The Earth, at left, as seen from Apollo 17 on Wednesday. NASA via AFP/Getty Images …  Actor Matthew Modine touched the "Earth Ball" atop Times Square in New York Wednesday. The famous ball has been refitted with energy-efficient lights in anticipation of the 40th anniversary of the holiday in 2010. Chris Hondros/Getty Images …  Philippine environmental activists held an Earth Day protest in Manila Wednesday, calling for measures to address climate change. Jay Directo/AFP/Getty Images …  A child walked by sculptures of "Trash People" in Sicily. A G8 Environment meeting there Wednesday included for the first time nine developing economies. Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images …  Women walked by "The Awakening," another statue exhibited in Sicily for the G8 meeting. Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images …  To mark Earth Day, Jones Soda employees rode bicycles to power computers at the company's headquarters in Seattle Wednesday. The company reduced its electrical consumption for the day so the bikes attached to generators powered its operations. Ted S. Warren/Associated Press …  In financially struggling Newton, Iowa, President Barack Obama toured Trinity Structural Towers wind energy plant. He said protecting the nation's natural resources "not only fulfills a sacred obligation to our children and grandchildren, but also provides an opportunity to stimulate economic growth.'' Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images …  U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, left, and Sen. Richard Durbin, center, a Democrat from Illinois, took part in a tree-planting Earth Day event in Washington, D.C. Win McNamee/Getty Images …  Chrysler, General Motors, and Ford showed off some of their green vehicles on the White House grounds. Ron Edmonds/Associated Press …  Recycled paper waited to be shipped out of Hong Kong. Mike Clarke/AFP/Getty Images …  Kashmiri school children carried placards during a rally commemorating Earth Day in the outskirts of Srinagar, India. Dar Yasin/Associated Press …  A worker planted a mangrove tree at a conservation garden in Jakarta. Dadang Tri/Reuters …  Indonesian fishermen protested in front of the Japanese embassy in Jakarta Wednesday. Dozens of fishermen criticized the governments of developed countries for policies which they say have negative effects on the environment. Adek Berry/AFP/Getty Images …  Indonesian fishermen protested in Jackarta. Adek Berry/AFP/Getty Images …  Students held balloons with seeds inside that will be released when the balloons burst at a ceremony called "Rain of seeds," in Lima, Peru. Pilar Olivares/Reuters …  A dancer performed around an installation made of plastic bottles in the Philippines. Bullit Marquez/Associated Press …  In Manila, Philippines, students jumped to get recycled plastic cups in the shape of a tree. Romeo Ranoco/Reuters …  On the streets of Pristina, Kosovo, people dressed up in trash costumes. Armend Nimani/AFP/Getty Images …  A boy collected recyclables for sale along the polluted Pasig River in Manila. John Javellana/Philippines Society Environment via Reuters …  Celebrating Earth Day Around the World - Photos
Around the world, people celebrated the 39th anniversary of Earth Day Wednesday, with protests in the Philippines, tree-planting in Jakarta and trash sculptures in Italy.