Kids Can Celebrate Earth Day Every Day

"If understanding and change is going to occur, it must begin with the education of our children," says Jayni Chase, founder of the Center for Environmental Education. Earth Day comes in April, but there are many environmental activities for kids to do year round.

For example, Brooklyn sixth graders Rachel Shaffer, Amanda Peters and Margrit Polleta are saving endangered species by buying acres of rainforest in Brazil. They started by selling Easter Egg baskets and jewelry in front of their houses and will design and sell t-shirts, hats, and stationery this spring. In Glens Falls, New York, middle schoolers are reducing sulfur dioxide emissions, a cause of acid rain, through the purchase of "allowances," which companies buy and trade to gain the right to emit pollutants. By raising $24,000, the students took 313 allowances off the market, which means that 313 tons of sulfur dioxide will never be released.

RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING

Recycling saves space, energy, and resources and helps reduce air and water pollution. Instead of using a new paper lunch bag every day, children can make their own reusable lunch bags out of fabrics such as corduroy or denim. Or kids can start milk carton recycling programs at their schools. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Mothers & Others for our article about Justin Leader, who began a juice box and milk carton recycling program at his middle school, and our factsheet on drink box recycling.

Composting teaches that garbage can be a valuable resource. As a science project, kids can plant fast growing seeds, like calendula or tomatoes, comparing the growth rate, health and size of the plants with and without compost. The America the Beautiful Fund distributes free seeds to school groups. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to 1511 K. Street, NW, Suite 611, Washington DC, 20005-6629, for an application. The Berkeley Ecology Center sends out composting and recycling fact sheets, 510/548-2220. Also see Green Guide #25 for instructions on composting.

ECOSYSTEM PROTECTION

The Nature Conservancy sponsors an Adopt-an-Acre program, as well as a Rescue-the-Reef program, 800/84-ADOPT. The Rainforest Action Network offers a Protect-an-Acre program, as well as a kids' action guide, 415/398-4404. The student-written Tropical Tribune is packed with information and project ideas relating to tropical rainforests. Students interested in contributing or subscribing should call J.C. McKenna Middle School at 608/882-4780.

Cosponsored by Children's Earth Fund and Earth Force, this year's Pennies for the Planet campaign, which runs through the end of June, helps protect habitats for migratory songbirds, 212/727-4505. Kids can help by designing and selling bird seed packets and bird houses. Children can also make a bird feeder from an empty milk carton to attract birds to their yards.

In 1986, kids in Casper, Wyoming placed discarded Christmas trees on Bolton Creek's banks to help prevent overflow and erosion. They planted 300 fruit-bearing trees and shrubs in the spring, providing food for the wildlife. Since then, subsequent sixth grade classes have built small dams and planted cottonwood trees which shade the water and prevent erosion. To learn more about conservation in and around waterways, contact the Izaak Walton League of America's Save Our Streams program, 800/284-4952.

CHOOSE YOUR ANIMAL

Help protect the grizzly bears and their habitat in Montana by adopting a grizzly. Call Brown Bear Resources, 406/549-4896. The Nature Conservancy sponsors an Adopt-a-Bison program which helps protect bison and their endangered habitat on a tall-grass prairie preserve in Oklahoma, 800/628-6860. The Wild Dolphin Project's Protect-a-Pod program includes actions to support the survival of dolphins, 310/791-5878.

Legislation this summer, if passed, will weaken the Endangered Species Act by diminishing the power of the Fish and Wildlife Service, the agency responsible for protecting endangered species and their habitats. Kids should write letters asking their Congressional representatives to vote against this legislation. For more information, contact the Education Coordinator at Defenders of Wildlife, 202-682-9400.