Have you ever heard the song “It’s not easy being green”? While that may be true for Kermit; for you and me it is really easier than you think. Here are 8 easy tips to help all kids go green.
borrow a book
Reality: A year of manufacturing new books can require more than 1.45 million tons of paper, which means harvesting more than 25 million trees.
What you can do? The next time you get the urge to buy a new book to read, borrow it from the library or a friend, or buy a used one instead of buying a new copy. Sharing books is a great way to reduce waste and reuse materials.
Turn off the lights
Fact: The International Dark Sky Association in Tucson, Arizona, an environmental group, estimates that a third of all lighting in the US is wasted, costing about 30 million barrels of oil and 8,000,000 barrels a year. 2 million tons of coal. That’s a lot of oil to light up a room with no one in it!
What can you do? Turn off the lights, TV, and other electronics when you leave the room. Set a good example for your parents to follow.
Say goodbye to old style light bulbs
What else can you do? Do you use those funny looking CFL bulbs in your house? It is so, good for you! If not, ask your parents to buy some and start replacing the current light bulbs. They’re better for the environment and your mom and dad will save money in the long run! Even replacing one bulb at a time will help!
Use reusable sandwich containers
Fact: In a landfill, plastic bags take up to 1,000 years to degrade. Like garbage, they break down into tiny bits, polluting our soil and water.
What you can do? Use a reusable or recycled lunch box and place your snacks in reusable containers instead of buying small, plastic, disposable containers.
Close the tap
Fact: In some places, like San Diego, the supply of fresh water is limited, and if too much is wasted, soon there won’t be enough to go around.
What you can do? Save water by turning it off when you brush your teeth and take shorter showers. But don’t forget to clean behind the ears!
get a bottle of water
Fact: According to a 2001 report from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), approximately 1.5 million tons of plastic are used to bottle 89 billion liters of water each year. Plastic requires energy and fuel to produce and the consumption of bottled water places significant pressure on the environment.
What you can do? Get yourself a reusable water bottle and say no to plastic water bottles forever.
Get up
Fact: Discarded cans and trash can harm animals that try to eat them and can provide a breeding ground for disease-carrying insects that can infect people.
What you can do? When you visit a park or beach, be sure to dump your trash and volunteer for some local, state, and national cleanups.
Be a leader in school
Fact: The EPA, the Environmental Protection Agency, reported that in 2006 Americans produced 251 million tons of garbage, with schools and commercial entities contributing 35%.
What you can do? Talk to the kids and teachers at your school about adding recycling bins to your classroom. Talk to management about other options for going green, such as using organic food and using green printing and electronic forms of communication such as email when possible. Encourage discussions about other things that could be done at school to go green.
Everyone can take action to have a positive impact on the environment. Even small steps, when combined, can make a big difference. Take the initiative and be a good example for your friends, parents and teachers to follow. Now go green, it’s easy!
