Love to your mother: Earth Day facts and figures
Mon, Apr 06 2009 at 12:54 PM EST
Read more: EARTH DAY
Illustration: Julia Hoffman 
Earth Day was first celebrated on April 22, 1970, and has been growing strong ever since. Here's a look back at our Earth Day roots, with updates of the latest numbers.
20 million: Number of people who celebrated the first Earth Day
200 million: Number of people who celebrated Earth Day in 1990
500 million: Number of people who celebrated Earth Day in 2000
175: Number of countries worldwide that celebrate a designated Earth Day
3.7 billion: World population in 1970
6.7 billion: World population in 2009
65.2 million: Number of Google hits for "Earth Day"
146 million: Number of Google hits for "Green Day"
111.2 million: Number of vehicles on the road in the United States in 1970
238.3 million: Number of vehicles on the road in the United States in 2009
20: Number of cars needed to emit the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions as one pre-1970 model
57.2°: Average global temperature from 1970-1979 (in degrees Fahrenheit)
58.3°: Average global temperature from 2000-2008 (in degrees Fahrenheit)
220,000: Tons of U.S. lead emissions in 1970
4,000: Tons of U.S. lead emissions in 2008
75: Percent increase in greenhouse gas emissions from 1970 to 2004
100 million: Number of plastic bags thrown away annually in the United States
0: Number of plastic bags available at Whole Foods as of Earth Day 2008
150 million: Estimated number of plastic bags that have been kept out of landfills since Earth Day 2008
This article originally appeared in Plenty in April 2008.
Copyright Environ Press 2008
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Comments(2)
Posted By Dianne Tuck - Wed, Apr 22 2009 at 9:13 AM ESTMother Earth..you gotta love her!
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GO EARTH DAY!!!!!!!!
GO EARTH DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!