Test Your Knowledge of
This Global Call to Action
Since 1970, April 22 has been designated as Earth Day.
What began as a national effort to raise awareness of environmental challenges has become a global call to action. For Ohio irrigation and landscaping professionals, each day’s work contributes to the greening of our planet.
But how much do you know about Earth Day? Take our quiz and see:
#1. The 2025 Earth Day theme is Our Power, Our Planet™. Which of the following was NOT a previous year’s Earth Day theme?
A. Trees for the Earth
B. Planet vs. Plastics
C. I Have Earth
D. The Solution to Pollution Is Dilution
E. You Are Part of the Solution
Answer: D. “The Solution to Pollution Is Dilution” was a mantra of yesteryear, before scientists became aware of micropollutants that no amount of dilution could irradicate. All the other answers were Earth Day themes of previous years: Trees for the Earth (2008), Planet vs. Plastics (2024), I Have Earth (1971), and You Are Part of the Solution (1988).
#2. Which of the following ecological disasters inspired the first Earth Day in 1970?
A. The Exxon Valdez oil spill
B. The Love Canal incident
C. The Santa Barbara oil spill
D. The Three Mile Island accident
E. Both A and C
Answer: C. On January 28, 1969, a massive oil spill blackened the coastline of Santa Barbara, Calif., and placed a national spotlight on pollution. After witnessing the damage first-hand, Wisconsin Sen. Gaylord Nelson and a Harvard University graduate student determined to spearhead the concept of a national day to promote awareness of increasing ecological issues.
The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Alaska’s Prince William Sound in 1989. The Love Canal incident pertains to the 1977 discovery of toxic chemicals in residential areas near Niagara Falls, N.Y. Three Mile Island was the site of the worst nuclear power plant accident in U.S. history, but it occurred in 1979, nine years after the inaugural Earth Day.
#3. Water pollution has been one primary focal point of Earth Day since its inception, but what year did it specifically spotlight water conservation?
A. 2003
B. 1984
C. 1989
D. 2019
E. 2008
Answer: E. The 2003 Earth Day theme (“Water: A Shared Responsibility”) called on individuals, communities, and governments to adopt water-saving practices.
The other years listed above focused on conservation of a different type: land (1984), habitat (1989), biodiversity (2019), and forests (2008).
#4. In addition to Earth Day, several other global observances are dedicated to saving the planet. Which of the following is NOT one of them?
A. Arbor Day
B. World Penguin Day
C. World Wetlands Day
D. Green Friday
E. Polar Bear Plunge Day
Answer: E. Polar Bear Plunge Day, often observed on January 1, is a cold-weather winter event where participants plunge into frigid water. It’s not to be confused with International Polar Bear Day (February 27), which is dedicated to raising awareness about polar bear conservation.
Arbor Day, celebrated on the last Friday in April in the U.S., encourages the planting of trees and is recognized annually on various dates by at least 50 different countries worldwide.
World Penguin Day began in the 1970s when researchers at an Antarctic station noticed that the local penguins always began their annual migration on April 25. Both the World Wildlife Fund and Greenpeace are involved in the initiative.
World Wetlands Day (February 2) marks the 1971 adoption of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, an intergovernmental treaty for the conservation and management of wetlands. Green Friday originated in Canada in 1992 and has evolved into a global movement that urges consumers to consider the environmental impact of their traditional shopping habits associated with Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.
#5. How many countries participated in the first global Earth Day in 1990?
A. 140
B. All of them: 197 in 1990
C. Only two: the U.S. and Canada
D. All countries in the Americas and the European Union
E. All member states of the United Nations: 159 in 1990
Answer: A. Some 200 million people in 140 countries observed the first international Earth Day. Today, it is celebrated by more than 192 countries around the world. (If you answered D, you may need to review your European history, as the EU wasn’t formed until 1993.)
Earth Day Every Day
Green industry workers are connected to the Earth as few other professionals are, which is reason enough to celebrate Earth Day every day:
Sources:
Featured Image: Adobe, Licenses Granted
Grow Billion Trees
Smithsonian
New Atlas
World Wetlands Day
Dots.eco
