Earth Day is a holiday that is celebrated on April 22nd every year. It began in the United States as a demonstration in 1970 that was created as a response to the growing concern of the public about environmental issues. In 2009, The United Nations Organization announced the date as the official holiday of the planet – International Mother Earth Day. This year, let's look back at some of the stamps that were issued around the world to celebrate the holiday: 

Bosnia and Herzegovina 

This stamp was issued on April 15, 2002 and features a simple design, created by Ivan Lackovic Croata and Orhan Alic, of trees pointing to the sun. For more information about the stamp and to purchase it, click here.

On 2006, Bosnia and Herzegovina issued another stamp to celebrate Earth Day. This time, the design focuses more on our planet as seen from space, with an image of a sunflower above it, highlighting the need to protect our world. The stamp, in single or sheet format, as well as an FDC, can be purchased here.

Croatia

This stamp was issued in 1994 by Croatia and is one of the first stamps celebrating Earth Day. Unlike all of the other stamps that are featured here, the design does not include an image of the planet, but rather features a painting of a wolf (Canis Lupus L.) The stamp and FDC can be purchased here. 

China

This stamp was issued in 2005 to celebrate the 36th "World Earth Day", the theme being "Protecting the Earth and Development of Science and Building Harmony". The design, created by Chen Shaohua, emphasizes the efforts that countries from all around the world have put in to protect our planet. Click here to purchase the stamp and learn more about other Chinese stamps. 

Morocco

This stamp was issued April 22, 2010, to celebrate Earth Day. The design emphasizes conservation of water by showing an image of a field with a tree reflecting in a water drop.

Pakistan

Another one of the earlier Earth Day stamps issued in 1995, this was also one of many stamps that incorporated the image of the planet into its design, but also included other elements of the environment and nature including forests, mountains, the desert and the sea.

Poland

This stamp issued on Earth Day in 2007 has a unique design emphasizing recycling. Because of this , the stamp actually won the Asiago award for philatelic art, and was not the only Polish stamp to have this achievement. 

Romania

This stamp, issued in 2013 by Romfilatelia, has a simple design of a flower and an image of a sphere, meant to represent the planet. In Romania, one of the most important campaigns that was taking place that year, dedicated to the Earth Day, was the street national campaign organized by the pupils of the secondary schools under the motto “Benefits of using the green technologies”. For additional information and purchasing the stamp, click here.

United States

This is one of the first stamp sets issued to celebrate Earth Day, issued April 20, 1995. Each one of these four stamps is an entry from over 150,000 drawings submitted during a contest the previous year. The drawings selected were:

• Clean the Earth: Christy Millard of Lakewood, Colorado,
• Clean the beach: Melody Kiper of Shreveport, Lousiana
• Plant a tree: Brian Hailes of Millville, Utah, and
• Use solar energy: Jennifer Michalove of Stonington, Connecticut

This Earth Day stamp was the eighth of fifteen stamps featured in the Celebrate the Century Series. These stamps were issued at the turn of the century on November 18, 1999 in New York to celebrate the greatest achievements and highlights of the last 100 years.  

In celebration of Earth Day 2014, the U.S. Postal Service issued an Earth Day 2014 Forever Stamp depicting Earth temperatures generated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).“This beautiful stamp serves as an iconic image for this year’s Earth Day celebration,” said Joshua Colin, vice president, Area Operations, U.S. Postal Service. “It symbolizes the important role of science in understanding the Earth and our climate.”

Lastly, The U.S. Postal Service honored the 50th anniversary of Earth Day by putting its own stamp on raising awareness of our environment and the communities in which we live and serve. The 2020 Earth Day Forever stamp marks five decades of Americans (as well as the rest of the world) coming together to celebrate the importance of protecting the environment. 

Even the Vatican has issued a minisheet of stamps celebrating this holiday. We hope that these stamps inspire you to think more about our planet!