How to Get Involved With Earth Day and its Events

Sean Miller works for Earth Day Network in Washington D.C. where he is Director of Education. Earth Day Network was founded with the notion that everyone has the right to live in a healthy environment.


Their main motive is to make environmental issues known worldwide, and they are also in charge of the events and activities that pertain to Earth Day. More than 1 billion people are involved with Earth Day, which makes it the biggest event in the world.

Recently Miller, who specializes in environmental education, climate change, and green schools, spoke about Earth Day and how people can get involved.


Q: This year is the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, which is on April 22nd. Is Earth Day Network doing anything in particular to celebrate this anniversary?

SM: Yes, there are a number of things going on. In general, our main event is in Washington D.C. held at the National Mall. This event is on April 25th, and runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Performers such as Sting, John Legend, and Roots will be there. There will also be a lot of speakers at this event and many of them are from Congress. This event will be promoting our campaign to try and pass climate legislation in the Senate. This is a free public event, and I really encourage people to come out.

Q: Can you explain what exactly the climate legislation is?

SM: With President Obama in office one of his top priorities was to reduce global warming-causing pollution (greenhouse gases) because of the effects it has on our environment. Obama proposed the climate legislation which has been passed by the House of Representative but still has to be passed by the Senate. The bill would put a cap on how much pollution can be put in the air. As of now, 99 million tons of pollution is being emitted into the air every day. People are lobbying this bill to be passed so the President can sign it.

Q: What can someone do to get involved with the environment and Earth Day?

SM: No matter who you are you can partake in the environment. I encourage families and people to go outside on Earth Day. People can also check our website at http://www.earthday.org/ to find out if there are any events going on around them that they can go to. If you are a political official we host a global day of conversation about Earth Day. So far there are about 250 public officials going, and more can sign up to participate in this conversation about the earth and the global warming issue. We also have events going on worldwide in places such as San Francisco, Nepal, and Tokyo. You can find out how to join these events by checking our website.

Q: In what ways does Earth Day Network help the environment?

SM: We work with schools K-12 and encourage education about the environment in the classroom. We are also helping 12 schools around the country in going green, by installing solar panels at the school. This gives the school power directly from the sun. Within the next two weeks the solar panels will be installed so they will all be done by Earth Day. This way the schools can celebrate going-green on Earth Day.

Q: Besides Earth Day are there events and things still going on throughout the year?

SM: There are educational events throughout the year. We swap out light bulbs in schools across the U.S. which saves schools money and energy. Swapping out light bulbs is when we go into schools and change their lighting by installing more efficient lighting. This is a good thing for schools to do because schools around our country are usually between 40 to 60 years old and the lighting is old and ineffective. A quick and easy way to fix this is to change the lighting. An example is that one schools lighting is from 1991 and new lighting installed is going to be 90 percent more efficient.

Q: What are some of the most detrimental factors effecting our environment?

SM: The rising temperature affects every system on our earth, whether its wetlands, deserts, or forests. Climate change is going to have a negative effect on our earth in the long run. If things stay the same the climate is going to increase around four to nine degrees Fahrenheit by the end of this century. This is why we need to push for Senate to pass the climate legislation.

Q: On a personal level what can a person do to help the environment?

SM: I always encourage people to go outside and discovery nature because nature is our best teacher. I tell people this for two main reasons. 1. People now spend around 90 percent of their time inside. We have become very sedentary when our species is supposed to be largely outdoors. 2. Most exercise is not done inside. One third of children in the US are obese and being outside fosters exercise. So people should go outside and experience the outdoors more.

Q: What can college campuses do to help out the environment?

SM: College campuses are doing the most to go green in the US. Currently there is a commitment that any college campus can make. As of today 680 colleges have made this commitment to become carbon neutral. Carbon neutral is a commitment not to admit any carbon into our environment. If you go to http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/ you can learn how to get your campus involved.

Q: Is there anything else you would want the public to know about the Earth Day Network or Earth Day Events?

SM: If people want free transportation provided to them they can go to our website to find out more information on how to receive this. For more information on Earth Day and the events involved throughout the year they should also continue to check out our website, or email me at education@earthday.net


-Kristine Kelly