Read the full commentary in E The Environmental Magazine.

Last year, Earth Day took some heat by online green scorekeepers (particularly the eco-mag Grist, which launched a “Screw Earth Day” campaign), but this year it’s reasserting its prominence. Earth Day turns 40 this year, and while that brings with it some generational divide (Grist, at 10, is still a kid), it has also allowed the Earth Day Network, which promotes green initiatives year ‘round, to leverage its experience into real, on-the-ground activism and creating sustainable schools. Out of that first Earth Day in 1970 — celebrated by 20 million — came the Environmental Protection Agency, established by President Nixon the same year. Now, says Jeani Murray, the Global Director of Earth Day 40, the nonprofit has moved far beyond fighting early concerns like smog and acid rain to push for climate change legislation, to encourage green jobs and to leverage its influence to enact real commitment from world leaders at the upcoming Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in December.

To mark the annual celebration, CNET creates a green electronics guide, a new weekly show focusing on eco-living, and tips on how to reduce your carbon footprint. See more green stuff from CNET.

The latest nature film from Disney opened on Earth Day. Read Roger Ebert’s review here.

How Companies Celebrate Earth Day
By Matthew Wheeland
http://www.greenbiz.com/feature/2009/04/22/how-companies-celebrate-earth-day
Companies large and small are taking Earth Day to heart, organizing events,
outreach and education session for employees. We talked to more than a dozen companies across industries to find out what internal Earth Day activities they had lined up.

The Selling of Earth Day 2009: The Good, Bad, and Ugly
By Tilde Herrera
http://www.greenbiz.com/feature/2009/04/22/the-selling-of-earth-day
Part two of our Earth Day 2009 package looks beyond what companies are doing in offices and on their own campuses to explore the ways they’re sharing their efforts with the world at large.

Top 10 Water Innovators Celebrated in New Report
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/04/22/top-10-water-innovators
With concerns about water scarcity and quality on the rise around the world, a new study by the Artemis Project tracks down the top 50 companies developing market-ready innovations for water management, and singles out 10 for top accolades.

Low-Carbon Meals, Employee Raises and Energy Incentives Highlighted in Innovations Report
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/04/21/innovations-report-2009
The Environmental Defense Fund’s latest Innovations Review report looks at 15 actions taken by companies to reduce emissions, lower resource use and promote sustainable behaviors.

Interface Releases Environmental Stats From 2008; Continues Positive Trends
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/04/22/interface-environmental-stats-2008
Carpet manufacturer Interface has released its 2008 Ecometrics results, its
annual self-measurement of its energy, water, waste and emissions performance.

Mars Partners With TerraCycle to Turn Candy Wrappers Into New Products
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/04/21/mars-partners-with-terracycle
TerraCycle has gained another big-name ally in its efforts to upcycle all types
of waste: the candy maker will send discarded wrappers to be reborn up-stream.

Why Don’t We Pick the Low-Hanging Fruit?
By Marc Gunther
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/04/17/low-hanging-fruit
Marc Gunther says he’s heard the phrase “low-hanging fruit” countless times to describe the easy gains garned from energy efficiency. So if it’s so easily
done, why don’t people do it?

Getting Up to Speed on GSA’s Green Stimulus
By Leanne Tobias
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/04/21/gsa-green-stimulus
The General Services Administration, the U.S. government’s facilities manager, is among the first federal agencies to disseminate green stimulus dollars for the real estate sector. Leanne Tobias takes a look at the GSA’s ambitious $5.55 billion green facilities initiative.

Getting Green Done Means Moving Past ‘Sustainability 101′
By Joel Makower
http://www.greenbiz.com/podcast/2009/04/10/getting-green-done
Auden Schendler, author of the new book “Getting Green Done,” talks to Joel
Makower about the barriers to green success that every company faces, why
climate change is the only problem we face, and how telling stories of failures
is the way to succeed.

Read the press release.

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has compiled a list of activity ideas to help teens learn about their environment on Earth Day, April 22. In addition, YALSA offers a booklist called “Change Your World,” highlighting titles nominated for the 2010 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults booklist, which offer books about activism, politics and volunteering.

Earth Day activity ideas include geocaching seminars, recycled jewelry programs, community clean-up programs and more. Librarians looking for activity ideas related to Earth Day can find them at http://wikis.ala.org/yalsa/index.php/Teen_Volunteering_%26_Service_Projects#Earth_Day, or libraries who have events planned for Earth Day can add their own.

Read the full post at Treehugger.

For nearly 40 years, Earth Day has been the one day when even the least eco-minded trade their apathy for (usually) a spade and a tree sapling. From its start as a counter-culture demonstration in 1970–which led to the formation of the EPA and to bills protecting the environment–to the worldwide celebration in 2000 that involved more than 200 hundred million supporters in 184 countries, April 22 means something different to everyone. Figure out which cause you want to support–and how–with the ideas and activities in Planet Green’s How to Go Green: Earth Day guide.

Read the full post at Treehugger.

USEPA was formed in 1970, the same year Earth Day was created. And, as EPA’s Earth Day celebration website points out in an online history, it was “a time when rivers caught fire and cities were hidden under dense clouds of smoke.”

It’s also the year that yours truly was graduating from college. ‘What a long strange trip it’s been.’ Since 1970, pollution globalized along with US supply chains. Now, it’s rivers burning and smog churning in China. The Agency really has to think globally.

The list of online Earth Day offerings from EPA is great.

Read the full post at Environmental Capital.

Has Earth Day gone milquetoast?

Our EC colleague Jeff Ball asks today in the WSJ if Earth Day is actually bad for the earth. Feel-good environmental gestures have become so mainstream that they threaten the push for deeper changes that might lend some oomph to the proceedings.

Read the press release.

On Earth Day, students on 300 college campuses served by Sodexo will line up to get their meals in a new way – without using a plastic tray. The move was introduced by Sodexo as part of the company’s commitment to reduce negative impact on the environment; going trayless saves thousands of gallons of water each day and reduces electricity and chemical use.

Read the press release.

Everyone is talking these days about “going green” and sustainability. And they’re also asking: “What does sustainability really mean? I’d like to go green and help the planet, but how?” EPA can define it, but actions speak louder than words!

From April 20-22, EPA is going to SHOW America what sustainability is all about. EPA is hosting its annual National Sustainable Design Expo on the National Mall, where more than 50 college teams from across the country will display their innovative solutions for an environmentally sustainable future.

U.S. EPA has compiled a list of collection events associated with the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge.

The Chicago Tribune RedEye has compiled a list of green tips and facts in honor of Earth Day.

Read the full post at the Chicago Tribune’s Julie’s Health Club blog.

Lombard parents who idle their minivans and SUV’s while waiting to pick up their kids from school on Tuesday could be the targets of a little “Earth Day intervention.”

Yahoo! recently completed a survey of U.S. consumers to find out how they plan to celebrate Earth Day, what environmental issues are top of mind, and how much recycling and reusing are a part of daily life. The answers may surprise you – more than half of all those surveyed didn’t even know that April 22nd was Earth Day.

Consumer knowledge of key environmental terms
The word global warming, reuse and carbon neutral can mean many things to many individuals.  Most Americans claim to know how to define global warming and understand the concept of reuse.  However, only a third of all Americans can define the word carbon neutral.

Impacting The Environment
Consumers believe that reuse, recycling and curbing car use is the most effective way to positively impact the environment. However, education about global warming is still needed as less than half believe that Global warming is bad for their personal health, and only one in ten believe that eating meat might be bad for the environment.
Interestingly enough, only 1/2 of all consumers believe that their individual contribution has any impact on the earth as a whole.

Thinking And Action
63% of consumers recycle and 57% reuse products every chance they get.  Many are also using energy efficient appliances and light bulbs around the home.  However, apart from recycling, consumers are significantly less likely to give up red meat, take public transportation, carpool and even buy environmentally friendly cleaning supplies.
Boomers have an elevated sense of urgency when it comes to the environment.  They feel significantly more positive about their individual contribution maybe because of their elevated belief that global warming will impact them in their lifetime.  That train of thought and thinking leads significantly greater action in recycling, reuse, and green clean product buying.  This thinking translates into advocacy, as a quarter will convince friends to buy eco-friendly products when they ask my opinion on purchases.

However, not even they are more likely to take more public transportation, carpool or abstain from meat.

Even with all these initiatives around the environment, nearly half believe Global Warming won’t impact their generation or lifetime and 1/5 believe it is a sensationalized story by the media.

Recycling and reusing, why not?
Among those who don’t recycle, the biggest reason is difficulty where they live, simply forgetting and not knowing where to go to recycle. Nearly 4 in 10 don’t know why they don’t reuse more.  Lack of knowledge is the biggest barrier to reusing different products.
The biggest driver to product reuse is cost savings which is at parity with the positive environmental impact. A functional cost savings message tied with the positive impact on environment may most appeal when talking about reuse to consumers.

One very positive outcome is that nearly 90% of Americans would consider product reuse products if more education was done on the matter. In fact, a third of Boomers are ready to make a change to reuse products every chance they get if provided with the right information.

39% of all consumers will pay a little extra for environmentally friendly products

Earth Day
More than half didn’t know that April 22 is Earth Day.  44% of all consumers have no plans to do anything during Earth Day.  However, among those who do know about earth day, almost seven in ten will participate in an earth day event.  Most will participate in recycling or tree planting.  A quarter will participate in an earth day event.

Has your community organization cleaned up a stream? Have you enjoyed a day in the woods? Has a wild animal ever sparked your imagination?

If you’ve caught anything like those moments in a photo, share it with us! We want to see how you would show EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment. Send us your best photos in three categories:

• Enjoying the environment
• Protecting the environment
• Nature and wildlife

To encourage participation and provide maximum public access, the contest will be hosted on the photo sharing site Flickr.com.  People around the world are encouraged to enter.

The contest will run as follows:
March 24: entries due
April 1: Finalists announced, public voting for winners begins
April 15: voting ends
April 22 (Earth Day): winners announced

Finalist and winning photos will be featured on EPA’s Web site.

Full details about the contest, including how to enter are available at http://www.epa.gov/earthday/photocontest.

For Earth Day 2008, US EPA challenges residents and communities around the Great Lakes to collect and recycle electronic waste and to properly dispose of unwanted medicines. The agency’s goal is to collect 1 million pounds of e-waste and 1 million unwanted pills.

For more information about the challenge, e-waste and unwanted medicines, or to register a collection event, visit the Earth Day 2008 Challenge web site at http://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/earthday2008/.

Read the commentary in E: The Environmental Magazine.

SUVs fill the highways, e-waste clogs the landfills, and energy consumption is at record levels. Legislation protecting our air, land and water have been under threat by a pro-industry Bush administration. As the Al Gore-tutorial-documentary An Inconvenient Truth so poignantly warned the world: climate change is an imminent threat for which we are all responsible. To put it simply: the Earth is in crisis and Earth Day (April 22) has taken on huge global significance. It is needed to spur grassroots activism as it did in its first year, inspiring people not only to make changes in their own lifestyles, but to join with others to create an effective movement that can push through legislation and insist on strict environmental standards.

See the full sustainable products roundup in E: The Environmental Magazine.

With so many holidays already making demands on our dollars, we at E are loathe to add another to the list. But we can’t let Earth Day (April 22) sneak by without a mention. While Earth Day may not have arrived as a consumer holiday (yet), it offers consumers a moment of reflection about how their dollars are being spent—how where they shop and what they buy can have real repercussions on the environment. So while our Tools section is always full of suggestions for eco-conscious shopping, we hope that Earth Day will provide a little extra incentive to go green.

Read the full commentary in E: The Environmental Magazine.

In an ongoing effort to protect our drinking water and the national jewel Lake Superior, thousands of northern Michigan residents are expected to turn in old and unwanted pharmaceuticals on Earth Day 2007 as a volunteer environmental army opens free collection sites for the third year in a row. Prescription medication and over-the-counter medicines will be collected across a 400-mile area at about two dozen free drop-off sites across Northern Michigan during the third annual Earth Keeper Clean Sweep on Earth Day 2007. Federal officials say the cutting-edge clean sweep is an excellent example of productive ways to protect Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes.

Read the press release.

Dell and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will host an Earth Day computer recycling event for consumers in the Washington metropolitan area Sunday, April 22. The free event is part of the company’s commitment to educating consumers about responsible computer recycling options and keeping information technology equipment out of landfills.

Read the full post at Grinning Planet.

Only certain people need to worry about participating in Earth Day—those who breathe air, drink water, and care about the future of life on the planet. So, unless you’re part of the invasion force from planet Klaxon-5 that’s been monitoring Grinning Planet transmissions from its stealthified location 8 miles above the surface, we’ve compiled a slew of great Earth Day activities for you—things you can do to make the earth less polluted, greener, and more sustainable for the long term.

Your first and most important Earth Day activity is …don’t get overwhelmed! It’s important that we all start making better progress on these things, but don’t go into green overload by trying to take on our whole list. Leave a few Earth Day activities for next year!

Here are a couple of strategies for taking on a reasonable number of the listed Earth Day activities:

• For Earth Day itself, just pick one or two things.
• Then, compile a list of additional Earth Day activities to work on for the rest of the year—say, one per month. (If you want to print the list, open this printer-friendly version (PDF).)

Our Earth Day Activities are listed in groups. Each Earth Day activity has been given one, two, or three green stars. All of the activities are worthwhile, but the more stars, the more positive impact the activity has on the earth, on our air and water, and on our future. Choose wisely, grasshopper!

Earth Day, April 22, 2007, is an opportunity for all Americans to demonstrate that environmental responsibility is everyone’s responsibility. There are a number of simple everyday choices that people can make to help protect the environment.

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
Do you know what your carbon foot print is? EPA’s interactive climate change Web page has a personal carbon calculator and information on ways individuals can reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
- http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html

Save Energy
EPA’s Energy Star Web page is the great place for consumers to find energy efficient products that are good for the environment and their wallets. Search this site to find the latest information on energy efficient electronics, lighting and cooling systems.
- http://www.energystar.gov/homeimprovement

Use Water Efficiently
Visit EPA’s WaterSense Web page to learn how efficient products and smart water choices can save money and help protect our nation’s water supply.
- http://www.epa.gov/watersense/

EPA’s mission is to protect human health and the environment. The agency is recognized as a trusted source for the most up to date and accurate environmental information. As you plan your Earth Day coverage, look to the world leader on environmental information.
- http://www.epa.gov/newsroom/
- http://www.epa.gov/earthday

Website for this version of Earth Day, as celebrated on the spring equinox in March. (Earth Day is generally observed in April.) Features background of this day that was initiated “on March 21, 1970. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the City of Saint Francis, patron saint of ecology.” Includes an Earth Day charter and guide for earth trustees by Earth Day founder John McConnell, and related material. [Source: Librarians' Index to the Internet]