Earth Day is celebrated on April 22nd in the U.S. Find out all about Earth Day with these Earth Day Facts, Activities, and Crafts for Kids!
The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22nd 1970. It was created by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson. He organized demonstrations to promote awareness about taking care of our planet, our environment and nature.
Interesting Fact!
The amount of trash Americans throw away each year could fill enough garbage trucks to stretch half way around the moon! Garbage sits in landfills polluting the earth. How can we help?
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
One way we can help is Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
Did you know that it can take 450 years for a plastic bottle to decompose in a landfill! Think about how many plastic bottles people throw away every day. That is a lot of bottles polluting the earth. Did you know that you can recycle those bottles, keeping them out of our landfills. To help the environment have a separate garbage can at home where you can store plastic bottles until they can be recycled. The garbage man picks up plastic bottles on different days of the week. Check with your local town to find out when the garbage man picks up plastic. You can also take some plastic bottles to the a grocery store’s recycling center. Often times you can trade in plastic bottles for money!]
You can also reuse some things we throw away. We can reuse plastic bags, you can also use old cleaned out cans to store objects or craft supplies. You can even reuse some garbage for crafts.
How else can I help?
Planting trees and flowers is a great way to help the earth. Trees and flowers take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the air. They also provide food for humans and food and homes for animals.
Another way we can help is by reducing what we use. You can reduce the amount of electricity you use at home by turning the lights off when you aren’t in a room. You can open curtains and windows to let in natural light.
You can also cut down on the amount of water you use. Always turn the water off while brushing you teeth. You can also take shorter showers to help the environment.
Holidays that celebrate the Environment
We celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd but every day should be Earth Day! Every Day is a great day to take care and appreciate the planet.
Here are some other special days to celebrate the planet:
Feb 2nd: World Wetlands Day
March 22nd: Un World Day for Water
April 22nd: Earth Day
Last Friday in April: Arbor Day
May 18th: Endangered Species Day
June 8th: World Ocean Day
Sept 16th: International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
First Monday in October: Un World Habitat Day
