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Earth Day and Earth Month

Topical Reference Page

Earth Day stamp featuring two human hands holding the Earth in space — Earth Day stamp, 1999

Every year Earth Day is celebrated globally on April 22 — and Earth Month is celebrated all April long — to raise awareness of the planet's health and to promote environmental education. In observance of Earth Day and Earth Month, the museum created this compilation of stories, exhibitions, and collection objects related to nature and the environment that are available on the museum's website.

Image: 33-cent Earth Day stamp

15-cent Beach Umbrella single

About U.S. Stamps - 15-cent Beach Umbrella

Exhibition

3-cent Wild Turkey single

About U.S. Stamps - 1956 Wildlife Conservation Issues

Exhibition

3-cent Minnesota Statehood single

About U.S. Stamps - 1958-1959

Exhibition

6-cent Plant for more Beautiful Parks single

About U.S. Stamps - 1968-1969

Exhibition

Earth Day stamp featuring two human hands holding the Earth in space

About U.S. Stamps - 1970-1979

Exhibition

$10 multicolor Snow Goose single

About U.S. Stamps - 1987-1988 10-dollar Permits

Exhibition

24-cent Common Buckeye Butterfly single

About U.S. Stamps - 24-cent Common Buckeye Butterfly

Exhibition

39-cent Southern Florida Wetland pane of ten

President Truman Dedicates Everglades National Park - A Mosaic of Ponds, Prairies and Upland Forests

Exhibition

$5 Sea Shell Cypraea Hesitata stamp

International Philately - Aitutaki

Exhibition

9L Lake and Hills single

International Philately - Albania

Exhibition

37-cent Pallid Bat single

About U.S. Stamps - American Bats Issue

Exhibition

32-cent Cliffs of Green River stamp

American Art on Postage Stamps - American Landscapes: The West

Exhibition

Related Blogs

This blue Panama Canal Zone 5 cent stamp depicts a map of the country of Panama.

A Stamp that Changed History: How the Panama Canal was Almost the Nicaragua Canal

10.26.2020

Never underestimate the power of a stamp! Postage stamps not only have the ability to document history, they can also change it. In fact, one such Nicaraguan stamp changed both American and world history by playing a role in the completion of the Panama Canal.

Learn more About A Stamp that Changed History: How the Panama Canal was Almost the Nicaragua Canal

An Alaskan Brown Bear stamp and an Iiwi stamp

Stamps in Context: An Investigation into the 1987 North American Wildlife Issue

08.13.2018

Just over 30 years ago, the United States Postal Service (USPS) unveiled The North American Wildlife Issue at the 1987 Canadian Association for Philatelic Exhibition (CAPEX). This 50 pane series features the work of renowned wildlife artist Chuck Ripper and with beautiful accuracy showcases the diverse wildlife populations in North America. It commemorates and highlights the animals that make our National Parks and backyards a stunning and lively landscape.

Learn more About Stamps in Context: An Investigation into the 1987 North American Wildlife Issue

1966 “Beautification of America” stamp

Lady Bird Johnson: Her Legacy and Her Stamps

06.22.2018

Reflecting on her years in the White House, Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson, the wife of President Lyndon Johnson, wrote in her diary: “…Using the White House as a podium---hopefully---to thank, to applaud, to advertise, to rally citizens to action in improving our environment, gives me joy.” This statement characterizes her style and political determination which she cultivated over decades alongside her husband while he served in the U.S. Congress, as Vice President, and as President.

Learn more About Lady Bird Johnson: Her Legacy and Her Stamps

The Majestic Yosemite Hotel and Half Dome rock formation in the background

Healthful Recreation in the National Parks

12.11.2017

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, nature and health-related wonders were important attractions in American vacationing.

Learn more About Healthful Recreation in the National Parks

Related Content

A woman holds up a plastic container in front of her face. The container holds a juvenile salmon.

Celebrating Earth Month

Join us during Earth Month in April—and throughout the year—to marvel at the beauty and diversity of our natural world. Learn about the challenges facing life on our planet—and our successes. Get inspired to be a part of building a sustainable future where life on Earth thrives.

33 cent Earth Day Celebrated stamp with illustration of human hands holding the Earth

Earth Day-Related Objects in Smithsonian Collections

Take a look at posters, buttons, stamps, and other environmental objects from Smithsonian Institution museum collections.

Green Ways to Move the Mail: A Challenge for the New Century

Symposium, Thursday, March 20, 2008 at the National Postal Museum (YouTube)

This discussion with expert panelists from the National Postal Museum, the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, the United States Postal Service (USPS) and the Ford Motor Company focused on the environmental challenges of moving the mail. With a fleet of over 200,000 vehicles driving more than 1.2 billion miles each year, the USPS is poised to make changes that will have a dramatic impact on the environment. Panelists topics and subsequent discussion focused on practical and immediate solutions.

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