Celebrate Earth Day, April 22

Although not a national holiday, Earth Day is an important day to raise awareness and celebrate our planet.  The first Earth Day was celebrated in the United States on April 22, 1970 and has been celebrated ever since.  Today Earth Day is celebrated across the globe as a global campaign to save and protect our environment.  The United Nations recognizes Earth Day each year on the March equinox; however, many countries, including the United States celebrate on April 22.  Students everywhere are taking part in this event, and we encourage you to use this opportunity to look at environments around the planet and the impact of your actions on others in the world and their impact on you.

Calendars of Earth Day Events around the World
earthday.envirolink.org/calendar.html
ww2.earthday.net/node/80

Clean School Bus USA Project

The Clean School Bus USA project was started to reduce children's exposure to diesel exhaust and the amount of air pollution created by diesel school buses.  The project aims to eliminate unnecessary bus idling, retrofit buses with better emission-control technologies and/or fueling them with cleaner fuels, and replace the oldest buses in the fleet with newer, less-polluting buses. Clean School Bus USA brings together partners from business, education, transportation, and public-health organizations.  For more information visit www.epa.gov

Earth Day Take Home Kit
Kid-friendly web resources from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provide tips, activities, music, and more for protecting the environment and your health.  Units include EPA Explorers: Environmental Kids Club, Live, Learn, Play— Tune Into Your Health and Environment, Tips To Protect Children From Environmental Risks, Breathing Clean Air, Avoiding Too Much Sun, Planet Protectors Club for Kids, Drinking Water, Healthy Lawn, Healthy Environment.  www.epa.gov/earthday/takehomekit.htm

Ecological Footprint Quiz
Think your daily actions don’t impact the planet?  Think again.  Take the Ecological Footprint Quiz to see how big your ecological footprint is.  As you take the quiz, you'll learn about the benefits of sustainable choices, find links to organizations doing important sustainability work, and have an opportunity to engage in discussion in the Footprint Forum.  www.earthday.net/footprint/

SOS
SOS is an online campaign to protect the Earth and diminish the effects of climate change by educating the public about consumer behaviors and motivating corporations and political leaders to enact effective measures to combat the climate crisis. www.liveearth.org

We Can Solve It
The We Campaign aims to halt global warming by educating people in the US and around the world that the climate crisis is both urgent and solvable.  Resources provide solutions to environmental challenges and urge people to get involved in changing policy to create a healthier environment.  www.wecansolveit.org/

Combating Climate Change: The EU Leads the Way
Read about the European Union’s response to the current environmental challenges world-wide, including alternative energy sources, climate change, emissions of greenhouse gases, and more. ec.europa.eu/publications/booklets/move/70/index_en.htm

Earth Day Network
Find over 300 standard-based lessons, school greening tips, grants for teachers, and more than 25,000 teachers with whom to share ideas. ww2.earthday.net/~earthday/node/12

Education World
Education World provides many ideas for lessons and activities to commemorate Earth Day. www.education-world.com/holidays/archives/earthday.shtml

GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment)
GLOBE is a worldwide hands-on, school-based science and education program supporting collaboration among students, teachers and scientists.  Projects are inquiry-based investigations of the environment and the Earth system working in close partnership with NASA and NSF Earth System Science Projects.  The international GLOBE network includes over 20,000 schools in 110 countries worldwide.  www.globe.gov

Global Warming, USA TODAY
USA Today offers a list of current and relevant articles about global warming, as well as visuals and graphs, of which many are interactive.  www.usatoday.com/educate/college/globalwarming/index.html

LEARN NC
LEARN NC has compiled an outstanding list of resources, including interactive project ideas, web sites, lesson plans, articles, and field trips to help prepare and celebrate for Earth Day.  www.learnnc.org/support/earthday

National Geographic Society’s Our Environment and Ocean’s for Life
This site provides teachers with tools and resources on the importance of a healthy environment, including interactive activities. The information helps to improve environmental literacy worldwide. www.ngsednet.org/community/index.cfm?community_id=128

The Wilderness Society
The Wilderness Society provides lesson plans for 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th grades to teach about wilderness and the animals and plants that depend on wilderness habitat for their survival. earthday.wilderness.org/teachers/earthday_lessons.htm

Xpeditions Lesson Plans and Activities from National Geographic
Xpeditions current focus is on Earth Day, and includes dozens of standards-based lesson plans, interactive activities, atlas maps and other resources to support teaching about environmental issues.  www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/

Energy Hogbusters:
Learn how to outsmart the hogs that waste energy  www.energyhog.org/

Energy Information Administration's Energy Ant:
Learn all about where we get our energy and how we use it  www.eia.doe.gov/kids/index.html

Environmental Protection Agency's Kids Club:
Games and activities about environmental issues  www.epa.gov/kids/

Let's Go Outside! From the US Fish and Wildlife Services:
Games and how you can help. www.fws.gov/letsgooutside/

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Kids' pages:
Play games, read stories, sing along, and color.  www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/home.htm

National Institutes of Health:
Tox Mystery  toxmystery.nlm.nih.gov  

National Park Service WebRangers:
Fun and activities in our National Parks. www.nps.gov/webrangers/

Nature Watch:
See animals in action.  www.fs.fed.us/outdoors/naturewatch/

Roofus the Dog's Solar and Efficient Neighborhood:
Make your home energy smart.
www.eere.energy.gov/kids/roofus/

Sci4Kids:
Stories about plants and bugs.
www.ars.usda.gov/is/kids/plants/plantsintro.htm
www.ars.usda.gov/is/kids/insects/insectintro.htm

S.K. Worm:
He'll answer your questions about dirt. www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/education/squirm/skworm.html

USA.gov for Kids:
A portal to many kids' resources. www.kids.gov/