On April 22, 1970, the world marked the first Earth Day. As we physically separate ourselves by necessity, we can still collectively appreciate the wondrous beauty of our planet. The 11 facts you want are below, and the sources for the facts are at the very bottom of the page.

  1. The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970.[1]
  2. Earth Day originated in the US but became recognized worldwide by 1990.[2]
  3. On Earth Day 2009, Disney released a documentary film called Earth that followed the migration paths of four animal families.[3]
  4. On the very first Earth Day, 20 million people gathered in the streets of America to protest the industrial revolution. An environmental movement was born as a result.[4]
  5. Every year on April 22, men, women, and children collect garbage, plant trees, clean up coral reefs, show movies, sign petitions, and plan for a better future for our planet.[5]
  6. Gaylord Nelson founded Earth Day while he was working as a US senator.[6]
  7. Earth Day was renamed officially by the UN in 2009 as International Mother Earth Day.[7]
  8. Some schools and communities celebrate Earth Day for a whole week to expand the time frame that people focus on the earth and how they can preserve it.[8]
  9. On Earth Day 2012, more than 100,000 people rode bikes in China to reduce CO2 emissions and save fuel.[9]
  10. In an Earth Day celebration in 2011, 28 million trees were planted in Afghanistan by the Earth Day Network.[10]
  11. In Panama, 100 endangered species of orchids were planted and maintained to prevent their extinction in honor of Earth Day.[11]
  1. Rogers, Kathleen. “Earth Day Lessons.” Earth Day Network, 2013. Web Accessed April 11, 2015. ↩︎
  2. History Channel. “Earth Day.” A&E Television Networks. Web Accessed April 11, 2015. ↩︎
  3. Disneynature. “EARTH.” Disney. Web Accessed April 11, 2015. ↩︎
  4. Rogers, Kathleen. “Earth Day Lessons.” Earth Day Network, 2013. Web Accessed April 11, 2015. ↩︎
  5. Rogers, Kathleen. “Earth Day Lessons.” Earth Day Network, 2013. Web Accessed April 11, 2015. ↩︎
  6. History Channel. “Earth Day.” A&E Television Networks. Web Accessed April 11, 2015. ↩︎
  7. Al Serkal, Mariam M. “UAE gears up for Earth Day.” Gulf News, 2014. Web Accessed April 11, 2015. ↩︎
  8. History Channel. “Earth Day.” A&E Television Networks. Web Accessed April 11, 2015. ↩︎
  9. Conserve Energy Future. “What is Earth Day?” Web Accessed April 11, 2015. ↩︎
  10. Earth Day Network. “Campaign Highlights | A Billion Acts of Green.” Web Accessed April 11, 2015. ↩︎
  11. Earth Day Network. “Campaign Highlights | A Billion Acts of Green.” Web Accessed April 11, 2015. ↩︎

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