Protecting Earth is something that everybody can be a part of. Even if you can't prevent an oil spill at sea or stop a company from destroying a forest, there are things you can do to help. Many things people do daily, like turning on a light in a room, use energy and resources. The oil we find under the ocean floor is eventually used to power the factories that make light bulbs and send electricity to your house. So if you can reduce your materials and energy, you're helping our planet.                            

  1. What is one thing that you can do to help the planet?

Natural resources are the things that we need and use that we get from the Earth. Minerals, trees, water, earth, oil, natural gas, coal, and sunlight are all examples of natural resources. People depend on natural resources to live, but we're using some faster than they can be replaced in nature. Every day, we use these resources. When you dry your hands on a paper towel, think about where that paper towel came from: trees. And when you leave lights on in an empty room, think about the energy that is powering that light. It comes from a power plant that is fueled by a natural resource.                                               

Natural resources...

Deforestation is when entire forests or parts of a forest are cleared away. The trees are chopped down for their wood which is used for timber (for building things), fuel (for burning), and making paper and cardboard. Trees are also chopped down to make room for farms, ranches, or cities. This is bad news for the animals and plants that live in forests. Their homes are destroyed. It's also bad news for humans since forests help keep the air we breathe clean.                     

Which of the following would best support the claim that forests help keep humans healthy?

There is an old saying that goes “Waste not, want not.” This means that if you do not waste anything, you will always have enough of what you need. In addition to this idea, whenever you throw stuff out, it goes into landfills. Landfills are ugly, they smell bad and they are bad for the environment. Even throwing out food can be wasteful. Food can break down naturally when thrown out, but it takes energy and resources to get that food to you. The best way to make less waste is to not use the thing you are going to throw out in the first place. This means using real plates instead of paper plates, not buying more than you need, and looking for products with less packaging.  Also, when something is broken, try to fix it! The fewer items that go into landfills, the better.                                                                   

Which of the following would be an example of creating waste?

On average, a single person uses between 60 and 150 gallons of water every single day. That's three bathtubs full of water. Even something as simple as turning off the faucet when you brush your teeth can save three to five gallons of water each time you brush. Wasting water damages our drinking water supplies. By using less water, you can protect an important natural resource. Plus, you'll save your parents money on the monthly water bill.         

Which of the following is not a way to save water?

A great way to promote reuse is to donate unwanted items instead of throwing them out. The old saying, "One person's trash is another person's treasure," is proven true by thrift stores and community centers. Goodwill, the Salvation Army, and many local nonprofit organizations accept donated items like clothing, books, electronic,s and furniture. Plus, thrift stores and used bookstores are great places to shop. Another way to save resources while you shop is to use paper shopping bags instead of plastic or bring a reusable bag. While food items like a banana peel take a few days to break down, and paper products like a newspaper take a few months, plastic takes much longer. Microorganisms break down bananas and newspapers by eating them, but they don't eat plastic. Instead, the sun's UV rays eventually break down plastic, but it takes a very, very long time. Scientists estimate that it takes between 500 and 1,000 years.                                                                                 

Which of the following is an example of re-use?

Recycling is as easy as sorting your throw-away items into separate bins and taking them out with the trash. It is also one of the easiest ways that you can reduce the negative impact humans have on the planet. Every ton of paper that is recycled instead of thrown in the trash reduces the amount of pollution that goes into the air. It saves our atmosphere from pollutants that equal eight months' worth of exhaust fumes from a car. Aluminum cans are 100% recyclable. An empty soda can can be recycled and put back on the shelf as a brand-new soda can two months after you recycle it. But people recycle less than 50% of aluminum cans. Recycling is easy and it makes a big difference.                                                         7. Aluminum cans