Dear EarthTalk: Is there any theme
for Earth Day this year, and what can I do to participate?
— Adele
Davies, Seattle, Wash. The nonprofit Earth Day Network, which organizes and coordinates
annual Earth Day celebrations around the U.S. and beyond, is
partnering this year with Step It Up 2007, a nationwide campaign
organized to demand bold federal action on climate change.
As part of the buildup to Earth Day itself (April 22), Step
It Up 2007 has organized hundreds of rallies to take place
a week earlier on April 14, including major events at or near “meaningful,
iconic” places that are already reeling from the impacts
of global warming. These include: New Orleans, where Hurricane
Katrina wreaked destruction in 2005; Mt. Rainier in Washington
state, where the volume of glaciers shrank by nearly 25 percent
over the last century; and Key West, Florida, where increased
ocean temperatures are causing the region’s living coral
reefs to turn white (bleach) and die.
Step It Up rallies are already planned for nearly 800 U.S.
locations, where thousands of concerned citizens will call
on Congress to force industry to cut emissions of carbon dioxide,
the leading culprit in the onset of unprecedented global warming.
Earth Day Network representatives and volunteers will then
spend the following week on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC,
lobbying Congress directly. Then on Earth Day itself, April
22, millions of Americans will participate in hundreds of celebrations
co-sponsored by Earth Day Network coast-to-coast, seeking to
raise public awareness about our climate crisis.
Said Earth Day Network, “We all possess the tools and
know-how to reduce our own environmental impacts and carbon
footprints, but lack a united voice to tell our leaders what
to do. Earth Day 2007 will bring together millions of Americans
concerned about global warming to call on our elected officials
to take immediate and effective action to deal with global
warming.”
Those interested in joining the effort can do so by first participating
in one of the Step It Up rallies taking place around the nation
on April 14 (an event locator can be found at the group’s
Web site)—or by organizing a local event. Participants
are encouraged to “show their green colors” by
foregoing car travel that day and “hiking, biking, climbing,
walking, swimming, kayaking, or canoeing” to a rally
near them.
Following the April 14 rallies, individuals can join Earth
Day Network’s week-long lobbying effort in Washington—or
participate virtually over the Internet by first completing
an online form at the group’s Web site. The Earth Day
Network Web site also offers an Earth Day event locator for
those wishing to attend an event.
Earth Day 2007 is the kick-off to a three-year “Climate
Change Solutions Campaign” intended to educate and motivate
all levels of the global community, including K-12 and college
students, governments, corporations, and religious institutions.
Earth Day Network is making available an “Earth Day in
a Box” kit, which includes an organizers guide for those
seeking to plan an event, as well as tips, ideas, and resources
on various simple actions individuals can take that can make
a difference for the environment.
Submit questions to earthtalk@emagazine.com
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