VED EPA-171-N-92-001nitedStates
nvironmental Protection
Agency
Communications,
Education, and Public Affairs
(A-107)
171-N-92-001
Volume 1, Number 2
Winter 1992
FOR EDUCATORS, GRADES K-6
Earth Day 199
Each day is Earth Day at EPA! It cannot be otherwise.
Earth Day 1970 gave impetus to the creation, by Executive
Order, of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. For over
twenty years, the staff of EPA has worked diligently to fulfill the
original mandate to protect the nation's environment.
On April 22,1970, citizens of all ages celebrated Earth Day
by planting trees, cleaning up vacant lots, starting gardens,
and learning about the delicacy of the natural world. Earth
Day 1970 marked the beginning of political activism for many
individuals and awakened public sentiment for the health of
our environment.
Many saw Earth Day 1970 as a chance to reflect on the
environment of the twenty-first century. While many of the
issues are the same today as they were then, scientific
knowledge and public awareness have grown. We also are
beginning to recognize that environmental problems in one
country cross national borders, affecting the planet on which
all of us must live. While Earth Day 1970 was primarily a
North American event, Earth Day 1990 was international in
scope and gained the support of over 200 million people from
141 countries.
The organizers of Earth Day 1990 were working toward
specific accomplishments. Among these were heightened
protection for endangered species and habitats; new protec-
tion for marine resources, including marine mammals and
fisheries; and a new sense of responsibility for the protection
of the planet by individuals, communities, and nations.
For many decades, however, educators and philosophers
have led the way and assumed the burden, of teaching others
how to live in harmony with the natural environment of Earth.
Now, with the passage of theNational Environmental Education
Act, the EPA's new Office of Environmental Education is
privileged to join you, the nation's educators, in your efforts.
Environmental education is an interdisciplinary study that
still is in the process of evolving. The current interest in the
state of the environment began with people like Henry David
Thoreau (1817-1862) and other philosophers and educators,
but received an additional push by the organization of Earth
Day 1970 and by the reaffirmation of Earth Day 1990. As a
result of this continuing interest in the state of the world and
how people affect it, environmental science is now a standard
course on many college campuses and is also a part of high
school course offerings.
For Earth Day 1992, EPA's Office of Environmental
Education and Earth Notes acknowledge and salute you, the
elementary school educators, for the extension of environ-
mental education into your classrooms. The world stands to
profit from the efforts of you and your students.
Bradley F. Smith, Director, Office of Environmental Education.
Printed on Recycled Paper
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An EPA Perspective
Off to a Great Stan
Welcome to the second issue of Earth Notes. Before bringing
you up to date on what has been a stunningly productive
interlude, I want to thank the hundreds of educators from around
the nation who have responded to our call for comments on our
first issue. Your outpouring of support has been wonderful, and
we will try to reflect your ideas in subsequent issues.
When we launched Earth Notes, we had a hunch that it
would help to fill a major gap. We never dreamed that it would
be received with such enthusiasm. I'm tempted to start with
the cliche, "First, the good news...." But it's all good news!
For example, we have just appointed a permanent director to
our new Office of Environmental Education. His name is
Brad Smith, and he is superbly qualified for the job.
Brad comes to EPA with almost two decades of experience
in education and environmental management. A former Eagle
Scout, Brad has won a National Audubon Society scholarship
and been a National Wildlife Federation Fellow and a Fulbright
Professor. With a doctoral degree from the University of
Michigan's School of Natural Resources, he was most recently
professor of political science and biology at Delta College.
In addition to years of service to municipal, state, and Federal
agencies, he has somehow found time to publish extensively on
a broad range of issues including co-authoring the widely used
William K. Administrator
F. Henry Habicht II, Deputy Administrator
Lewis S.W. Crampton, Associate Administrator for
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texts: Environmental Science: The Study of Interrelationships,
and the Environmental Science Laboratory Manual.
We could not have imagined a more qualified, more
experienced, or more appropriate director for our new office
than Brad Smith. The Environmental Protection Agency is
fortunate to have attracted him, and the environmental educa-
tion community will be the prime beneficiary of his new role.
We're glad you've come to Washington, Mr. Smith.
Advisory Council Meets
Another late-breaking story, we have just concluded the first
meeting of our new National Environmental Education Advi-
sory Council. This council will help guide the development of
our entire environmental education effort.
Membership in the council reads like a "Who's Who" in
environmental education. Earth Notes' readers will be inter-
ested in knowing that we have a renowned professional
teacher on our council. Her name is Fenna Gatty, and she
teaches computers and science to first through fourth graders
in Union City, California. She is also a national leader in the
development and definition of environmental education cur-
ricula. We will trust Ms. Gatty's no-nonsense approach and
hands-on practicality to keep us from going astray.
One of the feature articles in the last issue of Earth Notes
dwelt upon the diversity and vision of native American
cultures. We are delighted that another member of our
advisory council is Norbert Hill, the executive director of the
American Indian Science and Engineering Society. We fully
expect Mr. Hill to bring a unique perspective and depth of
commitment to our efforts.
Planting for the Future
As you may have gathered already, the theme for this issue of
Earth Notes is trees. In keeping with international projects to
protect and restore our forests, President Bush has proposed
the America the Beautiful National Tree Program. The goal of
this program is, through public and private cooperation, to
plant, improve, and maintain almost one billion additional
trees per year in communities nationwide.
We are enthusiastic about efforts such as the TRAIL Boss
program. A cooperative effort among the Department of
Interior, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of the
Army, and the EPA, we are working with youth-oriented
groups such as the Boy Scouts of America to create a nation-
wide cadre of environmental conservation leaders.
I think that you will agree with me in concluding that we're
off to a great start. But it's only a start. I want to remind you that
most of the ideas and experiences in Earth Notes were contrib-
utedby teachers. This is apublication for andby teachers. To this
end, we encourage our readers, especially those of you who are
active teachers, to become contributors as well.
Lewis S.W. Crampton, Associate Administrator for Commu-
nications, Education, and Public Affairs, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region 5, Library (PL-12J)
77 West Jackson Boulevard, 12th Hoar
Cnicago, »L 60604-3590
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America the Beautiful
National Tree Planting Program
In 1990, President Bush proposed a major new initiative to
provide an environmental legacy for future generations,
enhance existing natural and recreational resources, and address
mounting public concerns about the buildup of atmospheric
carbon dioxide. That initiative—called America the
Beautiful—began in 1991. Amajorcomponentofthe initiative
was the National Tree Program, a nationwide multiyear
program of tree planting, tree care, and forest improvement.
This program calls for a public and private sector cooperative
approach with a goal of planting, improving, and maintaining
nearly 1 billion additional trees per year in communities and
rural areas nationwide. Every state, community, and individual
can contribute to this program through individual and collective
tree planting and care efforts.
The need for the National Tree Program is very real. Only
one tree is replaced for every four streetside trees that are
removed or die, and in some cities a tree lives only 7 years under
current conditions. In addition, over one-half million acres of
forest land are lost annually as cities expand. Without trees, the
city is a sterile landscape of concrete, brick, steel, and asphalt.
Trees Are Like People
Wonderful things happen between people and trees. People
love to look at trees. People relax under trees. They enjoy the
shade, picnic with their families and friends, park their bikes,
and read. Some people even hug trees! Think about what you
and your students like to do with trees.
Trees are like people. We both have heritage, trunks,
limbs, and require attention, nourishment, tender loving care,
and a good environment in which to grow. When trees are
planted in the right places and properly cared for, they grow
for years and years. They become a legacy from one genera-
tion to the next. What a wonderful gift to give to our children.
Here are some facts and sample exercises for you to share
with your students that will stimulate an awareness of the
importance of trees and of their contribution to a healthy
environment for your community.
Trees Are Important
Trees are a remarkably valuable resource. They contribute to
the environmental, economic, and social well-being of this
country. They enhance biodiversity, wildlife habitats, air and
water quality, and recreational opportunities. Trees improve
landscape beauty and property values, reduce soil erosion, and
provide many valuable wood products. They also contribute
to energy efficiency and conservation by shading and cooling
buildings and serving as windbreaks.
Trees impact deeply on our moods and emotions, provid-
ing psychological benefits impossible to measure. Trees
create feelings of relaxation and well-being, provide privacy
and a sense of solitude and security. A healthy forest growing
in places where people live and work is an essential element
of the health of the people themselves. Trees
— add natural character to our cities and towns;
— provide us with colors, flowers, and beautiful shapes,
forms, and textures;
—screen harsh scenery and soften the outline of masonry,
metal, and glass; and
— can be used architecturally to provide space definition
and landscaping.
Ask students questions about the facts above, and have them
draw a picture of a house, street, or your school without trees.
Then draw a picture using trees. Have them write about why
trees make a difference and what the benefits are of having
trees in your town.
How do trees influence the students' individual lives?
Have them list how they use trees on a daily basis at home, in
the park, around town, and so forth.
Trees Reduce Air Pollution
Trees and other plants make their own food from carbon dioxide
in the atmosphere, water, sunlight, and small amounts of soil
elements. In the process, they release oxygen for us to breathe.
Trees help to settle out, trap, and hold paniculate pollutants
(dust, ash, pollen, and smoke) that can damage the human lungs.
Particulates are trapped and filtered by leaves, stems and twigs,
and are washed to the ground by rainfall. Trees
— produce enough oxygen on each acre for 18 people
every day;
— absorb enough carbon dioxide on each acre, over a
year's time, to equal the amount you produce when
you drive your car 26,000 miles; and
— remove gaseous pollutants by absorbing them through
the pores in the leaf surface.
Air pollutants injure trees by damaging their foliage and impair-
ing the process of photosynthesis, or food-making. They also
weaken trees by making mem more susceptible to other health
problems, such as those caused by insects and disease.
Have your students discuss what photosynthesis is in trees.
Discuss carbon dioxide and have them calculate how many
acres of trees are needed to produce enough oxygen for the
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people in your class. In the school. In the city.
Ask the students to list the kinds of pollutants in the air and
describe how trees remove the pollutants from the air.
Trees Reduce the Greenhouse Effecf
The greenhouse effect is created when heat from the sun enters
the atmosphere and is prevented from radiating back into
space by air-polluting gases. The buildup of about 40 heat-
trapping gases is created mostly by human activities. Heat
buildup threatens to raise global temperatures to levels un-
precedented in human history. About half of the greenhouse
effect is caused by carbon dioxide. Trees act as a carbon sink
by removing the carbon from carbon dioxide and storing it as
cellulose in the trunk while releasing the oxygen back into the
air. A healthy tree stores about 13 pounds of carbon annually,
or 2.6 tons per acre each year.
Trees also shade our homes, schools, and office buildings.
This reduces air conditioning needs by up to 30 percent, thereby
reducing the amount of fossil fuels burned to produce electricity.
It also reduces the homeowner's utility bills.
This combination of carbon dioxide removal from the atmo-
sphere, carbon storage in wood, and the cooling effect makes
trees a very efficient tool in fighting the greenhouse effect.
Find out how much carbon is produced by your local power
plant. Now, have your students determine how many acres of
trees would be needed to offset the carbon released into the
atmosphere by that power plant.
Have the students ask their parents about the greenhouse
effect. Do they know what it is, and why trees are effective in
reducing it and their utility bills? Have the students report back
as a group, making a list and discussing whether or not the
individual items on the listare valid. If yes, why? If no, why not?
Trees Help Wildlife
Trees and plants create local ecosystems thatprovide habitat and
food for birds and animals. They offer suitable mini-climates for
other plants that would otherwise be absent from urban areas.
Biodiversity is an important part of urban forestry.
Have the class discuss what biodiversity is, and why it is
important to the urban areas around your town. List examples
of forest areas. Have the students list the animals that live in
these forests and depend on trees for survival and shelter.
Have each student pick a favorite animal and create a story
around that animal's life in the forest. Then, have the students
share orally their ideas on where the animals would go if there
were no forests.
Tree Planting Program
What can you as a teacher do to get involved in the National
Tree Planting Program? As a rule, the first step in a process
is usually the most difficult. In this case, the first step is
remarkably simple—decide to plant a tree! Plant it in your
schoolyard, plant it near your church, or in your own back-
yard. Plant it somewhere you can enjoy and care for it as it
grows. Start a school tradition!
You can create your own tree planting event. Plant a tree
to celebrate a special occasion—a special honor day observed
by your school, or plan a contest in your school and dedicate
a tree to the winner.
Invite local businesses to participate in a community tree
project. Ask them to "dig in" and help you and your students
with your program. Your students can be the organizers and
find sites. Have another classroom find the trees or seedlings,
and another classroom locate the necessary tools and equip-
ment. Others can provide refreshments and recruit other
volunteers to assist. Make it a fun project!
Create Your Own Arbor Day Program
Contact your local officials and find out when your city
celebrates Arbor Day. Each state varies. Follow the contacts
and suggestions here and have the children plan and prepare
the program, present awards, and so forth.
Start some tree talk. Write letters to newspapers. Have
your students compose a tree song for the program. Create an
Arbor Day Play, centered around planting a tree.
There are organizations and people who can be of great
help to you and the students. Tree groups are springing up
around the country filled with people who are willing and
eager to share their knowledge and support with local groups.
They will show you how to plant a tree and the correct species
for your area. Use the experts to assist you. For information
on tree groups, planting procedures, and tree maintenance,
contact your
— city or state forester;
— county extension office;
— local arboretums, botanical gardens, nurseries, natural
history museums;
— local libraries;
— local, state, and national parks;
— nature centers; and
— university departments of biology, botany, conserva-
tion, and forestry.
Inaddition.askyourU. S. Departmentof Agriculture (USDA)
Regional Forestry Office, Soil Conservation Service Office,
or Extension Service Office to work with you in this endeavor.
They are there to help you. For further information about the
America the Beautiful Program, contact the USDA Forest
Service, Urban and Community Forestry, 201 14th Street
S.W., Washington, DC 20250.
If you catch the spirit, you can pass it on. In the encourag-
ing words of Margaret Meade, "Never doubt that a small
group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed it is the only thing that has."
Pamela Speka, Media and Program Event Specialist, Amer-
ica the Beautiful Program, Urban and Community Forestry,
USDA Forest Service, Washington, DC
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Tree Seed Germination
and Seedling Care Project
Germinating tree seeds in the classroom is interesting and
informative, but there needs to be a follow-through for the
students. Having students tag the seedlings with their own
names, watch over the young trees in a nursery for several
years, and finally transport them to a park or schoolyard
provides the needed continuity.
After aperusal of the curriculum guide used in the local schools,
my choice for the optimum age group was the third-grade level.
Other area teachers responded to my call and ultimately students
from pre-schoolers through sixth-graders participated
I decided to work with native trees, but the particular
species selected needed to:
— have a high percentage of germination;
— have seed readily available;
— germinate in the spring;
— be resistant to pests and diseases;
— be adaptable to the classroom for a month;
— show reasonable growth under nursery conditions;
— be tolerant to transplanting.
Our State Forester and City Forester guided me in selecting a
species—black walnut was chosen. They also provided
valuable help in the technical aspects of seed germination and
seedling care. The local park district agreed to provide
nursery space and planting material as well as the use of a
pickup truck. Each student was to provide a paper milk carton
of at least quart size.
I set aside the entire day for the school tour by truck.
Scheduled were seven schools, ten separate classes, and about
250 students. The students involved, ranging in age from four
to twelve, were excited by the activity and worked hard
following directions.
The actual planting process was simplicity itself. I had
black earth, sand, peat, black walnut seeds, and soil fungicide
on the truck. At each school, I pulled the truck onto a paved
surface next to the grass. The cleanup consisted of merely
sweeping the leftover soil into the grass. I shoveled equal
amounts of sand, black earth, and peat into a pile and let the
students mix it with their fingers. The combination of these
three components ensured soil looseness for easy penetration
of water and air which promote root growth.
I had asked that the milk cartons be prepared in advance.
The top of each carton was to be fully opened out to form a
square opening. One pencil-sized hole was made in the
bottom to allow excess water to run off. A small wood or bark
chip over the hole prevented soil from blocking it. The cartons
were then filled with the well-mixed planting material. To
minimize settling which occurs naturally, I had the students
gently pack the soil with their hands. (A warning, however:
determined packing will cause a carton to rupture.) The seeds
were planted next. The depth a seed is planted varies with the
size of the seed. As a general rule, the top of the seed should
President and Mrs. Bush plant a tree on the White House lawn to launch the America the Beautiful National Tree Program.
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be placed at a depth equal to one-half the diameter of the seed.
For the walnut seed, this was about three-fourths of an inch.
Up to four seeds may be planted in a gallon carton, but this
creates excessive crowding, especially when larger seeds are
involved. I felt that two walnut seeds per gallon canon and one
each for the half-gallon and quart sizes would be best. I had
the students note on their cartons their names and the number
of seeds each carton contained so that germination percentag-
es could be determined later.
Once the planting had been completed, we drenched each
carton with a seed fungicide (Captan) mixed with water. This
step avoided a soil sterilization procedure which would have
been difficult. (It is imperative that anyone using pesticides of
any sort, including fungicides, read and follow the directions
on the label.) With this final step completed, the cartons were
placed on the sills of south-facing windows. Trays under the
cartons prevented water from leaking onto the sUls.
Schoolchildren and a U.S. Forester plant an Arbor Day tree.
Under natural conditions, very few of the thousands of
seeds produced by a tree survive. Some of the seeds are
defective; others fall on unproductive ground. Still others are
eaten by insects, birds, or small mammals. Finally, many are
squeezed out by other plants or are destroyed by fungi. The
extra effort of the classroom procedures will insure a much
higher germination rate than would ordinarily occur, but still
some seeds will not germinate and develop. I made a special
effort to emphasize these realities so that in those cases where
a seed did not grow, the student would have his or her
disappointment somewhat assuaged while gaining a greater
appreciation of the natural process.
We planted our seeds early enough in the spring so that the
seedlings were large enough to be planted in an outdoor
nursery before the beginning of summer vacation. The
nursery area itself was provided by the city park district.
The move to the nursery had to be accomplished with as
little disruption of the seedlings as possible. Each seedling
was laid on its side next to the pre-dug hole and the containers
cut carefully away. Where two seedlings shared the same
carton, a lengthways cut was made in the soil separating them.
In most cases, moistness and roots held the plug together long
enough so that it could be eased into the hole. Loose dirt was
then pushed in around the sides. The seedlings were set lower
than the original ground level; the resulting depression was
used to facilitate watering.
Each seedling was staked so that it could be located. We
maintained a six-foot center-to-center distance between plants
for mowing and transplanting purposes. Because the young
trees are not as competitive as annual weeds, continuing care
over the summer was required. Area parents and students
volunteered to do mowing and trimming.
The average hardwood tree needs to remain in the nursery
for at least four years. I hope that many of the trees will find
their way into public parks and schoolyards, and that many of
the original student botanists will be on hand to assist in the
final positioning of their trees.
The follow-through with nursery care and landscaping do
much to maintain interest and continuity. But the project can
also be extended at the other end. Students can either collect
tree seeds on their own or participate in field trips to parks and
natural areas for seed identification and collection.
Thus, as part of an education process, students not only
explore a topic in pure science (seed germination and early
plant growth) but their work moves logically into the areas of
applied science (nursery care and landscaping). The final
payoff for the participants is the opportunity to provide a
tangible benefit to their community. The success of the tree-
planting project was a reassuring reminder that students can
and do respond to educational as well as socially useful
activities when their role is a positive and active one.
Adapted from Your Life & Mine: Problems & Projects in
Conservation by Dannel McCollum. A former teacher and
recipient of an Environmental Quality Award from Region V
of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, DanMcCollum
is the Mayor of Champaign, Illinois.
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State Trees
History ofKarth Day
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Southern (longleaf) pine
Sitka spruce
Palo verde
Pine
California redwood
Colorado blue spruce
White oak
American holly
Scarlet oak
Sabal palmetto palm
Live oak
Candlenut
White pine
White oak
Tulip poplar
Oak
Cottonwood
Tulip poplar
Cypress
Eastern white pine
White oak
American elm
White pine
Red pine
Magnolia
Dogwood
Single-leaf pinon
White birch
Red oak
Pinon
Sugar maple
Pine
American elm
Buckeye
Redbud
Douglas fir
Eastern hemlock
Red maple
Palmetto
Black Hills spruce
Tulip poplar
Pecan
Blue spruce
Sugar maple
Dogwood
Western hemlock
Sugar maple
Sugar maple
Cottonwood
Source: Reader's Digest 1976 Almanac and Yearbook, Bi-
centennial Year Edition. Pleasantville, NY: Reader's Digest
Association, Inc., 1976.
The idea for Earth Day occurred to me in late July 1969. At that
time, there was a great deal of turmoil on the college campuses
over the Vietnam War, Protests, called antiwar teach-ins,
were being widely held on campuses across the nation. On a
flight from Santa Barbara to die University of California/
Berkeley, I read an article on the teach-ins, and it suddenly
occurred to me: why not have a nationwide teach-in on the
environment? That was the origin of Earth Day.
In a speech given at Seattle in September, I formally
announced that there would be a national environmental
teach-in sometime in the spring of 1970. The wire services
carried the story nationwide. The response was dramatic. It
took off like gangbusters. Telegrams, letters, and telephone
inquiries poured in from all over the nation. Using my Senate
staff, I ran Earth Day activities out of my office. By Decem-
ber, the movement had expanded so rapidly that it became
necessary to open an office in downtown Washington.
Earth Day achieved what I had hope for. The objective was
to get a nationwide demonstration of concern for the environ-
ment so large that it would shake the political establishment
out of its lethargy and, finally, force this issue permanently
into the political arena. It was a gamble but it worked. An
estimated twenty million people participated in peaceful dem-
onstrations all across the country. Ten thousand grade schools
and high schools, two thousand colleges, and one thousand
communities were involved.
It was truly an astonishing grassroots explosion. People
cared and Earth Day became the first opportunity they ever
had to join in a nationwide demonstration to send a big
message to the politicians—a message to tell them to wake up
and do something.
Itworkedbecauseofthespontaneous.enthusiasticresponse
at the grassroots. Nothing like it had ever happened before.
While our organizing on college campuses was very well
done, the thousands of events in our schools and communities
were self-generated at the local level. We had neither the time
nor resources to organize the ten thousand grade schools and
high schools and one thousand communities that participated.
They simply organized themselves. That was the remarkable
thing that became Earth Day. Subsequently, Earth Day USA
was founded to provide guidance, tools, and support necessary
for groups and individuals to educate, lead, and inspire every
person toward positive environmental action and change.
Don' t ever forget—if you want to move the nation to make
hard decisions on important issues the grassroots is the source
of power. With it you can do anything—without it, nothing.
If we are going to move the nation to an environmentally
sustainable economy, you and that young generation right
behind you are going to have to do it—and I think you will.
Adapted from Catalyst Conference speech, University of
Illinois, October 6,1990. Senator Gaylord Nelson, Founder
of Earth Day and Chairman, Earth Day USA.
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GAME PAGE
REPRODUCIBILES
EPA-GRAM
To discover the EPA-GRAM message, fill in the definitions below and transfer the letters
in the spaces with numbers to the same numbers in the EPA-GRAM grid. Some of the
letters have been filled in and some have been transferred to the grid to get you started.
Answers are on page 14.
1. Part of a needle
2. Corned-beef
3. Color
4. Insect
5. Aquatic mammal
6. Santa's helpers.
7. Musical instrument
8. State
9. Place for a partridge
18 37 35
H
8 9 39 13
T
10 11 5 41
M_
29 27 7 3
_
31 20 30 15
23 16 19 44 12
V
______
34 1 33 32 4 17
A
_ _____
38 36 25 22 6 40
Can you plant the trees?
Uncle Sam brought back eight
exotic evergreen trees from his
trip around the world.
He said to his niece and nephew:
"I will give all the trees to the one
who can plant them so that no
two trees are in the same horizon-
tal line, the same vertical line, or
the same diagonal line." Solution
on page 14.
4444
4444
EPA Reproducibles/Permission granted to duplicate for classroom use.
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Arctic Trees
Did you know that there are trees in the Arctic? Without trees
to stabilize the soil, hold nutrients in the ecosystem, and provide
habitat for many species of vertebrates (mammals, birds, fish)
and invertebrates (insects), the Arctic region would not be the
majestic wilderness that we have come to know, with its many
important species such as wolves, polar bear, caribou, musk ox,
and the smaller mammals like mink, arctic fox, fisher, marten,
and that well-known rascal, the wolverine.
What trees can survive in this world of long days of winter
darkness and summer sunlight, of harsh climate and poor soil?
About 18,000 years ago, the Arctic was totally covered by
large ice sheets similar to those that cover Greenland and
Antarctica today. As the ice in the Arctic melted, the land area
came to be covered with vast boreal, or northern forests of
mostly evergreen or coniferous (cone-bearing) trees. The
species likely to be found are white spruce, black spruce, and
balsam fir. Some deciduous (leaf-bearing) trees also live here,
including the paper birch, trembling aspen, and balsam poplar.
The trees reach a height of only three or four meters, or even
less. Most tree growth occurs during the brief Arctic summer,
when the days provide long hours of sunlight and only a few
of darkness.
There are several reasons that evergreens are better suited
to survive in the Arctic than the leaf-bearing trees. All trees
carry on photosynthesis during the long summer days. Through
this process, they take carbon dioxide from the air, combine it
with water, and produce simple sugars. This basic process is
the basis for all food that is produced in today's world.
Without the large expanse of Arctic trees, levels of the
atmosphere's carbon dioxide would increase rapidly and thus
increase our concern over global warming.
Evergreens live quite comfortably in relatively infertile
soil because they do not need to replenish their foliage each
year. Since their needles act as a kind of "anti-freeze," and
remain liquid even though temperatures fall far below freez-
ing, evergreens are not bothered by extremely cold tempera-
tures. However, when it gets below - 40 degrees Fahrenheit,
the liquids ooze out of the cells and freeze on the outside in
small empty spaces, and thus do not damage the cell wall.
Evergreens also take advantage of warm spells that may
occur in late fall and early spring; however, since leaf-bearing
trees are leafless for part of the year, they cannot take advan-
tage of such periodic warm-weather opportunities. Because
their needles are small, evergreens also tend to be conserva-
tive with respect to energy demands. Although they do not
capture as much of the sun's energy during photosynthesis as
do leaf-bearing trees, they do not need to dedicate a lot of
energy to making new leaves each spring.
Locate the Arctic Regions
The Arctic can be defined in a variety of ways, but for our
purposes, it is the area of the earth north of about 55 degrees N
latitude and extending to the North Pole. Using a large map,
have your students locate the eight "circumpolar" nations repre-
sented in the Arctic regions: Canada, Russia, Finland, Sweden,
Norway, Iceland, Denmark (which administers Greenland), and
the United States (Alaska). Next, identify the huge Arctic Ocean
and the smaller land mass. Explain that if the students were to
travel north across the land mass, the last trees that they would
see would be evergreens until they reach the "tree line," or area
of transition between forest and tundra. In this area, trees are
stunted and gradually give way to brush, grasses, and lichens.
Further north than this, the seasons are too short and the climate
is too severe for even evergreens to exist.
Local Tree Identification and Survey
What types of trees grow in your area? Have students count
the 10 trees closest to their homes and record the tree type—
deciduous or coniferous. Compile the data in class. Share this
data and your latitude with other students conducting the same
research in other places, via electronic computer networks,
fax, or mail. Compare your data with others to see the effects
of latitudes and differing geography on the types of trees
found. Your class also could compare the average height of
trees in your area with those in the Arctic and other areas; or
compare the amount of daylight in your community on any
given day with communities at different latitudes.
Effects of Cold Temperatures on Plant Growth
How do cold temperatures affect plant growth? Since trees
grow so slowly, growing trees in your classroom to see the
difference between plants grown in different temperatures
might take too long. However, you may want to conduct some
classroom experiments with faster growing plants. Corn or
other commonly available vegetables work well.
Have the students grow the same type of plant in different
temperatures. Subject all plants to the same conditions flight,
sound, soil, etc.), varying only the temperatures. You might
place the Cold Group of plants in a dark refrigerator for a
certain period each day, and the Warm Group in some warm
dark space for the same amount of time each day. Have
students record the temperatures and growth of each plant
during the growing period, to measure differences in growth
related to different growing temperatures. As in the previous
activity, share the results with other students.
Following the same process as above, examine the effects
of different types of soil content—some nutrient-rich and
some nutrient-poor. What types of plants can your students
grow best in each type of soil? How is this related to Arctic
conditions? What have other students in other places found in
their experiments with growing plants in different soil types?
Also, consider adapting this activity to observe the effects of
varying periods of daylight on plants—long vs short periods
of light each day. Can you imagine how anything would grow
in four months of darkness during the Arctic winter?
Staff, International Arctic Project, St. Paul, Minnesota.
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10
The Tree and Me
Trees are one of the first things that children notice. They
watch the wind blow the trees about and watch birds and
animals around them, play hide and seek among them, build
tree houses in them; ride swings hanging in them; collect
leaves and seeds for pretend cooking and stores; and, of
course, climb them.
The Tree and Me asks you and the students to examine the
similarities and the interdependence between trees and your-
selves: vocabulary such as limbs and trunk, wounds and
injuries and how they heal, life cycles and growth patterns,
needs for growth and living, our ecosystem interdependence,
and so forth.
These suggestions are interdisciplinary. They also can be
used in either a basal or whole language orientation. As
educators, we know that children learn best when active and
building upon prior experiences and knowledge. The activi-
ties are designed to complement each other, to stimulate
interest, and to involve the students and you, the teacher,
directly in a learning mode. They are designed for grades K-
6, but could be expanded into middle/junior high school
classes with little effort. They need only your individual
personalization to make them fly.
\n
A myriad of possibilities exist. Select from the following
ideas and add your own.
Have the students construct a life-size model/portrait of
themselves, or a child-size version of their favorite tree, and
color it, the more detail the better.
Mobiles of trees/leaves, trees and their products can be
made and hung from the ceiling.
A bulletin board showing the trees in different seasons can
be designed by the students. They can draw in themselves,
dressed for the seasons, around the trees.
Students can draw and paintastory board of a walking field
trip to see the trees and their environment. They should
include the people seen on the trip.
Older students can study the presence of trees in paintings
by the masters and then adopt a painter* s technique in making
their own masterpiece. Field trips to a museum or a visit from
the school district's art teacher add to this activity.
Cut silhouettes of trees out of tissue or construction paper
and mount. Work in pairs, and make silhouettes of each child
and mount on white paper. Write a story or poem comparing
the trees and the children.
Related activities are plant/seed prints. Cut citrus fruits,
apples, and so forth, in half; press on an ink pad, and then press
onto paper. Leaves can be colored with crayons and a square
of cotton fabric placed on top of the leaf/leaves. Teacher/
student then irons until the crayon transfers to the fabric.
K-1 students can take a neighborhood walk and make a leaf
bracelet. Place a strip of masking tape, sticky side away from
the skin, around the wrist. Collect leaves and seeds and
flowers from those that have fallen to the ground (this is best
in autumn) and press onto the masking tape. Identify the leaf
or seed. Review these items again in the classroom and write
a language experience chafl/story/poem.
Design a "Save the Trees" bumper sticker or book mark.
Take the Language Arts list of environmental problems
affecting trees and have the students research the topic. After
using the research for possible journal entries, news articles,
letters, etc., the student will design and execute a poster
educating viewers about the problems, causes, and solutions
in this graphic mode.
Language Arts
Brainstorm or build a concept vocabulary web dealing with
Trees and the Human Body. You might want to do this on
separate days and then do a comparison or combined web.
Modify these lists to reflect the age and interests of your students.
Trees: trunk, roots, limbs, branches, bark, flowers,
buds, seeds, cones, leaves, needles, sapwood, heartwood,
root hair, chlorophyll, habitat, family, carbon dioxide,
sugars, foliage
Human Body: trunk, head, arms, legs, feet, hands, skin,
blood, oxygen, fingers, toes, chest, abdomen, hair, back,
neck, family, habitat, energy, food
Now, list the large/whole concept words that both the tree and
the human body have in common, i.e., trunk, habitat, family,
limbs, and so forth. List brainstormed words around or under
the concept words. Add words to the class and individual
word banks.
Brainstorm environmental problems that affect trees and also
humans, e.g., acid rain, rain forest destruction, smog, soil
erosion, clear cutting. Collect newspaper and magazine articles
about these problems. Discuss in small groups. Students may
choose to write about these problems via research papers, a
child's story, or letters to news editors and the government.
Read and compare folktales that feature trees or people
who deal with trees, for example, Johnny Appleseed. The
following reading list includes an excellent sampling of fact,
fiction, and poetry books about trees.
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11
Ayers, Pam. When Dad Cuts Down the Chestnut Tree.
London: Walker, 1988.
Bjork, Christina. Linnea's Windowsill Garden. New York:
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1988.
Buscaglia, Leo F. The Fall of Freddie the Leaf. New York:
Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1982.
Butcher, Julia. The Sheep and the Rowan Tree. London:
Methuen Children's, 1984.
Cameron, Ann. The Seed. New York: Pantheon Books, 1975.
Carrier, Lark. A Christmas Promise. Natick, Maine:
Picture Book Studio, 1986.
Coats.LauraJane. TheOakTree. New York: Macmillan, 1987.
Collins, Meghan. The Willow Maiden. Vancouver: Douglas
and Mclntyre, 1985.
Ernst, Kathryn. Mr. Tamarin's Trees. New York: Crown
Publishers, 1976.
Florian, Douglas. Discovering Trees. London: Aladdin
Books, 1990.
Frost, Robert. You Come Too. New York: Holt, 1967.
Gallob,Edward. CityLeaves.CityTrees. New York: Scribner, 1972.
George, Jean Craighead. One Day in the Tropical Rain
Forest. New York: Harper Collins, 1990.
Gile, John. The First Forest. Stevens Point, Wisconsin:
Worzalla, 1989.
Helfman, Elizabeth S. Maypoles and Wood Demons. New
York: Seabury Press, 1972.
Himmelman, John. The Talking Tree. New York: Viking
Kestrel, 1986.
Jaspersohn, William. How the Forest Grew. New York:
Greenwillow Books, 1989.
Lerner, Carol. A Forest Year. New York: Morrow, 1987.
Littledale.Freya. The Magic Plum Tree. New York: Crown
Publishers, 1981.
Livingston, Myra Cohn. Monkey Puzzle and Other Poems.
New York: Atheneum, 1984.
Mabey, Richard. OakandCompany. New York: Greenwillow
Books, 1983.
Newton, James R. A Forest is Reborn. New York: T.Y.
Crowell Junior Books, 1982.
Northeastern Forest Experiment Station (Broomall, Pa.).
A Tree Hurts, Too. New York: Scribner, n.d.
O'Brien, Thomas. ToKnowaTree. New York: Holt,
Rinehart and Winston, 1963.
Pamall, Peter. Apple Tree. New York: Macmillan, 1987.
Pine, Tillie Schloss, and Joseph Levine. Trees and How We
Use Them. London: Blackie, 1970.
Rinkoff, Barbara. GuessWhatTreesDo. New York: Lothrop,
Lee and Shepard, 1974.
Romanova, Natalia. Once There Was a Tree. London:
Andersen, 1985.
Seuss, Dr. TheLorax. New York: Random House, 1971.
Silverstein, Shel. The Giving Tree. New York: Harper and
Row, 1964.
Simon, Seymour. ATreeonYour Street. New York: Holiday
House, 1973.
Taylor.MildredD. SongoftheTrees. New York: DialPress, 1975.
Udry, Janice May. A Tree Is Nice. New York: Harper and
Row, 1987.
Wolkstein, Diane. The Magic Orange Tree. New York:
Knopf, 1978.
Mathematics
Growth of trees and students can be measured, charted,
graphed, and compared. Research the growth patterns of
different kinds of trees. Good sources of information are
gardening shops and popular "guide-to-trees" books.
Students will learn the height range of a tree at full growth.
How can this be known? Have them measure height/circumfer-
ences of trees. They can estimate the circumference from the
number of foot lengths required to circle a small tree and a large
tree, and then actually measure with a tape. The height of a tree
can be determined from the shadow it casts and a mathematical
formula. Older students will find this a challenge.
Have students bring in pictures of themselves at various
heights. If the parents have past measurements from the
child's growth, make a growth chart and note the dates of
measures; place pictures at corresponding places. If the child
does not have personal measurements, have them bring in
their birth length. Cut a piece of construction paper that length
and paste it on a large white chart; paste a picture from birth
or have the child draw a picture of a baby. Next to it place a
length of paper to correspond to the child's present height;
paste a current snapshot at the top. Make a comparison group
graph of birth lengths and current heights. One way to do this
is to cut yarn or strips of paper the two lengths for each child.
A class picture at the top would make it more meaningful. Can
one make valid projections as to future heights? What part
does heredity play?
Find out how much paper comes from one tree. If paper is
recycled how many trees are saved? Collect and bundle
newspaper in one-foot high bundles and take it to the recycling
center. Keep track of the amounts sent to the center. Chart
how much paper is recycled and how many trees were saved.
Organize classroom recycling of paper other than news-
print. Set collection times, and involve other classes in the
binding of stacks of paper. Write a letter to the editor of the
local newspaper with this information, and more, on why we
need to recycle and to buy recycled paper products.
Makeabulletin-board graph showing the students in the class
who recycle at home and what they recycle: newspaper, cans,
glass, and plastic. Students can put their name or picture in the
category/ies that apply to their home recycling commitments.
Select different sized stumps or logs. See if the students
can count the rings and determine the age of the tree. Tack a
piece of paper over the stump and rub with charcoal in one
direction only—rubbing back and forth will make the image
-------
12
blurry. Tag and exhibit for others to count and check. Be sure
to explain that a tree stump yields much information about the
age of the tree, the climate, and injuries. Two rings of growth
are produced for each year of growth. There is a light ring for
the rapid growth period in the spring time and a dark ring that
indicates slower summer growth. Narrow rings indicate dry
years. Scars may be linked to lightening, insects, and forest
fires. To find the year that the tree was sprouted, divided the
number of rings by two and subtract that number from the
current year. A related project could be to determine other
happenings the same year that the tree was sprouted. Identify
historical facts in the United States, things happening in the
student's school or life, and other significant events.
A TREES ANNUAL RINGS
BARK
Music
Listening is a very important skill and process that is often left
out of the curriculum. Select and listen to various cuts of
music. Try to match a tree to the music, i.e., "Bolero" could
be loud, boastful, exhilarating, commanding—much like a
redwood tree. Students can act these out, draw pictures to the
music, compare the music to a type of tree, and so forth.
Record tree sounds in different weather situations: during
a thunder storm, in an ice storm, during a gentle rain, at night
in a breeze, and in various locations. Have the students try to
identify and describe the sources/situations. Have them move
as they think trees would: still, stormy night, softly raining,
sleeting, windy spring day. Using streamers of crepe paper,
repeat the above; now add music.
Different trees have a different look and feel. Hold up an
illustration of a tree and ask the students to assume that look, i.e.,
a weeping willow tree could be flowing, bent, and soft Ask
them what kind of music they would write to match the tree.
Science and Health
Brainstorm and chart the uses of trees. Take a walk around the
school and immediate vicinity, and also have the students
bring a list of items in their homes that were made from trees.
There are several books in the reading list (see Language Arts)
that could be helpful in identifying uses of trees.
Talk about the stages of life for both the tree and the human:
seed, birth, growth, reproduction, old age, death, after death.
Are there similarities in wound/ diseases and their treatment?
Have a tree specialist visit and talk to students, or take a field
trip to a forest preserve with a ranger.
Make a flow chart of the tree/human ecosystem. Indicate
points at which there is a crisis. Talk and write about what
could be done.
Explore the concept of acid rain. Use two sets of plants.
They should be identical as to type of plant, soil, placement in
the window, and so forth. Label plants A and B. Plant A gets
regular water and Plant B gets water that is half vinegar or
lemon (acid). Observe and record the results: note dates,
amount of water, temperature of classroom. Have students
discuss the results of the tests and apply this information to
farms, forests, ponds/lakes, and gardens.
On a field trip, make rubbings of the bark of different trees
that are found in your community. Identify the trees and place
the rubbings in a science journal.
If leaf collecting is possible, mount some leaves or make
rubbings of them. Note colors, size, tree name, timeof year, vein
patterns—dicot plants have branching veins and monocots have
parallel ones—and so forth. Note the color of the leaves and
seeds, the condition of the tree, habitat, and approximate size.
A plaster of paris or clay mold of a tree's bark will make a
lasting impression of the feel of the tree. Press clay firmly
against the bark; remove and place in a container or box. Mix
plaster of paris to make a pourable but thick mixture. Pour into
and over the clay in the box and let harden. Then, pull it away
from the box and clay. Comparisons can be made to other tree
bark. Is this similar to a person's finger prints? How can you
find out? Observe the bark for textures, color, and scars.
Discuss how the bark helps to protect the tree. How does our
skin help protect us? Is it similar?
Observation and classification are important activities for
students to do. An activity that encourages classifying for
"attributes" would be to collect and sort a variety of leaves.
The teacher will need to collect and model this activity—
defining and illustrating key ideas such as serrated, broad,
lobed, sharp lobes, sharp teeth leaves.
This is a year-long activity, beginning in the autumn. Plant
a tree in the school area and take care of it, or select an existing
tree to adopt. City students may have access to parks,
museums, or may want to adopt a tree for the classroom.
Caring for a tree begins with a close and careful observation:
look at the bark, leaves, scars, dead wood, and new growth.
Observe it throughout the school year, writing of these
observations, drawing pictures, creating charts and timelines,
writing poems. Keep records of seasonal changes and record
growth, budding, girth, and height. Photos and drawings,
rubbings, or prints will be part of the record. Find out who to
call if there are problems with the tree, such as dead limbs.
Each observation and drawing or activity should be dated and
filed (kept together). At the end of the school year, bind this
project into a book, with the students' names, and place in the
school or classroom library.
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13
Find out why leaves turn different colors and fall. Are there
seasonal, light, climate, and food changes that affect humans?
How? What are the differences and similarities with trees?
Chart in a compare-and-contrast format.
With spring, students can observe the new growth of buds
and leaves. This is a good time to observe and build vocabulary:
language experience charts, shared reading, and journal
writings will assist in learning. Have them hypothesize
whether or not a twig with a bud on it will grow faster indoors
or outdoors on the tree. Use a colored piece of yarn or a
twistem and mark the outside twig with a bud. Carefully cut
another twig with a bud and place in water by a window in the
classroom. Observe and record changes. Older students can
add more variables, such as lack of water or light, temperature
differences, and so forth.
To demonstrate the movement of water in a plant, use a
celery stalk, a carnation, or a stalk of Queen Anne's Lace. Cut
off the stem on a slant and place the stalk in colored water.
Students can observe and transfer their ideas to that of roots of
a tree. This is a good time to talk about the function of leaves,
roots, seeds. Do not forget to talk about similarities in the
human body also.
Social Studies
Flowcharts and language experience charts are useful for
recording student ideas. Talk about the living beings that live
in and around the trees. Is this a community? How is it like that
of the human? What factors do trees and humans need to
survive: food, water, love, shelter/protection, climate, soil?
Are there common factors? What does a human provide for the
tree of these factors? What does the tree provide the human?
Can any factors stand alone? What happens if one of the factors
is missing?
Some additional questions that can be addressed with the
students are: Why is it important to save trees? What are they
used for? How do trees help human beings? How does burning
a rain forest affect people in the U.S.? What importance is a
park? How do trees and plants help our indoor and outdoor
environment at home? How are humans important to trees?
What would our planet be like without trees?
As a summary exercise, have the students interview a tree.
What would it say aboutpeople, automobiles, pollution, swings,
animals, birds, rain, sun, and other things that the students
identify?
The ideas above are merely the beginning. You will have ideas
that have been successful in your classroom: share them, please.
Susan Kovacs, a former teacher, is a curriculum consultant in
Champaign, Illinois.
GAME PAGE
REPRODUCIBILES
MIDDLE RIDDLE
Identify each of the pictures above. In the space beneath each picture, write in the middle letter of each
word. For example, the first picture is an apple and the middle letter is P. When finished, the MIDDLE
RIDDLE will reveal an important thing that you can do to help the environment. Answers on page 14.
' EPA Reproducibles/Permission granted -to duplicate for classroom use.
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14
Improving Your School's Environmental Grade
Administrators, teachers, staff, students, and parents working
together can enjoy accomplishing what some consider impos-
sible goals for improving your school's environmental grade.
There are practical ways your school can make every day
Earth Day by changing its operations for the benefit of the
environment, both short- and long-term.
Facilities Management: Getting Down to Basics
Schools across the country are already involved in efforts to
ensure their facilities conform to sound environmental proce-
dures. Why? In part because school officials recognize that
they have an ethical responsibility to set an example for their
students. There is an economic imperative as well. With
tightening budgets and increased scrutiny on the part of
taxpayers, the monetary value of facilities improvements
cannot be underestimated.
Check off any activities that you already do.
Get your whole school involved in a tree planting program
to help compensate for your use of paper.
Buy recycled products as much as possible.
Make double-sided copies whenever possible.
Monitor internal reports and memoranda to determine if
unwanted or unread materials are being circulated.
Reuse paper on the clean side for notes, or, by cutting up
and stapling, form message and note pads.
Place receptacles near vending machines for recycling
soft drink and juice cans and bottles.
Reuse laser cartridges by contracting with a recycling
service.
Reuse brown mailing envelopes and save and recycle
packaging materials.
How many unchecked suggestions on this list can you incor-
porate as your 1992 activities to make a positive change?
Energy Efficiency: An Issue You Can't Take Lightly
New advances in lighting technology and energy efficiency
are making energy conservation in public spaces an achiev-
able goal. An energy efficient school does not mean one that
is too cold in the winter and too hot in the warmer months.
These ideas can help light the way. How many are you
doing? Which are you willing to switch to in 1992?
Update existing overhead lighting with improved fluores-
cent bulbs, ballasts, and fixtures that increase efficiency and
savings. Compact fluorescent bulbs last ten to thirteen
times longer than incandescents, use only a quarter of the
electricity, and screw into standard lighting sockets.
Use natural light whenever possible.
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reduce light, waste electricity, and bum bulbs out fester.
Use light sensors. These controls maintain room light at a
preset level and save as much as 70 percent in lighting costs.
Put up signs to remind teachers, staff, and students to turn
off lights when they leave rooms.
Use thermostat timers to lower heating and cooling
systems at night, on weekends, and during vacations.
Suggest that equipment be turned on only when ready to
use. Computers, printers, and copiers do not need time to
warm up.
When planning any renovation or construction, design
with the optimum use of daylight and light colors.
Invest in an energy audit (often free or low cost) from the
utility company or a private firm. They will help you to
identify opportunities for saving energy.
Achieving energy efficiency is an ongoing, incremental pro-
cess. Choosing among the many energy-saving and costsav-
ing products and ideas means taking time to study the options.
This is good way for you to apply your research skills!
Groundskeeping: Lel:'s Get Growing
In most commercial landscaping, chemicals are applied di-
rectly to the soil as fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides. Neigh-
boring bodies of water are affected by run off. Using natural
fertilizers and insect controls can help. There are many ways
to beautify school grounds without harming the environment.
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15
Check off any of the following actions that your school is
practicing now.
Plant trees wherever possible around your school. They
remove carbon from the air and provide shade. A tree
planting is an excellent class project.
Compost garbage, kitchen waste, leaves, and grass
clippings. Composting is easy and there are many types
of bins to make it tidy. Composting is a great way to
manage biodegradable office wastes and naturally
improve your soil with minimal cost.
Enrich the soil with organic matter, such as grass clippings,
leaves, or compost.
Fight insects and pests naturally, with organic products.
Let the grass grow to 2.5 inches or more. Taller grass
grows thick and conserves moisture.
How many other actions and ideas can you add to this list and
nurture your landscaping agenda this year?
Indoor Maintenance: Cleaning Up Your Cleaning Act
Many toxic substances routinely appear on office desks, in
classrooms, and in the janitor's closet. The chemicals found
in aerosols, cleansers, polishes, paints, strippers, thinners,
adhesives, glues, and inks can contaminate indoor air and
linger for days after use. Once disposed, they can leach out of
containers to contaminate groundwater supplies.
While it may not be reasonable to eh'minate these products
from your school, you can exercise caution in the selection,
storage, and disposal of hazardous products.
Does your school do any of the following?
Use environmentally safe cleaning supplies. Achieve
clean work areas with soaps, vinegar, baking soda, borax,
washing soda (sodium carbonate), and ammonia. Do not
forget the value of elbow grease!
Store chemical- or petroleum-based cleaners, solvents,
paints, inks, adhesives, or other toxic products in carefully
marked containers until you can dispose of them at
hazardous waste collection sites. Do not throw these
materials into waste barrels, drains, or incinerators.
Substitute paper clips, staples, or rubber bands for
adhesives in plastic containers. White or yellow glues are
generally the safest. Never inhale anything that doesn't
smell like fresh air.
Purchase water-based pens and markers.
Use water-based correction fluids.
Minimize the use of chemical de-icers, including salt. Try
using sand or products that do not contain chlorine, such
as urea or calcium magnesium acetate, for wintersafe
walkways and parking lots.
Switch to rechargeable batteries. All batteries contain
corrosive materials. Nickel cadmium rechargeable
batteries have the advantage of being reusable many
times before we have to throw them out.
Keep batteries out of landfills and incinerators. Take
them only to a double-lined landfill or hazardous-waste
collection site. Battery recycling facilities extract and
reuse mercury, silver, nickel, and cadmium, all of which
are valuable resources.
Congratulations for all those you have checked off, but we will
hazard a guess that you can, and will, do more.
Recycling: The Fourth "R" at Many Schools
Unlike Europeans, who recycle up to 60 percent of their trash,
we have historically recycled only 10 percent. Finding places
to put our refuse has emerged as one of the nation's top
challenges for the '90s. The solution? We need to go back to
the source of the problem and change what we buy, how to use
it, and how we dispose of it. Can you check off that your
school makes every effort to do the following?
Reduce the amount of waste at the source by reducing
consumption whenever possible.
Reuse everything you can.
Recycle to give back what you cannot use.
When you consult recycling resources, you will find many
ideas that you can adapt to your own school, whether you want
to commit to an office-only program, or can undertake a
program involving the cafeteria and other school facilities.
Remember, your students are likely to be enthusiastic partic-
ipants in recycling activities that involve them. Curricular
materials are widely available for every grade level.
Transportation: Let's Get Moving
There are many ways to improve the environmental impact of
getting people to and from work and school activities. You can
encourage employee carpooling or urge them to use public
transportation, if it's available in your area. Carpooling stu-
dents to after-school activities translates into valuable fuel
savings. You can make sure also that your school bus fleet is
well maintained.
Are you doing any of these activities already? If so,
consider yourself on the road to environmental awareness at
your school.
Make bus and subway schedules available at school.
Provide a bulletin board for employees' use to establish
carpools, walking partners, or bicycling partners.
Make sure school vehicles are tuned up regularly and get
necessary repairs. Keep tires inflated to the proper
pressure, as indicated in the owner's manual, and replace
air conditioning hoses every three years so that
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) won't leak out.
Consolidate school errands to cut down on unnecessary
driving and slow down. Cutting your speed by just 10 miles
per hour can cut fuel consumption by 15 to 20 percent.
Don't yield to the temptation to stop here. Add to the list for 1992.
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16
Water Conservation: Turning the Tide
The average individual uses 60 gallons of water per day, of
which 40 percent is wasted. Yet, installing a few simple,
inexpensive products and instilling a few sensible attitudes
can make a huge difference in usage and costs.
Check the actions that you are currently taking at your
school to conserve water.
Check faucets for leaks and replace washers if necessary.
Equip your faucets with inexpensive, easy-to-install
aerators to cut waste by up to a gallon per minute. The
average faucet gushes out 3.5 gallons of water per minute.
Use water-saving devices in locker room showers.
Encourage teachers, staff, and students not to use toilets
as waste baskets. Toilets consume 5 to 7 gallons of water
with every flush.
Run cafeteria dishwashers only when full. Wash and rinse
dishes in filled sink basins if you are doing them by hand.
Water your grounds intelligently. Use a soaker hose that
delivers water directly to the roots of grass and plants.
Cultivate trees or tall hedges or build a fence. These
provide shade and reduce evaporation.
Water in the early morning or after dark when less
water evaporates.
Water slowly and infrequently for maximum absorption.
Group plants with similar needs together. Those that
require more water should be placed where they can take
advantage of shade trees and runoff from downpours.
Mulch heavily, using thick layers of compost, wood
chips, or grass clippings around every shrub and plant.
You'll get a finished look to your landscaping, while
reducing evaporation and runoff by 90 percent.
Select from among the many varieties of grass and shrubs
that require less water and are drought resistant.
Each new action from this list that you incorporate for 1992
will contribute substantially to water conservation.
Adapted from Educator's Environmental Resource Guide,
unpublished manuscript, EARTH DAY USA, Peterborough,
New Hampshire, the national headquarters of the network of
thousands of people and groups who make "Every Day
Earth Day."
Call for Comments, Essays, and Ideas
£ar;/i Azotes welcomes contributions fromeducators for
educators, grades K-6. Limit descriptions of each
comment and teaching idea to approximately 500 words
and essays to 1200 words. Type diem double-spaced
and include the writer's full name, school address, and
telephone number. Receipt of the contribution will be
acknowledged, but this does not guarantee publication.
Manuscript submissions nay fte edited for clarity, for-
mat, and space. All manuscripts and communications
should be addressed to:
Editor, latfhNows
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
401 M Street, S.W, (A4Q7)
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vyEPA
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