Earth Day Actions

Every year, people around the world celebrate Earth Day on April 22.  Even though it was yesterday, Earth Day is all about making choices all year long that are good for the world we live on, like recyling, using less water, or cleaning up our neighborhoods. 

In some ways, Earth Day is kind of like New Year's Day: it's a day to make a new resolution.  Maybe you'll take shorter showers this year, maybe you'll start a compost pile instead of throwing away old vegetable scraps, or maybe you'll carry library books home in a cloth bag that can be used again and again.  Even small choices can be important ones!

Sirett, Dawn (2009).  Love Your World: How To Take Care of the Plants, the Animals, and the Planet. (Gr. PreK-2)

Toddlers and young children can make a difference, too!  This fun introduction to going green includes ideas like recycling, reusing old household items, turning off lights, and planting flowers that butterflies will like.  Even the book is green: the paper was made from a sustainable forest, the cover was made from recyled paper, the ink is vegetable-based, and the printing shop generates 100% of its own electricity.  That's earth-friendly!

Herzog, Brad (2009). S Is for Save the Planet: A How-to-Be Green Alphabet. (Gr. 3-6)

There's a lot more information in here about fossil fuels, endangered animals, energy-efficient tools, and organizations that provide more facts and ideas for kids.  From National Parks to compact fluorescent light bulbs, this book will give older kids some inspiration for ways to protect the planet.