Earth Day Network Launches Three Year Campaign on Environmental & Climate Literacy on Earth Day 2017

On April 22^nd, Earth Day Network (EDN), global coordinator for Earth Day, is launching its Earth Day 2017 three-year campaign for Environmental & Climate Literacy. The campaign is focused on promoting mandatory environmental and climate literacy along with civic engagement and sustainable economic development. Earth Day 2017 will see teach-ins around the world and a March for Science rally on the National Mall that will bring together scientists and supporters to demand that our leaders recognize the scientific truths across all disciplines, including climate change and other environmental issues. “We need to build a global citizenry fluent in the concepts of climate change and aware of its unprecedented threat to our planet,” says Kathleen Rogers, President of Earth Day Network. “Environmental and climate literacy is the engine not only for creating green voters and advancing environmental and climate laws and policies but also for accelerating green technologies and jobs.” Using the teach-in concept deployed at the very first Earth Day in 1970, EDN will build an international movement with the following goals:

• Educating citizens about the environmental and climate issues they face and creating a world that internalizes environmental values and develops sustainable communities for all people
• Mobilizing a global citizenry to proclaim the truth of climate change.
• Empowering the public with the civic engagement and public outreach skills necessary to take action for the environment in their local communities.

In 2020, Earth Day will celebrate its 50^th anniversary. Our five-year campaign, which began in 2015, continues to build on these efforts. Our goals by Earth Day 2020 include:

• Continuing to build the world’s largest environmental service project, A Billion Acts of GreenÒ with the goal of reaching 5 billion acts by 2020
• Planting 7.8 billion trees, one for each person on Earth, starting in 2016.
• Launching our 2017 campaign for global climate and environmental literacy

“As we face the realities of climate change – unpredictable temperatures, endangered species, and an increasing number of severe weather events – ensuring that our children are prepared to become environmentally literate citizens is more essential than ever, said Dan Abrams, Director of Earth Day. “Earth Day Network is the largest recruiter to the environmental movement, and works year round to support civic action. 2017 is a historic year for activists all over the world who are uniting to promote climate and environmental literacy and activism with more than 1 billion people participating each year,” said Kathleen Rogers, President of Earth Day Network.  This year’s D.C. rally and teach-in, along with activities across the world, will kick off a week of action throughout local communities to support science across all disciplines. Earth Day Network is publishing Earth Day and Teach-In toolkits online that lay out steps for holding a successful event. To learn more about Earth Day Network and March for Science go to archiveedn.wpengine.com.  To schedule an interview, contact Denice Zeck, [email protected] or call 202-355-8875. ###