“The Earth is our environment to protect and the garden to tend to.” —His Holiness Pope Francis, Earth Day 2015
With the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day (April 22) fast approaching, now more than ever we need to connect as a global community united in our fight to protect the health and welfare of the planet and its people.
In support of this global movement, religious leaders, environmental advocates, celebrities, musicians and government officials will be celebrating Earth Day with a variety of first-person video pieces demonstrating their commitment to our planet.
These messages, talks, teach-ins and performances will be part of Earth Day Network’s robust 15-hour (9am ET to 11pm ET) live digital event on the homepage for the planet, earthday.org, as well as part of a comprehensive social media partnership with Twitter (#EarthDay2020), and as part of Earth Day Live.
The lineup of personal video messages for Earth Day 2020 includes:
Ed Begley Jr., Actor, Environmentalist, Global Advisory Committee Member
Zdeno Chara, Captain of the Boston Bruins
Sylvia Earle, World-renowned Marine Biologist and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence
Zac Efron, Actor and Global Advisory Committee Member
Patricia Espinosa, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary
Christiana Figueres, Former Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
Jerome Foster II, White House Climate Striker and Founder of OneMillionOfUs
Al Gore, Former Vice President, Global Environmental Advocate, and Award-winning Filmmaker
Denis Hayes, Organizer of the first Earth Day, Board Chair Emeritus of Earth Day Network and President, CEO, The Bullitt Foundation
Alex Honnold, Free Climber and star of Oscar-Winning Documentary, Free Solo
Van Jones, News Commentator
Licypriya Kangujam, Youth Climate Activist and Founder of The Child Movement
Anil Kapoor, Award-winning Actor, Producer, and Global Advisory Committee Member
Ricky Kej, Grammy-Winning Musician and Global Advisory Committee Member
John Kerry, 68th Secretary of State, Global Advisory Committee Member, Founder of World War Zero
Thomas Lovejoy, Senior Fellow at the United Nations Foundation and Professor of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University.
Bill McKibben, Founder of 350.org
His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, Global Advisory Committee Member
Paul Nicklen, National Geographic Filmmaker, Photographer and Marine Biologist
Kyra Sedgwick, Actress, Producer, Director, and Global Advisory Committee Member
Alexandria Villaseñor, Founder and Executive Director of Earth Uprising
Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr., President and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus and Global Advisory Committee Member
“This unprecedented time has stopped us all in our tracks,” said Kathleen Rogers, President of Earth Day Network. “As each of us ensures that those around us are safe and well, it is in a momentous opportunity to examine our individual and collective relationship with the natural world and how our activities impact the planet. The way forward is hopeful, and we have an opportunity to forever change how we interact with the environment in our own backyard and our community at large.”
Earth Day 2020 on Earth Day Network is a multifaceted program intended to activate individuals to support their planet in a safe and responsible way during the coronavirus pandemic. Titled “24 Hours of Action,” Earth Day Network will reveal an action an hour that individuals can do to support our planet. Earth Day 2020 also includes a 15-hour digital Earth Day Live program on earthday.org, featuring long-form and short-form content with interactive programming, live appearances by religious leaders, celebrities, musicians, as well as live teach-ins with preeminent scientists and advocates.
In addition, individuals can participate in Earth Challenge 2020, a global citizen science initiative that will help build an open source database on air quality and plastic pollution using an app on your smartphone from the safety of your home.