50th Anniversary of Earth Day
4/20/2020
Happy Earth Day April 22 - and Earth Week April 20-26 - Celebrate virtually!
On April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day brought approximately 10% of the U.S. population together to urge protection of the planet. In 2020, 50 years after that first call to action, many campuses and communities participate in this event annually, with some stretching the event to weeks or months. The Earth Day Network has roots going back to the origins of Earth Day and can provide more information about how this event has moved the conversation around resource conservation and sustainability. The network celebrates the accomplishments of many college and university campuses.
Adam Rome, an environmental history professor at the University of Buffalo, has written a book documenting the history of Earth Day and detailing the first ever Earth Day.
Bard Center for Environmental Policy has links for states on virtual instruction. https://www.solveclimateby2030.org/
Campus highlights:
Arizona State University is holding more than a dozen events throughout April to celebrate Earth Month.
Austin Community College District, with twelve separate campuses in Texas, held over 50 events in 2019 and is urging more in its 2020 celebration of Earth Week, which takes place April 20-24.
Carleton College, in Minnesota, has its seventh annual Climate Action Week starting February 17, with speakers, films, and more. Then, on April 25, they will be planting trees to celebrate Earth Day.
Georgia Tech’s 23rd annual Earth Day Festival will be held April 17. The event is open to the public and features vendors, music, a clothing swap, and recycling opportunities.
Montgomery County Community College, in Pennsylvania, has three campuses gearing up for Earth Day festivities on April 25.
Mott Community College, in Michigan, collaborates with two other universities to hold activities and presentations on April 25 at the Regional Technology Center.
Slippery Rock University, in Pennsylvania, has an Earth Month and EarthFest on April 25, in cooperation with Drive electric Earth Day and is sponsoring an EV Car Show.
University of Colorado Boulder will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day with a teach-in on April 22 and 23. The event features advanced learning opportunities from the 27th Annual Campus Sustainability Summit.
University of Georgia is celebrating Earth Day with activities in February through May on sustainability related issues.
University of Michigan held a major “Teach-In on the Environment” in 1970 and, to honor the teach-in’s 50th Anniversary, is having a series of events stretching from February 2020 through the entire calendar year.
University of Washington will celebrate April 22, with a series of events coordinated from the Office of Sustainability and the College of the Environment’s office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
