Earth Day is celebrated on April 22nd in the United States. Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin first proposed Earth Day. He wanted to encourage respect for all life on Earth and to stress his concern about pollution of soil, air, and water.
The first Earth Day was celebrated in San Francisco, California on April 22, 1970 and 20 million people took part in helping to raise awareness about caring for the planet. Since its creation, Earth Day has helped to inspire the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts.
Check out these fun Earth Day facts!
-You can light one 100-watt bulb for four hours with the amount of electricity that is saved by recycling one glass bottle!
-Over 100 billion pieces of junk mail are delivered in the United States every year.
-Some office supply stores have begun selling office paper made entirely without trees.
-Tin pop cans are made of steel. Every year, Americans throw away enough steel to build all of the new cars in the United States.
-The Chinese made the first piece of recycled paper out of old, used fishing nets in 200 B.C.
Check out some books about Earth Day and ecology for kids!