Earth Day 2014 Current Events

1. Earth Day 2014 Current Events <Replace with your name>

2. 10 Facts about Earth Dayhttp://www.chicagonow.com/tween-us/2014/04/10-facts-about-earth-day • * Earth Day was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin who wanted to respond to an oil spill off Santa Barbara, California. President Bill Clinton awarded Sen. Nelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995 for his role as Earth Day founder. • * The first Earth Day got a lot of attention when more than 20 million people participated and by the end of 1970, Congress authorized the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. • * Although Earth Day originated in the United States, it went global in 1990 with 140 countries participating. In 2000, more than 180 countries participated. • * Chicago made a big splash on Earth Day 2007 with festivities at Lincoln Park Zoo drawing more than 40,000 people, a single-day attendance record. • * In 2009, the United Nations renamed Earth Day and now calls it International Mother Earth Day. That name doesn't appear to be catching in the U.S.

3. Environmental group slams EPA's jet-fueled 'Earth Day'-themed tourhttp://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/04/22/environmental-group-slams-epa-jet-fueled-earth-day-themed-tour • The EPA uses non friendly travel • The EPA CEO uses jet traffic frequent • They hurt as much as they help • The tour ends in Memphis • They start in New York

4. 10 Planetary Facts For Earth Day 2014http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/04/22/earth_day_2014_a_few_fun_facts_about_our_planet.html • 1) Earth Day is April 22 every year. On average (jumping over leap years and such), between subsequent Earth Days our planet moves about 940 million kilometers (580 million miles), the circumference of its orbit around the Sun. That means it’s faster—way faster—than a speeding bullet: about 30 km/sec (18 miles/sec)! Typical rifle bullets travel 1-2 km/sec, so the Earth outpaces them handily. • 2) It’s not a small world after all. The surface area of the Earth is about 510 million square kilometers, or 197 million square miles. It’s not a perfect sphere (see listing No. 4 here), but if it were, using the surface area to find the Earth’s diameter would give you a ball 12,742 km (7,900 miles) across. • 3) The Earth is the biggest of the terrestrial (rocky, as opposed to Jupiter-like gas giant) planets in our solar system. • 4) Venus, the closest planet in the solar system to Earth’s size, has a diameter of 12,104 km (7,504 miles), 95 percent the width of Earth. It has about 82 percent the mass of Earth, too, making it our twin. However, its thick atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide, it rains sulfuric acid, the air pressure on its surface is 90 times Earth’s, and the average temperature is a lead-melting 460 C (860 F). So it’s more like our evil twin. • 5) Nearly 2,000 confirmed exoplanets (worlds orbiting other stars) have been found so far. The smallest, Kepler-37b, is barely bigger than our own Moon! Another, KOI-314c, has the same mass as Earth but is so hot it’s puffy, with a huge atmosphere. The planet that has the best chance of being most like Earth is Kepler-186f, which has 1.1 times the Earth’s diameter and is the right distance from its star to have liquid water. We really don’t know what it’s like beyond that, though. It might be more like Venus, or Mars.

5. Celebrating Earth Day: Science And Technology Must Join The Partyhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/henrymiller/2014/04/20/celebrating-earth-day-science-and-technology-should-be-at-the-party • That some people do more than others. • Some kids are actively involved • Some wealthy people contribute to this • Education goes a long way • Don’t disrespect the planet

6. Make Everyday Earth Dayhttp://www.power-eng.com/marketwired/2014/04/7/make-every-day-earth-day.html • Know Your Grocer: Many companies and grocers are taking steps to provide greener solutions for the display of their products, such as produce. Recycling cardboard boxes used to display produce is good, but according to the EPA, reuse is better. That's why many grocers use Reusable Produce Containers (RPCs). Grocers can use and reuse these containers to ship, store and display fresh produce -- all in an environmentally friendly way that reduces waste. • Understand Your Brands: Educate yourself on whether your favorite brands and fresh produce growers support green initiatives. Village Farms is a greenhouse grower of fresh tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers that focuses on green agricultural practices from the farmer to your plate. Village Farms and many other growers choose to use RPCs to pack fresh fruits and vegetables safely from their fields. From there they ship the RPCs to major retailers across the country and the containers keep the produce safe and fresh throughout the journey. • Choose to Reuse: Keep in mind that recycling is a start, but reuse is smart. You can choose to reuse by choosing products with eco-friendly or reusable packaging and shopping at retailers displaying their fresh produce in RPCs. This packaging is not only good for the fruits and veggies you love, but it's also great for you and the planet. • Support Grocers that Reduce Waste: Some specialty food stores may be well known for their green standards, but many major food retailers are also making green choices. Many choose to provide produce brands, such as Village Farms, who recognize the importance of reducing waste when shipping their products and choose RPCs to reduce waste, energy and greenhouse gas emissions. These stores are also able to display the produce directly in their containers, getting even more use out of them and showing their commitment to environmental conservation. • Bag it Up: According to the EPA, thousands of plastic and paper shopping bags are thrown away every year. Help cut down on this extra waste by using reusable cloth bags for your purchases. Keep them with you in your car, so they're always handy for shopping trips to the grocery store, drug store or anywhere else you frequently shop.

7. Voices: On Earth Day 2014, a climate change challengehttp://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/04/21/earth-day-environment/7905743 • First Earth day 1970 • EPA 1970 Est. • Renewable energy sources offer cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels, though wind-power investment has recently declined as fracking operations to produce more oil have spread. • I am hoping we finally invent a "clean" hydrogen car before we are doomed as a species. Another promising avenue way down the road: harnessing the process by which plants produce chlorophyll. There is no lack of that totally clean energy source • No clean cars available • Replace with a related picture

8. Earth Day 2014: Affluence. Effluence. Influence.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-whitmore/earth-day-2014-affluence-_b_5185325.html • Electrons are not without environmental costs, but from a global footprint perspective, they clearly step more lightly upon our forests, rivers and fields than did many of their physical forebears. • Back then this writing would have been published in a newspaper. The paper would have come from a tree, hauled to a mill, been pulverized and bleached, shipped to a printing press, and trucked to a newsstand or delivered to your house. • Perhaps after 20 minutes -- with two minutes spent reading this column -- you would have tossed the paper in the trash, waiting for a truck to take it to the landfill. • Where it would still sit today. • Replace with a related picture

9. Earth Day 2014: History, Origin and Significance; 10 Inspiring Quotes That Will Touch Your Heart http://www.ibtimes.co.in/articles/548873/20140422/earth-day-2014-history-origin-significance-quotes.htm • 1. "I hardly can sleep. I feel that my target now is really to save Mother Earth for humanity. And it's doable." - Imelda Marcos • 2. "Sooner or later, we will have to recognize that the Earth has rights, too, to live without pollution. What mankind must know is that human beings cannot live without Mother Earth, but the planet can live without humans."-Evo Morales • 3. "Those who contemplate the beauty of the Earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts." - Rachel Carson • 4. "I remember feeling that pieces of me were scattered around the world; I belonged to her, Mother Earth." - Raquel Cepeda, Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina • 5. "Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed." - Mahatma Gandhi • Replace with a related picture

10. Legoland Florida: Renewable energy initiatives get Earth Day boost http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/theme-park-rangers-blog/os-legoland-florida-earth-day-20140421,0,1373059.post • Legoland Florida will mark Earth Day by running the entire theme park using renewable energy for the day. • The event is a kick-off for a partnership for the Winter Haven attraction with Tampa Electric that will include installations to teach guests about solar energy. As part of the partnership, Legoland also will permanently power the park's Imagination Zone on renewable energy. A 30-kilowatt solar panel array has been mounted atop the venue. • “Together, we’ll teach the next generation about the benefits of investing in renewable fuels like the sun to produce electricity," says Bruce Narzissenfeld, vice president of marketing, customer service, business development and fuel operations for Tampa Electric. • In June, an interactive 6-foot Lego Earth model will be placed outside Imagination Zone. Visitors will be able to affect the rate of the Earth model's rotation with tactile solar panels. There will also be an interactive zone with mini model communities running on renewable energy at Imagination Zone. • Replace with a related picture

11. Apple Retail Store Logos Gain Green Leaves in Honor of Earth Dayhttp://www.macrumors.com/2014/04/21/apple-earth-day-retail-stores • n celebration of Earth Day, which takes place on April 22, Apple has started updating the logos of some of its retail stores with green leaf accents, a departure from the standard white logo. • As noted last week by 9to5Mac, Apple is planning to celebrate Earth Day at multiple retail locations around the world, changing its logo and encouraging employees to wear special green shirts. The company is also planning to hold a special event at its headquarters in Cupertino, California. • Earlier today, Apple launched its "Better" environmental campaign, highlighting its efforts to lower its carbon footprint. Included in the campaign was a video detailing the construction of Apple Campus 2, which will be powered by 100 percent renewable energy sources. • Replace with a related picture