FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 20, 2010
Contact: Orli Cotel (415) 977-5627
Sierra Club Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Earth Day
Numerous events mark the historic date around the U.S.
San Francisco, CA –This Thursday is the 40th anniversary of the first Earth Day, and the Sierra Club is celebrating with a week of events around the U.S. that not only reflect on the progress we've made, but also continue our work to clean the air and water, and protect wilderness.
"Earth Day is a great time to come together not only to celebrate our environmental successes, but to also discuss the challenges we continue to face and demand action from our leaders at all levels," said Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune. "It’s also just a great time to get outside and enjoy what our planet has to offer."
Here are some examples of Sierra Club Earth Week activities:
• On Sunday, April 25, on the National Mall in Washington, DC, Sierra Club Deputy Conservation Director Bruce Nilles will speak during the National Earth Day Rally.
• The Sierra Club Environmental Justice and Community Partnership chapters are busy with Earth Week events. This past weekend was the "Earth Day on the Bayou" event in New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward; our Minneapolis group is holding a celebration with the local Urban League and NAACP on Thursday; and our Tribal Partnerships group is co-hosting an Earth Day film festival this Tuesday and Wednesday in Flagstaff, Arizona.
• On Wednesday, April 21, at 10am in Lorton, Virginia, the Sierra Club and the Bureau of Land Management - Eastern States (BLM-ES), along with Cesar Chavez Schools, the League of United Latin American Citizens’ National Educational Service Centers, National Latino Coalition on Climate Change, the Office on Latino Affairs and the National Hispanic Environmental Council are holding a ceremony to launch a Latino Youth Outings Project at BLM’s Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area in Lorton.
• The Sierra Club's Water Sentinels Program is holding cleanups along rivers, streams and lake around the U.S., with events ranging from New Jersey to Ohio. A complete listing of water testing and clean-up events is available here:
• We are continuing to promote our Earth Day iPhone application that gives users the ability to become an "Eco Hero" by pledging to do something green while also entering them in a contest to win a trip to an eco-resort in Hawaii. Over 40,000 people have already taken the pledge, showing that individual actions can add up and make a difference. App users are able to see who is doing what for the environment with a map feature:
• To help celebrate Earth Day, Groupon will be promoting Sierra Club's Earth Day pledge to their growing subscriber base on April 22nd. Groupon features a daily deal on the best stuff to do, see, eat, and buy in cities across the U.S. and in Canada. Subscribe here: and go paperless with Groupon's iPhone app, available here
• On Thursday, April 22, the Sierra Club, in partnership with Woot.com, will launch an Earth-Day-themed organic cotton t-shirt, which will be available for purchase here:
• The Sierra Club Youth Outdoors Programs have also announced 25 finalists (out of 800 applications) for the “Best Internship on Earth,” where one lucky intern will get to spend the summer traveling around the country with Sierra Club’s youth outdoors programs – hiking, rafting, camping, and documenting their experiences as Sierra Club’s Youth Outdoors Ambassador. Click to see videos of the top 25 finalists.
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