Wildlife and Students Participate in Earth Day

Embassy Zagreb celebrated Earth Day robustly with a Green Week of activities culminating in three outreach events. On Earth Day employees opened a sustainable no-mow lawn area of 450 square meters, augmented with birdbaths, bird feeders and native wildflowers to attract local insects and birds, thereby earning the mission a designation as a certified wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. Embassy staff personally seeded the area with wildflower seeds!

The next day, students from the landscape design department of the University of Zagreb's school of Agriculture came to the Embassy to present their environmentally sustainable designs for the entire Embassy grounds. The best designs were recognzed by the Ambassador. And the Embassy Public Affairs Office helped celebrate Earth Day and mark 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity by sponsoring a digital video conference on biodiversity for Croatian students at its American Corners with Henry Ortiz, the Science Advisor for Los Angeles County Schools.

Presidents 40th Earth Day Message

Click here to watch President Obama’s Earth Day message: http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/president-obama-marks-40th-anniversary-earth-day

Copenhagen Earth Day Video Celebrates Accomplishments

AMMAN’S GREEN TEAM ON EARTH DAY

Embassy Amman’s Green Team is planning to co-host several events on Earth Day 2010
to celebrate its best greening practices throughout the local community. Current plans
include the April 21st screening of a documentary on Garbage and Waste Management
and the April 22nd Clean-up Campaign at a local park with several hundred school children.
They are also planning to hold an art contest to create sculptures from the collected waste.

Sunny Forecast

In recognition of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations is focusing on the design and installation of photovoltaic systems, better known as solar panels. Photovoltaic systems have become OBO’s most universally deployed renewable technology, cutting operating costs, reducing fossilfuel-based sources of energy and expanding reliance on clean renewable energy. Overall, the use of photovoltaic systems reduces the Department’s carbon footprint and shows that the United States government is committed to environmentalism.
Photovoltaic technology is also a clean way to provide supplemental power to U.S. diplomatic facilities. Photovoltaic electricity is produced when sunlight excites the electrons in the silicon-based panels.

EMBASSY LISBON ELEVATES “EARTH DAY”!

On April 22, Embassy Lisbon will hold a tree-planting ceremony at a local public school. Students and Embassy representatives will plant trees. Local press will be invited to cover the event, which will be used to highlight actions that students can take to preserve the environment. In addition, Embassy Lisbon has decided to commemorate Earth Day to a higher green purpose by distributing Earth Day posters to American Corners and public schools throughout Portugal.