Did you know that April 22 is Earth Day? To join in, we decided to bring you an interview with Sean Miller, Director of Education at Earth Day Network (EDN) in Washington, D.C. and highlight some of the many Paper.li publishers who bring regular news about nature and the planet to their readers

Here are five things you may not know about Earth Day.

1. Sunday April 22, 2012 is the 42nd Earth Day. The first was on April 22, 1970.
2. More than a billion people in almost 200 countries took part in Earth Day 2011.
3. Earth Day is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement, according to EDN.
4. The aim of Earth Day is to promote a worldwide green economy and to encourage environmental awareness and activism.
5. The current aim of EDN is to inspire communities and individuals to pledge to take A Billion Acts of Green.

We asked Sean to highlight some of the activities taking place around the world and tell us more about A Billion Acts of Green.

WHAT CAN PEOPLE DO TO BE A PART OF EARTH DAY?

First, go outside. Americans now spend 90 percent of their time indoors. Enjoy the beauty of nature and get some exercise and quality family time in the process.

Next, I encourage people to find local events worldwide on our website and join the action! And for all the teachers, parents or students reading this column, I encourage you to learn about how you can green your school and make it more cost friendly, sustainable and healthier for all.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE IN 2012?

To Mobilize the Earth in favour of environmental protection. One of the specific ways we are doing that is collecting A Billion Acts of Green – literally from anyone in the world via simple acts like changing a light bulb – and then presenting all of them to world leaders at Rio+20, the UN Summit on Sustainability in late June in Rio.

AND GOING FORWARD?

Earth Day Network’s other large program is greening America’s schools within a generation. It is actually a commitment we have with the Clinton Foundation, and the work that I am fortunate to head up. It is quite an undertaking, but we are making incredible progress. For example, 13 states plus D.C. now have a green schools’ construction requirement for any school building project or renovation. And 47 states either have an environmental literacy plan in place or have one in the works. Such plans formalize environmental education across the K-12 public school curriculum.

WHAT IS HAPPENING AROUND THE WORLD ON APRIL 22?

Here’s a few from our Earth Day Director, Franklin Russell, but also check our website.

• Brazil: Rio+Vos has organized a series of Earth Day events around Brazil to discuss sustainable development and to mobilize communities for Rio+20.
• Cairo, Egypt: In collaboration with Friends of the Environment Development Association (FEDA) and the Egyptian Minister of the Environment, Dr. Moustafa Hussin Kamal, EDN has organized an Earth Day workshop in Cairo to discuss how communities could mobilize themselves to secure a sustainable future.
• Des Moines, Iowa: Organizers have put together an Earth Day Trash Bash with 1,000 volunteers collecting litter, tires and recyclables.
• Iraq: In partnership with TOGETHER and the Iraqi Ministry of Education, EDN has sent Earth Day materials to more than 3,000 schools.
• Seoul, South Korea: EDN’s partner ECOMOM has organized an Earth Day event.
• St. Louis, Missouri: The city has organized an event for 30,000 people.

HOW ARE YOU PERSONALLY CELEBRATING EARTH DAY?

I’m fortunate to be on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. for the flagship Earth Day event, speaking about the importance of green schools. Watch it streamed live online on our homepage.

And here are our Staff Picks to celebrate the day. Enjoy!

Endangered Species – News Daily by @humane_rights focuses on endangered species in the news.

The Cork Environment Daily by @CorkEnvForu promotes sustainable development  in Co. Cork, Ireland.

Oceans and Seas by @ferseg (No Killing!) keeps a watch on marine life.

The birds-and-the-bees Daily by @DawnFine follows our small friends.

The climate-energy Daily by @worldresources reports on climate change, green business, and sustainable development.

The Water Aid Weekly is published by the charity @WaterAid.

The British Butterflies Daily News by @britbut59 is an online resource for all butterfly lovers.

We know there are many more fantastic Paper.lis focused on the Earth and its precious resources. If you publish one, let us know.

Photo credits:
Tiger by Tambako the Jaguar; Cork by Joachim S. Muller; ocean by smallcamerajournal; bee by left-hand; Brazilian child by CIFOR; women carrying water by World Bank Photo Collection; butterfly by TexasEagle.