The first Earth Day was established as a result of the warnings scientists had been making for years about our environment. And on this April 22nd, which also marks the first anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement. Earth Day Network and March for Science will together continue to recognize the concerns and the work of dedicated scientists hosting the March for Science Earth Day 2017 on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Starting at 8am ET, scientists, guest speakers, musical performers and others will come for a rally, teach-ins, and special programming. Together at 2pm, these concerned citizens will march to the Capitol to defend the vital role science plays in our world.
“This year’s theme for Earth Day worldwide is climate and environmental science literacy, which is why the rally and teach-ins on the National Mall are particularly meaningful,” said Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network. “It is fitting that once again this year, Earth Day serves as a vehicle for mobilizing concerned citizens – not only on April 22nd, but throughout the year.”
Featured Speakers Will Include:
• Anousheh Ansari – Co-Founder and CEO of Prodea Systems, the first female civilian astronaut, international Space Ambassador, serial entrepreneur and philanthropist
• Jamie Rappaport Clark – President and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife
• Christiana Figueres – Former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) known for her leadership on the Paris Climate Agreement
• Mona Hanna-Attisha – Director of Hurley’s Pediatric Residency Program, known for her role in revealing the Flint Water Crisis
• Denis Hayes – President of the Bullitt Foundation, Board Chair Emeritus of Earth Day Network and organizer of the first Earth Day in 1970
• Rush Holt – CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
• Rachel Kyte – Special representative of UN Secretary General and CEO of Sustainable Energy for All
• Maya Lin –Artist, designer, sculptor known for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
• Albert Yu-Min Lin– Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer, Planet3, Nat Geo Explorer and a UC San Diego research scientist in technology enabled exploration
• Michael Mann – Distinguished Professor and Director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State
• Leland Melvin ¬– Astronaut and S.T.E.A.M. explorer
• Mark Tercek – President and CEO of the Nature Conservancy
Featured Guests Will Include:
Questlove (co-host) – Drummer, DJ, producer, culinary entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author, multiple Grammy winner and member of The Roots – Questlove, is the unmistakable heartbeat of Philadelphia’s most influential hip-hop group. He is the Musical Director for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where his beloved Roots crew serves as house band.
Derek Muller (co-host)– Australian-Canadian science communicator, filmmaker and television presenter best known for creating the YouTube channel Veritasium
Jon Batiste and Stay Human (house band leader) – Batiste is music director and bandleader for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
James Balog – Founder, Extreme Ice Survey and Earth Vision Institute
Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha — A pediatrician and public health advocate in Flint, Michigan, whose findings about lead exposure in Flint’s children help expose the crisis there
Bill Nye – CEO of The Planetary Society, a partner organization of the march, and science educator
Cara Santa Maria – Award-winning journalist, science communicator, television personality, producer and podcaster (who will interview attendees on-site for live integration into the show)
Megan Smith – First female U.S. Chief Technology Officer and Assistant to the President under Barack Obama; previously a vice president at Google, Smith is also an award-winning entrepreneur and engineer
Lydia Villa-Komaroff – Co-founder of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), a march partner, and biologist who made critical contributions to producing insulin from bacteria
Program Schedule:
• 8:00am – 10:00am – Featured videos to be broadcast including educational information and messages from special guests
• 10:00am – 2:00pm – Official program featuring guest speakers and musical performances begins
• 2:00pm – March to Capitol begins
Teach-Ins (running concurrently with program):
• 9:00am-12:30pm – Keeping with Earth Day 2017’s theme of climate and environmental literacy, tents on the grounds of the event will feature educational programming for global citizens to learn about local environmental issues and how to develop the civic engagement techniques necessary to take action.
Additional special guest speakers and musical performers will be announced in the coming days. For updates, please visit http://www.earthday.org and follow us on social media at Facebook: @EarthDayNetwork, Instagram: @EarthDayNetwork, and Twitter: @EarthDayNetwork and #EarthDay2017. To request press credentials for the event or for information on accessing live broadcast feed of the show, please fill out this form.