Making a Difference50 simple things Elementary Kids can do to Save the Earth!

We travel together, passengers on a little spaceship, dependent on its vulnerable supplies of air, water, and soil preserved from annihilation only by the care, the work, and I will say, the love we give our fragile craft Adlai Stevenson

What to do to help our awesome land.

Guard our buried treasuresWhat is happening to our land?

What Kids say:We have to stop buying things that we use once and then throw away. Karen Leason, Age 10

What Mr. Fulton says:There is no away!

Take a guessWhat is glass make of?Frozen waterSandPlastic

Did you know:Every month we throw out enough glass to fill up a giant skyscraper? Over 28 billion bottles and jars!Glass can be recycled at factories where they break the bottles, melt them down and make new jars and bottles this saves energy.

Buy Now Play LaterHow many of your toys were once your moms or dads?All of themNone of themOne or two of them.

What can you do?Look for toys that are make to last and not going to break the first time you use them.

Take a guess:How many times can one aluminum can be recycled?NeverOnceAgain and again and again.

Did you know?We use over 65 billion aluminum cans every year and we could recycle every one of them.There is no limit to the number of times an aluminum can could be recycled. You might be drinking out of a can that was used 20 years ago.Recycling aluminum saves energy. The energy you save from recycling one can could keep your TV running for three hours!

Precycle it!Over half of the plastic we buy and throw away each year is just packaging. What happens to it when its thrown away?

Nothing it just sits there and clutters up the EarthIt rots back into the earthPeople reuse it .

What can you do?Look for things in packages that can be reused or recycledLook for cardboard or paper packages not styrofoam or plastic.Some times the packaging costs more than the item!

Pass it on.!How much of the stuff we throw out could be recycled?None of it - garbage is no good for any thingJust a little bitHalf of it

What can you do?Have a garage saleDonate to the Trift store,Salvation Army,or Twice But NiceOffer things you no longer use to other people.

Stamp out StyrofoamTake a guess

If you lined up all the Styrofoam cups used in just one day, how far would they reach?A mileAround the earthAcross Canada

Did you know?Styrofoam is permanent garbage. In cant EVER become part of the earth againStyrofoam is dangerous to animals. Some think it is food and eat it.

What can you do?Avoid Stryrofoam - it is often made from one of the chemicals that caused the ozone layer to thin.Carry a cup in your back pack.Use dishes that you can wash rather than throw away. Bring a litterless lunch, not just this week but every week.

Feed the worms!Take a guessWhich of these is something a worm wont eat??Beef SteakDirtVegetables

Did you know?You can make compost out of any thing that was once alive. (dont use meat though)Each of us produces about 600 kg of organic garbage per year. That would weigh more than all the kids in this school.None of it needs to go in the landfill it can go back into your garden.Worms can help you compost and they are good for your garden.

What you can doStart a compostDont throw away perfectly good apples and oranges. If you dont like something in your lunch tell your parents so they wont waste money buying it.

What can you do about solid waste?Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

What can you do about Preserving our oceans, rivers, lakes and streams?

What Kids SayIf we, the people, pollute the water, we will kill the fish and the animals that live nearby will die too. Then it will make the food chain out of order. Then we will die because the food chain is not in order.Joey Leichter, Age 10

What is a food chain anyhow?

All of our energy comes from the sun.

Energy from the sun is captured by plants through photosynthesis.

Animals capture the energy from the plants.

Some animals eat plants and other animals

Some animals eat only other animals.

Every link in the chain is important.We must keep all the parts. Even some things we dont like or cant understand why the are important.

Aldo Leopold (paraphrased)

Weeds are flowers too.Crab grassThistle

More weeds

Rattlesnake

Insects

Viruses and Bacteria

Starlings

Sharks

Leeches

Wolves

Remember..

The earth does not belong to manMan belongs to the earthMan did not weave the web of lifeWe are merely a strand in itWhat we do to the web We do to ourselves.

Chief Seattle 1853

What can you do to conserve water?Be a water leak detectiveIf a leaky faucet fills a coffee cup in 10 minutes how much water will it waste in a year Enough for:?A glass of water.A bath52 baths

What can you do?Prestp on, Presto offTurn the tap off while brushing your teethWash your car with a bucket of waterSweep your drivewayUse drip irrigationPlant native plants xeric landscapingTurn your tap off when peeling vegetablesKeep water in the fridge so it is cold.Obey water restrictions

Take a guessWhere do you use most of the drinkable water in your house?a) the kitchen sinkb) the garden hosec) the toilet

What can you do?Get a low volume toilet or put something in the back of the toilet so less water flushesDont flush needlessly

Shower or BathTake a guessWhich uses more water A bathAn eight minute shower

What can you do?Dont Dump it!Take a guessWhich of these would you want in your drinking water?Furniture polishMotor oilPaint thinner

None of them!

Storm drains lead to streams.

What you can doGet rid of harmful chemicals properly. Dont dump them on the ground or down the drain. If you dont know how to get rid of them phone the Ministry of Water,Land, Air Protection 558-1717

Protect those streams!What can you do?Plant, Plant, Plant, dont litter and conserve water!

Plant, Plant, Plant!

What about our Air,Energy and Global Climate Change

What can you do!

Help cut down on the use of fossil fuels.

Walk,run, bike, skate, scoot, .

Did you know that over half the energy used in the home is for heating and that over half of that is wasted?

What can you do?Turn down the heatTurn up the cooling

Turn off the electricity that is not being used.

Take a guessHow does most heat escape from your house?A) through the wallsB) through the basementC) through the windows and doors

What can you do?Pull down window shades at night and close the curtains when its coldIf your parents want to put up weather stripping ask if you can helpGo on a leak hunt with a feather or a ribbon Close the door

Saving energy can help in many ways.

When you are an adult and making choices choose green energy.

The main thing is get involvedJoin an environmental clubHelp teach your parents Write letters about concernsBe aware, do your homework, take actionDream for a better worldAppreciate what a beautiful part of the world we live in.Every week is Earth Week

Taking ethical, safe, meaningful action,The Monday Group.Take only positive positions Be for somethingDo your home work - become an expertEliminate Stereotyping-treat everyone as an individual of high moral worth. Keep a balanced viewKeep your options openDont make excuses or scape goatTry, try again

Share the work- be wary of the tragedy of the commonsWe are all in this together. Whose job is it?

Apply yourself. Get all the education you can, but then...do something. Don't just stand there, make it happen. --Lee Iacocca

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, its the only thing that ever has.Margaret Mead

Every week is Environment Week and every day is Earth Day(but nobody is perfect)Mr. Fulton

Please help me sing - to the tune of Home,Home on the Range

Oh, give me a home,where the fresh waters foam And the white mountain peaks pierce the skyWhere the Peregrines fly through the crystal blue sky,and the kokanee hatches close by.

Home Home in B.C.where the mountains sweep down to the sea, Where the salmon and trout, swim swiftly about and the Grizzly Bear watches close by.

Please help me save, where the tall grasses waveAnd the pine trees old hands with the starsWith the sounds of the frogs and the smells of the bogsIts the land that is dearest to me

Home Home in B.C.where the mountains seep down to the sea, where the salmon and trout, swim swiftly about And the Grizzly Bear watches close by. If you have a chance to restore or enhance And to give all your best to the earth You will not regret all your toil and your sweat Its the land that is dearest to all. Home Home in B.C.where the mountains sweep down to the sea, where the salmon and trout, swim swiftly about And the Grizzly Bear watches close by.

Have a great week!