99+ Unbelievable Earth Day Facts That Everyone Must Know

Did you know that the Earth Day theme song was written by politically active Indian poet Abhay Kumar?

Earth Day is one of the best days to celebrate our planet and the environment. This special day engages more than one billion people around the world, and it has become a major event for the protection of our planet and environment.

In the decades which led up to the very first Earth Day, Americans were becoming concerned by the amount of environmental issues they were facing, especially the fact citizens were consuming toxic gases due to outputs from industrial sectors.

The tradition of Earth Day was initiated by a US senator in 1970, partly as a result of these concerns. On the initiative of Senator Gaylord Nelson, Earth Day was first celebrated on April 22, 1970. Senator Gaylord Nelson established Earth Day after witnessing a massive oil spill that led to gallons of critical oil resources being dumped on the coast of Santa Barbara.

Continue reading to find out more interesting and fun facts about Earth Day.

What is Earth Day?

Every April 22, people around the world celebrate Earth Days and this event holds a lot of importance throughout the world.

Earth Day marks the beginning of a global movement that had started in 1970 and, in the past 50 years, it has led to increased awareness about global warming, endangered species of plants and animals, and other kinds of issues the planet faces.

In 1969, Senator Gaylord Nelson wanted to educate college students about the dangers of water and air pollution, after the Santa Barbara oil spill, and how global warming can harm their world.

Senator Nelson was joined by Congressman Pete McCloskey and activist Denis Hayes, who co-ordinated teach-ins for college students around the country on April 22. They declared April 22 to be Earth Day, and their teach-ins resulted in 20 million people taking to the streets to protest against issues of global warming.

The first Earth Day was well received by the world. The reason why April 22 was selected as Earth Day was that the date lay between the spring break and final exams of students. The day was not supposed to distract students from their final exams, but they could have the time to stand up for their environment coming out of their spring break.

Why do we celebrate Earth Day?

The global mobilization on this date happens for a good cause; the Earth Day network connects people around the globe who want to stand up for their planet.

The impact which the first Earth Day had was incredible. The very first Earth Day resulted in the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, which still exists today, as well as the passing of critical environmental legislation, including many acts. Due to the first Earth Day's influence, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and other laws have been passed. The Clean Air and other laws have worked a lot towards improving the living conditions and the environment around us.

In recent years, Earth Day is all about teaching people about conservation, fighting climate change and global warming, and encouraging people to volunteer for the betterment of the planet on which they live. The Earth Day network educates people about the natural processes of the world, about the world’s ecosystems, and how much importance they hold.

Earth Day serves as a mindful reminder of our planet's fragility and the need to protect it. Young people of the planet need to lead this cause in order to protect their futures as well. It could be said that we may have still been building lead-guzzling vehicles and boosting industrial production via pollution, smoke, and waste if Senator Gaylord Nelson hadn't taken a stance in the '70s.

How We Celebrate Earth Day

Earth Day is celebrated by people around the world in multiple ways, and a lot can be contributed to this day just by doing the simplest things.

Planting Trees: Trees not only help to cool the planet, but they also help to clean the air and produce more oxygen, among other things. You can plant trees in the backyard of your home or in a nearby place. Planting trees is one of the best contributions you can make on Earth Day for the betterment of this planet and to save the environment, so why not form a group and plant trees together?

Grow your own food: Another alternative is to grow your own fruits and vegetables, which will improve your health while also reducing fossil-fuel emissions by eliminating the need to transport food to retailers.

Alternative Transportation Methods: Finding transportation choices that help you lessen your carbon footprint while getting you to your destination is one way to commemorate Earth Day. The fewer cars on the road, the less carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, as this gas contributes to global warming. One possibility is to ride your bike or simply go for a stroll. Carpool or ride public transit if you don't have a bike or don't know how to ride one. All of this contributes significantly to Earth Day.

Replacing Lightbulbs: Replace your lightbulbs with energy-saving light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs on Earth Day in order to move towards clean energy and to reduce the release of toxic substances from typical compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). LEDs outperform CFLs and can last up to 10 times as long as incandescent bulbs. LEDs are extremely energy-efficient because they produce light in a narrow-band wavelength. LEDs are more costly than CFLs and incandescent lightbulbs, but they have a 50,000-hour lifespan. Even a simple bulb change at your home means you can contribute to Earth Day.

Volunteering: One of the best ways to celebrate Earth Day is by volunteering with others who stand for the same cause of protecting the planet. There are a lot of organizations that host events on Earth Day, where people can come together and volunteer for work. It's also a great way to make new, like-minded friends!

Reusable Bags: Purchasing bags that are reusable instead of plastic bags is another thing to do on Earth Day, as well as throughout the year. According to statistics, Americans use 100 billion plastic bags every year, and the manufacture of these bags alone consumes around 12 million barrels of oil. These plastic bags take up a lot of space in landfills and they are a major threat to the environment around them, especially the biodiversity. On Earth Day, it would be better to invest in some extremely good reusable shopping bags to use at the supermarket. You will not only look good, but you will also be doing good for the environment.

Turning Off Lights: Electricity which is used in our homes is generated from the resources which are available in limited quantities provided by the planet we live on. Electricity is derived from fossil fuels, which contribute to climate change. However, renewable energy sources, such as wind, water, the sun, and even elephant dung, may be used to generate power. These help in environment conservation by protecting it from harmful gases. On Earth Day, you can try saving electrical energy by just consuming what you require or even switching off your home's electricity for a few minutes to mark the day. Always ensure lights are not left on and devices not left switched on.

Compost Bins: Compost bins are extremely useful to celebrate Earth Day as they help with the holistic management of organic waste, like vegetable and fruit scraps, lawn clippings, and used tea bags. Rather than throwing these waste products in the bin, placing them in a compost bin can help manage the waste in a meaningful way by generating an improvised fertilizer for the lawns. You can easily place a compost bin in your backyard and keep on generating compost for your garden for many years without much effort required. This is a small step towards ensuring clean air for the planet. If you live in an apartment, and don't have the space for a compost bin, small compost bins can be used in the home, on worktops, under tables, and on balconies.

Skipping Baths: Do you know that there are water shortages in many countries? People in these countries do not even have water for the purposes of drinking. Skipping showers on Earth Day is another way to celebrate the day. An average shower takes more than 70 L (2,367 fl oz) of water on a daily basis. A day of skipping your shower can save a lot of water, and you can always have a relaxing bath instead, if you prefer, or skip washing for a day.

Learning More About the Environment: Another way Earth Day can be celebrated is by getting to know more about the planet and about how it works. Earth Day is an excellent opportunity to commit to learning more about the environment and in what ways it can be protected from global warming and other kinds of issues that the planet faces. Reading articles to be informed about contemporary environmental challenges, such as pollution, water scarcity, and climate change is a great way to celebrate Earth Day.

Amazing Facts About Earth Day

Here are some amazing fun Earth Day facts that you might not know about:

On Earth Day's 20th anniversary in 1990, organizers of Earth Day felt it was time to expand Earth Day globally. Around 200 million individuals from 141 nations took part in the 20th Earth Day. That day had tremendous ramifications: it sparked large recycling activities and was responsible for preparing the groundwork for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit, in Rio de Janeiro. Earth Day pulls both young people and older populations together around the globe for a great cause.

By the 30th anniversary of Earth Day, the United Nations had also taken part in it. Earth Day was officially announced by the United Nations at the dawn of the 21st Century. The famous Paris Agreement was signed on the same date as Earth Day, which is April 22.

An interesting Earth Day fact is that, for each year’s Earth Day celebration, there is a particular theme for the whole event. In 2016, the theme for Earth Day was 'Trees For The Earth', and the goal was to plant more than 7.8 million trees in time for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Even a theme song was written for the event.

Another Earth Day fact is that there is another name for Earth Day. The day is also known as International Mother Earth Day in many different countries around the world. The International Mother Earth Day name was conceived in 2009.

In order to celebrate Earth Day, NASA collaborated with other agencies to plant a moon sycamore tree in the grounds of Washington DC, on Earth Day 2009.

When Earth Day was first constituted, more than 20 million individuals participated in the initiative as a sign of support to connect, follow, and promote the initiative. Various events took place, such as rallies, lectures, nature walks, fundraisers, among other things. These events were organized at schools, colleges, public parks, and town halls. Environment activists, politicians, journalists, social workers, celebrities, and sportspeople took the initiative and encouraged people to start thinking about nature. Speeches by Paul Newman and John Lindsay were attended by thousands of New Yorkers at Union Square. People of all ages and cultures participated in the occasion.

Equinox Day, which is also known as Equinox Earth Day, is celebrated around every March 20 to mark the first day of the spring.

On the first Earth Day, in 1970, kids in New York City worked together with sweepers to clean the streets.