Be earth friendly

If you’ve watched the news or read a paper you will probably have heard of Environmental Change. This means that our climate is starting to change because of the pollution that everyone on Earth produces in their daily lives. Because there are more people than ever before that means more factories are needed to produce things, more energy is used in heating, electricity, and food production and more water is used for drinking, washing and other things.

It might sound impossible to make things better, but if we all did some small things at home, at school and when we’re out and about, we could make a real difference!

Recycling

Many of the things we use nowadays can be recycled so that brand new materials don’t have to be made. For example, paper can be recycled and made into all sorts of things including more paper, loo roll and lots of other stuff. That sounds a lot better than cutting down more trees, doesn’t it?

Things you can recycle include:

• paper and magazines
• glass (bottles, jars, etc)
• some plastics (bottles, food trays etc)
• food packaging – eg cardboard
• electronic items (stereos, TVs, etc) and things with batteries or plugs – toys cameras and mobiles – though these need to go to special recycling places. Remember to always ask a grown up before you recycle these items!

You can recycle materials in lots of different places:

• At home you should have recycling bins provided by the council into which you can put things like cardboard, food waste (vegetables and fruit, for example), glass and paper. There are different bins for different things so ask your parents what should go where and encourage them to get into the habit of recycling too.
• At school there are often boxes for recycling used paper and other things. Ask your teacher if you don’t know where these are.
• Out and about When you’re in town and you buy a drink in a can or a plastic bottle don’t just chuck them in the nearest bin. Many towns and cities now provide recycling bins that tell you what to put where. Try to use these wherever possible to reduce the amount of rubbish that goes into bins and landfills.

Donate don’t destroy

When you’re sorting out stuff in your room that you don’t want to keep, such as books, toys and clothes, don’t just chuck them in a bin liner and throw them away. Charity shops are desperate for good quality used items so ask your parents if you can drop them off there instead. Or sometimes you might even get a plastic donation bag through the door. If you do this, you’re sparing perfectly good things from being stuck in the bin plus you’re helping a charity raise money. Fab!

Love your leftovers

How many times have there been leftovers after lunch or dinner? And how many times have they gone straight in the bin? The thing is, lots of leftover food could be used again in another dish. Vegetables are great thrown into a stew or a curry, and if you have some leftover pasta you could always reheat it and take it in a flask for lunch at school the next day. For more great tips and recipes, your parents might like to look at Love Food Hate Waste. If you can’t reuse what you’ve cooked then try to recycle the food in a composting bin or a compost heap if you have a garden.

How to save energy

Saving energy isn’t just good for the planet – it’s also good for your parents’ or carers’ pockets. By using less water, electricity, gas and other fuels they will pay less and have more money to save or spend. It makes sense! The following are good ways that you and your family can save energy:

• Don’t leave your telly or other electrical items on standby – turn them off completely.
• When it’s warm and sunny outside, hang wet washing on the line to dry instead of putting it in the tumble-dryer.
• Don’t leave chargers plugged into a socket when they aren’t charging anything.
• When you’re brushing your teeth, turn the tap off so you’re not wasting water.
• Turn lights off when you don’t need them on.
• Only boil a kettle with as much water as you need – you don't need a whole kettle of water for one cup of tea!
• Ask you parents or carers where the thermostat is in your home, and turn it down by one degree. This saves you money as well as saving on fuel use, and you won’t feel colder.

Out and about

When you’re away from home you can still do a lot to protect your environment.

• When staying in hotels, reuse your bath towels so they don’t have to give you fresh ones every day. This cuts down on water and energy use!
• Walk or cycle to school if you can. This cuts down on pollution from cars.
• Choose the bus, your bike or your legs when you want to get into town. Cycling and walking help keep you fit too so it’s as good for you as it is for the planet!
• Always pick up your litter and take it home or put it in a suitable bin. Plastic bags and other packaging aren’t just ugly, they also are dangerous for wildlife that might get stuck in them or swallow them.

Find out more…

• Recycle Now Schools Posters, a recycle school guide, and fun activities for primary and secondary school children
• Eco Schools What they are and how your school could become one
• Climate Cops Educational online games about energy saving for young people aged 7 to 11
• Water Aid Look at information about clean water and why it’s so important
• Wildlife Watch A fun way to find out more about wildlife, with games and interesting info
• Earth Trust Information closer to home about caring for your local environment and places to visit