EARTH DAY 2020 BRINGS TOGETHER AN UNPRECEDENTED COLLECTION OF VOICES INCLUDING ZAC EFRON, PATRICIA ESPINOSA, AL GORE, DENIS HAYES, ALEX HONNOLD, VAN JONES, ANIL KAPOOR, JOHN KERRY, PRINCE ALBERT OF MONACO, AND KYRA SEDGWICK TO SHARE THEIR SUPPORT FOR OUR PLANET FOR THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY

Special Earth Day Address from His Holiness Pope Francis to be included in Earth Day

“The Earth is our environment to protect and the garden to tend to.” – His Holiness Pope Francis, Earth Day 2015

Washington, D.C., April 15, 2020 — 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, illustrious and preeminent 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 incredible 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 is comprised of a multi-faceted 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.

About Earth Day Network  

Earth Day 2020 comes 50 years after the first Earth Day which, in 1970, mobilized over 20 million citizens to demand action on the environmental challenges of the time. Today, Earth Day is observed in around 190 countries and close to 100,000 organizations. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world. To learn more, visit earthday.org.