Earth Day Initiative (Earth Day New York) is an environmentalist nonprofit organization that is based in New York City. ¹ It has campaigns and programs that trains individuals and businesses to engage in environmentalist advocacy and practices. ²

Earth Day Initiative advocates that individuals, businesses, and construction projects support environmentalism by making energy efficiency upgrades to their homes and buildings, encouraging utility providers to source electricity from weather-dependent energy sources, and reducing waste. ^{2 3 4}

Background

Earth Day Initiative was founded in 1990 and is formally and originally known as Earth Day New York. It was founded to host New York-based demonstrations for the global environmentalist holiday Earth Day and was founded by Pamela Lippe, co-founder of Earth Day Network, the organization that started the holiday. ¹

Starting in 1996, Earth Day Initiative has expanded to year-round campaigns that train individuals to engage in environmentalist advocacy. ¹ It also provides resources to individuals and businesses to assist them in engage in environmentalist practices, including paying utility providers to switch their electricity to come from weather-dependent energy sources and abstaining from buying food that comes from larger farms or is not locally sourced. ^{2 5}

Activities

Earth Day Initiative provides resources for consumers to obtain federal funding from the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act to make home improvements addressing energy efficiency and subsidize residential environmental energy projects. It partners with Rewiring America, a nonprofit organization that seeks to abolish the use of conventional energy sources, to calculate the maximum amount of tax credits they are eligible for in total and the maximum discount or credit they can receive for individual improvements. ^{6 2}

Advocacy

Earth Day Initiative advocates for individuals to switch their electricity service to Arcadia Power, a for-profit electricity provider that sources its energy from solar and wind turbine farms. Arcadia provides the weather-dependent energy through each customer’s regular utility provider for an additional $5 per month. ⁷

Earth Day Initiative advocates for businesses to change their activities to adopt environmentalist practices. It refers businesses to the for-profit consultant OnePointFive, which advises businesses on how to engage in environmental practices. It also refers businesses to the for-profit organization Re:Dish, which provides businesses with reusable dishware that it collects, cleans, and redistributes to businesses to reduce the use of single-use dishware. ³

Campaigns and Publications

Do Just 1 Thing

Do Just 1 Thing is an Earth Day Initiative campaign that instructs individuals to promote environmentalism within their personal and professional social groups. Each season, Do Just 1 Thing promotes a single environmentalist initiative for individuals to promote amongst their friends, families, co-workers, and acquaintances. It also encourages individuals to contact local businesses, elected officials, community leaders, and businesses with whom they make purchases from and to advocate for the initiative. ⁴

Gotham Grazer

Gotham Grazer is an Earth Day Initiative program that is critical of large-scale commercial agricultural companies. It advocates for individuals to eat vegan or vegetarian diets and purchase groceries from local farms. Gotham Grazers provides information for New York City residents to buy locally grown produce and trains them to advocate for grocers and municipalities to provide locally grown produce. ⁵

Lessons Learned 20/20

Lessons Learned:20/20 is an Earth Day Initiative publication that discusses how environmentalism can be incorporated into the construction industry. It is sponsored by the Durst Organization and Vidaris. ⁸

Lessons Learned 20/20 discusses waste and water management, reducing water usage, and constructing buildings that are energy efficient. ⁹

Financials

In 2022, Earth Day Initiative reported having $653,975 in total revenue, $21,475 of which was revenue from its programs. ¹⁰ It also reported having $415,509 in total expenses. ¹¹

Leadership

John Oppermann is the executive director of Earth Day Initiative. Since 2022, Oppermann has worked as a real estate broker and “green home consultant” where he helps people buy and sell homes in New York City, claiming to help them find environmentally friendly options. Oppermann also sits on the board of directors for EarthShare. ¹²

1. “About” Earth Day Initiative. Accessed August 5, 2024. https://www.earthdayinitiative.org/about.
2.  “The Climate Action Guide” Earth Day Initiative. Accessed August 5, 2024. https://www.earthdayinitiative.org/earth-day-climate-action-guide.
3. “Corporate Sustainability Tips” Earth Day Initiative. Accessed August 5, 2024. https://www.earthdayinitiative.org/corporate-sustainability-tips.
4. “Do Just 1 Thing.” Earth Day Initiative. Accessed August 5, 2024. https://www.earthdayinitiative.org/dojust1thing.
5. “Gotham Grazer Resources.” Earth Day Initiative. Accessed August 5, 2024. https://www.earthdayinitiative.org/gotham-grazer-classroom-resources.
6. Griffith, Saul. “Rewire America!” Medium, September 15, 2020. https://medium.com/rewiring-america/rewire-america-abac27ec281c.
7. “Clean Energy” Earth Day Initiative. Accessed August 5, 2024. https://www.earthdayinitiative.org/cleanenergy.
8. “Lessons Learned 20/20.” Earth Day Initiative. Accessed August 5, 2024. https://www.earthdayinitiative.org/lessons-learned-2020.
9. “LESSONS LEARNED: LEED V4.” Earth Day Initiative. Accessed August 5, 2024. https://www.earthdayinitiative.org/lessons-learned-leed-v4.
10. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (form 990). Earth Day New York Incorporated. 2022. Part I, Lines 9-12.
11. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (form 990). Earth Day New York Incorporated. 2022. Part I, Line 18.
12. “John Oppermann.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 5, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnoppermann/.