People aren’t celebrating Earth Day just chilling in nature this year…they’re marching! Crowds are gathering with the Earth Day Network for the March for Science on the Washington Mall on Apr. 22 and you can watch the event live stream here!

Happy Earth Day, President Trump! There’s a March For Science going down at the National Mall in Washington D.C. for Earth Day, Saturday, Apr. 22. The organizers explained that the rally is “about the very real role that science plays in each of our lives.” The event organizers described science as “a pillar of human freedom and prosperity.” The Mall opened for the rally at 8am EST, but the march won’t get started until 2pm. You can live stream the historic rally along with its’ special lectures, activities, performances and speakers here from USA Today.

The bipartisan event’s goal was to show policy makers and politicians that science is important and the findings of researchers from around the world cannot be ignored. The march hoped to bring awareness to the danger that could come from cutting budgets for science programs and research. Marches will be happening around the world and not just in D.C.! The photos from the rallies in the UK, Germany, and, Australia have been so powerful and we cannot wait to see what great signs people come up with in the rest of the world.

March For Science — See Pics From The Protest

The D.C. rally definitely has one person we’re all super pumped to see and that’s Bill Nye! The beloved TV scientist and respected member of the scientific community will give a speech before the start of the march. That will totally get people fired up about showing their government how much they care about science!

The Nature Conservancy released a beautiful statement about the marches taking place around the world today. “We’re absolutely thrilled to see so much public support out on the streets for science and scientists,” it said. “My field of environmental science has probably never been more important as today – and yet it has never felt more insecure. It is environmental science that tells us that natural climate solutions – planting trees and using less fertilizer, for example – are as important as solar panels and electric cars in the fight against climate change.”

“The Earth Day Network’s mission to plant a tree for every person by 2020 is a good example and could have a massive impact,” the statement continued. “TNC is well on the way to support this goal with our own Plant a Billion Trees campaign. This is all based on a scientific understanding of how to address the world’s environmental challenges. Continuing to build that understanding could not be more important given the extent to which we are altering the natural world around us.”

HollywoodLifers, what do you think of the Earth Day March? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below! </s> From planting trees to bike sales to drumming circles and potlucks, Montrealers participated in worldwide Earth Day celebrations on Saturday.

Despite the rain, about 100 people — from young children to senior citizens — gathered at Léo-Pariseau Park at the corner of Parc and Pine Aves. (and in neighbouring offices when the weather became too rough) to celebrate and raise awareness about different environmental issues.

“There’s no shortage of evidence showing how severe the ecological crisis is right now,” said organizer Nathan McDonnell. “For us, ecology is not an environmental problem, it’s a problem stemming from society and the economy. And the only way to genuinely change that is through mobilizing people and educating people.”

Hosted by the Milton Park Citizens’ Committee, the event was also to raise awareness about half of Léo-Pariseau Park still being zoned residential, meaning it could be another lost green space in the city if someone decides to develop it.

Coinciding with Earth Day was also the March for Science, held to rally in support of Americans who say they’re facing mounting attacks against science through proposed budget cuts.

Hundreds of scientists and science enthusiasts marched downtown on Saturday, holding signs that said “Science is life” and “Climate change is already here.”

“The main message is to celebrate science and underline the need to protect it, because it brings us prosperity, health and security,” organizer Jérémy Bouchez, a science writer at the Université de Montréal, told the Montreal Gazette earlier this week.

Similar marches were held on Parliament Hill and in dozens of other communities across Canada on Saturday. </s> WASHINGTON (WWJ/AP) — Scientists, students and research advocates marking Earth Day by conveying a global message about scientific freedom without political interference.

A March for Science, with events around the world, intended to promote the understanding of science and defend science from attacks such as proposed U.S. government budget cuts.

Those participating in science marches were also arguing for adequate spending for future breakthroughs and the value of scientific pursuits.

President Donald Trump issued an Earth Day statement, saying that “rigorous science depends not on ideology, but on a spirit of honest inquiry and robust debate.”

Locally, thousands of people rallied in downtown Detroit in the name of science.

Among the speakers at Hart Plaza was Flint resident Melissa Mays, who told the crowd science is essential when city and state leaders lie and say water is safe. Mays is one of the residents who was first to complain about the bad water in Flint.

One of the signs in the crowd read: Clean Air, Clean Water, Video Game Upgrades, Thank Science.

One of the organizers of the first Earth Day, Denis Hayes, says the crowd he saw on the National Mall in Washington appeared energized and “magical,” almost like what he saw that first day 47 years ago. </s> Earth Day is an annual, globally celebrated event that asks people to think about and environmentally respect the world we live in.

To honor Earth Day, Saturday, April 22, Darien has several opportunities residents may participate in. There is a town cleanup on Saturday and a Darien Land Trust trails cleanup on Sunday. In addition, there’s an Earth Day celebration in Cherry Lawn Park on Saturday, and an All Things Green Fair at the Darien Library on Sunday.

The first Earth Day took place in 1970 and was organized by Gaylord Nelson, a former Wisconsin senator, in an effort to raise awareness about water and air pollution. On the first Earth Day, 20 million Americans participated in voicing their concerns and raising awareness about environmental concerns, including oil spills, toxic dumps and endangered animals.

The first international Earth Day took place in 1990, with 200 million people from 141 countries discussing the importance of preserving the environment and thinking of ways to actively protect the environment.

This year marks the 46th celebration of Earth Day, and since the establishment of Earth Day, people have put forth the effort to make sustainable and environmentally beneficial changes. In the United States, government officials enacted the Clean Air and Water acts as well as the Endangered Species Act. People are using cleaner alternatives to oil and are recycling.

To celebrate Earth Day this year, you can take many different steps to help protect the Earth we live on. You can involve yourself in one of the many Earth Day network campaigns by checking out earthday.org. You can do something as simple as utilizing a reusable water bottle or turning off the water while you brush your teeth, or even planting a tree.

Another important aspect of Earth Day is remembering we are not its only inhabitants — as Nina Miller pointed out this week. This is the time of year when many baby animals can be spotted — and sometimes mistaken for abandoned. Use caution and give these animal families their space.

Remember that you can do something to protect the environment every day of the year, not just on Earth Day. </s> NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – As groups across the country gather for science marches on Earth Day, a group locally also held a rally and march.

It was a celebration of science that filled The Plot in downtown Norfolk early Saturday morning.

“Science isn’t one thing for one person, science is for everybody,” said Elizabeth Gordon, one of the co-founders of the event. She and Charles Abadam decided to plan the local march after learning about the one in Washington, D.C.. They hoped something close by would encourage people to get outside and get involved.

Abadam said, “There are scientists everywhere. There are people who want to be included in this. They want to get out of the labs and into the street.”

The crowd, filled with both young and old, wore shirts and carried signs showing why they were there. Some signs made a political statement, but Gordon says fighting along party lines wasn’t their goal. She said, “I absolutely feel like Earth Day is becoming a partisan thing and that’s why we’re here. Because we really don’t think Earth Day should be something that one party supports and another party doesn’t support. We all live on the same planet, and we don’t have another chance to live on another planet.”

The crowd heard from five speakers, including professors from Old Dominion University and Hampton University, who all shared a passion for science.

“Science needs to be funded, and science needs to be supported by everyone and celebrated because science is everywhere,” said Abadam.

The group finished the day by marching up Granby Street. Their final stop was O’Connor Brewery. </s> The March for Science returned on 14 April for its second year, with marches and rallies planned for 200 cities worldwide. Last year’s march was one of the largest public displays of support for science, drawing 1.3 million people around the globe to rallies in more than 450 cities.

David Kanter, an organiser of the march in New York, says the theme of the day is the intersection of science and education. “We really want to focus on the power of science and scientific training to empower young people, to empower communities that have often been underrepresented in society and in science,” he says. “The theme for all the marches this year is accountability, making sure that all of our elected officials are held accountable in terms of being able to respect science.”

On the morning of 14 April in Washington Square Park in New York, a small crowd began to gather under a cloudless sky. Some, like mechanical engineer Patrick Landry, had attended marches and rallies last year. He came out because “carbon emissions keep going up, we need to send a message to our administration and the world that we need to find a solution,” he said.

Other marchers, like Liz Ndoye, a retired teacher from Hoboken, did not attend last year but felt that current events made this year’s march particularly important. “I’m terrified to live in a time when our leaders say science is fake news or a conspiracy. Marches make everyone aware there are people concerned about, for example, the EPA rolling back regulations,” Ndoye said.

10-year-old Dakota Shanley, whose stepmother Susan Perkins was a speaker, said she thinks kids should have more science classes in school. Shanley said that she hasn’t had a unit on science yet this year. “If we get rid of science, we’re on the verge of losing so much information about Earth and space,” she said. “The result of not enough science is people think the earth is flat, and we need to stop that.”

At the back of the rally area, music, hands-on science demonstrations, and scientific posters lent a feeling halfway between a street fair and a scientific conference. Even a few of the police officers patrolling the area were drawn in by a booth about the ecology of Washington Square Park.

As the speakers began, an upbeat crowd of a few hundred people gathered to listen. Andrew Hamilton, president of New York University, kicked off the event with a rousing speech that felt almost sermon-like. “The sun shines on the righteous, and the cause of science is righteous,” he said. He encouraged people to continue fighting for science beyond just making sure that federal funding remains intact.

New York Congressperson Carol Maloney followed with a speech on policy. “We need more science in policymaking,” she said. “You will never find a better investment for public funds than scientific research: it is what has made our country great.”

While last year’s marches were heavily focused on larger policy issues, many of this year’s events have shifted to be more local. Gale Brewer, the Manhattan borough president, emphasized this shift, speaking about local initiatives in the city such as new composting efforts. “You save the world from the neighborhood up,” she said.

After several more speeches about science-based policy, human rights, and the environment, the gathered crowd began to march down Broadway. Chants of “What do we want? Peer review! When do we want it? Now!” and “Hey hey! Ho ho! We won’t let our planet go!” echoed off the buildings. According to a volunteer organizer, the march almost doubled in size along the way as bystanders joined from the sidewalk.

New York City hosted just one of hundreds of demonstrations. People around the world gathered for marches in support of science: </s> The international “March for Science” appears to have re-branded Earth Day, casting “social justice” as “science.”

The Earth Day Network that owns the international rights to the annual hippie-fest — and celebration of Vladimir Lenin’s birth — artfully sought to rebrand its messaging by having protestors in 610 locations around the planet swap their tie-dyed shirts for the patina of scientific truth associated with white lab coats.

The festivities began in the wee hours of April 22 in New Zealand, then followed the sun to circumnavigate the globe. The event’s blog reported 50 celebrants showed up at Antarctic research stations, and 2 very intrepid souls showed up in minus-40 degree weather at the North Pole. Although it seemed that the media in many locations outnumbered the demonstrators, San Francisco and Washinton, D.C. both produced about 5,000 marchers.

The March for Science website in January trumpeted, under “Diversity and Inclusion Principles“: “Colonization, racism, native rights, sexism, ableism, queer-, trans-, intersex-phobia, & econ justice are scientific rights.”

But as the event neared, the scientific communism of Marx and Engle’s Das Capital morphed into Principals and Goals: “Our wealth of personal experiences and perspectives is our greatest strength. In putting the people who do science at the forefront of this discussion, we can show that scientists come from all cultural backgrounds, belief systems, orientations, genders, and abilities.”

Honorary Co-Chairman Bill Nye the Science Guy said, “We march forward to ensure a better world for people all over the world.” But he and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) made it clear in their February Facebook Live “Conversation on Climate Change” that they believe all skeptics of climate change are suffering from cognitive dissonance.

The most interesting coverage of the event came from Science magazine, which live-blogged the events with about 60 posts over 24 hours. Demonstrating the tenuous connection between the “March for Science” and actual scientists, the first April 22 speaker at the New Zealand event was leftist Green Party co-leader James Shaw, who is a former accountant with no science background.

Shaw said, “When politicians use their belief systems to override the facts, the scientific facts, we are all in for a whole world of hurt.” Shaw then droned on about his social justice belief system that New Zealanders needed to stand up against the U.S. political discourse questioning climate change. </s> For most Americans, Earth Day is probably something you vaguely remember from elementary school. You may have sat through a lesson on reducing, reusing, and recycling, or made a poster with a frowny-faced Earth in art class. If your school was really ambitious, you might have had a bake sale and donated the proceeds to Save the Whales or Save the Rainforests. (My school was not particularly ambitious, so we’d usually watch Free Willy and call it a day.)

As an adult, you probably celebrate Earth Day the way you celebrate Flag Day: You don’t.

But Earth Day wasn’t always like this. Earth Day 2015 will likely be as fruitful as a gay stud horse, but the first Earth Day in 1970 gave birth to the modern environmental movement. Twenty million people, or one in 10 Americans, took to classrooms, auditoriums, and city streets to show their support for cleaning up the planet. The momentum from those early events led to the creation of the EPA and the passage of landmark laws like the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act. According to The New Yorker, the inaugural Earth Day “generated more than 12,000 events across the country, many of them in high schools and colleges, with more than 35,000 speakers. Today devoted ten hours of airtime to it. Congress took the day off, and two-thirds of its members spoke at Earth Day events.” Can you imagine that? The only event two-thirds of Congress would show up for these days is an open bar with a side of campaign contributions.

So why was the first Earth Day effective when the 45th promises to be just another day of feel-good fairs and corporate green-washing? Well, it was a different era. Back then, mass demonstrations actually made a difference, which was apparent from the successes of the anti-war and civil rights movements. Today, people still take to the streets — the People’s Climate March last fall brought out a record 400,000 activists — but political leaders are more willing to ignore them. And why is that? Well, are you rich? No? In that case, you just don’t matter that much.

In 1972, the presidential race cost just over $300 million (adjusted for today’s dollars). The 2012 presidential race cost over $2.6 billion, an increase of more than 860 percent, and the 2016 election will likely be the most expensive in history, with projections of up to $5 billion.

And where does that money come from? Rich people, corporations, special interest groups, and super PACs who buy influence and rarely prioritize the environment over profit.

In such a rigged system, Earth Day doesn’t stand a chance, and so this widely celebrated international phenomenon has lost its relevance. It is a Band-Aid, a pat on the back, a Facebook like. It’s dumping a bucket of ice water over your head for ALS or wearing a pink ribbon for breast cancer. It’s nothing more than a symbol. We don’t need Earth Day or Earth Month or even Earth Year: What we need is for those in power to stop working for industry and start working for the people.

How do we make this happen? Maybe we should turn to the recent developments out of Indiana for inspiration. Indiana Governor Mike Pence didn’t backtrack on the anti-gay Religious Freedom Restoration Act because people were holding gay rights drum circles — he did it because companies like Apple, Angie’s List, and Walmart threatened to take their business elsewhere. The financial pushback was swift, and so was the governor’s retraction. It’s terrifying: Big business may be the perpetrator of much of the world’s pollution, but it could also be the solution.

So don’t spend this Earth Day buying biodegradable balloons. Instead, climb the corporate ladder and use your perch to twist politicians’ arms. Make a billion dollars and donate it to candidates who actually want to fight climate change. Marry a venture capitalist and threaten to leave if he doesn’t divest from Big Oil. Become a lobbyist if you have to. Become president if you have to. There are things you can do to effect change in the world, but your Earth Day tote isn’t one of them. </s> Today is World Oceans Day. It's the unofficial holiday that not only celebrates our oceans but also a day for respecting the earth's natural resources.

As pollution continues to ravage our oceans, people and organizations are encouraged to work together towards eliminating plastic pollution.

According to World Oceans Day, an offshoot of The Ocean Project, most plastic is not biodegradable and a vast majority of it is not being recycled effectively. There is such a giant volume that gets dumped into one of our most precious natural resources.

World Oceans Day provides guidelines for organizing group cleanups and information about the impact that plastic and other harmful trash has on our oceans and its inhabitants.

The video depicts a sea turtle suffering from a plastic straw that was stuck up one of its nostrils. Some people work to try and relieve the sea turtle of its pain and get the entire straw out. They successfully do it but it just goes to show how much polluting our oceans has terrible consequences not just for us but for its creatures.

So be mindful and try some strategies to create less trash. Recycle and put pressure on big manufacturers and corporations to create earth-friendly products.

The Georgia Aquarium will be holding special activities today to recognize World Oceans Day between 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

PHOTOS | Our oceans, let's appreciate them and work to take care of them
People around the world gather during Earth Day to bring awareness to science.