Who Are the Heroes? Look in the Mirror and See

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When it comes to protecting the environment, most kids agree: the real heroes aren't the sanitation workers who clean up our messes. Nor are they the celebrities who speak out for the planet or the scientists seeking solutions to the world’s air pollution and water quality woes.

 

According to the most recent Kids' Environmental Report Card poll, the real hero is "Everyone who makes a difference in small ways."

Kids seem to understand that even small actions, such as recycling school paper or using refillable water bottles can add up.

Small Steps, Big Results

Take packaging for school snacks: empty chip bags and other packaging account for about a third of the nearly 250 million tons of trash that's thrown away every year in the United States. By doing away with snack wrappers and using refillable containers instead, you'll greatly reduce your share of that rubbish — currently measured at about 4.5 pounds of trash per person per day.

Of course, what you choose to do with your trash also makes a big difference. Depending on how you treat it, doing your share can even be fun.

"I always pretend that the trash can is a basketball net, bahahah! And I have a bad aim, but I ALWAYS pick up trash afterwards, don't worry!" wrote Dustfinger , a contributor to Scholastic’s Save the Planet bulletin board.

So who are the real heroes? YOU are – if you make even the smallest effort to treat the environment right.

Kids Environmental Report Card: Kids Vote on the Environment, part 2
What's the big deal about global warming? Where should we put all our trash? Thousands of kids around the country have added their votes to the Kids' Environmental Report Card. Find the latest on what kids think.

As Earth Stewards, Have Grownups Been Doing Enough? | Kids' Environmental Report Card 2008
Grown-up efforts to protect the planet vary, according to most kids. "Sometimes it's good; sometimes it's bad," stated the majority of voters on the Kids' Environmental Report Card poll.

What's a "Greenerator"?
Going green is what everybody is talking about on the educational and earth-friendly Web site, Act Green!

LESSON PLAN	Teacher Lesson on Ecosystems and Recycling Learn about ecosystems, understand how reducing, reusing, and recycling can impact the environment, and practice reading comprehension skills.
UNIT PLAN	Bars, Lines, & Pies! Build graphing skills with lessons and activities involving real-world data about the environment and recycling.
ONLINE ACTIVITY	Act Green Discover ways to learn about issues affecting our planet.