Earth Day is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in held on April 22, 1970. Earth Day is celebrated in spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Many communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on environmental issues.

The first Earth Week originated in Philadelphia in 1970 (starting April 16 and culminating on Earth Day, April 22.) Earth Day Network, a group that wishes to become the coordinator of Earth Day globally, asserts that Earth Day is now observed on April 22 on virtually every country on Earth. World Environment Day, celebrated on June 5 in a different nation every year, is the principal United Nations environmental observance.

1) Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 every year, and is a chance to appreciate the environment – and encourage us to help save it.

2) The 2010 Earth Day will be the 40th anniversary of the event.

3) It was founded in the US by Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970, who expressed concern that the environment was not on the political agenda.

4) More than 20 million demonstrators took part in the first event to raise awareness about the world’s environmental problems. Senator Nelson said that it "organised itself".

5) Today the event is celebrated by 500 million people around the world, keen to enjoy the festivities and get involved in any way they can.

6) It doesn’t take much to help. Every aluminium drink can you recycle saves enough energy to keep your TV running for three hours. 

7) Some people celebrate for more than just one day. Earth Week runs from April 16 in certain American cities, building up to Earth Day itself.

8) LA-based power pop band Dramarama released a song about Earth Day in the early 1990s, called What Are We Gonna Do?

9) President Obama has called for all of America to help improve the environment in 2010 – and send their individual Earth Day stories to the White House.

10) The Equinox Earth Day is a similar celebration usually held around March 20 – with bells tolling to welcome the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere, and the first day of autumn in the southern hemisphere.
(GoodPressNews.com/Mirror.co.uk/Wiki)