Countdown to Earth Day Revolution Kicks-Off at U.S. Capitol

WASHINGTON (March 11, 2010) -- With 40 days until Earth Day 2010, leaders from the environmental community and others signed a "Declaration" calling on the U.S. Senate to take swift action on clean energy and climate. Forty years after the first Earth Day, these leaders urged the Senate to stop stalling and start acting on clean energy and climate solutions for America.

"The first Earth Day was a success because 20 million Americans demonstrated an urgent need for environmental protection and action," said Kathleen Rogers, President, Earth Day Network. "Together, we can make the 40th anniversary of Earth Day a pivotal moment in the environmental movement. We will use the next 40 days to build momentum around a demand for comprehensive climate legislation and culminate our charge to Congress with The Climate Rally on April 25."

By paving the way for America to build a clean energy economy, Congress will take meaningful action in the spirit of Earth Day to protect the environment, create jobs and enhance America's national security.

"Forty years ago, Americans gathered on the first Earth Day to tell our leaders it was time for change," said Wesley Warren, director of programs in the Washington office of the Natural Resources Defense Council. "In April we will stand together once more to say to our leaders it is time to pass comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation that will put Americans back to work, reduce our reliance on foreign oil and create a healthier future for our country. The stakes are too high for anything less."

The declaration demands that the Senate act on clean energy and climate change and it asks: "We have a question for members of the U.S. Senate: Whose side are you on- Big oil and their lobbyists or the Clean Energy Patriots?"

Find out more at: www.EarthDayRevolution.com

The following groups have signed the Earth Day Declaration:

1Sky, Audubon, American Hunters and Shooters, American Rivers, American Values Network, Campus Progress, Center for American Progress Action Fund, Clean Water Action, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Climate Protection Action Fund, Climate Solutions, Defenders of Wildlife, Democracia Ahora, Earth Day Network, Environment America, Environmental Defense Action Fund, Environmental Law and Policy Center, Green for All, Hip Hop Caucus, Interfaith Power and Light, La Onda Verde, League of Conservation Voters, National Catholic Rural Life Conference, National Wildlife Federation, NWF Campus Ecology, Natural Resources Defense Council, Oceana, Operation Free, Rock the Vote, Sierra Club, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, SACE, Southern Energy Network, StudentPIRGs, SustainUS, Truman National Security Project, Union of Concerned Scientists, Veterans for Common Sense, Voces Verdes, World Wildlife Fund, The Wilderness Society