Bad Facts about our earth:
- If you throw away 2 aluminum cans, you waste more energy than 1,000,000,000 (one billion) of the world's poorest people use a day.
- Making a new can from scratch uses the uses the energy equal to half a can of gasoline.
- About one third of what an average American throws out is packaging.
- More than 1,000,000,000 (one billion) trees are used to make disposable diapers every year.
- In one minute, 50 acres of rainforest are destroyed.
- Some rain has a pH of 3 or 4. (which is pretty acidic, considering 7 is neutral, not acidic, and battery acid has a pH of 1). Some fish, such as lake trout and smallmouth bass, have trouble reproducing at a pH of 6, which is only slightly acidic. Some clams and snails can't survive at all. Most crayfish are dead at a pH of 5. You can see how bad this is for the environment.
26 things we can do to help:
- Turn off lights.
- Turn off other electric things, like TVs, stereos, and radios when not in use.
- Use rechargeable batteries.
- Do things manually instead of electrically, like open cans by hand.
- Use fans instead of air conditioners.
- In winter, wear a sweater instead of turning up your thermostat.
- Insulate your home so you won't be cold in winter.
- Use less hot water.
- Whenever possible, use a bus or subway, or ride your bike or walk.
- Try to buy organic fruits and vegetables if you're concerned about pesticides. (Organic food is grown without man-made fertilizers and/or pesticides).
- Don't waste products made from forest materials.
- Use recycled paper and/or recycle it. Reuse old papers.
- Don't buy products that may have been made at the expense of the rainforest.
- Support products that are harvested from the rainforest but have not cut down trees to get it.
- Plant trees, espessially if you have cut one down.
- Get other people to help you in your cause. Make and/or join an organization.
- Avoid products that are used once, then thrown away.
- Buy products with little or no packaging.
- Encourage your grocery store sell environmentally friendly cloth bags for people to use when they shop, or bring your own.
- REDUCE, REUSE, & RECYCLE.
- Compost.
- Buy recycled products.
- Don't buy pets taken from the wild.
- If you have a good zoo nearby, (if the animals are healthy and the zoo takes care of them), support it! Especially if they help breed endangered animals.
- Don't buy products if animals were killed to make it.
- Cut up your six-pack rings before throwing them out.