Did You Know? --- All About Earth Day

• Every April 22nd we observe Earth Day.
• The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970 and was originated in the US.
• It was created to honor the planet's environment and to raise public awareness about pollution.
• Since then, other issues were included: the overuse of resources, oil spills, toxic dumping, chemical pesticide use, roadway creation, loss of wilderness and extinction of wildlife, among other concerns effecting the environment and the people and animals that live here on our planet.
• In 1990, Earth Day went global and 200 million people in 141 countries participated in the event.
• Every year on April 22, men, women, and children collect garbage, plant trees, clean up waterways, show movies, sign petitions, take hikes and participate in many other earth-friendly activities.
• On Earth Day 2012, more than 100,000 people rode bikes in China to reduce CO2 emissions and save fuel.
• In an Earth Day celebration in 2011, 28 million trees were planted in Afghanistan.
• One year in Panama, 100 endangered species of orchids were planted and maintained to prevent their extinction in honor of Earth Day.
• Food Recovery is the theme for Earth Day 2016, with a focus on reducing food loss and waste.

More facts:

• The average American produces more than four pounds of garbage per day. 
• Almost half of the food in the U.S. goes to waste. 
• It takes about 450 years for plastic beverage bottles to break down in a landfill. 
• The energy saved by recycling one plastic bottle can power a computer for 25 minutes. 
• It takes approximately 1 million years for a glass bottle to break down in a landfill. 
• The energy saved from recycling one glass bottle will operate a 100-watt light bulb for four hours. 
• Almost 97% of the world's water is salty or otherwise undrinkable. Another 2% is locked in ice caps and glaciers. Only 1% is usable for agriculture, manufacturing, and personal needs. 
• The average American uses about 100 gallons of water per day. 
• About 8 million metric tons of plastic goes into the ocean each year. 

Fun and helpful thing to do on Earth Day…

Make a peanut butter and seed bird feeder: Take a walk and gather up a couple of nice-sized pine cones. Back in the kitchen, mix peanut butter with a bit of oat bran in a bowl. (The oat bran helps to break up the sticky peanut butter and helps with digestion.) Spread birdseed on a tray or in a larger bowl. Wrap a piece of twine around and inside the pine cone. Using a blunt knife (butter or spreader), coat each pine cone with the PB mixture. Roll the sticky cone in the birdseed until it is evenly and complete covered. Repeat this process for each pine cone. Hang the completed cones in a tree outside your window.

Check out a regional bird identification book from the library (if you don’t already own one) and enjoy time watching, recognizing and learning about the birds in your own backyard.