EARTH DAY | ARPIL 22
WORLD FIGURES
Scroll down for a
by-the-numbers look
at how people leave
their imprint on the
environment
Commute times
GETTING TO WORK
Average one-way commute to work in the United States in 2021: 26 minutes.
States with the longest
average one-way commutes to work:
New York (31 minutes) and
Maryland (29 minutes).
States with some of the shortest average one-way commutes to work:
North Dakota (17 minutes) and
South Dakota (18 minutes).
How people commute
Less than 1% (616,153) of people in the United States rode a bike to work in 2021.
Almost 2% (3,399,405) of people in the United States walked to work in 2021.
Across the 127,544,730 occupied housing units in the United States in 2021, it is estimated that ...
Heating homes
Almost half
(59 million)
were heated
by utility gas.
Less than 2%
(1.7 million)
were heated
by wood.
Less than 1 percent (362,346)
were heated
by solar energy.
279
Businesses that use wind electric power generation
How US businesses are going green
191
Businesses that use biomass electric power generation
63
Businesses that use geothermal electric power generation
106
Businesses that use solar electric power generation industry
1,234
Businesses that use electric power transmission
17
The percent of U.S. renewable electric power generation in 2018
$9.8 billion
Total revenue for electric power generation industries that use renewable energy
1,107
Businesses that use hydroelectric power generation
611,000
The number of employees who work in zero-emission technology industries
Trash picks up
Today’s average American generates about 4.5 pounds of trash per day, compared to 2.68 pounds in 1960.
In 2018, 292.4 million tons of waste were generated in the U.S. About 69 million tons were recycled and 25 million tons were composted.
“The ultimate test of man’s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.”
— Gaylord Nelson (1916-2005),
former governor of Wisconsin, founder of Earth Day
Earth Day History
How did Earth Day start? Environmental activists coined Earth Day in response
to a massive oil spill in waters near Santa Barbara, Calif., in 1969.
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
The first Earth Day mobilizes 20 million Americans to call for
increased protections for our planet. The first Earth Day in 1970 inspired the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts. Today, about 1 billion people take part in Earth Day-related activities.
After 18 years in the U.S. Senate, Gaylord Nelson, the founder of Earth Day, loses his race for a fourth term. After leaving office, he joines The Wilderness Society, an environmental group, as a counselor.
Earth Day goes global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries.
Earth Day leverages the power
of digital media to build millions of local conversations across more than 180 countries.
Earth Day Network launches A Billion Acts of Green and The Canopy Project. Earth Day 2010 engages 75,000 global partners in 192 countries.
Earth Day 2020 marked 50 years with global activities.
Sources: US Census Bureau, EarthDay.org, Environmental Protection Agency, Tribune News Service, History.com