People of all ages around the globe are participating in projects or events to mark Earth Day, a 43nd annual environmental awareness observation taking place Monday. This year's theme -- The Face of Climate Change -- is intended to personalize the challenge of dealing with climate change. A group called Earth Day Network collected images of people, animals and places affected by climate change, as well as photos of people doing their part in the fight against climate change. An interactive digital display of the pictures is be shown at thousands of events around the world Monday.

Activities are being held Monday at schools, museums, zoos, botanical gardens and other sites. On the National Mall in Washington, D.C., an eight-hour program features interactive exhibits, renewable energy demonstrations, musical performances and prominent speakers.

Earth Day began in 1970 with college campus "teach-ins" (mass discussions) focusing on air, water and land pollution. The movement helped raise concern about littering, pesticides, herbicides, wasteful packaging, emissions from vehicles and factories, and other risks to the earth and everything or everyone living on it. Changes in government policies and how we live have brought improvements such as the Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act and many other groundbreaking actions. Still, climate changes and other issues keep the environmental protection crusade continuing.

Earth Day Network says: "Climate change can seem like a remote problem for many, but the fact is that it's already impacting real people, animals, and beloved places all over the world." – Blog post at earthday.org

Editorial says: " Just like the clock in our bedroom that goes off in the morning to wake us for a new day, Earth Day is the alarm going off to remind us of a new future. . . . It is a wake-up call for everyone." – Cherokee Chronicle Times in Cherokee, Iowa

Environmentalist says: "I encourage everyone to take a moment to reflect on their individual impact on the air, land and water resources. . . . Are we doing everything we can as individuals, as communities and as a region to pass along a strong environmental legacy to our children and grandchildren?" -- David Eustis, president of HeartLands Conservancy in Mascoutah, Ill.