The document discusses the historical development and current environmental issues faced by Earth due to human expansion and population growth, including habitat destruction, pollution, and the crisis of plastic waste. It emphasizes the importance of Earth Day and encourages individuals, especially children, to engage in sustainable practices such as reducing, reusing, recycling, and conserving resources to protect the planet. The text concludes with a hopeful message that collective small actions can lead to significant positive change for the environment.

1. A long time ago there was this planet

2. with land and water and creatures that live on it.

3. Among the many creatures, were people like you.

4. As you can imagine, the number grew and they grew...

5. They built houses from trees that they could live in

6. and ate food from packages made of paper and tin.

7. They made all kinds of objects that helped them go far

8. like planes,

9. and trucks,

10. and trains,

11. and cars.

12. They built highways, and buildings,

13. and bridges galore.

14. And made gadgets,

15. machines,

16. and so very much more!

17. The planet became crowded with so little
space

18. and always something new to take over each place.

19. Where nature once flourished, was covered with
stuff. Then along came concerned people who
said, “This is enough!”

20. Look at this planet. It's under such stress! If
we make changes now, we will avoid a big
mess.

21. If you lend us a hand, we will all work together.
We will be able to make our world better.

22. On April 22nd it will be
Earth Day!
This is a very special
day that celebrates
the Earth.
It is a time to
appreciate nature
and learn ways to
protect our planet.

23. This week you will be invited to participate in
various activities in honor of Earth day.

24. Let’s reflect on the condition of our planet and
focus on ways we can help take care of it…

25. On average, every second, five people are born.
The global population is doubling every 40 years.

26. The human population has now hit 7 billion and
the rate of increase is speeding up all the time.

27. More and more land is being taken by humans for
building, farming, roads, airports, reservoirs etc.

28. Forests are being chopped down either because we want to use the
wood or we need the land for other purposes. The ‘wild’ land is
shrinking all over the world as humans grab it for their own needs.

29. This is taking away the habitats
of countless species of animals and plants
and many of them will become extinct.

30. Wonderful
animal
species
like the elephant, rhino
and whale
are on the edge of
extinction in the wild.

31. We are polluting our planet – causing poisoning of the
land,
air,
and
sea.
The gases we
are carelessly
generating here
on Earth are
drifting up into
the atmosphere
and causing
great damage.

32. Some of these gases have created ‘holes’ in the fragile layer
of gases we call the ozone layer.
The ozone layer acts as a
vital filter to protect us from
the harmful rays of the sun.
If we cause too much
damage to the ozone layer, it
could have very serious
consequences for the earth.
This includes all the animals
and human life!

33. Another problem we have is our huge appetite for throw
away single use plastics.
Just think how many
-plastic bags,
-plastic cups, &
-water bottles
you went
through this
past week.

34. Because plastics slowly decay, a vast majority
of them still exist - somewhere.

35. A lot of plastic ends up in the ocean.

36. Did you realize ?
The piles of garbage
that accumulate in our
oceans have caused
plastic to be in every
bit of plankton.
What eats plankton?
- fish
Who eats fish?
- we do

37. Every bit of plastic
that has been
produced over the
past hundred years
is somewhere on
our earth.

38. While the plastic used to bottle beverages
is in demand by recyclers,

39. over 80% of plastic bottles are simply thrown
away. So 8 out of every 10 plastic bottles are
not recycled and end up in landfill.

40. There is so much plastic in our oceans that
there are patches the size of Texas.

41. This is a great risk to marine life, killing birds and
fish, who mistake our garbage for food.

42. Plastic bags are especially a problem!

43. They often end up in nature…
and oceans.

44. Sea turtles mistake clear plastic bags for jellyfish.

45. Birds swoop down and swallow the plastic.

46. Plastics take decades to
break down
and as long as they float
on the ocean's surface,
they can appear as feeding grounds.

47. The animals die because plastic eventually fills their
stomachs; it doesn't pass and they literally starve to death.

48. Plastic bags don’t
have to be eaten to
harm the animals.
Plastic bags can
wrap around
animals.

49. About 100,000
whales, seals,
turtles, and
other marine
animals are
killed by
plastic bags
each year
worldwide.

50. Such is the sad and depressing state of
our world at the present time.

51. The good news is that children everywhere are taking
more interest in their world and they are determined
that things have to change for the better.

52. This is our
greatest hope for
the future.
A lot of people
doing little
things can make
a big difference!
There are small
changes you can
make that will
be a huge help
to our planet.

53. Remember the 4 R’s…
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
Rot

54. Reduce…
Use only what you need
Don't take extra ketchup packets when you only need one or two.

55. Reduce…
Encourage your
parents to buy in bulk
to minimize packaging
waste.
Choose products that
are not over packaged.

56. Reuse…
Before throwing an item away – think – can it be reused?
You can reuse newspaper, magazines, and other
paper products by using them as wrapping paper.
Aluminum cans can be used for storing your
craft supplies as well as games with small
parts.
Make a message pad out of scrap paper.

57. Reuse…
Encourage your parents to use a
reusable bag instead of plastic.

58. Recycle…
Before throwing an
item into the garbage
Think
Can it be recycled?

59. Recycle…
Pick up litter in your neighborhood and recycle
whatever can be recycled – aluminum cans,
glass, paper, cardboard and plastic.

60. Rot…
(or Compost)
Help the planet by
putting all
- food scraps
- garden waste &
- food stained paper
in the GREEN BIN

61. Conserve Energy and
Water…
Turn off lights, fans or the TV when you leave the room.
(unless your little brother or sister is still in there)

62. Conserve Energy and Water…
If it is a warm and sunny day, help
hang clothes on the line instead of
putting them in the dryer.

63. Conserve Energy and Water…
Don’t leave the water running while brushing
your teeth or washing your face and hands.
And use less water in your bath or shower.

64. e for the Air…
Using motor vehicles to get around is our biggest polluter.
Walk, bike, roller-blade, skateboard instead
of using a car whenever possible.

65. e for the Air…
Encourage your parents to turn their engine
off at times when they are sitting
idle in the car.
while waiting to pick while waiting
or
you up from school at the bridges

66. Care for the Air…
Trees help clean the air!
Trees are used to
make paper.
So to save trees use
less paper.
Consider using both sides of
your paper when coloring,
drawing or writing.
Try to use less napkins or
better yet, use cloth napkins.

67. If you can do some of these things you will
make a difference.
It isn't hard, and with just a little bit of work, you will be
helping to make the world a better place for you and me.

68. “…the word of the Lorax seems perfectly clear.
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
-Dr. Seuss

71. Sources
http://www.planetpals.com/planetpals_story.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day
www.ypte.org.uk/factsheet_38_test.pdf
http://iphone.issues.cc/iphoneDetails.php?id=948
www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9022304
http://your-water.net/bottled-water-facts.html
www.zendergroup.org/docs/plastics_styro.pdf
www.enzymoplast.com/about-enzymoplast.html