Exploring Fun Facts About Earth Day

Earth Day was first celebrated on April 22, 1970.

The purpose of Earth Day is to raise awareness and promote environmental protection.

Earth Day is now recognized in over 190 countries.

More than 1 billion people participate in Earth Day activities each year.

The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest living structure and can be seen from outer space.

Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to power a TV for three hours.

The Amazon rainforest produces 20% of the world’s oxygen.

The average American uses about 500 plastic bags per year.

Over 80% of the world’s forests have been destroyed or degraded.

Every ton of recycled paper saves 17 trees.

The largest landfill in the United States, Fresh Kills Landfill, covers an area larger than the Statue of Liberty.

The amount of paper thrown away in the United States each year is enough to build a 12-foot wall from New York to California.

The average American throws away about 4.4 pounds of trash per day.

An estimated 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic are currently floating in the world’s oceans.

It takes 500 years for plastic to decompose in a landfill.

By turning off your computer at night, you can save enough energy to light a 60-watt bulb for 14 hours.

The world’s largest solar power plant is located in the Mojave Desert in California.

Plastic takes up to 1,000 years to break down in the environment.

Exploring Fun Facts About Earth Day part 2

The smallest country in the world, Vatican City, has the highest recycling rate.

The world’s tallest tree, Hyperion, is over 379 feet tall, equivalent to a 37-story building.

The ozone layer is responsible for protecting us from harmful ultraviolet radiation.

Earth is the only planet in our solar system known to support life.

The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest ocean on Earth.

Earth’s atmosphere is composed of approximately 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a floating landfill twice the size of Texas.

Rainforests are home to more than 50% of the world’s plant and animal species.

The annual migration of monarch butterflies spans over 3,000 miles.

Cows produce over 150 billion gallons of methane gas each day, a major contributor to global warming.

The Earth is approximately 4.5 billion years old.

Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth, with temperatures dropping below -100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Plastic bottles take 450 years to decompose in the environment.

The Earth’s population is currently over 7.9 billion and growing rapidly.

The Dead Sea is actually a salt lake and is the lowest point on Earth’s surface.

It takes about 2,700 liters of water to produce one cotton t-shirt.

The Great Wall of China is visible from space, but myths of it being the only man-made object visible are false.

The Earth’s magnetic field is generated by the liquid iron in its outer core.

The average American spends nearly 90% of their time indoors.

Deforestation contributes to approximately 15% of global carbon emissions.

Earth’s rotation is gradually slowing down due to tidal forces from the Moon.

The world’s largest living organism is a fungus in Oregon that spans over 2,200 acres.

The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, are caused by solar winds interacting with Earth’s magnetic field.

Earthquakes can be caused by the movement of tectonic plates beneath the Earth’s surface.

The Sahara Desert is the largest hot desert in the world, covering an area larger than the United States.

About 97% of Earth’s water is saltwater, found in the oceans.

Humans have produced over 9 billion tons of plastic since the 1950s.