Making a Difference There are simple things we can all do to help protect the Earth!

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

Unpolluted air is full of Oxygen that protects us from solar radiation.

Unpolluted soil gives healthy nutrients to food and flowers.

Earth’s beauty can be protected or abused.

What if we each made a small effort to stop trashing the Earth?

With your elbow partner, briefly share: * 3 things you threw away this morning without even thinking about it. Use complete sentences. *What does disposable mean anyway? Define and give an example.

Think of all the things we throw away each day. Where do you think it goes? “We have to stop buying things that we use once and then throw away.”

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

Take a guess What is glass make of? a)Frozen water b)Sand c)Plastic

Did you know? Every month we throw out enough glass to fill up a giant skyscraper. –Over 28 billion bottles and jars! –That is 28,000,000,000 bottles/month Glass can be recycled at factories where they break the bottles, melt them down and make new jars and bottles. – This also saves energy.

Take a guess: How many times can one aluminum can be recycled? a) Never b) Once c) Twice d) Again 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!

Take a guess! What percentage of the plastic we buy and throw away each year is just packaging? a) 75% b) 50% c) 25% d) 10% What happens to it when it’s thrown away?

Take a guess! What percentage of the plastic we buy and throw away each year is just packaging? a) 75% b) 50% c) 25% d) 10% Sometimes the packaging costs more than the item inside it!

What can you do? Look for things in packages that can be reused or recycled. Look for cardboard or paper packages –not styrofoam or plastic. Have a garage sale. Donate to a Thrift store or Salvation Army Offer things you no longer use to other people.

Did you know? Styrofoam is permanent garbage. In can NEVER become part of the earth again. Styrofoam is dangerous to animals. They think it is food and eat it. Styrofoam is not recycleable, but food is.

Take a guess! Which of these is something a worm won’t eat?? a) Beef Steak b) Dirt c) Vegetables

You can compost used foods. You can make compost out of any thing that was once alive. Fruit peels are great. Potato skins are great. Veggies are great. Egg shells are great. Just don’t use any meat!

Did you know? 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.

Reducing Trash helps protect our water and keep it clean.

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

What can you do to conserve water? Be a water leak detective. If a leaky faucet fills a coffee cup in 10 minutes how much water will it waste in a year? Enough for : a)A glass of water b)A bath c)52 baths

52

What can you do? Turn the tap off while brushing your teeth Wash your car with a bucket of water Sweep your driveway Use drip irrigation Plant native plants – xeric landscaping Keep water in the fridge so it is cold. Obey water restrictions

Shower or Bath Take a guess Which uses more water? a)A bath b)An eight minute shower

What can you do? Don’t Dump it! Take a guess Which of these would you want in your drinking water? a)Furniture polish b)Motor oil c)Paint thinner

None of them!

Storm drains lead to streams.

Protect those streams! What can you do? Plant, Plant, Plant, don’t litter and conserve water!

Everyone needs to look out for our beautiful planet.

“The earth does not belong to man. Man belongs to the earth. Man did not weave the web of life. We are merely a strand in it. What we do to the web, We do to ourselves.” - Chief Seattle Briefly discuss with your elbow partner. -What do you think he means?

Every week is Environment Week and every day is Earth Day. 87sqsY8UCJs 87sqsY8UCJs