Earth Day 1990
Earth Day 1990
The goal of Earth Day 1990 was to build a safe, just, and sustainable planet by creating a groundswell of grassroots support for environmentally sound products, investments, policies and behavior. EPC laid the groundwork for an international campaign with 3,200 events across 140 countries, making Earth Day 1990 one of the largest peacetime events in history.
An innovative approach to coordinating an international grassroots campaign
Designing and implementing the entire worldwide field apparatus for Earth Day with a limited staff meant relying on a network of local organizers and setting them up for success. EPC hired and trained staff in cities across the country, and wrote an extensive community organizer’s manual to provide a foundation for their coordinating efforts. Local coordinators received support through the entire process for each local event, including design, budgeting, crowd-building, and event execution.
Bringing Earth Day into the classroom
A key aspect of Earth Day’s mission statement was to start educating the next generation on the importance of protecting the environment. EPC developed a K-12 Lesson Plan and Home Survey Kit to be brought home and filled out by parents, which acted as a valuable outreach tool. The program was endorsed by the National Association of State Boards of Education and distributed to every public and private school nationwide. Additionally, EPC designed and implemented a Campus Environmental Audit program, which was distributed nationally to thousands of colleges and universities. This program provided valuable insights on the environmental impacts of campus operations for participating schools, and helped inspire a new generation of sustainability professionals.
Spreading the word throughout regional media markets
EPC developed and supervised the production of two one-hour Earth Day television shows, a one-half hour late-night show, and a national Earth Days news service. These TV shows were syndicated to more than 120 TV markets, representing 80 percent of the national viewing population. Selling TV spots to national advertising sponsors provided a key revenue stream for the organization, which helped fund the event’s field operations.
Founding the Global Cities Project
In addition to coordinating the international Earth Day event, EPC spearheaded the Global Cities Project, a highly successful program that offered local governments and communities well-researched, real world solutions to environmental problems. Read more about the Global Cities Project.