"That's why we're coming together on the Mall and standing in solidarity with millions of people at thousands of Earth Day events around the world, " Rogers said in a statement on the Earth Day web site.

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And 40 years ago, when Gaylord conceived and celebrated the first Earth Day, the world looked pretty different.

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For over 20 years, the company has sponsored City Year, a type of urban Peace Corps, and for the past fourteen years they have sponsored Earth Day events all over the world.

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The environment has been "put on the backburner by world leaders, " according to Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network.

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