Survey forecasts strong U.S. participation in Earth Day

Based on the results of a survey released today by the nonprofit Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC), 42 percent of Americans plan on personally doing something to demonstrate their support for Earth Day this year. Of that 42 percent, 26 percent said that they would be participating in a local park clean-up or tree planting. Another 14 percent planned to recycle used rechargeable batteries and obsolete cell phones, while 6 percent of the respondents planned to make a donation to a “green” charity.

The survey also asked which year-round activities were most important for saving the environment. A large majority of the respondents – 40 percent – cited the recycling of paper, plastic and other materials as most important. This was followed by water conservation at 18 percent and driving a hybrid car at 17 percent.

Perhaps the most surprising finding in the survey was the increase in the number of respondents who recycled their old cell phones: 15 percent this year compared to 3.2 percent last year.

Earth Day, celebrated every year on April 22, was founded in 1970 to increase international awareness of key environmental issues.