The Wicked Witch of the West is green. Same goes for The Incredible Hulk and Kermit the Frog. You can be “green with envy” or “green with sea-sickness.”
But “green” is also a new way of thinking about the world you live in, and a way of living your life. And it’s catching on all over the globe. People decide to “go green” because they know that we only have one planet to live on, and we won’t be able to live on it much longer if we keep wasting energy and resources, and trashing our home with air, land, and water pollution.
“Green Living” means:
Understanding that the choices you make affect not just you, but everybody everywhere.
Understanding that the choices you make affect not just today, but the future.
Understanding that when we talk about “saving the planet” or “saving the environment,” we are actually talking about saving ourselves! That’s because we ALL need:
- Clean air to breathe
- Clean water to drink
- Safe, healthy food to eat
- Safe, healthy places to live
- Energy to run the places where we live, learn, play and work
You may be thinking: “Hey, I’m just one person, on a planet with billions. I can’t really make a difference.” Well…have you ever seen a crowd at a sports stadium do “the wave”? It always starts off with one or two people, jumping up and down like crazy. In no time at all, the whole stadium -- thousands of people -- is joining in. “Going green” is just like that. It starts with small, simple actions. It can soon build into a wave that, with any luck, will transform the whole planet and lead us all to healthier, happier lives.
Many of you have already shared with us your efforts to help the environment:
Gabrielle, 12, writes, “I have made compost out of things we would have just thrown out. I have helped my community plant a garden and I ride my bike or skateboard to school. And I help my family stay green by taking time limited showers and baths, and the water that sometimes leaks from our hot tub, we use to water our garden.”
Says Kaitlyn, 10: “Lots of paper towels are thrown away, so I use a reusable cloth towel to dry my hands instead.”
Jazmin, 12, told us, “I have CFL (Compact Fluorescent) bulbs, and I don't run water when I brush my teeth.”
“I am what you would probably call an obsessive recycler!” says Natalie, 13. “I always recycle. I always look on the bottom of things to see if they have that little symbol that tells you it can be recycled. So I pretty much recycle everything, from soda cans to applesauce containers to shampoo bottles!”
In this IML topic, we’ll talk about how you can “go green.” We’ll show you important choices you can make and positive actions you can take to improve the environment right around you, and the health of the whole world.
The Meaning of Greening
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