The countdown to Earth Day is coming to a head. As we hover around 40 days before the big week (Apri. 17-25), I’m becoming more and more aware of the little acts that will lead to some significant “bigness” around the world.

Lets start with my own universe and expand outwards. There’s a lot of things I do already that reduce the wear and tear on the world. I recycle my plastic bags, I turn the faucet off when I brush my teeth, I remove plugs from outlets when I leave the house (yes, you’d be amazed at how much this reduces your energy bills) and so on and so forth. Beyond the four walls of my house, I’m attuned to others’ environmental mindfulness. Carts in the grocery store that were once filled with plastic bags are now laden with reusable canvas bags. I see more and more people taking the stairs in lieu of the elevator. (Perhaps Senator Nelson intentionally planned Earth Day to fall around the time people start thinking about getting into bathing suit shape.)

On a city level, Washington DC is donning a “green” hat. This week was the launch of Earth Day Network’s Sustainable Feast series - Green HHs and Menus serving local and sustainably grown victuals - and the start of the Environmental Film Festival.

Around the world, from a dedication of 10 million Earth-friendly movements in the Philippines; to TERI’s commitment to provide solar lighting devices around the world, to Isreal Earth Hour taking place in 15 major cities - change is taking place.

Courtesy of www.terina.org

Sure, in many ways our individual presence on the earth is pretty inconsequential. However, Earth Day is an instance of where the sum of the parts is bigger than the whole. My reclycing efforts combined with my neighbors decision to use canvas over plastic to school water conservation contests in Mauritius – makes a very big splash.

Courtesy of http://www.earthdayphils.org/

How many acts of green are you and your community adding to the Billion Acts of Green counter?

Yesterday afternoon, a high ranking delegation from Morocco joined E.P.A. Administrator Lisa Jackson and Earth Day Network at a Washington, D.C. press conference to announce an unprecedented National Charter for Environment and Sustainable Development on Earth Day, April 22. The Charter will guide policy in the country and future laws on natural resources, the environment and sustainability. Yesterday’s conference was also an announcement that Rabat, Morocco will be a premier international city hosting an Earth Day celebration on Saturday, April 24 with top international speakers and musical talent.

At the conference, Earth Day Network President Kathleen Rogers gave praise to Morocco for implementing an environmental charter, “Morocco, which sits at the crossroads between Africa and the Middle East, is leading these regions in groundbreaking environmental practices, inspiring millions of people to make a personal commitment to the environment for Earth Day and beyond.” Rev. Jesse Jackson also made a surprise appearance at the conference, giving a few remarks applauding Morocco’s international leadership in the environmental movement.

Morocco’s recent $9 billion investment in solar energy, demonstrates the country’s ongoing dedication to harnessing renewable energy to build a green economy. By 2020, Morocco expects to have renewable energies account for 42 percent of the country’s total power installed.

Remember the Jungle Book? King Louie the orangutan? Shere Kahn the Bengal tiger? Or our favorite sloth bear Baloo? These animals all reside in the rainforest. Rainforest are home to our favorite species and many more, and its quick degradation is beginning to become a prime focus.

The protection of the rainforest has speedily gained international momentum because of its integral role in the ecological conservation movement. Earth Day Network believes that environmental education is a key component to saving the rainforest, and is collaborating with Save the Rainforest, Inc. to work with future generations in continuing the preservation of biodiversity and the rainforest.

Save the Rainforest, Inc. works to bring an additional environmental education component to their advocacy campaign. For example, the organization is focusing on informing students about the consequences of deforestation. Included in the Earth Day Curriculum, the ‘REDD’ fact sheet that will help relate deforestation and harmful emissions to the extinction of species and the reduction of biodiversity. In collaboration with EDN, Save the Rainforest, Inc. will include Earth Day Curriculum on its website.

Save the Rainforest Inc. and the Earth Day Network, with similar goals in mind, have partnered together this Earth Day in order to encourage young activists to expand, improve, and continue the environmental movement. Knowledge is power, and the sooner we become informed the better. So, spread the word and get involved! Share this information with the person next to you, because you never know how you might make a difference.

Earth Day Network is supporting the DC Environmental Education Consortium’s
“Get Out and Garden!” Workshop on Saturday, May 8, 2010.

This workshop is geared towards teachers interested in creating or enhancing outdoor learning areas at school. It is open to any parents or other school garden supporters as well. Topics covered include: Types of School Gardens, Addressing Learning Standards through Garden Activities, Composting and Vermiculture and much more! Participants will receive six hours of professional development credit, garden resources, healthy lunch and a variety of curriculum materials.

For more information, visit www.dcschoolyardgreening.org or www.dcnaturally.org.

When Congressional legislators were considering the merits of banning lead-infused gasoline in early 1970s, did it make sense to eliminate, for instance, only one-third of the lead in gasoline? No, they perceived the growing health and environmental concerns, such as the increase of lead in people’s bloodstreams, as a mandate for action. Through widely bipartisan amendments to the Clean Air Act, levels of lead in our air and bodies have vastly decreased – 70% in U.S. children – worldwide. This fact alone has prevented the incidence of permanent nerve damage and other disorders in millions of children. According to EPA analysis, the cost savings of such proactive legislation are estimated to be four to one, or roughly $110 billion. Sadly, some members of Congress today think such action by the EPA is a bad idea.

Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and John D. Rockefeller (D-WV) have each introduced separate pieces of legislation (Sen. Murkowski’s amendment and Rockefeller’s bill) that could undermine the EPA’s legal authority to act in protection of our nation’s health and safety. As granted under the same bipartisan provisions of the Clean Air Act, and recently upheld by a 2007 U.S. Supreme Court decision, the EPA is legally bound to now act upon regulating carbon dioxide emissions. Industry-based emissions like those of coal-fired power plants represent one third of our nation’s greenhouse gas pollution, of which carbon dioxide is the main culprit. While some, like Sens. Murkowski and Rockefeller, weigh the alleged consequences of such action by the EPA, no one wants to see children poisoned. But what isn’t articulated in the current debate over the Clean Air Act – and is unfortunately similar to the decades old efforts to ban lead-based gasoline – is failure to allow the EPA to regulate pollution means more children getting poisoned. Why? The largest source of airborne mercury emissions in the United States is coal-fired power plants. According to EPA data, 1 in 6 American women already have unsafe levels of mercury in their blood – risking permanent nerve damage and other mercury related ailments to an estimated 15 out of every 100 babies born in the U.S. annually. It’s a shame that some politicians today are more concerned with political theatrics than allowing the federal government to do its fundamental duty and protect its people. Tell your Senators now to let the EPA do its job and protect our nation’s health and environment.

For the month of April, Earth Day Network along with other partners have created a program to raise community awareness about ongoing efforts in the food industry to help the environment. Appropriately titled “Green Hours,” participating restaurants and bars will be highlighting organic and sustainable food and drinks. In addition to helping out our environment costumers will also be donating to Earth Day Network. For each drink bought during the Green Hour, $1 will be given to Earth Day Network. And at participating locations, anyone who donates $25 will receive a voucher redeemable for a drink. Local and sustainable foods will also be served at many of the participating restaurants throughout March and April so keep an eye out for menus highlighting these eco-friendly dishes. Earth Day Network staff will be at all events so make sure to say hi and ask them any questions about Earth Day events and how you can get involved.

The program starts this week with the first Green Hour at The Vrandenburg Cafe by FoodArts located in The Phillips Collection Museum on the next two Thursdays, March 18 and 25 from 5pm – 8pm. It is located at 1600 21^th St, NW in Washington, D.C. The Vrandburg Cafe will be serving a range of organic wines, beers, and cocktails as well as some local and organic appetizers. Their wine distributor will also be on hand to discuss sustainable wine production. So come stop by for some drinks and conversation while supporting sustainable food and preparing for Earth Day 2010, our 40^th Anniversary.

Blog written by Mike Szopa, Earth Day Network Intern.

Provided by Amazon.com

When Sarah Cooper first handed me Sheri Holman’s novel, The Mammoth Cheese, I was skeptical to say the least. The cover, adorned with a faded American flag and bolded title and author, was bleak and looked unappealing. Explaining she had found the novel in a box left by the side of the road led me to believe it would not be worth the week or two it would take me to read its 440 pages. Despite all of this, I figured I’d give it a shot; and boy I am glad I did!

Set in Three Chimneys, Virginia, The Mammoth Cheese tells of Margaret Pickett, inheritrice of a family dairy farm in danger of foreclosure, as she campaigns tooth and nail for presidential candidate Adams Brooke. Adams Brooke’s most notable campaign promise and the reason for Margaret’s undying support is to aide family farms with a one time debt forgiveness. This underlying story is built upon by many other characters’ struggles to find themselves and the eventual creation of the Mammoth Cheese.

Although the story revolves around issues that farmers face everyday, many people would argue that this novel has no true environmental implications; I disagree. Margaret’s fight to save her farm reminds us that the most important things in life are not always, and usually are never, the easiest. Advocating for environmental issues, in the hopes to spur policy change, can often be a long, drawn-out process. Keeping your sights set on the goal, whether it be saving a farm or planning Earth Day, is important but once achieved, realizing how amazing the journey has been can often be the most rewarding element.

Content contributed by Ryan Trachtenberg, Intern

What is the State of Birds today? Not good. “For well over a century, migratory birds have faced stresses such as commercial hunting, loss of forests,  the use of DDT and other pesticides, a loss of wetlands and other key habitat, the introduction of invasive species, and other impacts of human development,” states Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, the report also features significant evidence of how human caused global warming has threatened habitats of several endangered species.

Because they are dependent on several habitats, migratory bird species are especially vulnerable to Climate Change and other environmental stressors. Earth Day Network Partner Audubon and other conservation groups were tapped for their expertise and field presence to contribute to the recently released government report- the U.S. State of the Birds Report.

Glenn Olsen, National Audubon Society’s Donal O’Brien Chair for Bird Conservation remarked: ”The 2010 U.S. State of the Birds Report is a powerful wake up call. It says we must all tackle the threats of a changing climate, not just for the birds but for our own good as well.”

source:http://www.stateofthebirds.org/newsroom/2010-news-release

Can you believe it’s March?! With Earth Day 2010 in close sight, students are preparing their initiatives and becoming active in the global movement. We are excited to share excerpts of an article by Sangam Malani, a student from Bangkok, Thailand, who is actively involved in creating awareness in his community.

Contributed by Green Cleaning Ideas

“A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment and, in     particular, climate change. And statistics show that the making of plastic bags is responsible for     15% of a person’s carbon footprint. Reading this I realized that a     reduction of plastic bags would     not only help preserve the integrity of our ecosystems, but would also reduce the burden on     landfills, cut back on litter and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

For these reasons I, Sangam Malani, and the rest of the Environmental Committee at KIS     International School Bangkok, decided to sell cloth bags and reusable water bottles, as well as     recycled plastics at our fun-fair. With great enthusiasm we set up our booth! 100 Baht from     whatever we sold was given to the organization, “Bring the Elephant Home” which plants     trees to     restore the natural habitat for the elephants and thus also helps comb at global warming.     We     were selling the bags smartly, however as the day wore on, the customers began to ignore     us. 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.

However, our effort to make a small difference by recycling plastics was successful. We placed     recycle bins around the campus and the environment group members made the recycling as     efficient as possible. Despite [setbacks]…what [we] did was that we made an effort to recycle.”

-Sangam Malani
KIS International School, Bangkok, Thailand.

Inspired?!! As Sangam has shown, anyone can make a difference, no matter how big or small. Be a part of this global movement; register your event for Earth Day 2010!

Contributed by Jessica Lin

One of the main objectives of Earth Day Network is to bring together organizations and individuals from around the world with a common interest in the environment. Earth Day Network’s new website, Earth Day 2010 will contain “country pages” that give a variety of information about each country Earth Day Network is working with. This information includes, but is not limited to, any events that will be going on in recognition of Earth Day 2010 and articles pertaining to environmental issues of that country. As an intern here at Earth Day Network, one of my jobs has been to find articles that can be featured on these country pages and write a short blurb summarizing them. As a result I have been amazed by some of the stories, news, and information I have found.

One of the most surprising things I have discovered is how much effort is being made in the Middle East to harness the power of the sun. In an area known globally for its oil production, countries such as Saudi Arabia are looking for cleaner energy sources such as solar to power their desalination plants.

Africa remains a place where action to protect animals and critical habitats happens everyday. Recently, four of the last eight remaining Northern White Rhinos were relocated from a Czech Republic zoo to Kenya in an effort to get the animals to breed in a more natural habitat.

jpwusn.org

In researching the Philippines I found this amazing slide show, put together by TreeHugger.com. Ever see or hear of Vulcan Point? How about an island-on-a-lake, island-on-a-lake-on-an-island? Check it out.

treehugger.com

It is amazing what people can do when they unite towards a common goal. The research I have done and the country pages on Earth Day Network’s website are a testament to that.

Content Contributed by Ryan Trachtenberg, Intern