- Your room. Keep your room clean and clutter free. Dust loves landing on every surface, and the more things there are in the room, the more places for the pesky dust and dirt to accumulate on. Clean surfaces with a wet washcloth and the air in your room will be much fresher and cleaner for you to breath.
Open a window. We need sun to keep as energized and healthy. It also saves energy, as it provides natural light and we don’t need to use electricity to light up the room. You can also make good use of sun’s energy that can power many solar-powered toys, iPads, computers or flashlights.
Recharge. Batteries contain heavy metals and when thrown away, these metals can soak into the ground and pollute water. Many toys these days need lots and lots of batteries so try to buy hand-operated items that function without batteries. If using batteries, choose rechargeable ones that can be used over and over again.
Clothes. What do you do when you’ve grown too big for your clothes? You can pass it on to your younger brother or sister, take them to your local consignment store or give it clothes recycler who use old clothes to make house insulation or pet beds. You can also be creative and make new attire or accessories from your old clothes.
Save your water. Water is very important for humans and other creatures on earth. In fact, we could not survive without water for more than 3 days. We really need to save this valuable resource. Your parents probably told you to turn off water when you brush your teeth or take shorter showers. It’s a good thing, because the average family uses over 120, 000 gallons of water a year- enough for 5 families to drain an Olympic size swimming pool every year.
Lights out. It’s simple to turn off lights when you leave the room- the hard part is remembering to do it. Take a look around your home and see how many lights are on right now? Are they all necessary?
Recycle. Recycling is important! If you throw away a soda can it will take 500 years to decompose. If you recycle it, it can be used to make a new one! Every ton of recycled paper saves 17 trees, 280 gallons of oil, 4000 kW of electricity and over 7000 gallons of water.
Clean green. When helping with chores, did you notice that some cleaning products make you sneeze or eyes water? It’s probably because these products are full of irritating chemicals. You can use regular soap, or even better, vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda to do the same cleaning job and feel fresh.
Garden. Fruit and vegetables we buy in stores have traveled from far away cities and even countries, which means that more greenhouse gases are going into the atmosphere. So why not to grow food right in your backyard? Tomatoes, salad greens and herbs are easy to grow, don’t need much room and can be grown indoors and outside. They taste much better too! And one more word on processed foods- they are not only unhealthy, their production also is energy intensive- a lot of resources are used and greenhouse gasses created to process, can, freeze, package and transport these goods.
Food waste. And while on the topic of food- did you know that nearly 30% of all food is wasted? So make sure to not overfill your plate with too much food, and if some leftovers are left, save them for the next meal or snack. For food that went bad before eaten, start your own compost bin or worm farm, and use it for your garden as fertilizer.
Enjoy your world. With so many electronic devices- computers, iPads, TV and gaming systems- it’s hard to keep up with the world around you. However, one of the best places to explore and learn is- your backyard or a nearby park. To keep yourself healthy and smart- go outside and play! Trust me, it’s real stuff that researchers found, and it also saves energy, since sun doesn’t need electricity!
Be a friend. Spending time with friends is very important, especially if you share similar views on the environment. There are many books and movies on the environment you can check out with your friends from your local library. Movies such as An Inconvenient Truth, March of the Penguins, The White Planet generate a lot of discussion. Even animations have great environmental messages- Finding Nemo, Happy Feet and Wally to name a few.
Stuff. Why do we always want more things? Well, you’ve probably seen many commercials that tell you to buy their stuff because they are newest, best or the biggest. The thing is, these things not always are as good as they are made to believe, and many times, we don’t even need them. So, before you buy, or ask your parents to buy for you, think if you really need it? Can you get it used? Can you make it yourself? Remember: You are who you are, not what you have!
Say no to Plastic. Plastic came about as very useful, disposable product to make our lives more convenient- think of plastic water bottles, plastic shopping bags, dishes, toys and many other products. The problem is, it is really not disposable. It takes 450 to 1000 years for a plastic water bottle to biodegrade. Nowadays there is so much plastic that we don’t even see it- it’s in the oceans, soil, cosmetics and even toothpaste. Encourage your friends and grown-ups to use reusable bags, bottles and natural alternatives in every day lives.
Walk. The average car emits about 4 tons of carbon dioxide each year. Walking or biking to school helps reduce traffic congestion and pollution from cars. If your school is too far away to walk, take the bus or talk to your parents about organizing a carpool.
School supplies. Ballpoint pens are not recyclable. They end up tossed away- in fact 1.5 billion of these pens land in landfills. You can do your part to reduce the waste by buying refillable pens. They look very nice and can be even made from recycled paper, old plastic cups, corn starch or wood chips. Select other school supplies that are recyclable or made from recycled materials.
Travel. When traveling remember to leave the place you visit just the way you found it. If you are camping, protect local natural environment. Don’t disturb the local plants and animals. Respect and enjoy the world around you.
The 4 R’s. Reduce- what you use and what you throw away, such as plastic bags; Reuse as much as you can- print on both sides for example; Recycle everything that can be recycled- paper, glass, cans, and plastics; Rethink how you use things- switch off computer and lights.
Be creative. I know you have lots of ideas and you don’t need to buy more stuff to make your ideas into reality. In fact, the best ideas are those that haven’t been materialized, that you cannot buy. Use recycled or natural materials, such as old clothes, toys, magazines, leaves, rocks, flowers, and just about anything you can find in your backyard to create wonderful artwork, gifts and school projects.
Calculate your carbon footprint. Your carbon footprint is a measure of the amount of greenhouse gases you produce. You can calculate your family’s footprint, and so can your friends. Find out how much electricity or gas your family uses each year and then
Nature.org and enter information. Once you know how big is your footprint you can start to figure out ways to reduce it.
