As it does every year, Apple is celebrating Earth Day with a number of financial and educational initiatives designed to shine a light on environmental issues.
Apple is placing an emphasis on education for Earth Day 2021. The company is, through its various platforms, offering new environmentally-minded content it hopes will serve as a catalyst for change and inform users about climate issues and other key matters.
"As government and business leaders gather to fight climate change and build a better future for our planet, we're reminded that each of us -- in communities around the world -- is a part of this work," said Lisa Jackson, Apple's vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives. "The resources and community initiatives we're sharing today are all about amplifying voices too often unheard, and giving people the tools to learn, engage, and be part of the solution."
Like past years, Apple Watch users can earn a special Earth Day Award and stickers to be used in Messages by completing a 30-minute workout on April 22. Apple notes that the Guides feature in Maps has been updated with new curated content from the National Park Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Red Tricycle, Culture Trip, FATMAP, and Lonely Planet.
A third installment of Apple's "Challenge for Change" learning series sees the company partner with social justice advocate Dolores Huerta on "Create a Better World Through Environmental Justice." Similar to past "Challenge for Change" activities, the program features a video challenge and companion workbook that encourages students, teachers and parents to engage in conversation about key topics. Today's release concentrates on creating sustainable environments in local neighborhoods and investigating ways to address inequities in the community.
The Apple TV app and Apple Books feature special Earth Day collections, while Apple Podcasts has been updated with an "Earth Won't Wait" collection of content. Apple Music customers can enjoy "earth-inspired music" on the "Sounds of Nature" and new "Mixtape for Mother Earth" playlists, while a "Restore Our Earth Through Music" space features a "peaceful soundscape of the seven continents" with exclusive motion covers.
The App Store is featuring Earth Day-related apps focused on sustainable shopping, food waste reduction, and helping children get involved in consumer awareness. Finally, Apple Arcade highlights "Alba: A Wildlife Adventure," a game that tells the tale of a young girl determined to save her island and its wildlife. Each download will see Apple partner Ecologi plant one tree as part of a reforestation project in Madagascar.
Apple also references ongoing educational outreach efforts that include a focus on Black and Brown communities, girls and young women, and youth activists. Through its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, Apple continues to work with historically Black colleges and universities and recently collaborated with Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas, on a new environmental justice degree program.
The tech giant in March partnered with the Redford Center on the organization's second annual Stories Challenge, a program that urges youth filmmakers to share their take on environmentalism by producing a video with Clips. Winners of the challenge were announced today.