Earth Day Puts a Face on Climate Change
Interactive
Digital Mosaic Shown at Thousands of Events Worldwide as Over One
Billion People Take Action to Protect the Environment
WASHINGTON
– Today is Earth Day, and over one billion people in approximately 192
countries are taking action to protect the environment. From London to
Sao Paolo, Seoul to Babylon City, New Delhi to New York, Rome to Cairo,
people everywhere are mobilizing their communities and helping depict
The Face of Climate Change, the theme of Earth Day 2013.
Earth
Day Network, the organization that coordinates Earth Day around the
world each year, is collecting images of people, animals and places
affected by climate change, as well as images and stories from people
doing their part in the fight against climate change. During the days
surrounding Earth Day, an interactive digital display of all the images
is being shown at thousands of events around the world as people
continue to upload photos of their actions in real-time.
“This
interactive mosaic is depicting the very real impact that climate change
is having on people’s lives and uniting Earth Day events around the
world into one call for climate action,” said Franklin Russell, director
of Earth Day at Earth Day Network. “The stories we’ve collected so far
have been inspiring.”
As of press time, the campaign had
photo-testimonials from 128 countries and 46 U.S. states. And they will
continue to pour in as events unfold today and throughout the week.
Examples
of the thousands of user-submitted stories include a mountaineer in New
Zealand who reported on receding glaciers and an organization in
Thailand who installed solar panels at a refugee camp on the Myanmar
border.
Organizers are encouraged by the level of participation
and enthusiasm and plan to continue the campaign in an effort to build
the climate movement.
Earth Day is the largest secular event in
the world – and more people join in every year. On and around Earth Day,
people of all ages and backgrounds come together to haul garbage, clean
up coral reefs and mountain trails, show movies, sign petitions, march
to solve the climate crises, hold town hall meetings to plan a better
future, and rally to save endangered species. More than 100 million
schoolchildren around the world learn about the importance of clean air
and water. Thousands of federal, state, and local governments issue
reports about their environmental achievements and make pledges to
improve their environmental performance and invest in green technology.
And tens of thousands of clergy members give sermons about the
importance of protecting God's creation.
“In short, Earth Day
participants not only get a lot done, they also demonstrate that human
beings everywhere are driven by their faith, their conscience, their
sense of duty, or by a moral imperative to save the planet,” said
Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network. “It is staggering to
think about one billion people working together in a collective action.”
To view The Face of Climate Change photo display, go to
www.earthday.org/faces. To learn more about Earth Day 2013 and The Face of Climate Change, go to
www.earthday.org/2013. To see highlights from The Face of Climate Change and Earth Day events around the world, go to
www.earthday.org/highlights-submissions.
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Earth
Day Network mobilizes over one billion people in 192 countries through
year-round advocacy, education, and public policy campaigns to protect
the environment.
www.earthday.org
