Happy Birthday Earth Day and Green Up Day!

Happy Earth Day!! Not only is today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, it's also the 40th anniversary of Green Up Day in Vermont. Green Up Day takes place on the first Saturday in May across the state of Vermont. Kids and adults alike gather in their communities to clean up liter. If you have ever visited Vermont, you will notice right away the impact this one day of action has. Not only do the roads, sidewalks, streams and trails get a facelift, but new generations learn the importance of keeping our environment clean. As a kid, I participated in Green Up Day with my classmates every year. I learned the importance not only of putting trash in the garbage can, but also the how important it is to recycle and to reduce the amount of trash we create. While scanning the ground, bushes and ravines for trash, I began to notice how our garbage impacts the habitats of small creatures in my community. Suddenly one day of action turned into a year-long effort to reduce trash, recycle and protect the natural habitats in my town.

If you live in Vermont, you can participate in Green Up Day on Saturday, May 1st. If you live elsewhere in the country or world, why not start your own Green Up Day? All you have to do is gather a friend or two, a parent or teacher and get greening!

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Win a Signed Print!

I have a really exciting contest to announce! The author and illustrator of Redwoods, Jason Chin, has agreed to donate a signed print from his book and you could win it! Entering the contest is easy: just make a picture of something having to do with the environment and email it to me at deirdrekgill@yahoo.com. On January 1st I will choose a picture at random and send the winner the print. Here are the rules:

1. Make a picture of something having to do with the environment (anything you want, really!)
2. If you would like to also include a short explanation of what it is, please do.
3. Any kind of art is acceptable, but no photographs.
4. In your email DO NOT include your full name--FIRST NAME and LAST INITIAL ONLY!
5. In your email DO include your address, so that I can mail you your print if you win.
6. The random drawing will be conducted on January 1st and the print will be mailed out the next day.
7. All artwork will be displayed on this website after the contest is over.
8. You must be a kid or young adult to enter this contest...so please do not enter if you are over 18!

GOOD LUCK!!!

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Have an Eco-birthday

Green Kid Parties in Atlanta, Georgia host eco-friendly birthday parties where kids do green crafts and munch on organic pizza and drinks. What a great way to have a fun birthday party without all the needless waste and unhealthy food!

Click here for more tips on throwing an eco-party.

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Going Green with Kids: Top Ten Green Activities and Projects

Here are some of my top 10 favorite green activities and projects I have written about over the years. Have fun!

Club Green: Starting an Environmental Club

Pillow Case Tote Bags

Recipes from the Garden: Delicious recipes from veggies grown right in your backyard

Bug Off, Bugs!: Concocting your very own non-toxic bug spray for plants

Container Gardening: Planting a mini garden

Grow Your Garden: Designing your very own garden

Dirt Glorious Dirt: Composting 101

The Nature Journal: Creating a nature journal from recycle materials

Green Cleaners: The real dirt on cleaning products and how to make your own non toxic versions

Backyard Habitat: Creating a welcoming home for the creatures in your area

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Speak Out Against Climate Change - Oct. 24th!!!

This Saturday, October 24th, tens of thousands of people from 162 countries around the world will make a their voices heard and demand a real commitment from leaders to tackle climate change. The grassroots organization 350.org is organizing this event, in hopes to familiarize the world and our leaders with the number 350. Scientists say that 350 parts per million CO2 in the atmosphere is the safe limit for humanity.

With less than two months until world leaders meet in Copenhagen at the UN to discuss a treaty on climate change, this international day of action comes at a critical time. Experts believe that the proposals on the table will not be enough to stop the worst affects of global warming.

Please join in the movement and add your voice to the millions of others around the world who demand real solutions!

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Nature Detective

Hey Kids!

Did you know that we share our homes and yards with many creatures…other than your little brother? From tiny spiders to foxes, creatures live all around us, even if we can’t always see them. Sometimes we just have to use our sleuthing skills to find the evidence.

Can you spy any of these signs of wildlife?

-A nest

-A feather

-A spiderweb

-A nibbled leaf

-A shed exoskeleton

-Animal tracks in the snow, dirt or sand

-A burrow entrance

And now, try to spy the things a creatures needs to survive:

-Nuts, seeds and berries

-Pollen for bees

-Tall grasses, brush and trees to hide and nest in

-A source of water

With the evidence you find, can you make up a story about one specific creature’s day?

This post originally appeared on the Little Green Blog.

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Tck Tck Tck

The clock is counting down to December 7, 2009, when leaders from all over the world will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark for the United Nations Climate Change Conference. You may be thinking, "what's the big deal about this particular conference?" Well according to scientists, the time to act to stop global warming is now. We need to not only slow the increase in greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, but actually being to decrease them by 2015. That's only 6 short years away! Every year since the industrial revolution, our input of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere has increased at a steady rate. If we do not begin to reverse this trend by 2015, the catastrophic course of climate change will already be set in motion.

As of right now, most of our elected leaders are not getting the message that global warming needs their serious attention, and fast. That why we need you! You may not be an elected leader, or even old enough to vote, but you can be a leader on this! Here's what you do:

1) Speak up! Tell your friends, family, school or church community that why this is important to you, and that our future is at stake.

2) Be bold! Call, write or email the elected leaders of your country or state. To search for your country's leader's phone number click here.

3) Call or write to your members of congress. Tell them you want them to take bold action on climate change. Search here for their phone number and address.

4) Visit tcktcktck.org to learn more about the Climate Conference in Copenhagen, and New York City Climate Week, which is a series of events and actions to get the attention of the leaders at the United Nations in town to discuss climate change this week.

5) Sign up to attend or host an event for 350.org's Day of Action on October 24th. More on this event to come!

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Happy Earth Day!

Join in on the fun and renew your commitment to help protect our planet at an Earth Day event in your community. Visit The Earth Day Network to search for events taking place in your area.

If you'd rather stay close to home, why not pick out a green activity or find a new way to get involved?  (And get your family and friends involved, too!)

Let us know what you are doing for Earth Day!

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Club Green

Now that you are a settled in back at school, it's a great time to start an environmental club at your school, place of worship, or in your community. Running a club can take a lot of work though, so make sure to get some help first.

Here’s how you do it:

1. Meet with the principal or leader of your group to discuss your club with them. Let this person know that you have already taken action in your own life to go green and why you think it is important for your school or group to have an environmental club.
2. Get a sponsor or a mentor. A teacher or other adult can help you with some of the responsibilities involved in running a club and speak on your behalf.
3. Recruit members. Spread the word by making announcements, putting up posters, and handing out flyers and inviting classmates to join. Be sure to include a phone number or email address for them to contact you.
4. -Set up an introductory meeting to decide how your club will be run. Discuss what you would like to accomplish. To keep your group focused, pick one goal that you can all work toward accomplishing. Create a task sheet to delegate responsibilities to all members.

Here are a few ideas for projects and activities your club can take on:

–Set up a recycling system in the school cafeteria.
-–Organize an after-school toy swap.
–Plant a small organic garden that will provide fresh vegetables for the school cafeteria.
–Support local wildlife and reduce CO2 in the air by planting trees, shrubs and flowers on school grounds.
–Have a garage sale and give proceeds to you favorite environmental organization or a local pet shelter.
–Organize trips to the local zoo.
–Organize special events like a “Kids Walk to School Day” or “Create No Trash Day”.
–Make posters to educate others about what they can do to leave a greener footprint.

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Happy Mother's Day, Mother Earth

Hey kids...did you remember that Mother's Day is Sunday? Well, if you forgot, don't fret. It's not too late to do something for your mom that she'll never forget. All across the country this Mother's Day weekend, Moms and there kids will be coming together in groups to draw or paint a picture of what's most important to them in the face of climate change. This event is being organized by the folks at Sky1. Visit their website to find an event in you area. Or you can really impress your old lady and host an event right in your backyard.

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