The Earth is a wonderful, amazing place to live! Every day we see the beautiful blue sky, drink water and breathe fresh air – but unfortunately the Earth, our home, is in crisis. Pollution, deforestation, and the extinction of many species of animals and plants are ramping up every year. In some countries you can’t see the blue sky because of the smog, nor drink the water because it’s not safe to drink. Even here in the United States! So what can we do about it? Luckily, there’s a day made especially to help protect the earth! April 22 is Earth Day, a day when kids and grown-ups all over the world get together to clean up the environment any way they can; by participating in activities like planting trees, picking up trash off the highway or beaches, recycling, and even conserving electricity, we are working hard to make the Earth a healthier, happier place to live! But what is Earth Day?
In the late 1960s, conservationists – or scientists focusing on the protection of the environment – saw that the amount of litter and pollution in the world was becoming too much to handle! But without bringing national attention to the problem, people had no idea what was going on with the planet they lived on nor that, someday, it could be very dangerous for many people and animals to live. In 1970, American Senator Gaylord Nelson decided to do something about it. He chose April 22 to be the very first Earth Day – a day picked especially for students to take part in outdoor activities at school. Earth Day wasn’t celebrated very often at first, only once a decade, but every year after 1990 more and more people all over the world took part in this special holiday. Now, more than 1 billion people take part each year to help our planet!!
This year, become an Earth Protector by learning more about the environment and how you can take part in Earth Day at home! Not just on April 22, but every day of the year!
National Geographic Kids: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/celebrations/article/earth-day
PBS Kids Explain Earth Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuhpygdNmcQ
BEES
Did you know that bees are really important to the environment? As pollinators, bees play a part in every aspect of the ecosystem. They support the growth of trees, flowers, and other plants, which serve as food and shelter for creatures large and small. Bees contribute to complex, interconnected ecosystems that allow a diverse number of different species to co-exist. However, worldwide bee populations are declining. Protecting bees helps the earth because they are a keystone species and many animals depend on them for survival. Bees are also important for food production and plant reproduction.
You can read more about bees here: https://www.earthday.org/wp-content/uploads/species/bees.pdf
Did you know that there’s a website where you can upload pictures of bees to have them identified? Check out this cool website here! https://www.bumblebeewatch.org/
Want to learn how bees pollinate flowers? Try this activity at home, and do some research on how you can support the bees!
CONSERVATIONIST HIGHLIGHT:
Eva Crane – Protector of Bees!
Dr. Crane’s work in the study of bees was revolutionary! She wanted to learn more about bees, how they worked, and how they benefited the environment. Most of all, she studied how best to protect them. You can read more about her life and work here: https://www.evacranetrust.org/page/eva-crane
PLASTIC BAGS:
Plastic bags are a huge problem with our environment. Almost every store gives you at least one when you buy something. Most of these do not get recycled and often just get tossed outside endangering animals and poisoning the ground. It takes a thousand years for a plastic bag to degrade and when it breaks down it causes toxins that pollute the environment. Bags are even a problem in the oceans. About 34% of dead leatherback sea turtles were killed because they ate something plastic like a plastic bag thinking it was a jellyfish.
Another reason to limit your use of plastic bags is that it takes 12 million barrels of oil to manufacture the 100 billion plastic bags that Americans use each year (an average of 365 bags per person per year). It only takes 14 plastic bags for the equivalent of gas required to drive one mile!
Plastic bags are not just a problem in our country. Read the book One Plastic Bag by Miranda Paul about the inspiring true story of what one woman did to recycle bags and clean up her town. https://search.prairiecat.info/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2139659__Sone%20plastic__Orightresult__U__X6?lang=eng&suite=cobalt
Want some fun ideas on what to do with the plastic bags you already have?
Check out the site below for different crafts including bracelets, jump ropes, mats and more!
CONSERVATIONALIST HIGHLIGHT:
Jacques-Yves Cousteau – Marine Biologist and Ocean Explorer!
Jacque Cousteau was a marine biologist who co-invented the Aqua Lung, a breathe-on-demand valve for SCUBA diving. Jacques Cousteau led hundreds of marine expeditions, making three Oscar winning documentaries. His pioneering television series The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau promoted human understanding of ocean life, with Cousteau and his crew doing things never seen before, such as swimming with whales, caressing octopuses, and being pulled along by giant turtles. He was the first person to propose that cetaceans, such as whales and porpoises, use echolocation to navigate.
You can check out more of his work here! https://www.cousteau.org/about-us/
COMPOSTING:
Composting is the natural process of recycling organic matter, such as leaves and food scraps, into a valuable fertilizer that can enrich soil and plants. Composting reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, encourages the production of beneficial bacteria and fungi that break down organic matter to create humus, a rich nutrient-filled material, and reduces methane emissions from landfills and lowers your carbon footprint. Gardeners and farmers add compost to soil to improve its physical properties. They may even use compost instead of soil to grow plants. Composting is important to reduce food waste and promote healthier plant growth!
You can learn more about composting here: https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home
Want to make your own compost bin at home? Check out this cool website to see which type of compost bin works best for you! https://www.thespruce.com/compost-bin-plans-4769337
CONSERVATIONIST HIGHLIGHT:
Rachel Carson – Mother of the Modern Climate Change Movement
A marine biologist and nature writer, Rachel Carson catalyzed the global environmental movement with her 1962 book Silent Spring. Outlining the dangers of chemical pesticides, the book led to a nationwide ban on DDT and other pesticides and sparked the movement that ultimately led to the creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
You can learn more about Rachel Carson here: https://www.rachelcarson.org/
NATIVE PLANTS:
Native plants provide critical habitat for beneficial pollinators, like honeybees and butterflies, and birds and wildlife will happily find their way to your garden. Because native plants are “at home,” they are hardy, drought-tolerant and generally require no pesticides, herbicides or fertilizer. These plants even improve water and air quality and prevent soil erosion too. Here is a list of plants native to Illinois: https://web.extension.illinois.edu/wildflowers/nativeplants.cfm
Want to make your own native plant garden? You can decide which type of garden you want to plant by going here: https://illinoisprairie.wildones.org/resources/handouts-and-guides/
You can even promote the use of native wildflowers by doing this fun craft at home!
CONSERVATIONIST HIGHLIGHT:
John Muir – Father of our National Parks System!
John Muir played many roles in his life, all of which helped him succeed in his role as an advocate for Nature. As America’s most famous naturalist and conservationist, Muir fought to protect the wild places he loved, places we can still visit today. Muir’s writings convinced the U.S. government to protect Yosemite, Sequoia, Grand Canyon and Mt. Rainier as national parks.
You can learn more about John Muir here! https://vault.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/life/muir_biography.aspx
POLLUTION:
Sadly, pollution is one of the main reasons for our current climate change problem. Pollution is when gases, smoke and chemicals are introduced into the environment in large doses that makes it harmful for humans, animals and plants. Some forms of pollution can be seen, some are invisible. Pollution also occurs when trash is disposed of incorrectly, which is known as litter. Litter is a huge danger to local plant and wildlife because most of the time it can’t be broken down, and some animals eat the litter we humans leave behind. You can read more about it here:
https://blog.education.nationalgeographic.org/2016/05/15/weekly-warm-up-visualizing-climate-change/
Want to learn how exactly pollution affects the planet? The following link is a good experiment on water pollution and its effect on wildlife.
CONSERVATIONIST HIGHLIGHT:
Greta Thunberg – Fighter for Climate Change
Swedish environmental activist who worked to address the problem of climate change, founding a movement known as Fridays for Future (also called School Strike for Climate). You can read more about it here. For almost three weeks prior to the Swedish election in September 2018, she missed school to sit outside the country’s parliament with a sign that stated “Skolstrejk för Klimatet” (School Strike for Climate). Although alone for the first day of the strike, she was joined each subsequent day by more and more people, and her story garnered international attention. After the election Thunberg returned to school but continued to skip classes on Fridays to strike, and these days were called Fridays for Future.
Greta currently has an instagram and twitter where you can read more about her and her work!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gretathunberg/?hl=en
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Moline Public Library Kids 