What is Earth Day? | Everything You Need to Know About Earth Day for Kids

[0:00]What is Earth Day? Earth Day is an event which takes place every year on the 22nd of April. 1970 was the first year Earth Day was held. Earth Day was started to encourage people around the world to think and learn about what we can do to look after our planet. While there has always been a natural change to the Earth's climate, human activity is causing the temperature to rise to a dangerous and unsuitable level. This is called climate change. This means that ecosystems and species can not continue to thrive. Earth Day encourages us to look after our planet and remind us that we need to make changes to our lifestyles if we want to protect our planet and our future. Let's take a look at just some of the many things that we can do every day to help look after our planet. Picking up litter helps to protect the environment. It is important to pick up litter so it doesn't harm plants and animals and does not get washed or blown into the rivers and seas. Planting trees, plants and flowers. These provide food and homes for animals. They also help to create clean air for us to breathe. Recycling. Plastic, paper and glass are some of the many materials that can be recycled. There are more materials than ever that can be recycled now, so always make sure to check if you can recycle it before throwing it in the bin. Switching off lights when they're not needed helps to save energy. When you leave a room, remind a grown up to switch off the lights. Other things such as TVs and computers can also be switched off when they're not being used to help save energy. Using eco-friendly products. Lots of things we use often are made of plastic. Plastic can be harmful to the environment and takes a long time to break down and can harm plants and animals. Instead, you can try to use eco-friendly products that are made from other materials such as fabric or paper. What about using less water? We can help to save water in many ways such as turning taps off after washing our hands or whilst we're brushing our teeth. And outside, rain water can be collected in large buckets or containers. This water could be used to water plants and wash cars or windows. We can do these things all year round, not just Earth Day. If we all make these little changes, we can make a big difference. What are you doing this year for Earth Day?