Earth Day 2021

This year’s annual Earth Day Doodle highlights how everyone can plant the seed to a brighter future—one sapling at a time! 

The planet we call home continues to nurture life and inspire wonder. Our environment works hard to sustain us, which calls for us to return the favor. Today’s video Doodle shows a variety of trees being planted within natural habitats, one of the many ways we can do our part to keep our Earth healthy for future generations.

This Earth Day—and everyday—we encourage everyone to find one small act they can do to restore our Earth. It’s bound to take root and blossom into something beautiful.

Happy Earth Day 2021!

Earth Day is a reminder that everyone can contribute to a better planet. See how others are doing their part to restore trees, oceans, and wildlife—with a little help from Google.

Doodler Q&A with Sophie Diao

Q: Why is Earth Day meaningful to you personally?

A: Earth Day is special every year, but this year in particular I’ve grown to appreciate the grounding influence of trees. A big part of each day for me is looking out my window and admiring the variety of species – bronze loquat, bougainvillea, jacaranda, sweet michelia, wisteria, and more— that make up the urban forest of the street I live on. As each year passes, I’ve looked forward to seeing them bloom, leaf out, and grow a little bit taller. 

On the flip side, every year we experience catastrophic climate events that remind us what happens when we neglect to care for the planet. Earth Day is a chance for all of us to take a step back from our day-to-day lives and look at the bigger picture, to take a deep breath and remember that we’re a part of nature.

Q: What was it like to create this Doodle? Tell us more about your creative process.

A: I knew I wanted to create a narrative about the importance of trees, so I started by researching everything I could about reforestation techniques and best practices. I was inspired by the stories of people who had planted trees when they were very young and cared for them throughout their lives, and people—sometimes as a community, other times working individually—who made it a goal to reforest a place, whether it be one the densest cities in the world or an arid desert that used to be lush and green.

Once I had the seed of the idea of animating a little girl growing old with a tree, the rest of the Doodle story fell into place very naturally. One person can pass a sapling to someone else, and trees can sustain through many generations of human lives. Even if each person just plants one tree, if you share it with enough people, eventually you can create an entire forest.

Q: What message do you hope people take away from your artwork?

A: That your contribution can make a big difference. We have the power to grow a better future if we work together.

Early sketches and drafts of the Doodle

Earth Day 2021 Team

ART

Doodle Artist: Sophie Diao

Additional Tree Animation: Helene Leroux, Ben Tobias

PRODUCTION

Music Composition: Gabriel Tiburcio

Marketing & Partnerships: Perla Campos, Sierra Menzies

Business Affairs & Partnerships: Madeline Belliveau

Program Manager: Lindsay Elgin

Team Leads: Jessica Yu, Brain Kaas