Goal: Students will research environmental issues in order to develop a personal Earth Day plan.

Time Required: 45 minutes

Materials Required: My Earth Day Commitment Student Reproducible 2 (PDF); poster board; markers; access to reference materials; Internet access; Google Earth software

Directions:

1. At the start of class, open Google Earth by going to http://earth.google.com/scholastic to access My Earth Day Commitment Google Earth page.
   
2. Tell students that people all across the country will gather on Earth Day to clean up their communities and make a difference. From the My Earth Day Commitment Google Earth page:
   • Double click on Oakland, California, in the Places menu. Tell students that volunteers in Oakland will clean up the city’s creeks, plant flowers and trees, and pick up litter.
   • Double click on Hamilton, Canada, in the Places menu. Tell students that volunteers will plant trees at the Earth Day Shoreline Planting in Hamilton.
   • Double click on Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the Places menu. Tell students that volunteers will gather at the city’s lakes, rivers, and creeks to pick up litter for the 12th Annual Earth Day Watershed Clean Up.
   • Double click on Worcester, Massachusetts, in the Places menu. Tell students that Worcester will hold a citywide clean up on Earth Day where volunteers will work together to pick up litter and clean up the entire city.
   • Double click on Key Largo, Florida, in the Places menu. Tell students that divers and beachcombers will work together on Earth Day to clean up the shoreline and the coral reefs.

   These are just a few of the many Earth Day events taking place in and around our country this year.
   

3. Brainstorm ways your class might raise awareness about environmental issues such as climate change on Earth Day. For example, students might create brochures and posters and distribute them at local businesses or hold a “plant a tree” or “litter clean-up” day.
   
   
4. Distribute copies of My Earth Day Commitment Student Reproducible 2. Allow students time to use the worksheet to create individual Earth
   Day plans.

Wrap-up: Have students present their Earth Day plans to the class.