Are you ready to learn about a super special day called Earth Day? Earth Day is like a big birthday party for our planet, where people all around the world come together to celebrate the Earth and learn how to take better care of it. So, let’s get our green hats on and discover some amazing facts about Earth Day!
Did you know that the very first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970? That’s over 50 years ago! A smart and caring man named Senator Gaylord Nelson came up with the idea. He wanted everyone to learn more about the Earth and how important it is to keep it healthy and clean. It was like a giant wake-up call for people to start looking after our beautiful planet.
Earth Day is super important because it teaches us about things like recycling, planting trees, saving water, and protecting animals. It’s a day when we can all do something good for the Earth, like picking up trash or turning off lights to save energy. Imagine if everyone did one kind of thing for the planet; how happy the Earth would be!
And guess what? Did you know that Earth Day has a theme every year? The theme helps us focus on one special way we can help the Earth. Past themes have been about protecting endangered species, cleaning up plastic pollution, and creating more green cities. It’s like having a mission to complete, and everyone can be a hero for our planet.
Are you excited to celebrate Earth Day and help take care of our Earth? There are so many cool and interesting things to learn and do. Let’s make every day Earth Day by being kind to our planet and everything living on it. Ready to be an Earth hero? Let’s go and dive in more with these facts about Earth Day!
For more fun facts, check out our facts about Bees and the Earth!
Facts About Earth Day
- On Earth Day 2016, the United Nations opened the Paris Agreement on climate change to signatures.
- Senator Gaylord Nelson was also inspired to create Earth Day in 1969 after witnessing the Vietnam anti-war teach-ins on college campuses in the US.
- Earth Day 1990 had a massive impact on global recycling efforts and helped pave the way for the United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
- Environmental advocate John McConnell created a flag to represent the whole Earth in 1968.
- Earth Day was created after an oil spill in 1969.
- Earth Day takes place in more than 192 countries.
- On Earth Day 2012, over 100,000 people in China rode their bikes instead of using cars to reduce their CO2 emissions
- Millions of trees have been planted for Earth Day.
- Other names for the awareness day were suggested, like Ecology Day, Environment Day, and E Day.
- Leonardo DiCaprio served as Chair of Earth Day 2000 at the age of 26.On Earth Day in 2011, people planted 28 million trees in Afghanistan as part of a “Plant Trees Not Bombs” campaign.
- 10% of the U.S. population celebrated the first Earth Day.
- Earth Day has a new theme every year.
- A remarkable 95 percent of primary and secondary schools in the U.S. observe Earth Day each year!
- Earth Day is sometimes called ‘International Mother Earth Day’
- The first US President to ever celebrate Earth Day was Richard Nixon in 1971.
- Since 2010, EarthDay.org has focused on reforestation in the areas that need it most by planting hundreds of millions of trees in 32 countries.
- Earth Day is held every year on April 22nd, the same date as the original Earth Day.
- Earth Day Led to the Creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
- Julian Koenig, an advertising writer, was the one who came up with the name Earth Day.
- Humans today use about 50 percent more natural resources than we did 30 years ago, according to a report from Friends of the Earth.
- The theme for Earth Day 2024 is Planet vs. Plastics.
- U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson created Earth Day after a massive leak spilled millions of gallons of oil off the coast of California in 1969.
- Earth Day happens annually, but every year is focused on a different theme.
- Earth Day also led to the passage of national legislation like the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Education Act, and more.
- Over 1,500 universities participated in the first Earth Day through teach-ins, rallies, and forums.
- Nelson’s demonstration was set for April 22, 1970. It purposefully fell between spring break and final exams, hoping that college students would participate.
- Since 2020, Sonoma, California, holds an annual photography contest for Earth Day, encouraging people to take photos of certain spots around the city.
- Although Earth Day started in the US, it has become a global event with over a billion participants yearly.
Do you have even more interesting facts about Earth Day? Share them with us in the comments!
Michele is a mom of 5 with her degree in marriage and family studies. She believes that one of the best ways you can spend time with your family is doing fun things together.