5th Graders in Houston & To do List

Yesterday, Tuesday March 2, I visited a wonderful bunch of 5th grade students at Garden Oaks Elementary School in Houston. Just like the 4th grade students in Massachusetts and the 5th graders in Brazil, these Houston children were smart, bright-eyed and full of energy and interest. You, my dear friends, are the hope of the future and I know that many of you are already starting to do the things that will help keep our environment healthy for humans, animals and plants. Thanks you for welcoming me.

Garden Oaks Elementary School in Houston, Texas

If this is your first time on this blog, please find the link in the right margin that will take you back to February 2009 when I started the blog. Then you can make your way through my Climate Walk: you can just look at the photos, or you can read the blogs, and you can even read the comments of other students.

Today I want to post the list of things you can do that I developed for yesterday's students. I wasn't able to make copies for them so I promised to put it in the blog. You already know many of these things. Maybe you will write about what you're doing (all of you, wherever you are) in the comments. You don't have to have a special name to leave a comment - simply post it as Anonymous. Be sure to put your name in the comment so I can respond to you.

What you can do …

Save Electricity - Whenever we use electricity, we help put greenhouse gases into the air. By turning off lights, the television, and the computer when you are through with them, you can help a lot.

Bike, Bus, and Walk - You can save energy by sometimes taking the bus, riding a bike, or walking.

Carpool - For example, four people can ride together in one car instead of driving two or more cars to work, to the restaurant, to church.

Save Water – More and more people are using water and in many places there is not enough to go around. You can use less water when you shower and brush your teeth, when you wash dishes and clothes, when you water the lawn.

Recycle and Re-use - Recycle or re-sue cans, bottles, plastic bags, and newspapers. When you recycle, you send less trash to the landfill and you help save natural resources, like trees, oil, and elements such as aluminum. Re-using things, such as zip -lock bags and cloth items, means that less new material is utilized to produce a new product.

Talk to Your Family and Friends - Talk with your family and friends about climate change. Let them know what you've learned.

Plant Trees - Planting trees is fun and a great way to reduce greenhouse gases. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, from the air.

Read - Learning about the environment is very important. There are many good books that will help you learn. To get started, ask a teacher or a librarian for some suggestions. You can learn about solar energy, wind energy, about how to save water, about new and more efficient kinds of transportation, and about how what we eat can help cut down on climate change.

(Adapted from EPA websites)

Love, Nana Greta