Have you ever heard the song “It’s Not Easy Being Green”? While that may be true for Kermit; for you and me it’s really easier than you may think. Here are 8 easy tips to help every kid go green.
Borrow A Book
Fact: One year of making new books can require over 1.45 million tons of paper which means harvesting over 25 million trees!
What you can do? The next time you have the impulse 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 one-third of all lighting in the U.S. is wasted, at an annual cost of about 30 million barrels of oil and 8.2 million tons of coal. That’s a lot of oil to light a room that no one is in!
What can you do? Turn off lights, the 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? Is so, good for you! If not, ask your parents to buy some and start replacing your current bulbs. They are 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. As litter, they breakdown into tiny bits, contaminating our soil and water.
What you can do? Use a reusable or recycled lunch bag and put your snacks in reusable containers rather than buying small, plastic, throwaway ones.
Turn Off The Water
Fact: In some places, like San Diego, the source of fresh water is limited, and if there’s too much wasted, pretty soon there won’t be enough for everyone.
What you can do? Save water by turning it off when brushing your teeth and take shorter showers. But don’t forget to clean behind your ears!
Get A Water Bottle
Fact: According to a 2001 report of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), roughly 1.5 million tons of plastic are expended in the bottling of 89 billion liters of water each year. Plastic requires energy and fuel to produce and the consumption of bottled water represents a significant strain on the environment.
What you can do? Get yourself a reusable water bottle and say no to plastic water bottles forever.
Pick Up
Fact: Discarded cans and trash can cause harm to animals who attempt to eat them and can provide a breeding ground for disease carrying insects that can cause infect people.
What you can do? When you visit a park or beach, be sure you deposit your trash in containers and volunteer at some local, state and national cleanups.
Be A Leader At School
Fact: The EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, reported that in 2006 Americans produced 251 million tons of trash with schools and commercial entities contributing 35%.
What you can do? Talk to kids and teachers at your school about adding recycling bins in your classroom. Talk to the administration about other options for going green like using organic food items and utilizing green printing and electronic forms of communication like email when possible. Encourage discussions about other things that could be done at school to go green.
Everyone can take steps to make a positive impact on the environment. Even small steps, when combined, can make a tremendous difference. Take the lead and set a good example for your friends, parents and teachers to follow. Now go get green, it’s easy!
