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10 things you can do to help save the Earth

Image 1. A girl places a can into a recycling bin. Recycling is one way that you can make a difference and help save the Earth.Photo:JGI/Jamie Grill/Getty Images

How can you help save the Earth? There are actions you can take everyday to help reduce yourcarbon footprint. This is the total amount of greenhouse gases it takes to create a product or use aservice.

Greenhouse gases are gases like carbon dioxide and methane. They trap heat in the atmosphere.This is the blanket of gases that surrounds the planet. Burning coal or oil releases carbon dioxidegas into the atmosphere. This activity has led to an increase in average temperatures around theworld, known as global warming.

Here are 10 small things you can try to reduce your carbon footprint.

1. Conserve Water

Try turning off the water while you are brushing your teeth. It helps save water and energy. It alsohelps reduce carbon pollution. If you turn off the water when you are brushing your teeth in the

By How Stuff Works, adapted by Newsela staff on 04.15.20Word Count 802Level 750L

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morning and at night, you can save 8 gallons of water a day. That's more than 200 gallons amonth!

2. Limit Car Time

Try to limit the amount of time you spend in cars. Cars burn gasoline which releases carbondioxide. Ask your parent to stay off the road for two days a week or more.

Combine errands such as grocery shopping and a school pickup into one trip. This saves time andenergy.

3. Walk, Bike Or Take Public Transit

Walking and biking reduce greenhouse gases. You will also get some good exercise while you do it.If you live in an area that is not walkable, try carpooling. Or you can try to take advantage of localbus and metro systems. Even one car off the road makes a difference.

4. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Help reduce litter. Put paper, plastic, metal and glass items in the recycling bin. Try takingreusable bags to the grocery store. Avoid using plates, cups and utensils that you throw away afterone use. They create huge amounts of waste. Buy products that are made of recycled materials.

5. Give Composting A Try

Americans produce tons of garbage each year. In2017, food made up about 15 percent of the solidwaste in the U.S. About one third of that was turnedinto compost.

Compost is made of organic materials. These includefood scraps and yard waste. The natural processdecomposes or breaks down that material intofertilizer. You can use it to help plants grow.

You can make compost at home by gathering plantsand food scraps. Then, place them in a pile or binoutside. This helps reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills.

6. Switch To LEDs

LED light bulbs use less energy compared to other kinds of light bulbs. They do not produce asmuch heat. This means that they are energy efficient. Ask an adult to help you replace any old lightbulbs with LED bulbs. They cost more but last longer.

7. Reduce Heat and A/C Waste

Heaters and air conditioners need energy to run. Most of the time, fossil fuels are used to createthis energy. Yet there are actions that adults can take in your home to make sure you are notwasting energy.

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Adults can replace old windows so that air is not escaping your house. They can check that heatingand air conditioning systems are working well.

8. Eat For The Environment

Growing and producing food creates almost a quarter of the greenhouse gases that enter theatmosphere. Try to eat foods like vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, and legumes (like peas andbeans). They take less land and water. They also take less greenhouse gases to produce than meator dairy products.

Try buying food from local farmers. Or you can try growing your own fruits and vegetables. Youcan also try eating less red meats and packaged foods.

9. Plant A Tree (Or Two)

Growing more forests can help limit global warming. This is because trees absorb carbon dioxidewhen they undergo the process of photosynthesis. Trees also remove all other kinds of junk fromthe air. Plant a tree. It is good for everybody.

10. Give Up Plastics

People around the world buy 1 million plastic drinking bottles every minute. We use trillions ofplastic bags every year. Only about 1 in 10 plastic items have ever been recycled. The rest end up inthe ocean.

Stop buying bottled water. Say no to plastic shopping bags and use cloth bags instead. Do not useplastic straws. Drink from a reusable cup instead of a plastic one.

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Quiz

1 Read the Introduction [paragraphs 1-4].

Which selection explains the problem with greenhouse gases?

(A) Climate patterns have been changing all over the world.

(B) When people burn coal and oil, they release gases such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

(C) This leads to global warming, which is the increase in temperatures around the world.

(D) There are plenty of things you can do every day to help to reduce greenhouse gases.

2 Read the following paragraph from the section "8. Eat Sustainable Foods."

Buying food from local farmers makes a difference. Eating more whole grains, vegetables andfruits also helps. Try to eat less red meats and packaged foods. Grow your own fruits andvegetables if you can.

Based on this sentence, choose the statement that is TRUE?

(A) Red meat is less sustainable than fruits and vegetables.

(B) Red meat is less sustainable than packaged foods.

(C) Red meat is more sustainable than fruits and vegetables.

(D) Red meat is more sustainable than packaged foods.

3 Read the following selection from the section "5. Give Composting A Try."

Making a compost would help reduce the amount of waste you produce. It also would reduce theamount of waste in landfills.

What does "waste" refer to?

(A) garbage that humans make

(B) compost that is not used up

(C) things are are not necessary

(D) plastic that was not recycled

4 Read the following selection from the section "8. Eat Sustainable Foods."

Today, food is produced on a large scale. The food industry produces almost a quarter of thegreenhouse gases.

What does the author mean by "large scale"?

(A) that too much food is produced

(B) that there are many greenhouses

(C) that food is widely available

(D) that there are many big farms