EFft
U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency
Region 10
www.epa.gov/rlOearth
(800) 424-4EPA or (206) 553-1200
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he Earth Is Everuonefe Home
I'm big and I'm
strong, but I still need
to be taken care of. How
about going through this
list with me? It will give
you WAYS
to help!
We depend on the Earth for the air we breathe,
the food we eat, and the water we drink. The Earth
supplies energy to heat and cool our homes, operate
factories, and run automobiles. This is why caring for
the Earth is so important
A healthy Earth allows us to live longer and
healthier lives. It provides us with beautiful
things to see and fun things to do. Taking care
of the Earth is everybody's responsibility.
Written by Brian Beck
Illustrated by Len Boro
© 2002 The Positive Line #79930
Item #KCB-344
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educe Your Garbage
We can care for the Earth by reducing the amount of garbage we make.
That way, less goes into the landfills where garbage is taken to be buried in
the dirt. Here are nine things you can do:
1. Carry your lunch in a reusable bag or lunchbox instead of a paper bag.
2. Use a glass instead of a paper cup.
3. Mend and repair clothes and toys rather than buy new ones.
4. Pick products that have little or no wrapping or packaging.
5. Use tote bags to carry things you buy, not paper or plastic bags.
6. Buy food and other products in the largest size possible.
7. Buy products in bottles you can refill.
8. Store leftover food in reusable containers, not in plastic wrap or foil.
9. Avoid buying "disposable" products—buy
things that will last a long time.
A. bicycle.
Circle the answer that you think is correct:
The garbage each person in the United States
makes in a year weighs about as much as a...
B. soccer team. C. chair.
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You can show your care for the Earth when your family goes to the
grocery store. Buy things that create the least garbage.
Write in the name of the family with the
grocery list that is most friendly to the Earth: .
ALLWOOD FAMILY LIST
G Cloth towels
G Cereal in large boxes
G Fresh vegetables
G Large bottles of soda
G Fresh fruit
G Bars of soap
G Rechargeable batteries
G Reusable plastic cups,
plates, and bowls
BARBER FAMILY LIST
G Paper towels
G Single-serving boxes of
cereal
G Canned vegetables
G A six-pack of soda
G Fruit in cans
G Soap in plastic dispensers
G Regular batteries
G Paper cups, plates, and
bowls
I like chocolate!
Shouldn't that be on
the shopping list?
3
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earn to Reuse
By using tilings more than once, you can cut down on how
much goes into the garbage. Reusing also helps save resources
that come out of the Earth to make new products. L
Here are six ways to reuse: ^
1. Wash plastic utensils, plates, and cups, and use them again.
2. Wash and reuse plastic sandwich bags.
3. Trade, sell, or give away old clothes, toys, and books.
4. 1\irn old cans into pencil-holders or planters.
5. Rinse and reuse glass jars.
6. Make your Halloween costume out of things at home.
Circle the answer that you think is correct:
Americans throw away enough paper every year to
build a wall 12 feet high...
A. around a house.
B. across a city street.
C. all the way across
the United States.
9 + 6 = 15
fabulous ways
to show you
care!
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More paper is thrown away than anything else. There are many ways
you can reuse paper so that less goes into landfills.
Unscramble the words in these sentences to find out how.
1. Write or draw on sides of a
piece of paper. b h t o
2. Cut up used sheets of paper to make
3. Use the Sunday
i s c m c o
notedasp
. as gift-wrapping paper.
4. Save paper.
.and use them again.
g s a b
5. Cut paper grocery bags apart. Turn them
inside out and draw or paint a design on
them. Then use them to wrap
t f g i s
6. Carefully
gifts you receive, and reuse
w u r n p a
the paper to wrap gifts you give.
That's 21 dowa We re on a roll,
which is pretty easy for me, being round and all'
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Regularly
One of the most effective ways to care for the Earth is to
recycle as much as possible. In recycling, a product is
made into something else rather than just tossed into a
landfill. You might have to take things that can be recycled
to a recycling center. Your community may have a service that
picks up materials for recycling on your street. Here are two ways to
support recycling:
1. Buy products that have been made from recycled materials.
2. Buy products in packaging that can be recycled^look for this
recycling symbol on them:
Many people make the mistake
of throwing away things that can
be recycled.
Look for the recycling symbol
and circle the things in this
landfill that could have
been recycled.
makes 23 things
that are good
for me!
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Your family can care for the Earth by recycling seven common
products that many people just throw out. Help these kids collect
the things that can be recycled and take them to the recycling
center. Find your way through them in order, starting with Tin and
Aluminum Cans (1).
Notebook and
Computer Paper
That makes 30
a-mazinq wavs to care
or
Be sure to check that your
recycling center can fake
these items-or
any others!
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onserve Water
The water we use in our homes must be pumped from the
ground or taken out of lakes or rivers. Then it is treated with
chemicals to make it safe. This makes water a precious and
costly resource. Here's how you can save water at your house:
1. TYirn off the water while brushing your teeth.
2. Take short showers instead of baths.
3. Make sure faucets are turned off all the way.
4. Ask your parents to fix leaky faucets.
5. Instead of running the tap to get cold water, keep a pitcher of water in
the refrigerator.
6. Ask your parents to install low-flow shower heads, faucets, and toilets.
7. Use a nozzle on the hose when washing the car.
8. Sweep the sidewalk instead of hosing it off.
9. Water outside plants in the early morning.
10. Take care to water only your lawn and plants—not the sidewalk or street
11. Catch rainwater in buckets to use on gardens and indoor plants.
12. Run the dishwasher only when it is full.
8
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are for the Air
Polluted air looks and smells lousy,
It's bad for the health of people,
animals, and plants. Here are
ways you can care for the air:
1. Ride your bike or walk to places whenever you can,
instead of taking the car.
2. Urge your parents to ride to work in a car pool with
other people.
3. Have your parents check to see that the tires on their
cars are properly inflated.
4. If the car you are in is going to be stopped for more
than a minute, ask the driver to turn it off.
5. Plant trees in your yard. They help clean up air pollution.
6. Grow houseplants. They clean up the air inside your house.
7. Use a push mower instead of a gasoline mower.
8. Call stores to see if they have what you want before driving there.
9. Save electricity whenever you can. Most electricity comes
from burning coal or oil, which creates air pollution.
A. motor vehicles.
Circle the answer that you think is correct:
The biggest polluter of our air is...
B. factories. C. forest fires.
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;ave Energy
It takes energy to operate our cars, homes, schools, and workplaces.
Most of it comes out of the ground as coal, oil, or gas, which must be
burned to create energy. By being
careful about the energy we use,
we can save both the air and
what's in the Earth.
Here's how you can cut
down on your energy use:
1. Turn off the television if you're not watching it.
2. Shut down computers when not in use.
3. Close curtains to keep the hot summer sun out.
4. Close curtair^ to keep heat in during winter.
5. T\irn out the lights when you leave a room.
6. Decide what you want before opening the refrigerator door.
7. Close the refrigerator door as soon as you take out what you want.
Draw lines to match the first part of these ways to save energy
with the correct endings.
1. Use your own energy instead of
2, Put on a sweater instead of
3. Open windows instead of
4. Take the stairs instead of
5. Use cool water instead of
-^" -s
That's a swell
12. Do you have the
energy to read the
last 38 ways
to care?
A. turning up the heat.
B. the elevator.
C. hot or warm water whenever possible.
D. turning on the air conditioner.
E. electric appliances like pencil
sharpeners and can openers.
>core
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Here are 12 W3tfS you can help your parents save energy in your home.
Check off the ones that your family does:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
ii. n
12.
Close heating and cooling vents in unused rooms.
Seal up leaky windows and doors.
Install energy-saving light bulbs.
Hang clothes out to dry instead of using the dryer.
Put lids on pots to help food heat more quickly.
Keep heaters and coolers at low settings.
Set the water heater at 120 degrees.
Use a fan instead of the air conditioner.
Set the refrigerator at 40 degrees.
Keep the freezer at 0 to 5 degrees.
Clean or change air conditioner filters and
furnace filters often.
Set the washing machine for cold water unless
hot water is required.
Circle the answer that you think is
correct: Most of the energy used
in our homes is for...
A. the hot-water heater. B. air conditioning. C. heating.
V
My favorite
source of energy
is the sun!
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ive Trees A Chance
Irees help to clean up the air. They also provide shade and help
cool the Earth. Also, by taking action to save trees, you will cut
down on the amount of paper that is thrown away. Recycling
and reusing saves lots of trees and paper. Here are other ways:
1. Use cloth napkins instead of paper ones.
2. Buy a Christmas tree that can be planted.
3. Use rags and sponges instead of paper towels.
4, Ask your parents to stop newspaper delivery during vacations.
5. Make a printout from your computer only if you really need it
How many times can you find the word TREE" hidden in this
newspaper page? Look for it straight up, down, or across, and diagonally.
%P<2T
E
E
E
T
R
T
E
T
R
T
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R
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. E
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V <=&
12
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elp Animals
Caring for the Earth means caring for animals,
too. They are an important part of our system
of life on Earth.
I'm wild
about animals!
How about you?
^ t X
1. Save wild animals—don't buy anything made out of them.
2. Keep wild birds healthy by helping your parents put up
bird feeders.
3. When you're at the beach, pick up plastic and other litter so birds
' won't choke on it
4. Gather your family or a group of friends together to pick up trash along
streambeds, lakes, and ponds. Fishing line and other litter is dangerous to
vjourc* jruut tcuiiuj vri »^iw»fi
streambeds, lakes, and ponds
wild animals.
5. Reduce the number of unwanted pets. Ask your parents to get your cat
dog spayed or neutered.
6
ScUdjr* lj"HJ l/4\yV*l*^KW A*.W*»» •ww* »»»*»«»»•"»*• »™»" i • ^^--^ —-—- —
7. Do not disturb wild plants or animals. Leave them in their
natural homes.
8. Cut the rings in plastic six-pack holders so animals
cannot set raueht in them.
or
dog spayed or neutered.
6. Animals can be harmed when they are used to test new products for ^
safety. Buy products from companies that do not use animals for tests.]
m T\— __A. JU*.*.**!* «***1.*S «1rtM+A fw AVtimolc T ^QVPA ^Kom 1T1
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ake Care of the Soil
Everything we put onto the ground or into the drain affects
the health of the Earth. Take care not to poison the soil!
1. Put Utter in its proper place—garbage cans or your
recycling bin.
2. Pull weeds instead of using a chemical plant killer.
3. Ask your family to buy nontoxic household cleaners.
4. lake old bug spray and paint cans to your town's hazardous waste center.
5. Use compost instead of chemicals to feed the plants in your
garden and around your house.
Lit,
Compost is made out of old food
and plant cuttings. Mixed together
with dirt, they decay into a rich food for plants. Find out some
of the things you can use to make compost In the words
below, substitute each letter for the letter that comes after it in
the alphabet ("A" comes after "Z"). The first one has been done
for you.
ABCDEFGHIJKLM
NOPQRSTVWXYZ
more
That adds up
1) ZOOKDR
$ DFFRGDKKR =
3) KDZUDR =
4) KDSSTBO =
5) ONSZSNRJHMR =
14
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e an Earth-Care Activist
The Earth is a big place, and it takes a lot to care for it.
Do your part—and encourage others to do theirs, too.
1. Read books and magazines about nature.
2. Watch nature programs on T.V.
3. Set a good example at home
and away.
4. Write letters to your governor,
senator, and the president, asking
them to care for the Earth.
5. Start a recycling program in
your neighborhood.
6. Share the ideas in this book with your family and friends.
7. Praise others when they help care for the Earth.
Design a billboard that will
encourage others to care for the Earth.
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very action you take to care for the Earth makes a difference. Look
through this book and pick out four things you are willing to do. Talk to
your parents about them. Then fill in this Earth Care Pledge and sign it.
CARE
(jour MM but)
promise to help care for the Earth by
t.
2.
a.
4..
Your Signature.
Date.
ANSWERS
Page 2:
B
Page):
AHwood Family
Page 4:
C
Page 5:
1-both
2-notepads
3-comics
4-bags
5-gifts
6-unwrap
Page 6:
Page 9:
A
10:
Page 12:
1-E
2-A
3-D
4-B
5-C
Page 11:
C
Page 14:
2) EGGSHELLS
3) LEAVES
4) LETTUCE
5) POTATO SKINS
16
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NOTE TO
PARENTS AND GUARDIANS
101 Ways to Care for the Earth is designed to help young
people gain an appreciation for the value of the Earth's
resources, and to encourage them to take action. It offers clear
and simple suggestions for how both children and adults can
"pitch in" to help make the Earth a healthier place for us all.
You Can Help
• Review this book with your child and explain any suggested
actions that your child is not clear about.
• Support your child's efforts to put some of the suggestions
in the book into action-especially those your child has
promised to do on page 16. Make caring for the Earth a
family activity.
• Empower your child by assigning specific Earth-friendly
tasks. For example, put your child in charge of sorting
recyclables.
• Subscribe to magazines about nature and
encourage your child to tune in to television
shows about the environment.
• Go shopping together and have your youngster pick out
products that have minimal packaging or
are recyclable. This will start your child on
a lifelong habit of Earth-friendly shopping.
• Set a good example for your child by doing
your part to care for the Earth.
KCB-344
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