22 April 2010 – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold free events for the public on the National Mall this weekend to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. The events will feature interactive, fun and educational exhibits related to environmental protection. Administrator Lisa P. Jackson will be at the EPA Earth Day tent on Saturday, April 24, between 12:00-2:00 p.m. Senior EPA officials will also be in attendance.
The exhibits will include an environmental crime scene forensics demonstration, cutting edge automotive technology, climate change habitat loss exhibits, environmental videos, an interactive kids booth about environmental hazards, backyard composting demonstrations, a Chesapeake Bay water model, and live mascots teaching kids about recycling and protecting nature, and others.
EPA will also be showcasing the creative efforts of more than 40 college teams and their design solutions to sustainability challenges around the world. The participants of the exhibit will compete for a $75,000 prize as part of EPA’s National Sustainable Design Expo and P3 (People, Prosperity, and the Planet) competition. The expo highlights designs that address alternative energy technologies; collection, purification and distribution of water; agricultural practices to reduce pesticide run-off; new technologies for green buildings and other innovative approaches to improve society’s sustainability.
In addition to EPA’s events, Earth Day Network will be sponsoring a free concert on Sunday, April 25 with Sting, John Legend, The Roots, Bob Weir, Patrick Stump, Mavis Staples, Passion Pit, Q-Tip, Booker T and more. Also attending will be the Reverend Jesse Jackson, director James Cameron, and author Margaret Atwood. Administrator Jackson will be introducing John Legend at the Earth Day Network concert on Sunday afternoon.
WHO: EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, Senior EPA officials from the agency’s various programs
WHAT: EPA’s 40th Anniversary Earth Day Celebration, EPA’s 6th Annual National Sustainable Design Expo featuring EPA’s People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) Exhibits
WHEN: Saturday, April 24, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Sunday, April 25, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
WHERE: National Mall, 4th to 7th Streets, N.W., Washington, D.C. (Closest metro stops include Federal Center S.W. on the Orange and Blue lines and L’Enfant Plaza Station Metro)
More information on the celebration: http://www.epa.gov/earthday
More information on the expo and P3: http://www.epa.gov/P3/
Updates on EPA’s Twitter account: http://twitter.com/epalive
Information on the Earth Day Network’s concert: http://earthday.org/climaterally
EPA’s 4th Annual eCycling Event
In addition to events on the National Mall, on Saturday, April 24th, EPA is sponsoring an eCycling event at the National Harbor. Area residents, organizations and small business owners can bring any make or model computer and related equipment, including monitors, printers, scanners, keyboards, and mouse devices. EPA and partnering organizations will collect equipment at no cost, and recycle it in an environmentally safe manner.
Recycling electronics is something every American can do to protect the planet and to encourage the sustainable reuse of materials. More than 2 million tons of used electronics are disposed of annually that may contain toxics such as lead and mercury. Recyclers can recover more than 100 million pounds of materials from these electronics, including glass, steel, and plastic.
WHAT: EPA’s 4th Annual eCycling Event
WHEN: Saturday, April 24, 10:00-3:00 p.m.
WHERE: The Plateau near National Harbor, Prince George’s County, Md.
More information on the event: http://www.epa.gov/oei/ecycling
