Hi,

Last Earth Day, over 8.5 million people joined us for our Earth Day Live livestream and over 100 million people took action for the planet with volunteerism, civic action, teach-ins and more. This year, we’ll reach millions more worldwide — and we want you to be part of it.

Climate and environmental literacy is a core pillar of Earth Day 2021’s Restore Our Earth theme. Read more about the campaign and tune in to the broadcast on April 22nd at noon Eastern (GMT -4).

We can’t expect to solve the climate crisis if we don’t learn about it.

Since the first Earth Day in 1970, 3 billion students have graduated from high school or equivalent worldwide without the fundamental skills and critical thinking necessary to effectively steward the Earth. We have stranded them by failing to educate them on the interplay between the environment and their own lives. We have not prepared them to participate in their communities. We have not equipped them with the skills necessary to build a green economy.

Through global climate literacy, we can inspire a reverence for the planet that moves them to act for the environment. By weaving respect for the natural world into all aspects of education, we will establish a shared commitment from our youth to act on behalf of the planet, not for politics nor profit.

On Earth Day, we’re talking to some of the most influential names in the fight for climate education, including:

• Michael Regan, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator
• Licipriya, the 9-year-old Activist from India
• Kristen Bell, Actress and Producer
• A special TED Talk

We can’t build a sustainable environment — whether in nature or society — without educating the next generation. They're hungry to act but they don't know how. 

That’s why EARTHDAY‍.ORG is spearheading a campaign to have compulsory, assessed climate and environmental education with a strong civic engagement component in every school in the world. We’re securing commitments from 30+ countries to demand action at COP26. We’ve enlisted over 500 organizations representing 275 million individuals adding grassroots voices to the call. 

What can you do? Educate yourself, your friends and your family, and invite them to Earth Day and the movement. Sign our petition as an individual in support of universal climate literacy. Be involved in our work year-round by becoming a member today.

Remember, education starts at home to create lifelong environmentalists.

For climate literacy,

Dr. Tracey Ann Ritchie and the EARTHDAY‍.ORG Education Department