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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

refer to caption

Gasoline Rationing Coupons

Object Spotlight

In the vault of the National Postal Museum is a rarity which is neither a piece of postal operations history or philately. It is a block of 16 gasoline rationing coupons which were transferred from the Treasury Department in 1984. These coupons were among the almost five billion gasoline rationing coupons which were produced in response to the 1973-74 gasoline shortage at the direction of the Federal Energy Office. But national gas rationing never happened and the coupons were never used.

stamp of ducks landing on water

Glorious Flight

Exhibition

The Jeanette C. Rudy Duck Stamp Collection
The lovely, alluring duck stamps have captivated many collectors, including Jeanette Cantrell Rudy. The indomitable Mrs. Rudy, however, occupies a niche all her own. Over a fifty-year span, she assembled the hobby’s foremost collection. This exhibit features a sampling of the collection’s premier items, including the first duck stamp ever sold, errors, artist-signed issues, and remarques.

30o Polar Bear stamp

International Philately - Greenland

Exhibition

1.50-peso Gorilla stamp

International Philately - Guinea-Bissau

Exhibition

$5 multicolor Pair of Ross's Geese stamp

About U.S. Stamps - Hunting Permit (Duck Stamps)

Exhibition

Each year since 1934 the federal government has issued a "Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp," a revenue stamp popularly referred to as a "Duck Stamp." Funds generated by the sale of the stamp are used to purchase and maintain migratory waterfowl refuges. The program has raised over 670 million dollars to date by the sale of over 120 million Federal Duck Stamps to hunters, conservationists, and stamp collectors.

Imperforate Vertical Strip of Three, RW1

Glorious Flight - Imperforate Vertical Strip of Three, 1934 Issue

Exhibition

10c Bird of Paradise surcharged 10c for Red Cross stamp

International Philately - Indonesia

Exhibition

illustration of a Black Widow spider

Art of the Stamp - Insects and Spiders: Black Widow

Exhibition

10p Manx Cat single

International Philately - Isle of Man

Exhibition

10s Fuji from Mishima single

International Philately - Japan

Exhibition

Cherry Blossom Centennial stamp with cherry blossoms and the Jefferson Memorial

Stamps Across the Pacific - Japan

Exhibition

1f Dromedary stamp

International Philately - Jordan

Exhibition

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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