AIS-R LibGuides: Earth Week: Home

From the World Book Online

Earth Day is an annual observance, held on April 22, to increase public awareness of environmental issues. Each year on Earth Day, millions of people throughout the world gather to clean up litter, to protest threats to the environment, and to celebrate progress in reducing pollution.

Earth Day began in the United States. In 1969, U.S. Senator Gaylord A. Nelson suggested that a day of environmental education be held on college campuses. The following year, the lawyer and environmentalist Denis Hayes, then a recent graduate of Stanford University, led hundreds of students in planning and organizing the observance of Earth Day on April 22, 1970. About 20 million people participated in this celebration.

The observance of Earth Day in 1970 helped alert people to the dangers of pollution and stimulated a new environmental movement. That same year, Congress created the Environmental Protection Agency to set and enforce pollution standards. Congress also passed the Clean Air Act of 1970, which limited the amount of air pollution that cars, utilities, and industries could release. Other new environmental laws soon followed.

Hayes, Denis. "Earth Day." World Book Student. World Book, 2016. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.

Databases

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Global Issues in Context This link opens in a new window Designed to support global awareness, Global Issues In Context ties together a wealth of authoritative content that empowers students to critically analyze and understand the most important issues of the modern world.
Points of View This link opens in a new window Points of View Reference Center contains many topics, each with an overview (objective background/description), point (argument) and counterpoint (opposing argument).
Science Reference Center This link opens in a new window This comprehensive research database provides easy access to a wealth of full-text, science-oriented content. Designed to meet every student researcher's needs, Science Reference Center contains full text for hundreds of science encyclopedias, reference books, periodicals, and other sources. Topics covered in Science Reference Center include biology, chemistry, earth and space science, environmental science, health and medicine, life science, mathematics, physics, science and society, science as inquiry, scientists, technology, and wildlife.
Ebscohost Research Databases This link opens in a new window Ebscohost provides access to a variety of academic databases which each hold thousands of full-text, peer-reviewed journal articles. An excellent source of reliable information for student research projects.
Student Resources in Context This link opens in a new window Student Resources In Context offers cross-curricular content aligned to national, state, and Common Core State Standards, and presents that material in the way most useful for students. This unique database provides stellar support for papers, projects, and presentations while reinforcing the development of critical thinking and problem solving skills, communication, collaboration, creativity, and innovation.

Useful Websites

Earth Day
Earth Day is April 22. Earth Day and beyond, join a movement that continues to inspire, challenge ideas, ignite passion and motivate people to action.
The History of Earth Day
Each year, Earth Day—April 22—marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.
Mother Earth Day - UN
This year, Earth Day coincides with the signing ceremony for the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which will take place at UN Headquarters in New York.
Teen Expeditions with the Earthwatch Institute
They're hands-on, engaging, and meaningful, providing unrivaled opportunities to undertake vital, peer-reviewed scientific field research under the supervision of skilled research teams in a professional setting on projects all around the world.
50 easy ways to save the planet
From The Guardian - "You don't have to share the bath water to make a difference You don't have to share the bath water to make a difference."
Carbon Footprint calculator
Our lifestyle choices make up our environmental carbon footprint. Measuring yours takes less than 5 minutes and could change the way you live…(prices in British Pounds)
Environmental Working Group
Consumer guides from EWG. A non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment. EWG's consumer guides give consumers information to make ethical and healthy choices about the products they buy.

Infographic

Image Credit: National Ocean Service

Books in the Library

Eyes Wide Open by Paul Fleischman
ISBN: 9780763671020
Publication Date: 2014-09-23
"We're living in an aha moment. Take 250 years of human ingenuity. Add abundant fossil fuels. The result: a population and lifestyle never seen before. The downsides weren't visible for centuries, but now they are. Suddenly everything needs rethinking - suburbs, cars, fast food, cheap prices. It's a changed world. This book explains it. Using politics, psychology, and history for attitude, Eyes Wide Open shows how to see the principles driving events and attitudes, from vested interests to denial to big-country syndrome. Here's the briefing you need to comprehend the twenty-first century"

Earth Week Resource List
View a selection of other "Earth Week" inspired books in the library catalog.

TED Talks

TED Talks - the environment.
A collection of TED Talks (and more!) on the topic of the environment.