One Small Step
It's hard to break old habits. This year, make one resolution to support the environment. Can you bring a cloth bag to the grocery store instead of using plastic or paper bags? Can you resolve to use both sides of a sheet of paper? Can you ride your bike to school just one day a week?
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ACT NOW! One way kids can make a difference todayDecember 27, 2011
Buy Fresh Produce
Many communities have a program called "community supported agriculture" or CSA. Families who sign up for this program can get one bag of organically-grown fruits and vegetables each week. Organic produce tastes delicious. It keeps both you and the environment healthy. To find a CSA program near you go here. December 26, 2011
Just Say No...
...to the Yellow Pages. It takes 19 million trees and billions of kilowatts of evergy to produce the yellow pages each year. You can find the same information on yellowpages.com. To learn how to stop receiving the yellow pages in your area, go here. December 22, 2011
Protect Marine Animals
Cut up plastic six-pack rings before recycling or disposing of them in the trash. Thousands of birds, fish, and other marine creatures die needlessly from entanglement in these rings. This is one of the most important way things you can do to help marine animals. December 17, 2011
Limit Waste
Our oceans are awash in trash. Do you take your lunch to work or to school? Instead of packing sandwiches, chips, and other items in plastic bags, pack food in plastic containers that you can use again and again. December 14, 2011
Take Five
The next time you go to a park take five minutes and clean up some trash that other people left behind. December 7, 2011
Safe Plastics
Chemicals in plastic containers may be getting into our food. Turn a plastic container over and if you look carefully, you’ll see a number. “Safer” plastics are marked with: 1,2,4 or 5. Less safe plastics are marked with 3, 6 or 7. Try to avoid the less safe kinds of plastic. November 19, 2011
Take The Cool Food Pledge
Did you know that the way you eat affects the environment? Take the Cool Food Pledge and help prevent Global Warming. Learn more about the pledge here. October 29, 2011
Give Yourself A Treat!
Buy organic Fairtrade chocolate. This chocolate is grown using fewer chemicals than regular chocolate. October 19, 2011
Buy Sustainable Fish
When your family buys fish, look for a checkmark in a blue oval. It shows that the fish is coming from a green source. To learn more and see the label (upper lefthand corner), go here. October 6, 2011
Pick Up Litter
Pick up at least one piece of litter each day. It may not seem like much. But if everyone did it, we would live in a neater, cleaner world. October 3, 2011
What Is It Good For?
You may be surprised to learn what these plants and animals are good for. Go here. September 20, 2011
Downsize Your Footprint
Measure your carbon footprint. Are there ways you can make it smaller? Go here. September 14, 2011
Make A Butterfly Feeder
Fill a large saucer with sand and soil and put it where pets can't get it. Sprinkle with a bit of salt. Add a little water each day. Put a flat rock in the middle of the saucer (for a platform), with a little maple syrup on one end of the rock. September 7, 2011
Use Less Foil and Plastic Wrap
Cover food dishes with a plate or a lid, instead of foil. Wipe up spills with a cloth. Pay attention to packaging and don't buy products that use too much paper or plastic wrap. Email companies that DON'T use too much packaging and thank them. July 29, 2011
Animal Sounds
Listen to the sounds the animals around you make. Then see if you can identify each animal by its sound. Go here. July 21, 2011
Healthy Forests
Buy wood products that have the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) sign, which guarantees the wood is from a well-managed forest. Many stores carry FSC products, including The Home Depot, Lowe's, and Kinko's. Ask your local retailer for information on their FSC-certified products. You can see the sign at the top of the page here. July 9, 2011
Avoid Palm Oil
Palm oil is found in many products. Palm plantation owners are cutting down Indonesian forests that are home to endangered orangutans and tigers. Look for products that contain canola, sunflower, or olive oil instead. July 7, 2011
Don't Feed Wild Animals
When you're out enjoying nature, don't feed wildlife. Feeding wild animals makes them dependent upon humans, and then these animals will starve when people are not around to feed them. June 18, 2011
Don't Buy Ivory
Don’t buy items made of ivory. Over 80% of all ivory comes from the illegal killing of elephants. June 17, 2011
Walk Or Take The Bus
Try to skip two car rides in one week. Instead of riding in the car, take the bus, ride your bicycle or walk. Make sure your parents know what you’re doing. June 13, 2011
Use Fewer Paper Bags
After you buy a small item, take it home in your pocket. You don't really need a bag. June 8, 2011
Trees Count
Read children's books with a positive environmental message. For example, THIS TREE COUNTS! by Alison Formento shows children all the ways that trees make our world a better place. June 3, 2011
A Healthy Environment
Learn all the ways people are trying to keep our environment healthy. Go here. June 1, 2011
Buy Reusable Picnic Supplies
Make up your own "picnic basket" that includes reusable cups, plates, and silverware. Look for these items at thrift stores or garage sales. May 26, 2011
Taking A Walk
When you're walking the dog or just hiking with friends, pick up litter as you go. May 14, 2011
Avoid Using The Oven
The oven uses a lot of energy, and it heats up your kitchen, requiring more cooling. Instead, use toaster ovens, crockpots, and microwaves when you can. May 5, 2011
Save Gas
Remove extra weight from the family car (such as heavy items that might be in the trunk). The car will use less gas if it has less weight to pull. May 3, 2011
Save Land
Help save United States wildlands. Scroll to the bottom and click to donate. It's free! Go here. April 29, 2011
Learn About Trees
Trees make a community beautiful, and they provide homes and food for many animals. When you play around trees, don't break off limbs and don't injure the bark. To learn more about trees go here. April 27, 2011
Worms Are Wonderful!
Are there worms in your backyard? If so, don't kill them. Worms help break down dead plants and animals, making the soil rich and fertile. Learn more about worms here. April 21, 2011
Carpool With Your Friends
It's cool to carpool. And it's fun too. When you and your friends are all going to the same event, suggest that everyone ride together. April 19, 2011
Stop Global Warming
Carbonfund supports renewable energy, such as solar power, and works to decrease the gases that cause climate change. To support their work, click to donate. It's free! Go here. April 12, 2011
Rescue Ocean Animals
Help scientists learn more about the ocean so they can save the animals that live there. Click to donate. It's free! Go here. April 7, 2011
How Do Plants Grow?
Place some soil in a Ziploc bag, add some water and a few kernels of popcorn. Seal the bag and place it in a sunny window. You should see some growth within a week. Don't forget to recycle the plastic bag. April 6, 2011
Read About Children Who Are Helping Others
Read about children who are helping others and get ideas about ways you can help. Go here. April 4, 2011
Learn About Spiders
Don't kill spiders. There are at least 40,000 species of spiders, and they all eat insects and help keep them under control. Learn more about spiders here. April 2, 2011
Help Birds
Gather twigs, bird feathers, pet fur, hair, dandlion fluff, grass, and short pieces of natural fiber. Hang it inside a mesh bag or strawberry basket where pets can't get it. Strands should poke through. Birds will use the material for their nests. March 25, 2011
Build A Birdfeeder
Learn about the birds that are local to your area. You can make an easy bird feeder by mixing birdseed, bread crumbs, and peanut butter and smearing it on a pinecone. Then hang it from the branch of a tree. March 18, 2011
Eat Less Meat
It takes more land to feed one cow than it does to grow vegetables. Eat at least three vegetarian meals a week. It's good for you and helps the environment too. March 16, 2011
Learn About Whales
Whales are amazing animals! Learn more about them and how they are threatened by whaling and global warming. Go here. March 10, 2011
Save Energy At Home
Turn off the lights when you plan to leave a room for more than ten minutes. March 3, 2011
Substitute Cloth For Paper
Use fewer paper towels. Cut old bath towels into smaller pieces and use them to wipe up spills, etc. March 1, 2011
Coffee Anyone?
If your family buys coffee, make sure you buy shade-grown brands. Shade-grown coffee is farmed on land that provides habitat for birds and other wildlife. It also requires less fertilizer than sun-grown coffee. February 28, 2011
Help The Wolves
Wolves were once common throughout the United States, but now they are threatened. Help protect and restore their habitat Click to donate. It's free! Go here. February 23, 2011
Choose Low Energy Light Bulbs
You can keep your utility bills low and help the Earth by switching to light bulbs that save energy. To learn more about efficient light bulbs go here. February 19, 2011
Save Paper
Do you have a home computer? Save trees and ink by using recycled paper. Cut down on the number of pages you print and print on both sides of each sheet. When you’re out of ink order recycled cartridges. February 11, 2011
Conserve Paper
Do you really need gift wrap paper? Be creative and wrap your gifts in the Sunday funnies. Or decorate a paper bag with a rubber stamp and gold stars. If you don't get the newspaper, use an old map, magazine, coloring book pages, sheet music, or tear out the pages of an old phone book. In other words, recycle! February 8, 2011
The Amazing Sun
Without the sun, there would be no life on earth. It is bigger than anything we can really imagine--a million planet earths would fit inside it! It takes millions of years for the energy from the center of the sun to reach the sun's surface, and then just eight minutes for it to travel the 93 million miles to earth. The sun gives off more energy in one second than people have used since the beginning of time. Plants make food out of sunlight, and then animals eat plants, and then we eat animals (or maybe we just eat plants, if we're vegetarians). Without sunlight, plants couldn't make food, and there would be nothing for us to eat. Not only could plants not make food without the sun, they also couldn't make oxygen, and no animals could breathe, including us. The sun produces nearly all the heat on the planet, too--without it, the earth would be freezing cold--minus hundreds of degrees Fahrenheit, almost as cold as space. The sun also makes the wind blow and the ocean currents flow. Its heat makes clouds, rain, snow, and all the weather on our planet, too. January 31, 2011
Start A Competition
Many classrooms already have a recycling can next to the trash can. Encourage your school to start a competition to see which class can save the most newspapers, soda cans, water bottles or any other recyclable items. January 29, 2011
Cycles Of Nature
Monarch butterflies, caribou, whooping cranes, and whales migrate, or travel, from one place to another. Learn about the life cycles of the wonderful animals with whom we share the planet here. January 27, 2011
Conserve Water and Power
Wash a full load of clothes whenever possible. The fuller your washing machine is, the less water is wasted. Keep your water heater at 120°. There’s no reason a water heater should be above this and you will save up to 15% on your utility bills. January 21, 2011
Read Magazines Online
Help save a tree by reading your favorite magazine online. For example, you can read Fun For Kidz, American Girl, Weekly Reader, and Cricket. Go to National Geographic Kids here January 19, 2011
Green Cleaners
Instead of ammonia-based cleaners, use vinegar and water or baking soda and water to clean your kitchen and furniture. Use vinegar and baking soda to clean drains. Dump a handful of baking soda into the drain, pour 1/2 c. of vinegar and put the plug in immediately January 17, 2011
What Can I Do?
Many children's authors are concerned about preserving the Earth. Visit author Dan Gutman's site to learn more here. January 15, 2011
Think Twice...
...before throwing something out. Inspect each scrap of paper before tossing it. Can you use the back to make notes or grocery lists? Can you squeeze more toothpaste out of that tube? January 12, 2011
Go Green
Challenge your family to “go green.” Everyone can remind each other to walk, bicycle, carpool or take the bus to reduce greenhouse gases and get outdoors! |
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