From the Community Special Edition: Earth Day 2010

Inside the NASA tent on the National Mall Credit: NASA

Scientists, reporters, policymakers, filmmakers…all across the globe, people are talking about the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day. Here is what they have been saying:

Agencies such as NOAA and the EPA call for Americans to take action by conserving water, recycling, being “seafood savvy” and getting involved with the White House’s Earth Day efforts; while NRDC provides four reasons to celebrate.

Conservation groups are using the arts to inspire Earth appreciation. The International League of Conservation Photographers, for example, is honoring the day with the Top Forty Nature Photographs of all time, including classic Ansel Adams and innovative Paul Nicklen photos. In addition, The Nature Conservancy has posted recipes and tips from Chef Mario Batali on cooking with sustainable seafood.

Scientific American and other sites are joining in with a mash-up of articles, podcasts, videos and other media to share perspectives on the planet’s health, such as an audio slideshow describing human-ecosystem interactions.

The Washington Post is also pulling together Earth Day from all angles. There are photos of current planetary events, Earth Day’s mid-life crisis (Politico also comments on this), a video montage of the history of Earth Day in Washington, a where-are-they-now of the leaders of the first Earth Day, and for those of you in the DC-area, The Post has even included a going-out guide (this primarily features the climate rally on the National Mall with musicians such as Sting and The Roots).

Some people are viewing Earth Day from a business perspective: a Forbes blogger comments on genetic engineering for improving the environment and the economy, and The New York Times discusses the “big business” of Earth Day.

In international news, a reporter from the Telegraph provides a list of environmental disasters predicted for the year of the first Earth day (1970), and the National Post (Canada) focuses on the popularity (and in some instances irony) of Earth Day (as a side note, Toronto will tint the CN Tower green later today). CNN provides a run-down of the planet-wide movement.

In addition to James Cameron debuting Avatar to DVD today, there is an interview with Robert Stone, director of Earth Days, on the blog Dot Earth. On the technology front, Mashable lists ten free iPhone apps for “going green” and Google’s Earth Day doodle is of the rainforest.

Of course, you can always visit the official website for the 2010 Earth Day campaign. What have you heard? Share your opinions, experiences and findings of Earth Day in the comments.

Just added: An environmental historian’s perspective on Earth Day.