to witness the launch of The Green Generation™. With the Capitol presiding, 100,000 people gathered to listen to Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Representative Edward Markey, rock bands The Flaming Lips and moe., DJ Spooky, Los Lobos and many others. The event, emceed by Chevy Chase, sent a message that will resonate in the halls of Congress: the time for bold action against global warming is NOW!

More than 50 non-profit organizations, government agencies, green companies, and foreign embassies participated in the Eco-Roadshow and educated the crowd about environmental issues and green practices.

Flaming Lips lead singer Wayne Coyne inspired the crowd to clean up the Mall after the festival was over © C. Taylor Crothers

Thousands of volunteers sign up to give back and restore their communities

In partnership with Green Apple Festival, during the weekend of April 17-19, Earth Day Network and our partners at Green Apple Festival coordinated hundreds of volunteer actions with thousands of participants in Washington, DC, New York, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin and Atlanta. Volunteer projects included beach and park clean-ups, tree-plantings, and green building initiatives, among many others.