11 Facts About Earth Day

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Updated: April 19, 2021

1. US Senator Gaylord Nelson founded Earth Day after witnessing a massive oil spill that leaked millions of gallons of oil off the coast of Santa Barbara in 1969.^[EarthDay.org. "The History of Earth Day." Web Accessed April 15, 2021. https://www.earthday.org/history/]
2. The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970. Sen. Nelson chose this day because it fell between most students’ spring break and final exams, and he wanted to encourage young people specifically to participate.^[EarthDay.org. "The History of Earth Day." Web Accessed April 15, 2021. https://www.earthday.org/history/]
3. The very first Earth Day sparked an environmental movement and led to the creation of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) later that year.^[National Ocean Service. "When Was the First Earth Day?." National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Web Accessed April 15, 2021. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/earth-day.html.]
4. Earth Day was also influential in passing environmental legislation like the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Education Act, and more.^[EarthDay.org. "The History of Earth Day." Web Accessed April 15, 2021. https://www.earthday.org/history/]
5. On the very first Earth Day, more than 2,000 colleges and universities, 10,000 public schools, and 20 million citizens participated -- which was about 10% of the US population at the time.^[National Ocean Service. "When Was the First Earth Day?." National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Web Accessed April 15, 2021. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/earth-day.html.]
6. Earth Day originated in the US but became recognized worldwide by 1990.^[EarthDay.org. "The History of Earth Day." Web Accessed April 15, 2021. https://www.earthday.org/history/]
7. In 2009, the UN designated April 22 as International Mother Earth Day.^[UN General Assembly. "Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 22 April 2009." United Nation. Web Accessed April 15, 2021. http://undocs.org/A/RES/63/278.]
8. It’s estimated that over a billion people participate in Earth Day every year, making it the largest secular observance in the world.^[EarthDay.org. "The History of Earth Day." Web Accessed April 15, 2021. https://www.earthday.org/history/]
9. Over 95% of primary and secondary schools in the US and millions of schools globally observe Earth Day each year.^[EarthDay.org. "Our Successes." Web Accessed April 15, 2021. https://www.earthday.org/our-successes/]
10. On Earth Day 2012, more than 100,000 people rode bikes in China to reduce CO2 emissions and save fuel.^[Conserve Energy Future. "What is Earth Day?" Web Accessed April 15, 2021. https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/earth-day-facts-and-significance.]
11. On Earth Day 2020, 20 million people worldwide tuned into the 12-hour Earth Day Live event, hosted remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic.^[EarthDay.org. "Our Successes." Web Accessed April 15, 2021. https://www.earthday.org/our-successes/]