Earth Day Web Resources

by Barbara Feldman

Earth Day Network estimates that 500 million people from 4,500 organizations in 180 countries will participate in Earth Day events during the month of April.

Earth Day Network
Earth Day Network is the coordinating body of worldwide Earth Day activities, founded by the organizers of the original 1970 Earth Day, Gaylord Nelson and Denis Hayes. Under Events, you'll find thousands of international Earth Day events to attend, and the opportunity to add your local event. Resources include Environmental Fact Sheets and an Ecological Footprints Quiz.

Defenders of Wildlife: Kids' Planet
From facts to fun -- this site focuses on worldwide endangered wildlife. Best clicks are Get the Facts (single-page info sheets on dozens of animals listed by continent), Wild Games (puzzles and quizzes), and the wolf curriculum for teachers and home-schoolers (see Teacher's Table). "Native Americans attributed an array of powers and miracles to wolves, from the creation of tribes to healing powers. For example, the Kwakiutl of the Pacific Northwest believed that before they became men or women, they had been wolves."

Earth Science Enterprise: For Kids Only
"Can scientists predict the global impacts of increased levels of pollutants in the atmosphere? Will the planet warm because increased levels of greenhouse gases, produced by the burning of fossil fuels, trap heat and prevent it from being radiated back into space? Will the polar ice caps melt, causing massive coastal flooding? Have humans initiated wholesale climatic change?" NASA studies the earth, not just outer space, and has created this earth science site for kids and their teachers and filled it to the brim with information, lesson plans, and games.

The Wilderness Society
What are you and other kids doing this Earth Day? Share your ideas, and learn about Earth Day heroes and The Wilderness Society's current campaigns for preserving wildlife and a healthy environment.