My daughter who was six at the time, wanted to know why people help other people and why it is so important to help the planet. I tried explaining to her why it’s good to give our time or other means to people who need it more than we do and that our planet is connected to the chain of effect that happens when we are all working together. This was not an easy conversation. I tried to explain that even at six years old, she could make the world a better place. Her face lit up. “…what can I do to make the world better?” It’s easy for all of us –to forget, or not realize that, yes, we can all make the world a better place. This weekend, have a lemonade stand, an art show, clean out your closets, go to the beach and pick up trash. Do what you can do, show your children, by example, how everything we do makes a difference. Like Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever does.”
Do What You Can Do
We have all have heard that motto throughout our lives, but what does it mean? Wherever you are in nature, or in life: clean up after yourself! How would you feel if you invited your friends over for a picnic or play date and they left trash all over the floor?
When you are in nature, you are not just in your home but in many other species home as well. When visiting a park, beach, hiking trail or anywhere, remember the motto: leave no trace!
Not picking up your trash can be dangerous and lethal to animals. Wild animals can mistake wrappers, napkins, or any sort of trash for food. This is incredibly harmful to them. Be mindful... you are a guest sharing the environment with the animals that inhabit it, so leave their home clean!
Leave No Trace
Turn Off The Lights
Electricity is one of the most important things we use every single day! How could turning on the lights be harmful? Burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas commonly produces electricity. Think about when you light a fire at home and you see all of the smoke rising up into the air. When coal is burned, the smoke that is released is toxic carbon dioxide, which contaminates the earth's atmosphere. When the atmosphere is that contaminated, it can cause acid rain and global warming, which affects us!
So before you leave a room or the house make sure the lights are off! By conserving electricity you are not only helping the planet by reducing the electricity you use, you are inevitably reducing the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.
Don't Waste Water
Save water, shower with a friend, or a sister, or a brother, or a mother or a father!
Unfortunately, we do not have an endless supply of fresh water. 97% of the earth's water supply is ocean water, which we cannot drink. The other 3% is usable fresh water, 1% of that is available for drinking water and the other 2% is locked in ice caps and glaciers. Once this water is used, it is not replenishable. Like air, fresh water is a precious resource that we must protect.
Saving water not only cuts back on fresh water used, but also reduces the energy needed to process and deliver water, which also helps reduce pollution. We live in a very privileged place to have a seemingly constant flow of fresh water. We often forget that this flow has the ability to run dry if abused. Here are some tips that you can do at home to help save water!
1. Don't let the water run while brushing your teeth!
2. Don't let the toilet flush get stuck and let the water run, fix the handle if it's broken to not keep wasting water!
3. Invest in a water filtration system such as a Brita or a Pur to cut back on bottles of water at the home.
4 Avoid flushing the toilet unncecessarily. Each time you flush, 10 gallons of fresh water is wasted! Stick to the motto: If it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down!
5. Never put water down the drain when there may be another use for it such as watering the plants, gardening or cleaning!
It has been proven that cars and airplanes are the biggest contributors to the pollution of our earth's atmosphere. The bigger the vehicle, the more pollution it provides! Car emissions poison the air we breathe and can cause serious health risks in the long run. These gasses can also harm the plants, which provide us breathing air and are a major contributor to global warming, which dries up our water. If we don't act now, we are going to be in a lot of trouble!
We have made some steps in the right direction in the development of hybrid cars, which cut way down on gasoline usage and carbon emissions released into the atmosphere. But not everyone has a hybrid. How can you help? Ride your bike of course! Riding your bike is great exercise for you and it produces no pollution! You are also cutting back on your use of fuel, which is a major pollutant in its use and production, and saving money! So while you are doing a great thing for your body, soul and your wallet, you are also doing a wonderful thing for the planet. Encourage your friends to ride with you and go on an adventure! Don't forget those helmets and bike pads.
Ride Your Bike
We have heard this phrase many times before! Learn here how you can put it into action! The first step is to reduce waste! You can do this by buying less and using less. Buy a reusable water bottle to take with you on whatever adventure you go on, and use reusable grocery bags when you are shopping! Grocery stores even give you a discount for using your own bags, how cool is that?
In all of our efforts, we still ended up with plastic bags in our home. What to do... Make POM POMS! My girls and all their friends have been cheering for days!
Almost everything can be reused. Not sure what to do with your old toys? Did you outgrow your bicycle or those shoes you got for your birthday? Donate them! There are so many shelters and people in need. That old bike that is too small for you would make another kid really happy!
When you make conscious decisions about containers food or beverages come in, look for the recycle symbol on the bottom, you can do your environmental duty to recycle that plastic, cardboard, or paper product! When you recycle properly, those items are transferred to a recycling plant and made into new things!
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle