Earth Day Turns 55: USAgain Doubles Down on Environmental Impact

Tue April 22, 2025

The year 2025 marks a major milestone: Earth Day turned 55 on April 22nd. What began as a grassroots environmental movement in 1970 has evolved into the largest civic observance in the world—mobilizing over a billion people each year in defense of our planet. And at the heart of that movement, USAgain continues to champion bold solutions for sustainability through clothing reuse, tree planting, and community engagement.

A Legacy of Action, A Future of Hope

Earth Day in 1970 brought together 20 million Americans calling for clean air, water, and a healthy environment. Today, the threats we face—rising global temperatures, disappearing biodiversity, plastic pollution—require a global response and long-term commitment. USAgain has stepped up to meet that challenge with scalable programs that empower individuals, schools, and businesses to take tangible steps toward climate resilience.

Creating Impact: Bin by Bin, Tree by Tree

USAgain’s TreeMachine and Clothing Drop Spot programs have diverted millions of pounds of textiles from landfills while planting trees to offset carbon emissions. Over 1.7 million trees have been planted globally through a partnership with Trees for the Future. In 2025, the goal is even more ambitious: planting an additional 150,000 trees by year’s end—one for every full bin collected across the country.

Empowering Schools and Communities

Each year, USAgain hosts its Earth Month Challenge—a nationwide contest that runs from March 15th to April 15th, engaging schools in a friendly competition to collect the most pounds of clothing and shoes in their on-campus TreeMachine bins. The goal? Encourage environmental responsibility and textile reuse while fostering school spirit and a sense of collective impact.

Participating schools not only reduce textile waste and promote sustainable habits among students and families—they also compete for cash prizes. The winning schools are announced just in time for Earth Day, making the celebration even more meaningful.

Keeping the Momentum Going

Here’s some suggestions on how you can continue Earth Day efforts 365 days a year:

• Drop off your used clothing and shoes at a USAgain bin—every full bin helps plant a tree.
• Partner with us at your school, business, place of worship, or shopping center to host a collection bin.
• Support your community by volunteering at local garden builds or cleanup events.
• Spread the word about the environmental cost of fast fashion and the impact of reusing what we already have.

Every action adds up. Together, we can create lasting change far beyond Earth Day.

PEOPLE and PLANET First—The Mission

At USAgain, our mission is to be a global leader in the secondhand clothing industry, creating value for PEOPLE and PLANET—a vision that perfectly aligns with the spirit of Earth Day.

By making sustainable fashion accessible, reducing textile waste, and supporting a circular economy, we help communities take real climate action—one item of clothing at a time.

As cities and schools adopt more sustainability goals, our TreeMachines and Clothing Drop Spots provide an easy, effective way to keep good clothing in use and out of landfills. On Earth Day and every day, we’re proud to support a cleaner planet, stronger communities, and a more conscious future—EVERYDAY.