Exploratorium Celebrates 50th Anniv. of Earth Day

April 22, 2020, marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Founded in 1970 by activist groups, Earth Day is now an annual, global event to raise awareness about our natural environment, the threats posed by a changing climate, and the actions we can take to address and mitigate the impacts on our communities.

Celebrate Earth Day online with the Exploratorium, wherever you are. Join the Exploratorium for a Virtual Earth Day celebration on Wednesday, April 22 from 1 to 2:30 pm.

Watch live streaming via YouTube, Facebook or their website.

Program Highlights:

Earth Day: Exploring Earth Science in Your Kitchen
Staff environmental scientist Sue Pierre and staff teacher Lori Lambertson will start off with a discussion of the history of Earth Day. They will also share some activities you can do in and around your home to illustrate how Earth is a closed system for matter, but an open system for energy by exploring matter cycles, energy flows, and life webs.

Environmental Benefits of Sheltering in Place
Mary Miller, program director in the Exploratorium’s environment group, will chat with Ron Cohen from UC Berkeley about the change in carbon emissions since our sheltering in place began. We’ll check in on data from the air quality sensors that Ron’s lab has placed around the Bay Area, including two at the Exploratorium. This time of reduced traffic is an experiment in how much cutting back on gas-powered cars can help the environment!

Exponential Growth
Join Exploratorium scientist Ron Hipschman for a discussion of exponential growth. Is growth always good? The biggest threat to our existence on planet Earth isn’t asteroids—it’s us. Learn about the exponential function and the conclusions we can draw from it.