(WASHINGTON) -- The Department of the Interior announced today that it has launched EarthDay.gov, a Web site developed in cooperation with other federal agencies, providing Americans a comprehensive guide to environmental service opportunities and Earth Day events sponsored by the federal government.
The site is the first interagency effort to create a comprehensive federal resource for citizens who want to participate in Earth Day and other year-round environmental activities.
President Bush has asked all federal agencies to support volunteer service this Earth Day. "In the three decades since the first Earth Day celebration, our air is cleaner, our water is purer, and our natural resources are better protected. We have learned from our successes and are putting that experience to work at the federal, state and local government level. Additionally, all Americans can help protect our natural resources by being good stewards of our air, water, and land," said President Bush.
"On Earth Day 2003, we celebrate not only the accomplishments of the past three decades but also the promise of the future represented by a growing partnership between the government and the people to conserve our air, our water, and our land and its wildlife," said Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton. "With the encouragement of federal and state governments, citizen-conservationists across America are the driving force behind thousands of projects to protect and restore our natural resources. Working together, we will help create an even healthier world for our children and grandchildren."
Visitors can search the Web site by state and region to find community service opportunities and Earth Day events where they live. In addition to events, it allows visitors to download classroom curricula and find additional information about the environment. EarthDay.gov also allows visitors to directly access the large database of environmental service opportunities that are part of the USA Freedom Corps Volunteer Network. The USA Freedom Corps is President Bush's initiative to engage Americans in volunteer service.