Earth Day 2008
The first Earth Day was celebrated by nearly 20 million people on April 22, 1970. Although initially designed as an environmental recognition day, it has since evolved into a world-wide campaign to protect our environment!
Did you Know...?
In the Arctic, the science points to a 20 percent loss of sea ice --essential habitat for polar bears and their prey--in the last 30 years, and models predict a potential summer ice free Arctic by 2040.
Almost half of our planet's original forests have disappeared . These forests are amazing storehouses of biological diversity, housing over two-thirds of all known terrestrial species. Only about 10 percent of what remains are protected in areas like national parks.
In the last 40 years, one third of America's topsoil has washed off the land , ending up in waterways where it can cloud freshwater streams and smother coral reefs.
**Information courtesy of the World Wildlife Fund
What Can You Do to Make A Difference?