Annually we celebrate Earth Day- but how well are you familiar with it? This event was first marked over 50 years ago and has greatly impacted our lives in the United States and worldwide. 

We have arranged this list of mind-blowing and fun Earth Day facts for kids that you can share with your students. They’re quite good for trivia time too. 

Earth Day is a special day on which we celebrate our planet!

Annually we have the privilege to show love for our home and its service to humanity. 

Earth Day began in the USA.

After he experienced the outcome of an oil spill in California in 1969, Senator Gaylord Nelson proposed the idea of Earth Day. 

The first time Earth Day was celebrated was in 1970.

Close to 20 million Americans participated in the inaugural Earth Day on April 22, 1970, which was scheduled between spring break and final exams in the hope of allowing students to participate.  

Earth Day is always on April 22

The date never changes. It’s been fixed. 

Earth Day went global in 1990

Over 40 years after the inaugural Earth Day celebration, 141 countries have also recognized this amazing campaign.

Earth Day is also referred to as International Mother Earth Day

The United Nations 2009 would then give it a befitting name. 

Earth Day is about protecting the environment

It is a great chance to share information and seek ways to safeguard the environment.

Every year, Earth Day is celebrated by over a billion people!

It has gained so much awareness since its inception in 1970.

Earth Day helped create the EPA

The agency responsible for legalizing water, clean air, and endangered species is The Environmental Protection Agency. 

Most schools in America observe Earth Day

A good number (95%) of primary and secondary schools in the U.S. observe this event annually. 

Green Ribbon Schools are environmental leaders

The United States Department of Education set up the Green Ribbon Schools in 2011. This body recognizes schools that make conscious efforts to safeguard the environment and improve the standard of living among students and staff members. 

Millions of trees were planted for Earth Day

Since 2010, EathDay.org has paid rapt attention to reforestation in the areas where it is needed the most by planting hundreds of millions of trees in 32 Nations across the world. If you want to learn more about reforestation, watch this video.

In 2010, about 8 million metric tons of plastic entered the ocean 2010

That’s the weight of almost 90 aircraft carriers combined!

According to expert projections, this figure is expected to triple by 2040.

Discover in detail the potent plan that could turn. 

A single reusable bag can replace 600 plastic bags in its lifetime

A very simple way to protect natural resources and lessen plastic litter! 

Plastic in our oceans will exceed the number of fish by 2050

Should there be close to 3,500,000,000,000 fish in our oceans, think how much plastic could be dumped by 2050? See this video of kids tackling ocean plastic dumping. 

According to studies, 25-50% of the world’s coral reefs have been destroyed

Cruel fishing practices, pollution, gathering live coals for aquariums, a warming climate, and mining coral for building materials have destroyed these beautiful ecosystems. Discover

50% of the world’s tropical and temperate forests are now gone

Humans are causing havoc on tropical rainforests faster than other types of woodland. ReutersGraphics presents this story. 

33% of the world’s plant and animal species could be gone in 50 years

Many researchers have studied the recent destruction from climate change to measure the loss of plant and animal species by 2070. 

Clean, drinkable water is a limited resource

Humans can consume less than 1 percent of the water on earth.

Earth Day played an important role in the Clean Water Act

After two celebrations celebrating the first Earth Day, Congress passed the Clean Water Act. 

One human being creates almost five pounds of trash per day

Plummeting our dependence on plastics, recycling, or reusing plastics can prevent our waste from ending in landfills. 

Recycling helps save energy

A recycled glass bottle prevents enough energy to power a computer for 30 minutes; likewise, aluminum can save much power and run a 55-inch HDTV for long hours. 

We can recycle cardboard boxes at least seven times

Recycling cardboard is simple; ensure it’s clean, flattened, and dry. 

Recycling helps the planet and our economy

Recycling protects the earth, and it encourages the creation of new jobs. See more about recycling jobs in this video!