In honor of Earth Day, we each presented lessons at our schools. Ginnie did a session with Club GLOW where we discussed ways each of us can make a difference in saving the planet. All the girls made one promise for an action they will take to help Earth. I am proud to say that half of them made the promise to stop littering. Tossing trash on the ground is a common occurrence and one we cringe at every time we see it; each of us always addresses students we work with when they litter but can't always stop those who throw it out the bus window or the people who just drop their trash as they walk down the street. We're hopeful to steadily change this behavior by continuing to talk about it and model appropriate trash disposal and by establishing a sense of pride in the environment. One step at a time, let's all hope these girls keep their promises. Other promises involve shutting off the faucet while brushing teeth and using their own containers when they get burgers (instead of the styrofoam that is so common for all take-out). 
The girls enjoyed doing mazes to help find the recycling bin for bottles and newspapers, coloring Happy Earth Day pictures and searching for words related to conservation in a fun Earth Day word search. It was really helpful to speak with the girls about saving the planet and hopefully, like me when I was their age, they will realize how important it is to make simple behavior changes to save the planet. Next goal - recycling at school, let's see if we can encourage the students and teachers to get excited about that! :)
So, have you made your Earth Day promise yet?
Here are some links to help you consider the things you can do right now!
Calculate your carbon footprint here
"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children." ~ Native American Proverb
"Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money." ~ Cree Indian Proverb
