Internet To Host Earth Day’s 30th Birthday Celebration

The Earth Day Network is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Earth Day festival this year by presenting a live Webcast of this weekend’s EarthFair 2000 festivities from the Capitol Mall in Washington, D.C.

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who is chairing the event, will be the featured speaker. Web surfers will also be treated to appearances by Bill Nye the Science Guy, actor Chevy Chase and Senator John Kerry. The speakers will focus on clean energy, this year’s theme.

Going to the Amazon

A non-profit organization with a stated mission to “promote a healthy environment and a peaceful, just, sustainable world,” the Network is seeking to expand its reach and gain additional funding by incorporating e-commerce components in its information-centric Web site.

In addition to selling items produced from “reclaimed, recycled, and eco-spun or organically grown” materials at its Earth Day Eco-Store, the network is working with Amazon.com to offer charity auction items.

Online auction fans can support Earth Day by bidding on such offerings as a lunch with former presidential press secretary Dee Dee Myers, which was going for around $123 (US$) as of Friday morning. A signed copy of George Stephanopoulos’ book “All Too Human” and an adventure in the Amazon rain forest of Ecuador are also up for grabs.

The “Ultimate Image of Earth” contest is another Internet event commemorating the Earth Day’s 30th anniversary. Artwork submitted to the contest will be displayed not only at the Washington, D.C. celebration, but also online for the enjoyment of Earth Day supporters around the world.

The artwork will be available for viewing at the EarthImage2000 site, by means of software provided by Earth Day co-sponsor, the Altamira Group.

Save Your Mother

Elsewhere on the Net, organizers have tapped into the online auction model to benefit the Save the Earth Foundation, a nonprofit group that promotes environmental research.

Users visiting the foundation online will find such collectibles as a signed Jerry Garcia lithograph, “Dog Beating Pan,” with a starting bid of $1,000.

Other stars who have donated signed memorabilia are Robert Cray, Devo, Aretha Franklin, the Indigo Girls, Lou Reed and the Rolling Stones. One of the site’s bargain items is a Gloria Estefan Hollywood Walk of Fame collector’s pin, with a $15 entry bid. Sports memorabilia will also be available.

Earth Day, Every Day

Ken Margolis, online event producer for the auction, told the E-Commerce Times that the Internet is boosting organizations like the Save the Earth Foundation by allowing them to “reach out to the general public across the world in a relatively cost-effective way.”

Promoting the idea that Earth Day is every day, Margolis’ organization is working to create a “continual fundraising store” by making the auction available year round.

Leave a Comment

Please sign in to post or reply to a comment. New users create a free account.

E-Commerce Times Channels