"Earth Day Live" Starts Today; Celebrate 50th Earth Day Through Music

Today April 22, 2020, marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

In 1970, 10 million Americans rallied in the streets, college campuses, and cities numbering in the hundreds around the country as a collective response to the environment in crisis. The first Earth day demanded the government to act upon pressing issues. During that time, oil spills, smog, and polluted rivers significantly destroyed the calm environment. The event evolved to be the wake-up call for countries across the globe to protect the environment. In 2016, the United Nations called it the International Mother Earth Day. Earth Day is now considered as the world's largest civic event.

In celebration of Earth Day's birth 50 years back, a three-day live stream titled "Earth Day Live" will be broadcasted. The special event organized by youth climate activists will kick off today, April 22, at 9 am ET/6 am PT and will begin at the same time for the next two days, April 23 and 24.

Due to the limitations of mass gatherings around the world caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Earth Day will go digital for the first time. The massive special event, "Earth Day Live," will be broadcasted over www.earthdaylive2020.org and can be watched on streaming platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Twitch.

The theme for the Earth Day 2020 celebration is climate action. The event will focus on demanding world leaders to take science seriously and push for concrete measures to avert the rising tide of climate change. The star-studded lineup will feature Joaquin Phoenix, Jane Fonda, Al Gore, Moby, Patricia Arquette, Robby Romero, and Stacey Abrams. Leading scientists and journalists will join the discussion about the current climate crisis.

An inspirational message will be aired from His Holiness Pope Francis. Other well-known environmental activists will share their messages of support.

Jason Mraz, Angélique Kidjo, Aimee Mann, Ted Leo, Jack Johnson, Talib Kweli, among others, will have musical performances. DJ sets will be played by Emily Wells, Questlove, Beverly Bond, Madame Gandhi, and Soul Clap.

Earth Day Music

Music has always been at the forefront of Earth Day celebrations and activities. On April 22, 1970, folk singer Pete Seeger and a host of other musicians motivated the crowd with environmentally conscious songs.

The Earth Day Network came up with a list of inspirational songs that are uplifting and support the spirit of climate action. Here are the recommended tracks to keep the flame going:

"Young Enough To Try" by Humming House

"Only the Young" by Taylor Swift

"A New Day" by GRIZ (ft. Matisyahu)

"The Times They Are A-Changin'" by Bob Dylan

"Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen

"Daylight" by Matt and Kim

"Paradise" by Coldplay

"Love Song to the Earth" by Paul McCartney, Sean Paul, Natasha Bedingfield, and more

"Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley

"What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong

"How Far I'll Go" by Alessia Cara

"Mr. Blue Sky" by Electric Light Orchestra

The mission of Earth Day Network is to "diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide." More than 1 billion individuals have been mobilized for the future of the planet in over 190 countries.