1. RESPECT for the Environment

2. We only have ONE planet

3. WE make a difference!!!!  What we choose to use, buy, drive, consume, etc. impacts the world.  Change starts with US!  You must be the change you wish to see in the world. -Gandhi

4. Why care????  Americans dump 180 million tons of garbage annually — more than 40% of which is paper. High- grade printing, copying and writing paper is the largest single component in a landfill.

5. Why Care???  Remember the Exxon Valdez oil spill? According to the National Academy of Sciences, on average there are 27 oil spills every day somewhere in the waters of the worlds, and the Valdez spill doesn't even make the list of the top 30 all-time largest.

6. Why care???  U.S. cars and trucks emit 314 metric tons of CO2 every year. That's equivalent to burning as much coal as would fit in a 50,000 mile long freight train.  U.S. cars and trucks emit 314 metric tons of CO2 every year. That's equivalent to burning as much coal as would fit in a 50,000 mile long freight train.

7. The Perils of Plastic….   Plastic bags are made of polyethylene  Polyethylene is a petroleum product  Four to five trillion plastic bags are manufactured each year  Americans use over 380 billion polyethylene bags per year  Americans throw away approximately 100 billion polyethylene bags per year  Of those 100 trillion plastic bags, 1% are recycled  It takes 1000 years for polyethylene bags to break down

8. The Perils of Plastic, cont.  As polyethylene breaks down, toxic substances leach into the soil and enter the food chain  Approximately 1 billion seabirds and mammals die per year by ingesting plastic bags  Plastic bags are often mistaken as food by marine mammals. 100,000 marine mammals die yearly by eating plastic bags.  These animals suffer a painful death, the plastic wraps around their intestines or they choke to death  Plastic bag choke landfills  Plastic bags are carried by the wind into forests, ponds, rivers, and lakes

9. What can YOU do to help?  Reduce the amount of goods you buy or consume, particularly that which can not be recycled (buy goods with less packaging, etc.)  Re-use any product that can be done so in a safe manner (plastic bags, clothes, etc.)  Recycle (bottles, cans, paper, cardboard, electronics, printer cartridges, yard waste, etc.)  We can lessen our environmental footprint by minimizing our use of plastic shopping bags. Use a re- usable grocery bag.  Buy organic, cage-free, free- range food when possible.  Carpool or use public transportation

10. What you can do to help…. Turn off/unplug un-used electrical appliances Use less water (shorter showers, turn off water while shaving, etc.) Properly inflate tires Go solar! Go solar! Line-dry laundry (when possible) Don’t use pesticides, use earth-friendly cleaning supplies Buy energy efficient appliances Plant trees!