Stuck at home on Earth Day? Here's how to celebrate the planet online.
Wednesday, April 22 marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, an annual global celebration in support of environmental protection. But this year, the coronavirus pandemic is making it difficult to get outside and honor the beauty of the planet.
With the majority of the world's population in some form of isolation, Earth Day events have been canceled. However, organizations are getting creative and moving the holiday online with free virtual panels, concerts and other festivities that anyone can enjoy.
Earth Day Network
For the first time ever, Earth Day is going completely digital. On the official Earth Day website, people all over the world can tune in for an all-day live stream event featuring messages, performances and calls to action from a group of people ranging from Al Gore and Zac Efron.
In addition to the live stream, there are daily challenges, petitions, volunteer activities and graphics to share on social media to get everyone in your community involved. Earth Day's social media will also release one action each hour for 24 hours so that individuals can participate in helping the planet.
You can also download the Earth Challenge 2020 app, which is "fueling the world's largest citizens scientist effort" to gather scientific data around you. The app lets users measure air quality and plastic pollution to help researchers identify regions most affected by climate change.
"While the coronavirus may force us to keep our distance, it will not force us to keep our voices down," organizers said.
The organization has put together a directory of local online events around the world, so you can find the ones happening in your time zone.
Earth Day Live
Earth Day Live is hosting an ongoing 3-day live stream from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on April 22, 23 and 24 across streaming platforms. The stream is hosted by The U.S. Climate Strike Coalition and Stop The Money Pipeline Coalition, which are made up of over 500 environmental organizations.
Dozens of celebrities, politicians, scientists, journalists and activists are participating, including Al Gore, Amber Tamblyn, Chelsea Handler, Jameela Jamil, Jane Fonda, Joaquin Phoenix, Secretary John Kerry, Mark Ruffalo, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib.
The first day will center around unity and building community, the second day focuses on financial institutions and ways to rebuild the economy and the third day highlights the urgency of political change to help the planet.
NASA
NASA has been celebrating #EarthDayAtHome all month and will have new content across its site and social media channels for the special day.
The space agency is hosting a special "NASA Science Live" broadcast featuring environmental experts exploring topics like green technology and coral reefs and posting a new YouTube playlist Wednesday featuring a series of short videos from Earth science experts. NASA is also hosting a live Q&A session from the International Space Station, hosting a live Q&A session on its Tumblr blog, and letting astronaut Jessica Meir, who recently returned from the International Space Station, take over its Instagram.
The American Museum of Natural History
Museums around the world are closed, but the Museum of Natural History in New York has created a family-friendly, all-day online festival to honor the planet. The topics of the workshops range from how to plant a garden at home to the physics of glaciers to how to make musical instruments out of recyclable materials. One event also lets you travel the world to check out natural wonders like the Amazon Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef.
You can also take part in "Earth Trivia" on Wednesday night for a chance to win a spot on a virtual happy hour hosted by Hayden Planetarium Director Neil deGrasse Tyson.
National Park Service
The National Park Service allows you to tour parks virtually, watch webcams of local wildlife and participate in park activities from home. All Earth Day long, national parks around the country are hosting live streams on Facebook and Instagram, including the sunrise from Bryce Canyon National Park, an art workshop from San Antonio Missions National Historic Park, a children's book reading from Gettysburg National Military Park and a "Ranger Chat" from Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site.
World Wildlife Fund and UNICEF
The World Wildlife Fund and UNICEF are hosting a virtual concert on Earth Day with over 40 artists from six countries, all participating from home.
San Diego Zoo
Zoos and aquariums around the U.S. are hosting virtual Earth Day events to get people involved with animals. The San Diego Zoo, for example, is hosting events all day, including a live stream called "Saving Species," featuring rhino experts who are expected to talk about species conservation. The zoo is also encouraging people to become citizen scientists, participate in a nature scavenger hunt, research and record using its animal livestreams and hang artwork in windows to share with the community.
Earth Day Initiative
The Earth Day Initiative is hosting a live-streamed, star-studded event, featuring talks and musical performances. Some of the guests include Bill Nye, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Al Gore, former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and the Broadway cast of Jagged Little Pill.
EPA
The Environmental Protection Agency is encouraging people to stay home and draw pictures to share with their local communities by hanging them up in their windows. It is providing printable coloring pages and asking social media users to share their artwork using hashtags #EarthDay2020, #EarthDayAtHome and #EPAat50.
Columbia University and the Earth Institute
Columbia University and the Earth Institute are hosting several digital events featuring environmental experts in a range of disciplines. The full list can be found here and includes panels such as "Earth Day 50/50: Looking back, Looking forward" and "Climate Change: How Bad Will it Be and What Must be Done?"
