Earth Day

Guest Opinion: We need a moon-shot for the environment more than ever

By Dominick A. DellaSala / On April 25th, 2016
This week, more than 193 nations will celebrate Earth Day. The annual event is a marker for the environmental movement begun on April 22, 1970, when Wisconsin Sen. Gaylord Nelson organized a peaceful teach-in. At the time, rivers were on fire, oil spills fouled Santa Barbara’s coastline, spaceships were headed to the moon, and the nation was at war.

Reflections on Earth Day

By Katharine Sucher / On April 22nd, 2016
April 22nd, Earth Day, is also National Jelly Bean Day. How should one celebrate National Jelly Bean Day?

To Click or Not to Click?

By Lucy Moore / On April 22nd, 2016
A couple of weeks ago I scrolled through my 50 some emails of the day and was struck by one from Crowdrise. The subject line read “Have you saved an animal from extinction?” It was a 24 hour emergency campaign to save the Greater Bamboo Lemur in Madagascar. I glanced, saw there was video, and hit delete. The world is too big, I told myself, and I know too much already about the suffering of humans, animals and the planet itself. But the question has hung in my mind and led me to think about activism.  How do we choose what to spend our time and energy on? How can we be most effective?

This Earth Day, Focus on 21st Century Conservation

By Joe S. Whitworth / On April 21st, 2016
April 22 is not a moment to celebrate the wonder of this unique planet. It’s an opportunity to recognize what next steps we need to take to secure a better future.
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Earth Day Hopes

By Admin / On April 22nd, 2014
To celebrate Earth Day this year, we asked a range of Island Press authors to briefly answer the question "Within your field, what specific progress on an environmental issue do you hope has been made by next Earth Day?" From your backyard to our galactic neighbors, they offered a chorus of solutions, food for thought, and—most of all—hope.
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Earth Day 2012: Is there still time to save spaceship earth?

By Dominick A. DellaSala / On April 20th, 2012
“. . . the planet is quite fragile. It reminded me of a Christmas tree ornament . . . . We’re not the center of the universe; we’re way out in left field on a tiny dust mote, but it is our home and we need to take care of it.”   —Apollo 8 Astronaut William Anders lamenting about his December 1968 “Earthrise” photo – the first image ever taken of Earth from the moon.

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