儘管下起滂沱大雨，數千民眾依舊齊聚華盛頓商場歡慶地球日，可惜在幾位藝人登台獻唱後雨勢逐漸增強，音樂會主辦單位不得已取消了後續的表演。
在華盛頓商場舉行的這場地球日網絡與青蘋果節音樂會中，原本預定演出的當紅美國偶像（American Idol）節目冠軍斯巴克斯（Jordin Sparks）因為聲帶尚未復原，提前取消演出，不過就算她順利出席恐怕也無法上台亮相，因為工作人員在下午4點就中止了音樂會，連熱門的「紮根合唱團」（The Roots）都被迫放棄排定的節目。
紐約中央公園的音樂會則是順利舉行，有上千人同樂，藝術家科斯塔比（Paul Kostabi）在戶外表演舞台前的長桌上擺出帆布與顏料，讓民眾畫出心中的願景，最後他將會拼貼出一幅500英呎（152公尺）、全世界最長的環保壁畫。
在中央車站，紐約地球日組織舉辦了為期一週的慶祝活動，包括大型地球影像展覽，以及兩天的地球園遊會，除了擠滿各種有機、天然商品的攤位，還有許多設計給小朋友的有趣小遊戲。
美國其他角落的民眾也透過各種方式慶祝地球日：擁抱樹木、植下小苗、創作藝術、網路攝影分享、登山健行、協助當地環境清掃或加入健走、慢跑活動。
雖然關心環境的人日益增多，蓋洛普2008年的環境民調卻顯示，只有28%的美國受訪民眾曾為了保護環境而「大幅改變」自己的生活型態，55%的人則表示有「輕微改變」。
在美國人最擔憂的各種國內問題中，環境議題的順位居中。受訪民眾中回應對環境品質「極度重視」的受訪者佔40%，比憂心經濟的60%，與憂心醫療普及、負擔問題的58%都來得低。
在地球日的前一天，美國全國製造業協會（NAM）與環保署共同宣佈一項協議，幫助耗用全國總能源近1/3的國內製造商提昇能源效率。
NAM的會長兼總裁恩格勒（John Engler）表示，「NAM會根據這項協定要求所屬的企業會員，將所有生產能耗降低至少一成。如果製造業可將能耗減少一成，就能省下將近104億美元，並且供應美國1000萬個家庭一年所需的電力。」
美國政府方面，眾議院議長裴洛西（Nancy Pelosi）呼籲民眾正視氣候變遷，她認為這是支持地球日最重要的行動。
她表示，「因此新國會才優先推動能源獨立與減輕全球暖化等議題。我們在兩黨協商下完成立法，提高家電與照明設備的節能標準，也是32年來首度提高房車與卡車的油耗標準。光是提昇油耗標準這項行動，就能大幅減低溫室氣體排放，效果等同於2020年路上少了2千8百萬輛車子。」
It rained and it poured, but thousands of people enjoyed Earth Day on the Washington Mall anyway. A few performers were heard before concert organizers pulled the plugs as thunderstorms threatened.
Vocal problems forced planned headliner American Idol Jordin Sparks to cancel her appearance at the Earth Day Network and Green Apple Festival concert on the Mall, but she would not have been able to sing anyway as organizers shut the concert down at about 4 pm. Scheduled headliners The Roots did not get to play their set.
Elsewhere around the country, in New York the festival concert went off as planned and thousands had fun in Central Park. On the grounds of the Central Park Bandshell, art tables were set up with free blank canvas and supplies, so people could paint their vision and bring the completed work back to artist Paul Kostabi to assemble in a 500 foot mural, billed as the world's longest eco-mural.
At Grand Central Terminal in New York, the week-long celebration organized by Earth Day New York, consisting of The Giant Earth Images, and the two-day EarthFair is in full swing with booths featuring organic and natural products and fun activities for the kids.
Elsewhere around the country, people hugged trees, planted trees, made art, took photos and posted them on the Internet, went for hikes, took part in local cleanups and participated in walks and runs.
Today, more people are concerned about the environment but Gallup's annual environment poll finds just 28 percent of Americans surveyed say they have made "major changes" in their lifestyles to protect the environment. Fifty-five percent have made "minor changes."
The environment ranks in the middle of a list of "problems facing the country" that Americans worry about. Forty percent told pollsters they worry "a great deal" about "the quality of the environment," ranking far below the 60 percent who worry about the economy and the 58 percent who worry about the availability and affordability of healthcare.
The National Association of Manufacturers, NAM, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced an agreement to help improve the energy efficiency of U.S. manufacturers, who use nearly a third of the energy in the United States.
"Under the agreement, the NAM will challenge its member companies to reduce energy use across all operations by 10 percent or more," said NAM President and CEO John Engler.
"If the manufacturing industry reduced its energy use by 10 percent, manufacturers would save nearly $10.4 billion and enough energy to power nearly 10 million American homes for one year," he said.
On the government side, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said addressing climate change is the most important thing Americans can do in support of Earth Day.
"That is why I made achieving energy independence and reducing global warming flagship issues of the New Direction Congress. We enacted bipartisan legislation that increases the efficiency of appliances and lighting and boosts fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks for the first time in 32 years. This increase in fuel efficiency alone will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an amount equivalent to taking 28 million cars off the road in the year 2020 alone."
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作者
In my healing journey and learning to attain the breath awareness, I become aware of the reality that all the creatures of the world are breathing the same breath. Take action, here and now. From my physical being to the every corner of this out of balance's planet.
