***D’s Guest Post***
Welcome to Save-the-Earth Saturday! I hope you’ll join me with a story or a tip.
Last week, I wrote about recycling, and this week’s topic is clean air.
Air, as everyone knows, is made up of oxygen, which you breathe in, carbon dioxide which you breathe out, (and humans have increased by 25%) and this cycle also has to do with trees, which do the exact opposite.
Sadly, these trees are being cut down. To help, plant trees. Plant 2 trees for every 1 tree you meant to reproduce. Arbor Day will be the last Friday in April, April 27. This is a day when people plant trees, to replace those that have been harvested.
But trees can’t even help you with the chemicals in the smoke from factories. You gradually breathe in chemicals. Your lungs would not like to hear that if they had ears, but it is true. Some chemicals are just as bad is a cigarette. Your lungs don’t like the sound of that bad stuff.
This is not to mention the 140 million cars, which don’t help the environment. Although a hybrid could help fix that problem well. Oh! And we mustn’t forget he ozone and greenhouse effect! To help green house effect you could do an easy thing such as simply turning off the lights when you leave the room. A wonderful kind of light to get is compact fluorescent bulbs. They are more expensive but use less energy and last longer.
MORE BRIGHT IDEAS!!!
1. Try to get a smaller house. It uses less electric.
2. If you live in a city, try to ride the bus. Buses use more gas but with 25 people riding, it’s worth it.
3. Try opening a window instead of air conditioning.
4. Buy groceries from local farmers. It saves the gas on a ship from another continent.
AIR IS IMPORTANT. LETS KEEP IT FRESH.
If you have any other clean air tips, please post them in comments.
Next week I’ll be talking about clean water.
Source: Time, April 9, 2007 — The Global Warming Survival Guide (Hat Tip, Beth.)
Source: 50 Simple Things Kids Can do to Save the Earth
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8:57 pm
Hi D!
We switched to flourescent bulbs about a year and a half ago because in the house we moved into, our electric bill is about 4x higher than it was before. It saves money on the electric bill. Now initially, the cost is higher but guess what? They really do last much much longer. So it works out ok in the long run.
Here’s a fun “Save the Trees” game you can play and tell your mom it’s educational!
Here is a good article to help you sort out some of the myths and facts that seem to abound on this subject.
I am not suggesting that we don’t need to be good stewards of the Earth– I believe God gave us that responsibilty when he put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. But I think some of the alarmists that you often see in the news have an agenda that they are pushing that may or may not be based on fact. (I also think that many companies that produce much of the pollution are more intersted in their profit margin than in being good stewards of the Earth.) So it’s a fine line we have to walk between fear and faith, and between being Chicken Little (the sky is falling!) and being an ostrich with our head in the sand. I tend toward the latter, so I like it when people like you make me think about what I can change to make things better for all of us.
Keep up the great work!
Leslie
3:17 pm
Thanks Leslie! I appreciate this excellent comment. There is so much to figure out about all this and I think that looking at all the sides is important. I’ll definitely click over, with D to the sites you suggest. This research paper has been an exercise in awareness for all of us.
I just think there is so much we can do, and it’s better to be aware, and do what we can, than to bury our heads in the sand, or assume we have no control. From what I’ve read, the worst carbon pollution comes from coal-burning factories and big-buck business. But at this point, it’s easier to learn about the effect our personal choices have on the environment. Maybe by choosing the right light bulbs at age ten, she’ll find a way to influence American car manufacturers at age 20.
Great discussion. Thanks Leslie!
Kelly
7:43 am
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