Energy is an important resource that we use to power things like electronics, cars, and even heat and cool our homes! Electricity comes from big factories, and many of them cause pollution when they make electricity. But if we turn off electric devices when we are not using them, the factories don’t need to produce as much electricity and they pollute less! Most cars run on gasoline, which pollutes the air. Instead of using the car for short trips, try taking the bus, riding a bike, or walking!

Many of the products we use everyday can be used again! Plastic bottles and bags, newspapers, and cans can all be recycled. This means after they are used, the materials they are made of can be used to make new items! So instead of using up resources, we can use the same ones over and over again. This helps protect the Earth from garbage, which is smelly and bad for plants and animals.

One great way to prevent garbage from piling up is to waste
less. How can you do this? First, buy only what you need and use it completely before buying more. If you have something leftover, like food or a cleaning product, and you are not going to use it, see if you can find someone who can! Look for products that use less packaging because there will be less to throw away. Remember to recycle whatever packaging there is. Buy rechargeable batteries that you can use over and over again, instead of the kind that you have to throw away after one use.

Clean water is a precious resource, and we all need it to stay healthy. There are many things you can do to prevent wasting water! First, run your sink, shower, or bathtub for only as long as you need it. Don’t turn them on and walk away, letting them run while you do something else. When you are washing dishes by hand, don’t keep the water running the entire time. Turn it on only when you absolutely need it. If you use a dishwashing machine, try to clean as many items at once as possible instead of doing several small loads. Every load uses about the same amount of water, so if you can do fewer loads you save a lot of water! Same goes for washing your clothes. Don’t wash only a handful of items at a time. Be sure to do a full load every time so you don’t need to run your washing machine as often. Even small loads use a lot of water, so why not put that water to good use and wash a whole bunch of stuff at once?

There is a lot to learn about our planet’s environment and how it works, but you can read about it become super smart about protecting our planet! You can also share what you know with your friends! Show them how to recycle and tell them about turning off lights and electronics when they are not using them! Spread the word and we can all make a difference!

www.letsmove.gov/gardening-guide

www.kidsgardening.org

To learn a whole bunch more about the environment and what you can do to protect it, go to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Kids Club web site at http://www.epa.gov/kids/
Sources: United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)