This is our responsibility to take care of the Earth, each one of use need to take the time to do what we can each and every day! Check out www.earthday.net for more information.

Here are just somethings to think about that you can do to make a difference.

The problem: Air Pollution and Water Pollution
Some ways to solve this: Ride your bike or walk instead of taking the car when you can. This is good for your health and the Earth.
Plant a tree or more. Trees can make great gifts too.

The problem: Disappearing Animals - Endangered
Check out sites about: Preserving Our Oceans, Rivers, Lakes, and Streams, Protecting Animals. See if you can help out at a local orgainization.

The problem: Too much Garbage
Some ways to solve this: Recycling! Re-using materials instead of throwing them away. Giving the stuff away for someone to use. Precycle - which means not buying things that can't be reused. The less you put into the garbage the less that goes into a landfill!

Be a Bottle Bandit!

Be the one to collect and recycle glass in your home, school or work place.
Find a box or container to use for storing the glass you will collect, and put it someplace easy to get to.
Take the caps, corks or rings off the bottles and jars, to toss out.
You can leave the paper on them.
You should rinse them out so they will not smell.
Then you will need to find out when and how you will get them to a recycling center. There could be a curbside service available in your are already.

You might even want to see if you can reuse any of the glass jars, since they do make great storage containers. For example small nails, nuts and bolts that are used in the garage.

So why toss out glass that will end up in the landfills, when you can recycle or make use of them.

When they get recycled they break them into little bits, then melt them down and mix them with new glass. This will start the whole cycle over again, and this is a good way to save the Earth.

Keeper of the Toys!

Good toys should never end up in the garbage, there are better places for them.

Did you know that there are some toys that will last forever, like wooden spinning top! Check out your museums to find them.

Many people consider old toys to be a family treasure. They are passed down from parent to child and then to grandchild. Things like dolls, dollhouses, hand carved toys are only a few. Imagine playing with a toy that your great-grandparent once enjoyed! These are family treasure that come with stories that should be passed on with love.

It takes the same amount of the Earth to bury a toy that will last a few days as it does for a toy that can last a life time. This is why it is so important to buy a toy that will last longer. And toys that last don't have to be replaced by more toys, as often.

Just because a child might get bored of a toy does not mean it is time to toss it out. You can put the toy away for a few months and then swap it with another toy that will get put away, this will make the toys seam new again to the child. Some joys might need a new part to make the toy interesting again, like a new dress for a doll, or new sheets for a Lite Bright, or just batteries.

Sure after time a child will out grow a toy, this is when you deside to pack this toy away with a little story to be given to the next family child. Or it is time to be put in the rummage sale that will provide the money for a new toy. This is a great learning tool for children, and they will take better care of their toys. And then if this toy does not sell, it is time to give it away, maybe to a child where you live, a day care, children's hospital or given to a thrift store or the Red Cross.

It just takes a little extra thought to do the right thing, and to provide another child with hours of fun with a toy, then just tossing it out and adding it to a land fill.

Here is a good game for children:
The next time to a toy store, pick an aisle, and slowly walk along and really look at all the toys for sale. See if you can tell the difference between a well made toy that will last, from a cheap toy that will break and be no good to anyone.

A cool can collector!

This is fun and easy to do, and anyone can do it, plus it is a great way to make money by collecting and then recycle the cans.

Billions of aluminum cans are used every year, and if no one ever recycled them they would just pile up and take over the Earth. So since there is no limit to the number of times that the aluminum is melted down and reused, it is so important that we do.

So become a cool can collector, and get others to join you. Rinse the cans out to keep ants away, and crush them if you can to take up less space in the container you will collect them in. It is fun to watch your collection as it grows, and when your ready to take the cans in to be recycled, ask if someone can show you a little bit more about what they will do with your cans.

As for the money you will get for your cans, you can collect that too until your ready to buy that special item. Good luck

Game:
See how many empty cans it will take to make a pound.
This is the amount of cans needed to get paid since most recycling places pay by the pound.

Plastic, it is everywhere!

And we need to reycle plastic too. So take a look on the bottom anything you buy that is made of plastic to find a recycle symbol, 1 or 2 or 3 or 4. Then check out www.earthodyssey.com to better understand the difference between each one. Then ask or find out what numbers you are able to recycle in your area.

Now you are ready - so the next time you go shopping for a bottle of soda, or katcup, or even shampoo you can look on the bottom of it to see if you can recycle it before you buy it. Stay away from items like eggs that are packed in Styrofoam. Remember your fast food items, it's not that packaging that you want to buy, for the food - go to places that recycle too.

Another thing to watch for is all those plastic bags that are used to pack any items you buy at the stores. It is better to buy a cloth bag(s) that you can take to the stores when you go shopping and can use them over and over again.

Then when your at home make sure to rinse everything that is made of plastic with those numbers, and not just toss them out in the garbage that will end up in the land fill.

Cardboard, paper, and newspaper - recycle it too!

This is a great way to save a tree.

Get a paper bag, or a carboard box and mark it RECYCLE.
Now you and anyone else in the family is ready to put any cardboard, paper items, mail, cereal boxes, newspapers and so on in your recycle container. It is easy to spot recycled items these days too, since a lot of companies will print it on the package, or you can tell recycled cardboard when you look inside and it is gray in color.

You will be so surprised by the difference you will make when you recycle.
So if you take out the glass, cans, plastic, cardboard and paper to recycle there will be a lot less garbage you are sending to the land fill. You should be very proud to know that you are really making a difference to the Earth.