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Save thePlanet

Are you concerned about the environment?Use your newspaper to get the facts and act!

Join a Green Group: Check the Community Calendar

Recycle, Precycle,Reuse and More

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PAGE 10Give Nature a HandHands-on ways for helping out.

PAGE 12Speak Out and Spread the WordWhat you say can make a difference.

PAGE 14Pick a ProjectGet involved on your own or as part of a group.

Is the Earth in Danger?Read this and decide for yourself.

PAGE 3

PAGE 6Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink!Make recycling a way of life.

PAGE 8Save Your Energy!Try these conservation tips.

PAGE 4Shopping for the EnvironmentHow you spend your money can help— or hurt—the planet.

Contents CH

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2 Save the Planet

WHAT’S THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE NEWSPAPER?Well, of course, you recycle newspapers, but the connection goes much deeper. The newspaper alerts you to environmental news, from issues pending before Congress to problems in your hometown. The ads let you know about green products, from cars to paper towels. Features in the lifestyle section might show you how to compost or save electricity. You can make the world a little greener just by being informed! You can use the newspaper to spread the word yourself—from writing a letter to the editor to sending in an announcement about an event your group is sponsoring. Your newspaper is a key tool in working for the environment. USE IT.

PAGE 16ResourcesWant to learn more? Here’s where to look.

Save The Planet is a product of PARADE Classroom®, a program of supplemental materials designed to support the Newspaper In Education efforts of PARADE magazine’s partner papers. © 2009 Parade Publications, 711 Third Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017. All rights reserved. PARADE and PARADE Classroom are registered trademarks owned by Advance Magazine Publishers Inc., used through its division, Parade Publications.

n the 1960s, the environment was clearly in danger. Pesticides such as DDT were endangering eagles and ospreys. In late November 1966, New York City’s smog was so bad that, within a few days, it killed 168 people with respiratory diseases. In 1969, Ohio’s Cuyahoga River was so dirty that it caught on fire. Randy Newman’s sarcastic song about it, “Burn on, Big River,” played on radios all over the

country. Two-thirds of the nation’s rivers and lakes were too polluted to swim in.

Then on April 22, 1970, something momentous happened. More than 20 million Americans, many of them young people, gathered for the first Earth Day. Their concern helped spur the U.S. government to action. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) started up that year. Subsequently, Congress passed the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. In 1973, it passed the Endangered Species Act. Since then, environmental conditions in the U.S. have improved. People started recycling and quit using leaded gasoline. Cities stopped dumping raw sewage into rivers and oceans. But there’s still a long way to go. Consider:

3

IIs the Earth in Danger?

Air Pollution The American Lung Association grades air quality each year in cities and states. They have found that reducing air pollution actually raised life expectancy in 51 cities. But, despite all the efforts to go “green,” some cities have actually gotten more polluted. Six out of ten Americans live in counties that have unhealthful levels of ozone or particle pollution. Visit www.stateoftheair.org/ to find out the state of your city’s air.

Water Pollution Governments around the world worked together in the 1970s to control the dumping of waste into the oceans. Over time, a protocol

was developed which cut down on the amount of pollution in the oceans. It still happens illegally and it takes a toll on human, plant,

and animal life. Work remains developing alternatives to ocean dumping including recycling, producing

less waste products, saving energy, and changing the dangerous waste into less harmful material.

Global WarmingAccording to the Environmental Protection Agency, global warming means the increase in Earth’s temperature as a result of increased greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere. The average temperature of the planet has gone up about 1 degree Fahrenheit in the last hundred years. It’s expected to increase another 2 to 6ºF in the next century. If that happens, it could

result in major changes to our weather and our environment. Temperature increase may alter the world’s habitats and ecosystems affecting human, plant, and animal life as the delicate balance

changes. Warming temperatures could melt the glaciers and add more water to the ocean, raising

sea level and causing coastal flooding. That could affect the quality of drinking

water too. Global warming could also cause droughts and make it hard to

raise needed crops, affecting our food supply. Learn more at www. stopglobalwarming.org.

Endangered SpeciesThe Earth loses some 27,000 species a year, about three an hour. Most endangered animals and

plants are losing their habitats due to the growing human population.

The number of people on Earth has jumped from 1.7 billion in 1900 to more

than 6.7 billion today. Housing and activities that help people and the economy—such as

logging, mining, farming, fishing, dam building— also disrupt natural habitats. Air pollution, water pollution, and poaching are also threats. Cutting trees for farms and ranches is the greatest danger to the rainforests, where more than half of the world’s species live. The world now loses about 2 acres of rainforest every second, about 38 million acres a year. For more on endangered species, visit www.fws.gov/endangered.

What can you do about all these problems? Well, you don’t have to camp out in a redwood tree for 738 days like activist Julia “Butterfly” Hill. You can begin by turning the page...

onsider “going green.” That means living with a consciousness about how your actions impact the environment. You can change your life in small ways that could make a big difference. You can start by shopping! Being a “green” consumer means buying

products that help protect the Earth and its resources.

1) Look for recycled products. These days, recycled paper is everywhere—in everything from cool greeting cards to toilet tissue and computer paper. “Post-consumer” recycling—buying and reusing a product that has already been recycled—is best. Choosing recycled paper products cuts waste and saves trees, which provide animal habitats. Trees also help keep us healthy by taking greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, out of the air. Of course, paper isn’t the only recycled product. You even can find great clothes made from recycled fibers and much more. (Read more on pp. 6 and 7)

2) Buy energy-effcient products. It’s not hard to figure out which ones they are. Just look for the Energy Star that the Department of Energy and the EPA awards to efficient appliances. You can find it on computers,

TVs, DVDs, refrigerators, even light bulbs. Fluorescent lights were once ugly things that made everybody look green. Today’s compact fluorescents (CFLs) provide excellent light that lets you see well and be “green” without looking green. To learn more about the Energy Star, visit www.energystar.gov.

If you or your parents buy a car, think about its mileage. Using less gas is good for the environment and it saves you money. It also cuts the need for oil drilling. The new hybrid cars get 60 to 70 miles per gallon. Other cars are Super Ultra-Low Emission vehicles and emit less pollution. For more on reducing energy use, see pp. 8 and 9. For more on hybrid cars, visit www.howstuffworks.com/hybrid-car.htm

3) Try to buy organic. Most grocers and farmer’s markets sell both organic and non-organic fruits and vegetables. Farmers grow organic foods without the pesticides and chemical fertilizers that can pollute water. Organic farming is growing fast. Now many packaged

foods—from chocolate chip cookies to potato chips—contain organic ingredients too. Read the labels.

4) Try to eat lower on the food chain.You can help the planet (and yourself) by eating more fruits, vegetables and grains, and less meat. Ranching takes lots of space and energy and can pollute. Plus, many trees in rainforest areas in Central America have been cut down to create fields to raise beef. Next time you’re at a fast food place, try a chicken sandwich or veggie burger instead of a hamburger. Or be a vegetarian just one day a week. Every little bit helps

and meat-free products can taste great so eating veggie doesn’t have to be a chore.

5) Buy products that help the environment.Owning a bicycle can cut down on how much you need to use the car. Buying a cloth bag to use when you shop means you can say no to both paper and plastic. That’s good because, contrary to myth, there’s not much difference in the impact each has on the environment.

6) Don’t buy things you don’t need.Manufacturing a glow-in-the-dark lava lamp requires energy, and stuff you don’t want often ends up in the garbage.

7) Make a statement. Your buying power can have a real effect on big business.

For example, consumers— including many teens and children— convinced tuna companies to adopt dolphin-safe fishing methods. In

1967, tuna companies killed a record of 707,000 dolphins.

Some changes in methods brought that number down to 133,000 in 1986. Consumer prote st continued in the early 1990s until fishermen developed even safer ways of catching tuna. Today only about 2000 dolphins die in tuna nets each year.

Shopping for theEnvironment

4 Save the Planet

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What could you do this month to be a “green” consumer? Be specific. For example, instead of saying that you’ll eat more vegetables, you could say that you’ll try a veggie burger at a specific place.

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Your Turn to Take Action

Is It Easy Being Green?

1. Look through the newspaper’s food section. Can you find any “green” recipes for your family? What are they?

2. See if the newspaper carries advertisements for any “green” products. What are they? How do they show that they are environmentally friendly? Which ones do you think would help the environment the most? Why?

3. Choose—or make up—an environmentally friendly product. Then design your own newspaper ad for it. What points do you want to make about it?

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n less than two years, the Guardian Angel Settlement’s Earth Angels—a group of St.Louis, Mo., inner-city kids—reclaimed and recycled more than 850,000 aluminum cans and 65,000 pounds of glass. They used the money they earned for

environmental projects, such as creating city wildlife habitats. They gave money to help save old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest and rainforests in Brazil and Bolivia and to send poor children to environmental summer camps. Each year, they planted trees in memory of every child who was killed in St. Louis the year before.Of course, for the Earth Angels, recycling cans and bottles was just the beginning. The rest of us can do more too.

ReduceThe average American creates about 4.5 pounds of trash a day, up from 2.7 pounds in 1960. So just as crime-prevention programs try to reduce the sources of crime, environmentalists now urge precycling—stopping trash before it starts. How?

a) Don’t buy stuff that you’ll use just a few times—say, that tux for the junior prom or that snowboard (if you live in Florida). Rent, borrow or share them instead.

b) Avoid items with too much packaging. If something similar has less packaging,

buy it instead. Or choose items with recycled or recyclable packaging.

Write to the makers to let them know why you made your

buying decisions.

c) Choose double-sided copying if you have to photocopy your report on Dracula

or tornadoes (or anything else). You’ll use half as much paper.

d) Just say no to junk mail. If your family agrees, you can contact the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service and ask to be taken off their mailing lists. To learn more, visit www.dmachoice.org

ReuseYou can do this in lots of different ways. Here are just a few:

a) Repair. When a DVD player or TV set breaks, don’t toss it. Fix it. And while you’re at it, sew that button back on your pants.

b) Find new uses for old objects. If you’ve got an imagination, you’ve got all you need to turn trash into treasure. Before you know it, you’ll be turning old jars into lamps and old jeans into handbags or shorts.

c) Can it, bottle it, jar it. If you eat yogurt at school every day, buy a large carton instead of individual ones. Then take exactly the amount you want in a reusable container. Rechargeable batteries are also a good idea.

d) Use it again, Sam. You can buy cool vintage clothes at a thrift shop, your favorite mysteries or Stephen King novels at a used bookstore, and auto parts from the junkyard. You’ll probably find something to do with the money you save.

RecycleThe amount of American trash has gone up. But the good news is that the amount of trash recycled has gone up too.

b) Collect your car waste. Recycle used motor oil, antifreeze, and transmission fluid at a gas station. You can get recyclers to haul away that dead car and use it for scrap or parts.

a) Trade, sell, donate, swap. When you get tired of a Coldplay CD (or a jacket, or sunglasses, or . . .), trade it in at a used CD store. Sell it. Give it to your sister. Donate it to a charity or an environmental group’s rummage sale. Or swap with a friend. Some

young people even organize their own swap meets and turn it into a party.

c) Take care with toxics. Don’t toss batteries, paint cans, house-hold chemicals, and other toxics into the trash. Most cities have special collection places for them to keep them from contaminating the soil, air and water. Better yet, buy less toxic and more biodegradable alternatives.

d) Recycle everywhere, not just at home. Set up recycling bins at school, at your after-school job, at clubs. Be a leader. Students at Bedminster Elementary School in Bucks

County, Pa., started a recycling program that cut trash-disposal costs in half.

RETHINKTo save the environment, you need to think about things in new ways. Use your imagination. Get started by looking at the ideas for reducing, reusing, and recycling at www.epa.gov/recyclecity.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink!

6 Save the Planet

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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink! YOUR TURN TO TAKE ACTION

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How can you reduce, reuse or recycle this week? Be as specific as you can. For example, say that you and your friend will buy that cool new video game together and share it.

REUSE THE NEWS!1. Some people need to be coaxed into recycling and reusing more than they do. Write a persuasive essay encouraging them to participate in saving the planet. Once you write it, you can submit it to your local newspaper for publication. As a class, brainstorm a list of ar guments in favor of reusing and recycling. List them on these lines. Work individually to write your essay using some of the arguments your class developed. Check out this website for help in developing an essay: http://www.orangeusd.k12.ca.us/yorba/persuasive_writing.htm.

2. Let's say you're getting ready to celebrate America Recycles Day on Nov. 15. Come up with some catchy slogans to get people to join you. List them here.

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8 Save the Planet

n some Texas and New Mexico cities, elementary school students are Watt Watchers. They patrol the school looking for wasted en ergy—water leaks or lights left on in empty rooms. Who asks them to do that? Their mentors, the high

school students.

High school students have the same patrols, but they do even more. They audit their schools’ energy use and find ways to make them more efficient. They also get together for community projects, like weatherizing senior citizens’ homes. For more on the program, visit www.epsea.org/seed.html

They’ve found great ways to help the planet. Cutting energy use reduces the greenhouse gases that cause global warming and acid rain. It also slashes air and water pollution and helps keep nature areas natural. That’s a lot to get done with just a flick of a switch.

Get Energy-Efficient1. Turn it off. Turn off the TV, the DVD player, the air conditioner, and the lights, when no one is in the room. Do this at school and on the job as well as at home. If you’ll be gone a long time—say, several days—unplug unused appliances as well. Most keep drawing some current even when they’re turned off.

2. Keep the heat or cold in. At night—or when everyone leaves the house—pull down the window shades and close the curtains. This keeps the cold air in during the summer and the warm air in during the winter. Also look for air leaks and be sure that windows are tightly closed. If your home is drafty, your family may want to think about weather stripping or other insulation. (Quick tip: Insulation works in other ways too. When boiling water, keep the lid on the pot to keep the heat in.)

3. Change the thermostat. Just turning the thermostat down a few degrees in winter and up a few degrees in summer can mean big energy savings.

4. Get the right stuff. If it’s time for a new appliance, talk to your family about buying one that has won the Energy Star for efficiency (www.energystar.gov). Also mention compact fluorescent light bulbs. They use just one-fourth the power of regular bulbs and last 10 times as long.

5. Get an energy audit. Many power providers will give you tips on how to cut your energy use.

6. Go for the green. More and more cities are offering power alternatives. Sometimes your family can choose a “green” power provider and use non-polluting forms of energy generated by the wind or the sun. To learn more about green power, visit www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/index.shtml.

On The Road1. Park the car. Some cities sponsor car-free days. (Check to see if your town will sponsor one.) On that day—or any day—try not to use or ride in a car at all. Make it a challenge. Run, walk, jog, bike, skate, or take public transportation. Figure out how to cut back on how much you use a car every day. To learn more about the car-free movement, visit www.carfree.com/links.html.

2. Jump in the carpool. If you and your friends are going to the same place—go together. It’s more fun anyway.

3. Get eff icient. If you or your family are in the market for a new car, get a fuel-efficient one. If you’re keeping the old car, increase its gas mileage. How? Be sure the tires are properly inflated and

the car is well tuned. And drive a little slower.

4. Consolidate. If you’re doing 8000 errands, do them all at the same time—in the order that requires the least driving.

Water Works1. Don’t let the water run. For example, turn the water off while you’re brushing your teeth. It’s an easy way to save a

few gallons.

2. Beat the heat. Some like it hot—but be especially careful not to waste hot water. That wastes water and the energy it took to heat it.

One way to save energy is by using the cold/cold cycle on the washing machine instead of the hot/warm one.

3. Slow the f low. Your family can conserve water by installing low-flow toilets, low-flow showerheads, and faucet aerators.

4. Don’t f lood the lawn. Try using less water on the lawn. Watering in the early morning or in the evening is most efficient. Water from sprinklers evaporates quickly at midday.

ISave Your Energy!

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YOUR TURN TO TAKE ACTIONWhat can you do this week to cut your energy and water use? Be as specific as you can. For example, instead of saying you’ll use the car less, say you’ll bike to softball practice on Thursday.

FUEL FOR THOUGHT1. Look through the car ads in the newspaper. Check the classifieds as well as the national and dealer ads. Do they mention the fuel efficiency of the cars? Do any say the car has particularly low emissions? Do you see any ads for electric or hybrid cars? What is the most environmentally friendly car you can find? Why?

2. Can you find any news stories about energy efficiency, power plants or providers, sources of municipal water, or other issues related to water or energy production and use? Summarize one here.

Wind power, generated by windmills, is one of the many “green alternatives”that can help decrease our reliance on polluting forms of energy.

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10 Save the Planet

couple of years ago, a tornado hit Nashville, Tenn., destroying 20,000 trees. So for her 16th birthday, Grace Sanders had an unusual party. She rallied 1000 volunteers to replace many of them, planting trees in nine neighborhoods.

In Maryland, students at several high schools and middle schools are also planting trees. They received grants from the American Forests ReLeaf Project. (For more info, visit www.amfor.org.) They know that doing something outdoors is one of the most satisfying and direct ways to help the planet.

1. Plant a tree. Planting trees helps in more than one way. Trees clean the air, removing the CO2 that contributes to global warming. They also provide habitat for small animals, and they supply shade. In the summer, that shade can actually keep a house a few degrees cooler. That cuts air conditioner use.

Any day is a good day to plant a tree, but Arbor Day—the last Friday in April—is one of the best. Don’t have a clue about tree planting? Visit the Arbor Day Foundation at www.arborday.org to find out which ones grow best in your area. Then plant a tree in your yard or another place that could use one (the banks of an eroded stream?). Perhaps you could involve your school in a tree-planting project. Counting grocery bags, paper, packaging, junk mail, lumber and more, the average American uses up seven trees each year. Multiply that by the number of people in your school.

Growing plants indoors is also helpful. House plants help fight indoor pollution, which can be even worse than outdoor pollution. Indoor pollution often triggers the asthma attacks that now afflict nearly 4 million Americans under 18.

2. Clean up the beach. Litter at the beach is ugly, but it’s also dangerous. Debris, such as plastic bags, six-pack rings, and fishing lines, kills thousands of sea creatures each year. Whales, dolphins and sea turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, a favorite food. When they swallow them, the bags block their intestines, starving them to death. Birds choke to death on plastic pellets. Some beach waste is also toxic. So when you clean up the beach, wear plastic gloves to protect yourself. And snip those six-pack rings before you drop them in the garbage.

As with tree planting, any day is a good day to clean up the beach. But a particularly good day is International Coastal Cleanup Day, held annually in September. On that day, several hundred thousand volunteers around the world work together to pick up trash from beaches. To learn more about it, visit: http://www.oceanconservancy.org. And don’t forget that lakes, streams and rivers might also need your help.

Of course, you can clean up dry land as well. New Mexico has an annual Trek for Trash, a five-day bicycle trip on which everybody

picks up litter.

3. Create a wildlife habitat. You can make part of your backyard—or your

schoolyard—much friendlier to wildlife. Put in a bird feeder or a birdbath.

Planting red flowers will attract hummingbirds, and bright flowers in sunlit places will bring out the butterflies. A brush pile can provide cover for small animals. To learn how to make your yard more wildlife-friendly, contact the National Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife Habitat Program at www.

nwf.org /backyard. More than 1400 schools, in states from Alabama to

Wyoming, have also gotten involved. For more on school programs, go to

www.nwf.org/schoolyard.

4. Let it rot. Instead of fertilizing the yard with chemicals, your family or school can try

making eco-friendly compost from grass clippings, leaves, and food scraps. To learn more about composting, read Stu Campbell’s Let It Rot: The Gardener’s Guide to Composting (Storey Books, 1998) or visit http://compost.css.cornell.edu/Composting_homepage.html.

5. Adopt an animal. Many zoos and nature parks haveprograms where you can “adopt” an animal. When an individual or a group adopts an endangered animal, of course, it stays right where it is. But the “adoption fee” goes to care for the animal and improve its habitat. It also helps the zoo pay for its “species survival plan.”

AGive Nature A Hand

Your Turn to Take ActionHow could you give Mother Nature a hand this week? Be as specific as you can. For example, instead of saying that you will help endangered animals, say that you will walk the beach with the sea turtle rescue group.

Plan for the Planet1. What’s happening? Check out your newspaper’s calendar section to see if there are any special events planned for Earth Day (celebrated annually on April 22). Of course, you can look for meetings of nature groups, ecology clubs, or other nature-oriented activities at any time of year. What can you find?

2. Spread it around. As you learn more about nature and environmental issues, let others know as well. Find relevant stories in your newspaper and post them on the classroom bulletin board. What types of stories can you find?

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ou’ve probably heard celebrities speaking their minds on environmental issues. People are often influenced by the causes that famous people embrace. If you want to know who supports the things you care about, check out

www.looktothestars.org/celebrity.

You may not be famous, but you can make yourself heard too:

1. Write a letter to the editor. Everyone reads the newspaper, including environmental decision-makers. If it’s printed, your letter will attract lots of notice. It can get even more attention if it’s a letter from an entire class or a group of young people.

2. Let your money do the talking. Use your dollars to support companies that support

the environment. Write to let them know why you buy their products. While you’re at it, write

to any companies that you believe are harming the environment. Tell them why you’re spending your money elsewhere. Be polite and be specific.

Then they’ll know how they’ll have to change if they want you as a customer. Remember:

Consumers got hairspray manufacturers to stop using the aerosol cans that damaged the ozone layer.

3. Contact your elected off icials and other policymakers. This is critical. The President, the Cabinet, Congress and your state legislature make countless decisions that affect the environment. These can range from whether or not to sign on to a global warming treaty to how much to spend for research into alternative forms of energy. Let your representatives know your views on issues in the news. You can find out how to contact them at www.congress.org.

4. Speak up. Talk to your friends. Talk to your family. Talk to your teachers and school administrators. If you have an idea for making a difference, share it. Chances are that others will want to help you. Maybe you can get your school involved in starting a community garden. Or you can lure your friends into helping you clean up a forest or stream.

Policymakers in agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, the Department of the Interior and others write the actual regulations that enforce these decisions. Some rules involve “standards.” For example, agencies issue regulations on subjects such as the amount of arsenic that can be in drinking water. They rule on the minimum efficiency standards for appliances such as air conditioners and on what qualifies a food as “organic.”

Another important issue is land use. Officials consider questions such as whether there should be roads, mining, oil drilling, tree-cutting or snowmobiling in national forests

and other wildlife areas.

These agencies have a public comment period before they finalize their rules. That way

they can hear what citizens like you have to say. Telling them helps this country’s

democracy work. You can keep up with public comment periods and public

hearings by reading the paper or by getting on the mail or e-mail list

of a related environmental group. (See the resources on page 16)

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YSpeak Out and Spread the Word

Save the Planet

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Grab the Headlines1. Keep track of environmental issues in the newspaper. These can include state and national questions that

the White House, Congress, or members of your state legislature are debating. The newspaper also can alert you to specific environmental problems in your local area. Look through several issues of the paper. What are some of the environmental topics?

2. Pick one issue that’s important to you. Write a letter to the editor about it. Be sure to include a description of the issue, your views on it, and your reasons for them. What would happen if the issue were decided one way? What would happen if it were decided another way? Write a draft of your letter here, being sure to include all the most important points. After you write it, you can adapt it and send copies to elected officials too.

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14 Save the Planet

ory Johnson’s older sister died at 16 from heart problems related to contaminated well water. Subsequently, Kory, then 9, learned that her Arizona community was also a polluted “cancer cluster.” So she

founded Children for a Safe Environment to help fight toxic waste. (For more about Kory, visit myhero.com/hero.asp?hero=koryJohnson.)

Three Los Angeles teens—Fabiola Tostada, Maria Perez and Nevada Dove—waged a community-awareness campaign that kept Jefferson New Middle School from opening for a year. Why? Its grounds were contaminated with hexavalent chromium, a toxic substance that can cause cancer and other diseases. For more info, visit http://www.time.com/time/reports/ environment/heroes/heroesgallery/0,2967,dove,00.html.

Megan Doherty, 15, raised $20,000 to bring 13 children from Chernobyl, Ukraine, where a nuclear reactor exploded in 1986, to a Wisconsin camp. The cancer-stricken children thrived outside the contaminated zone, enjoying clean air and healthy food.

KPick a Project

1. Look through the newspaper and find three stories—one local, one national and one international—that deal with environmental issues or problems. Write the names and the dates of the stories here.

a.

b.

c.

2. Briefly summarize the problem or issue that each article describes.

a.

b.

c.

3. For each problem, list three things you could do to help—as an individual, as a class and as part of a larger group.

Problem A:

a.

b.

c.

For many of them, it was the first time in their lives that they experienced a healthy environment.

You can help preserve the planet by the small things you do every day, from choosing the most environmentally friendly products to biking to the movies. And if you want, you can be like these teens and get involved in a bigger environmental project— on your own or as part of a group. But with all the environmental issues in the world, how do you decide which one to work on? A good way to get started is to try this:

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Problem B:

a.

b.

c.

Problem C:

a.

b.

c.

4. Brainstorm a little more. Meet with others in small groups of four or five. Discuss the problems each of you has come up with. List them all here.

5. Choose one to investigate and then make a presentation to the class about it.

a. Which problem did you choose and why?

b. What ways did you find to help?

c. Are national or local environmental groups already working on this issue? If so, which ones?

Resources

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BooksActing for Nature:What Young People Around the World Are Doing To Protect the Environment by Sneed Collard (Heyday, 2000)

An Inconvenient Truth (Viking/Rodale, 2007) by Al Gore

The Complete Guide to Environmental Careers in the 21st Century by Kevin Doyle and the Environmental Careers Organization (Island Press, 1998)

The Consumer’s Guide to Effective Environmental Choices: Practical Advice from the Union of Concerned Scientists by Michael Brower and Warren Leon (Three Rivers Press, 1999)

The Environmental Movement: From Its Roots to the Challenges of a New Century by Laurence Pringle (HarperCollins, 2000)

Global Warming (SeaStar, 2003) by Laurence Pringle

The Green Book (Three Rivers Press, 2007) by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M.Kostigen

The Modern Ark: Saving Endangered Species by Daniel Cohen (Putnam, 1995)

The Official Earth Day Guide to Planet Repair by Denis Hayes (Island Press, 2000)

Our Poisoned Waters by Edward Dolan (Cobblehill, 1997)

Rain Forests:A Pro/Con Issue by Linda Johnson (Enslow, 1998)

Silent Spring (Houghton-Mifflin, 1994) by Rachel Carson

True Green (National Geographic, 2007) by Kim McKay and Jenny Bonnin

Volunteering to Help the Environment (Children’s Press, 2000) by Suzanne Murdico

The Environment in the NewsRead the newspaper every day and look for articles about the environment. Perhaps environmental news is breakingin your own city. Maybe a green power provider is coming to town or a fight is brewing over land use or zoning. Perhaps your town is facing an energy shortage or has contaminated water. Also look for environmental events in the calendar, especially on Earth Day.

Look for national news as well. Congress is arguing over many environmental issues, and government agencies often come out with new regulations. Find out what the President’s position is on environmental issues as well. Do you agree or disagree?

Finally, look for environmental news around the world. Is one country facing an oil spill? Has another species become extinct? Are environmental conferences being held or treaties adopted? Saving the planet must be a worldwide effort.

PARADE magazine also frequently covers important environmental issues that affect us all.

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WebsitesThe Environmental Protection Agency has lots of information and activities at www.epa.gov/students.

Learn about saving energy at the Alliance to Save Energy Website www.ase.org.

Find out about Earth Day projects and programs at www.earthday.net.

Help save the rainforest at the Rainforest Action Network www.ran.org.

Get involved with the Sierra Student Coalition www.ssc.org or with Kids for Saving Earth www.kidsforsavingearth.org.

Learn about water science at www.ga.usgs.gov/edu/.

Get environmental advice and news at www.environmentaldefense.org. Check out even more environmental groups at www.saveourenviron-ment.org.

Find links to dozens more at www.envirolink.org/.

You also can search for volunteer opportunities on environmental projects in your community at www.SERVEnet.org.

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