Earth Day 2011: A Google Doodle, a Billion Acts of Green theme

Friday, April 22 is Earth Day 2011 and in honor of the holiday's 42nd year, the Google Doodle is either an animated scene of lush forest, running water and panda bears or running water and clouds. When you click on it, the top three results are for Earth Day's official website.

Here you can learn about the history of Earth Day, including that it was started after Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, witnesses the effects of a massive oil spill in 1969 in Santa Barbara, CA.

Here it talks about how the 2011 Earth Day is themed "A Billion Acts of Green" - the organinzation hopes to have their people-powered campaign generate a billion acts of environmental service and advocacy before Rio +20, which is being held June 4-6, 2012. The site lists ways you can donate your money or your time, including the Canopy Project, which plants one tree for every $1 donated, and Green Schools, which "provide an extremely cost-effective way to enhance student learning and health, reduce operational costs and environmental impacts, and increase a community's overall quality and competitiveness."

What are you doing for Earth Day?