Climate Action
The Green Seal: Five Postage Stamps That Stood Up for the Earth
July 1, 2025
Today is National Stamp Day in the United States, a quirky holiday that invites us to reflect on the significance of a tiny but vital part of our lives that we often take for granted: postage stamps! They don’t just send our mail; they also send powerful messages.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) has issued several stamps that celebrate the planet over the years, all aimed at spreading awareness and encouraging each of us to actively participate in protecting the natural world. In honor of this day, let’s look at the five of the most creative and meaningful stamps that advocate for the Earth.
Go Green Forever, 2011: A Call to Action
While saving our planet can often feel like an impossibly large task, the Go Green Forever stamp series, issued on April 14, 2011, reminds us that we can make a difference by focusing on the little things. Designed by artist Eli Noyes, a San Francisco-based animator, filmmaker, and illustrator, along with his daughter Derry Noyes, an art director, these stamps highlight the more personal experience of going green. They illustrate fifteen simple actions that we can all take to be more environmentally conscious, such as recycling, composting, and using public transportation.
This series took advantage of the fact that stamps are a commonly-encountered aspect of daily life, and therefore a very effective vehicle for sending important messages and encouraging the public. They’re also designed to be approachable; the art style is clean, bright, and friendly, appealing to a broad audience. What’s more, the people featured in the illustrations are of all ages, races, and genders, reminding us that helping the environment is for everyone.
Save Vanishing Species, 2011: Small Stamp, Big Difference
Another stamp series that puts action front and center is the Save Vanishing Species series, issued on September 20, 2011. The stamp features an illustration of an Amur tiger cub, and was created by artist Nancy Stahl and art director, designer, and typographer Derry Noyes. But beyond its aesthetic beauty, it carries another purpose.
This was the fourth “semipostal” stamp released by the USPS, a special kind of stamp that is priced slightly higher than stamps typically cost, with that extra money going directly to fund a cause. In this case, that cause is the survival of endangered animals, and every sheet sold helps protect African and Asian elephants, great apes, rhinos, tigers, and marin turtles. It’s postage with a twist, turning the everyday act of mailing a letter into a meaningful move towards supporting the conservation of endangered species and their habitats.
Protect Pollinators, 2017: Celebrating Nature’s Tiny Heroes
In 2017, the USPS issued the Protect Pollinators series, a set of twenty stamps featuring photos of the two most important pollinators in North America, the monarch butterfly and the western honeybee, hard at work among various plants native to the continent. Taken by a collection of photographers, it was an incredibly popular collection that struck a nerve. By releasing these stamps, the USPS brought attention to these beautiful, underappreciated creatures, highlighting their vital role in keeping our ecosystems alive.
Bees, butterflies and other pollinators sustain our ecosystem and are a vital natural resource. They are being threatened and we must protect them.
U.S. Postal Service Judicial Officer Gary Shpiro
Pollinators provide humans with a whopping one-third of our food supply, especially nutrient-rich produce. They keep so many different plants alive, but in the face of shrinking habitats and growing environmental stress, they are in danger. These stamps are both a celebration and a warning sign, reminding us that pollinators need our help to survive this changing world.
Earth Day Forever, 2020: An Enduring Promise
Issued on April 18, 2020, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the Earth Day Forever stamp was created by Antonio Alcalá, an art director at USPS, and Rick Altizer, a typographer. The design features a vibrant illustration of planet Earth, encircled by glowing green streaks, like an aura of vitality and hope. Alcalá worked with gouache on watercolor paper to create an aesthetic that radiates optimism and reflects a vision of a thriving, sustainable future. Yet the most powerful message is embedded in the stamp’s label: Forever.
The word “Forever” on a stamp typically indicates that it will always be valid for mailing a First-Class letter, regardless of future postage rate changes. But in the case of this stamp, the word carries a more resonant meaning. “Forever,” in this context, becomes more than just a postal term; it is a pledge, a commitment to honor the Earth every year, and more important, every single day. It’s a reminder that caring for the environment isn’t a one-time action but a lasting responsibility, a call to live with awareness, purpose, and care for the planet that sustains us.
National Marine Sanctuaries, 2022: A Love Letter to the Sea
The National Marine Sanctuaries stamp series is a vibrant showcase that takes us on a deep dive into the beauty of the world beneath the waves. Released on August 5, 2022, this stamp sheet features sixteen vivid snapshots of marine life, captured by several different photographers and curated by art director Greg Breeding. The result is a celebration of the amazing biodiversity that thrives in the areas protected by the National Marine Sanctuary System.
This system currently comprises eighteen underwater parks, spanning over 629,000 square miles of water. That’s an area larger than Alaska, and all of it is dedicated to the protection of marine life! The goal of the Sanctuary System is not only to preserve these precious ecosystems and their histories but also to invite visitors to explore these sanctuaries while still treating them with care and respect. This series is a great reminder that despite the challenges our oceans are facing, their ecosystems are one of the most remarkable marvels of the world, and they’re worth protecting and appreciating.
Addressing the Impact of Environmental Stamps
We can learn so much from something as simple as postage stamps, important messages contained within tiny sticky squares. They’re a reminder that despite the enormity of the planet and the issues we are facing, each of us can still make an impact.
If reading about these stamps has inspired you to take action – which we hope it has! – consider registering for the Great Global Cleanup, which aims to rid the world of waste and plastic pollution. You could also support our work by joining our mailing list, or help us plant trees with our Canopy Project. But whatever you do – don’t give up! Planet Earth needs every single one of us!
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