The official date of Earth Day is April 22nd; however, Earth Day events are often scheduled on the weekends before or after Earth Day. Many people and groups celebrate Earth Week, the week around April 22nd, or Earth Month — which lasts for the entire month!

Regardless of when you hold your celebration, remember that Earth Day should be Every Day for Everybody.

“America’s Largest Earth Day Action” Combines Service, Environmentalism & Music From April 17 – 19, 2009

Earth Day Network and Green Apple Festival are planning simultaneous events in ten US cities over Earth Day Weekend – April 17 through 19 – that will this year focus on environmental volunteerism. The service events introduce “The Green Generation”, a two-year initiative that will culminate with the 40th anniversary of Earth Day in 2010.

These organizations know their constituency! They’re providing lottsa fun to reward the hard work of involved in volunteering, including Earth Day on the National Mall in Washington, DC and free “Thank You” concerts for volunteers in each city.

Over Earth Day Weekend, simultaneous Volunteer Projects will be organized in New York City, Boston, Washington DC, Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. Last year's eight festivals in public parks across the country were attended by 200,000 people, and with 10 cities this year, there should be even more attendees. Green Apple Festival and Earth Day Network aim to involve even more civic and environmentally-minded Americans in a nationwide weekend of action.

Then, on Sunday, April 19th free "Thank You Concerts" for volunteers will be held at popular music venues and, the national flagship event, "Earth Day on the National Mall" will be held in Washington, DC.

"The tide has turned on people sitting by and waiting for their leaders to act alone in providing a brighter, cleaner future," says Peter Shapiro, Green Apple Festival co-founder and executive producer. "In keeping with the Obama administration's call to service, we're looking forward to a nationwide collaboration this year between community leaders, environmental organizations and Americans everywhere making an important impact and setting the stage for 2010’s global events."

History of Earth Day. Earth Day, April 22, 1970 was a significant moment in the modern environmental movement in the United States. Earth Day was pioneered Gaylord Nelson, a senator from Wisconsin.

His motivation for proposing this first nationwide environmental protest was to make statement so large and powerful that it would shake up the political establishment and catapult the issue onto the national agenda.

To put the effort in its proper context, the late 1960s, early 1970s was a period of national environmental disgrace. Cars were powered with leaded gasoline. Factory smoke stacks belched unfettered clouds of deadly smoke into our air while pipes spewed unchecked sludge into our waterways. Rivers literally burned with fire.

On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks and
auditoriums to demonstrate on behalf of a healthy, sustainable environment.

In 1990, Earth Day went global, with 200 million people from 141 nations participating. Thousands of activities took place worldwide, including demonstrations, tree plantings, river clean-ups, cultural events and government-sponsored initiatives.

2009 Earthday events include three components:

• Earth Day on the National Mall: A large-scale free Earth Day Festival with music, entertainment, speakers and environmental activities will take place on the National Mall in Washington DC on Sunday, April 19, 2009. More info on Earth Day is available at www.earthday.net.

• Volunteer Actions by tens of thousands of participants in ten cities, April 17 - 19 2009, making Earth Day a time of meaningful change. These projects in parks, beaches, schools and forests, will focus on climate change solutions like tree planting, energy efficiency retrofits, water protection, urban gardens and forest restoration. Produced with the participation of leading environmental organizations across the US, along with city parks and recreation departments, the activities address current challenges and will help cities and organizations get important work done. Suitable for individuals of all ages, including children and families, these activities encourage active lifestyles, while also connecting volunteers with the green products and solutions. Participants can sign up to volunteer at greenapplefestival.com and planetgreen.com.

• Thank You Concerts for volunteers at popular music venues in all cities April 19, 2009 (artists and venues to be announced). Following volunteer activities, all participants will be invited to attend a celebratory night of music and entertainment at a popular venue in their city.

“This Earth Day, we are starting the Green Generation, a worldwide movement that everyone can join,” said Kathleen Rogers, Earth Day Network President. “The tough economic climate means that, more than ever, we have to plan a new green economy with a promising future for everyone. Earth Day will be a day to focus on moving away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy like wind, solar and geothermal, and on job-creating investments in a sustainable lifestyle. These investments in a more sustainable and just world will mean a better future for all of us.”

You can take action with this Earth Day in a Box - everything you need to hold your own Earth Day celebration.

Here's a link to a related story (this one having to do more with conservation than restoration): Earth Hour 2009