Eco-minded celebrities have joined Earth Day Network's Billion Acts of Green® Campaign, along with millions around the world, proving that people everywhere are eager to act in unity to support a sustainable future. Leonardo DiCaprio, Jewel, Ed Begley, Jr., Sienna Miller, Matthew Modine, Maria Menounos, Edward Norton and Ian Somerhalder are among the many who have "committed" more than over 100 million Acts of Green since the campaign kicked off last Earth Day during the Climate Rally on the National Mall in Washington, DC (participants included Sting, The Roots, Joss Stone, James Cameron). "The tremendous influence of these notable activists is an inspiration and a reminder that we all have a responsibility to contribute our time, talents and voices to preserving the planet we all call home," said Kathleen Rogers, President of Earth Day Network.
Here's what some of these famous supporters of Earh Day have been doing:
Leonardo DiCaprio – An avid environmentalist, DiCaprio pledged $1 million to World Wildlife Fund for urgent tiger conservation. DiCaprio and the WWF teamed up to launch www.SaveTigersNow.org, where supporters can learn more about the rapidly dwindling tiger population, why tigers are important to the planet and humanity, and how to take action to prevent this species from going extinct.
Sienna Miller - Visited India as a Green ambassador for Global Cool to help raise awareness among the people of India about the harmful effects of global warming. Matthew Modine- A well known environmental activist, Matthew has most recently designated that all the proceeds from opening weekend of the new, animated film MIA AND THE MIGOO will support Earth Day Network's Canopy Project, which is part of the Billion Acts of Green Campaign. The movie opens in theaters on Earth Day, 4/22/11.
Edward Norton - Ran the New York City Marathon with a team of Maasai warriors in support of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, raising over $1 million through his site, Crowdrise.com. Crowdrise is a place for online fundraising, event fundraising, volunteering and having the most fun in the world while doing it.
This year, Earth Day will be celebrated on Friday, April 22, 2011. Earth Day Network has designated one day in April - Earth Day - as the annual culmination of their year-round efforts to recruit world leaders to adopt strong environmental policy, partner with like-minded organizations, and engage individuals and communities as environmental caretakers who are accountable for their levels of energy consumption.
Last year on the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, the Earth Day Network launched the Billion Acts of Green® campaign from the National Mall in Washington, DC. Notables like Sting, John Legend, The Roots, Joss Stone, director James Cameron and an array of environmental “rock stars” came to DC, while 1 billion people in 192 countries around the world also took part.
A total of over 100 million Acts of Green have since been logged at billionactsofgreen.org, making this campaign the world’s largest environmental service project. Earth Day Network’s goal is to reach 1 billion before the U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio in 2012. People can also register their “act of green” through the brand new Facebook app, created in collaboration with Facebook to engage people worldwide to take actions to reduce their impact on the environment. The “app” can be found at http://apps.facebook.com/billionactsofgreen.
Billion Acts of Green rewards simple individual acts AND larger community initiatives that support sustainability and bring us closer to measurably reducing carbon emissions. Participants record their Acts of Green at www.billionactsofgreen.org where they can also send messages to government officials, sign petitions, and make pledges to live a greener life.
EDN has partnered with prominent organizations to expand A Billion Acts of Green, including the United Nations, the U.S. State Department, the International Union on Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Peace Corps, Boy and Girl Scouts of America, AARP, K-12, Colleges and Universities and Libraries across the U.S. and Youth Service America.
The first Earth Day, on April 22, 1970, activated 20 million Americans from all walks of life and is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement. The passage of the landmark Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and many other groundbreaking environmental laws soon followed. Growing out of the first Earth Day, the Earth Day Network (EDN) works with over 25,000 partners in 192 countries to broaden, diversify and mobilize the environmental movement. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world.
For additional information:
