4月22日地球日,歌手雪瑞兒.可洛(Sheryl Crow)在華盛頓大教堂(Washington National Cathedral)大力宣導「世界地球日」活動,整個週末,由「世界地球日網絡」與「綠蘋果音樂藝術節」主辦的音樂會,在紐約、舊金山、芝加哥等地都有表演。
莫斯科宣導騎自行車活動以支持環保交通;北京也舉行「告別隨手丟文化週」的活動;埃及清淨水源活動,則是世界各地成千上萬個地球日活動中的一小部分;而在華府,氣候行動的觸角延伸到了國會議員,週一將在全國記者俱樂部(National Press Club)舉行記者會。
「從4月16日到20日,地球日網絡將把全美各地關切氣候變遷的輿論和行動帶到國會山莊。」地球日網絡主席羅潔斯(Kathleen Rogers)表示:「我們希望促使國會眾矢氣候變遷對健康、經濟和社會的衝擊,並討論我們所提出的氣候變遷相關立法管制配套方案。」地球日網絡期望能使國會議員普遍認知到,在2050年之前將溫室氣體排放量降低至1990年的20%以下,是當前遏阻全球暖化效應的必要步驟。
美國人民透過各種方式參與地球日活動,人們撿垃圾、回收廢棄電子用品、創作地球日美術和影音創作、播放相關電影、參加音樂會、主辦街頭派對和流行表演……全美正有10084項以地球日為主題的活動熱鬧展開。
從22日起到5、6月期間,全世界將有數千場活動紀念和提醒人們重視地球日。俄羅斯的無車團體23日在莫斯科主辦一場嘉年華會,邀集喜愛自然、騎單車、音樂並渴望為維護環境努力的民眾,展開一場單車臨界量活動,大眾騎單車響應生態運輸,最後到達伊斯邁公園(Izmailovski Park),隨後在公園的太陽能舞台舉辦音樂會,並供應有機素食餐點。
環保團體「北京地球村」將自4月28日開始為期一週加強宣導「告別隨手丟文化週」,呼籲北京消費者改變購物習慣,減少使用塑膠袋。估計北京目前每年用掉100億個塑膠袋!平均每天2700萬個。
結合全球青年服務日和地球日,伊朗「鄉間婦女地位提昇中心」從20日起到26日主辦一場清潔村莊活動,用以教育和鼓勵年輕人以實際行動回應環境自覺意識,尤其是塑膠垃圾對生態的負面衝擊。
On Sunday April 22, singer Sheryl Crow headlines an Earth Day service at Washington National Cathedral. Earth Day Network and Green Apple Music & Arts Festival offer music all weekend in New York, San Francisco and Chicago.
A bike ride to support eco-transport in Moscow, a "Bye-bye throw-away culture!" week in Beijing, and an underwater clean up in Egypt are a few of the thousands of Earth Day events happening around the world. In Washington, DC, a climate action outreach to legislators began on Monday with a news conference at the National Press Club.
"This week, April 16th through the 20th, Earth Day Network is bringing new and diverse voices from across America to Capitol Hill to catalyze immediate action on climate," said EDN President Kathleen Rogers. "We want to talk about the health, economic, and social impacts of climate and our proposed solutions for inclusion in climate legislation." The Earth Day Network aims to persuade lawmakers that a drastic cut in greenhouse gas emissions is required to avert the worst effects of global warming - 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.
Across the country people are picking up litter, recycling obsolete electronics, creating Earth Day art and videos, showing films, attending concerts, holding block parties and fashion shows - in fact 10,084 events of all kinds are taking place in the United States.
Around the world, many thousands of events are being held to honor the Earth this weekend and on into May and June. In Moscow, the group Carfree Russia is holding a festival Sunday that brings together people who love nature, bike-riding, and music and are eager to do something good for the environment. A Critical Mass bike ride in support of eco-transport finishes in Izmailovski Park where the festival continues with a concert at the park's solar stage, and organic, vegetarian food.
In China's capital city, the group Global Village of Beijing will be busy through April 28 with "Bye-bye throw-away culture" Week. The group aims to convince shoppers to stop using so many plastic bags. It is estimated that Beijing consumes nearly 10 billion plastic bags annually, the equivalent of some 27 million bags per day.
In Iran, the Center for the Advancement of Rural Women is holding a village cleanup from today through Wednesday in conjunction with Global Youth Service Day and Earth Day. The Village Clean Up! initiative is designed to educate and mobilize youth, as well as raise environmental awareness about the impacts of garbage, especially plastics on the ecosystem.