Air Freshener

Most of our home's and businesses run on electricity created by burning coal. And while this fossil fuel keeps our country powered, it comes at heavy price. As of 2006, almost %40 of all manmade global warming carbon pollution came from electricity. The people who produce coal claim that they have created a new way of burning coal that is "clean." This funny video made by the Coen brothers challenges that claim. What do you think?

From Florida to China...Lilly Tougas goes green

Lilly Tougas, a young girl from Florida, has done extraordinary things to educate her community about going green. She is a great example of how one small person can make a big impact. Last year Lilly was invited to travel to China during the Beijing olympics to paint a mural with the artist Wyland and with children from all around the world to raise awareness about taking care of our oceans. I was lucky enough to get an interview with Lilly to ask her about her quest to go green.

How old were you when you learned about what it means to "go green?"

When I was 3 at my Montessori school, I would sing a song "the Earth is our Mother, we must take care of her" and I took it very seriously. When I was 6, my Mom and I read a book called "Hold Your Water" by Wyland and Steve Creech. At the end, I took a pledge, like a check off list of things and learned a lot about what to do.

Click here to read more of  Lilly's interview

The Great Book Swap!

There are thousands of books out there, just waiting for you to pick them up and and leaf through their pages. But you'd never fit all those books in your house, so why not share books with other kids? The easiest way to share and borrow books is to go to the library. Click here to find your local library. 

You can also swap books with other by having a swap day, or by visiting these book swap websites:

PaperBack Swap

BookMooch

Bookins

Children's Bookstore

Happy browsing!

Pennies for the Planet

What do colorful seabirds on a rocky island off the coast of Maine, an ancient swamp in South Carolina and a vast sagebrush habitat in Wyoming have in common? They all need your help! Pennies for the Planet is making it not only possible, but easy for you and your friends to to make a real contribution to help conserve these threatened creatures and habitats.

Pennies for the Planet is a nationwide campaign that taps into the amazing power of kids to help critical conservation projects. Working in their classrooms, clubs, scout troops and other groups, kids have been collecting pocket change to help save wild species and wild spaces.

Visit their website makes it easy to get involved with a downloadable educational kit, containing a poster, an educator’s guide, four reproducible activities, a newsletter for kids, and a participation form.

The Obama Girls Go Green

On Tuesday, January 20th, their father will be inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States. But the Obama girls have already begun their new life in Washington, D.C., at the very green Sidwell Friends School.  In fact, the Sidwell Friends School is rated the greenest school in the world after a new environmentally friend middle school was constructed in 2006.  The sustainable design includes water-efficient landscaping, use of local and recycled materials like cedar barrels, a green roof, solar panels, natural ventilation, and solar trash compactors. They even constructed a wetlands to help clean waste water and reduce water use. Watch the video to learn more about Sidwell friends and maybe even discover a few ideas for turning your school into a green school.

Eco-Jeopardy!

A New Year, A New Lunch Box

Yay! You're officially half way through the school year. And now it's back to the grind for another 5 1/2 months. If you are looking for a good way to freshen things up to starve off the winter doldrums, you can revamp you school lunch and do your part to prevent unnecessary waste. One company that has stepped up to create a completely green reusable lunch kit is Kids Konserve. Their kit comes with a recycled cotton sack, stainless steel food and beverage containers, a cloth napkin, a food cozy and a recycled name tag.

To learn about more ways to make your school lunch planet-friendly, read my article "How to Pack an Eco-Friendly Lunch."