Every day in America, each man, woman, and child generates nearly four pounds of trash. That's over one trillion pounds of solid waste or 365 trillion pounds annually. it is a staggering statistic once you consider the environmental effect that much garbage has on our fragile ecosystem.
As adults, it is easy to forget the importance of the three R's our world depends on-reducing, reusing, and recycling for the health and safety of future generations. It's those future generations--our children--that will bear the results of today's environmental mismanagement unless an attempt is formed to enhance upon current behaviors.
For the third year, one hotel company is stepping up to the task, helping kids to think globally and act locally by educating them on the way to properly look after the environment. With help from The National Arbor Day Foundation, Doubletree Hotels is distributing an environmentally focused lesson plan that gives the framework for taking would-be waste and recycling it into artistic treasures to thousands of grade school students within the U.S. and Canada.
The education initiative is an extension of the hotel's Teaching Kids to worry program, a community outreach initiative that pairs hotel properties with elementary schools and youth groups to teach children about making conscious decisions about environmental care. This spring, Teaching Kids to worry volunteers and youngsters will create "litter critters," a reduced, reused and recycled representation of animals within the world hurt by litter and can plant quite 10,000 seedling trees across the U.S. and Canada.
For those parents (and mentors) eager to engage their kids (or nieces, nephews, and grandkids) in environmentally conscious activities, here are a couple of tips:
Recycling is Fun-Pass it On-Recycling isn't all about aluminum cans and old newspapers. Encourage your kids to start out their own recycling program during which they share old toys, books, and games with their friends and classmates. One child's trash is another child's treasure and by "passing it on," kids will learn that they will reduce waste by recycling their old things in order that others can reuse them.
Become a Habitat Hero--Challenge your children to collect up all their friends and classmates to assist pack up a park or schoolyard (with parental supervision). Whoever collects the foremost trash wins the "Habitat Hero" award and prize (as decided upon by you).
Plant a "Family Tree"--Take your kids to a garden or home store and permit them to assist detect a young tree. (Make bound to make sure it can survive in your climate region.) Plant the tree during a special location as a family, assigning a special task (digging, planting, watering) to every loved one. confirm to document the activity with a photograph, so kids can remember how small the tree was once they planted it.
you'll Make a Difference--Encourage your children to save lots of empty aluminum cans, then take a weekly trip to a close-by "Cash for Cans" drop-off location. Decide together with your kids how best to use the cash they've collected from their recycling efforts to raise the environment. Options to think about include volunteering for tree planting projects, adopting an area stretch of highway to be beautified and maintained, or donating the cash to an area environmental organization.
Pulp to Paper--This fun, the hands-on project shows kids how old newspapers are recycled back to fresh newspapers. Have your child tear a page of newspaper into small, one-inch pieces. Fill buckets or bowls with one-part newspaper and two-parts water and let soak for several hours. employing a hand mixer, "pulp" the fibers within the paper until the mixture seems like mush. Take a couple of pulp and place it on a bit of felt, molding it to the dimensions of the piece of paper you would like to form and press it firmly to squeeze out excess water. Let the paper dry for one or two days and voilà.
Remember, proper waste management not only helps save the environment, but it also helps save energy, reduce pollution, and protect animals around the world. a little effort from your kids today can guarantee a healthier, greener tomorrow.
Image Source - https://www.sciencenews.org/article/controversy-fighting-climate-change-planting-trees