A long time ago there was this planet

with land and water and creatures that live on it.

Among the many creatures, were people like you.

As you can imagine, the number grew and they grew...

They built houses from trees that they could live in

and ate food from packages made of paper and tin.

They made all kinds of objects that helped them go far

like planes,

and trucks,

and trains,

and cars.

They built highways, and buildings,

and bridges galore.

And made gadgets,

machines,

and so very much more!

The planet became crowded with so little space

and always something new to take over each place.

Where nature once flourished, was covered with stuff. Then along came concerned people who said, “This is enough!”

Look at this planet. It's under such stress! If we make changes now, we will avoid a big mess.

If you lend us a hand, we will all work together.We will be able to make our world better.

On April 22nd it will be Earth Day!

This is a very special day that celebrates the Earth.

It is a time to appreciate nature and learn ways to protect our planet.

This week you will be invited to participate in various activities in honor of Earth day.

Let’s reflect on the condition of our planet and focus on ways we can help take care of it…

On average, every second, five people are born. The global population is doubling every 40 years.

The human population has now hit 7 billion and the rate of increase is speeding up all the time.

More and more land is being taken by humans for building, farming, roads, airports, reservoirs etc.

Forests are being chopped down either because we want to use the wood or we need the land for other purposes. The ‘wild’ land is shrinking all over the world as humans grab it for their own needs.

This is taking away the habitats of countless species of animals and plants and many of them will become extinct.

Wonderful animal species

and whale

are on the edge of extinction in the wild.

like the elephant, rhino

The gases we are carelessly generating here on Earth are drifting up into the atmosphere and causing great damage.

We are polluting our planet – causing poisoning of the

land, air,

and sea.

Some of these gases have created ‘holes’ in the fragile layer of gases we call the ozone layer.

The ozone layer acts as a vital filter to protect us from the harmful rays of the sun.

If we cause too much damage to the ozone layer, it could have very serious consequences for the earth.

This includes all the animals and human life!

Another problem we have is our huge appetite for throw away single use plastics.

-plastic bags,

-plastic cups, &

-water bottles

you went through this past week.

Just think how many

Because plastics slowly decay, a vast majority of them still exist - somewhere.

A lot of plastic ends up in the ocean.

Did you realize ?

What eats plankton? - fish

Who eats fish? - we do

The piles of garbage that accumulate in our oceans have caused plastic to be in every bit of plankton.

Every bit of plastic that has been produced over the past hundred years is somewhere on our earth.

While the plastic used to bottle beverages is in demand by recyclers,

over 80% of plastic bottles are simply thrown away. So 8 out of every 10 plastic bottles are

not recycled and end up in landfill.

There is so much plastic in our oceans that there are patches the size of Texas.

This is a great risk to marine life, killing birds and fish, who mistake our garbage for food.

Plastic bags are especially a problem!

They often end up in nature…

and oceans.

Sea turtles mistake clear plastic bags for jellyfish.

Birds swoop down and swallow the plastic.

  

Plastics take decades to break down

and as long as they float on the ocean's surface,

they can appear as feeding grounds.

The animals die because plastic eventually fills their stomachs; it doesn't pass and they literally starve to death.

Plastic bags don’t have to be eaten to harm the animals.

Plastic bags can wrap around animals.

About 100,000 whales, seals, turtles, and other marine animals are killed by plastic bags each year worldwide.

Such is the sad and depressing state of our world at the present time.

The good news is that children everywhere are taking more interest in their world and they are determined

that things have to change for the better.

This is our greatest hope for the future.

A lot of people doing little things can make a big difference!

There are small changes you can make that will be a huge help to our planet.

Remember the 4 R’s…

Reduce

Reuse

Recycle

Rot

Use only what you need

Reduce…

Don't take extra ketchup packets when you only need one or two.

Encourage your parents to buy in bulk to minimize packaging waste.

Choose products that are not over packaged.

Reduce…

Reuse…Before throwing an item away – think – can it be reused?

Make a message pad out of scrap paper.

You can reuse newspaper, magazines, and other paper products by using them as wrapping paper.

Aluminum cans can be used for storing your craft supplies as well as games with small parts.

Encourage your parents to use a reusable bag instead of plastic.

Reuse…

Before throwing an item into the garbage

Think

Recycle…

Can it be recycled?

Pick up litter in your neighborhood and recycle whatever can be recycled – aluminum cans, glass, paper, cardboard and plastic.

Recycle…

Rot…

Help the planet by putting all

- food scraps

- garden waste &

- food stained paper

in the GREEN BIN

(or Compost)

Conserve Energy and Water…

Turn off lights, fans or the TV when you leave the room. (unless your little brother or sister is still in there)

If it is a warm and sunny day, help hang clothes on the line instead of putting them in the dryer.

Conserve Energy and Water…

Don’t leave the water running while brushing your teeth or washing your face and hands.

And use less water in your bath or shower.

Conserve Energy and Water…

Care for the Air…

Walk, bike, roller-blade, skateboard instead of using a car whenever possible.

Using motor vehicles to get around is our biggest polluter.

while waiting at the bridges

while waiting to pick you up from school

Encourage your parents to turn their engine off at times when they are sitting idle in the car.

or

Care for the Air…

Consider using both sides of your paper when coloring, drawing or writing.

Try to use less napkins or better yet, use cloth napkins.

Trees help clean the air!

Trees are used to make paper.

So to save trees use less paper.

Care for the Air…

It isn't hard, and with just a little bit of work, you will be helping to make the world a better place for you and me.

If you can do some of these things you willmake a difference.

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

-Dr. Seuss

“…the word of the Lorax seems perfectly clear.

http://www.planetpals.com/planetpals_story.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Daywww.ypte.org.uk/factsheet_38_test.pdfhttp://iphone.issues.cc/iphoneDetails.php?id=948www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9022304http://your-water.net/bottled-water-facts.htmlwww.zendergroup.org/docs/plastics_styro.pdfwww.enzymoplast.com/about-enzymoplast.html

Sources