This year, an Earth Day event returned to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The event was April 18 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.  Earth Day Network partnered with the Global Poverty Project to host a large-scale concert celebrating the 45th anniversary of Earth Day. The event joined the climate movement with the campaign to end extreme poverty.

It was a free concert that headlined My Morning Jacket, No Doubt, Fall Out Boy, Mary J. Blige, and Usher, who performed on crutches. Special guests included Common, D’Banj, Fally Ipupa, VIXX, and Roy Kim. The event was hosted by Will.I.Am and Soledad O’Brien with participation by global policymakers, finance ministers, environment and development NGOs, industry executives and others.

The artists and speakers dedicated their time to educate and inspire fans to take immediate action to end extreme poverty and solve climate change.

“There were a lot of inspirational and motivational speakers talking in between the artists sets about the earth and the importance of preserving the planet,” junior Vikky Batra said.

Despite the speeches, the true purpose and message of the concert was lost in the piles of trash left behind by the attendees of the concert. There were also dozens of food trucks lining the streets selling food in non-biodegradable packaging, once again defying the actual goal/objective of the event.

Speeches were delivered by international figures such as United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim.

The initiative raised money to combat world hunger and environmental issues.

“It is important to understand that there are so many things connected with Earth Day,” senior Sabrina Nasir said. “Apart from environmental problems, there are also issues such as human rights and poverty that greatly impact the world we live in today. All of these aspects are intertwined and we need to be aware of them.”