How to Help the Environment for Kids

Kids can come up with many ways to take care of the environment.

While taking care of the environment is a monumental task, many children are stepping up and finding ways to protect Mother Earth. Young children can create positive change by participating in simple tasks that will improve the environment and lead the way for other children and adults to do the same.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Small trees
• Recycling bin
• Plastic gloves
• Garbage bags

Instructions

Simple Ways Kids Can Help the Environment

1. 

   Turning off lights and electronics saves electricity.

   Reduce electricity usage. Whenever you leave a room, take a quick look to see what you have finished using that is still using electricity. Turn off lights, televisions, radios, video games, fans and other items that may be plugged in, the Environmental Protection Agency advises. This will reduce greenhouse gases that are produced when electricity is used.

2. 

   Don't let the water run when not in use.

   Use less water. Turn off the water when you are brushing your teeth or scrubbing your hands. Take a shower rather than a bath. Run the dishwasher only when it is full to conserve water, a precious natural resource.

3. 

   Ride the bus instead of asking your mom to drive you to school.

   Cut down on car trips. If your destination is close enough, walk or ride your bike. Ride the bus to school instead of asking your parents for a ride.

4. 

   Children can plant trees to clean the air.

   Plant a tree. Ask your mom or dad to purchase a tree from a nursery. Find a place in your yard or ask for permission from your city's parks department to plant a tree in a community space. Use a shovel to dig a hole bigger than the pot the tree came in. Place the tree in the hole. Fill the space around the root ball with the dirt you've dug, and tamp it down to hold the tree in place. Water regularly, especially right after planting. Trees remove carbon dioxide from our air.

5. 

   Be on the lookout for materials that can be recycled.

   Take the initiative to be in charge of family recycling. Wash out all plastics and cans, and place them in a recycling bin. Gather newspapers and magazines, and place them in the bin too. Check with your parents to see what day recycling trucks come by your house and make sure the bin is ready at the curb so these items will be recycled instead of thrown into the garbage.

6. 

   Invest some time in your community by picking up garbage.

   Set aside an hour every week to care for your community. Each week, pick a different destination to clean up--a street, a playground or a park. Use plastic bags to clean up any items on the ground that have been dropped and don't belong there. Use a separate bag to hold plastics and cans that can be recycled. Global Response, a worldwide citizen-action organization, suggests cleaning up creeks, rivers and beaches, as these are areas that are often inundated with litter.

7. 

   Give unused items away instead of throwing them out.

   Give items away. When you are cleaning out your room and find toys, electronics and clothes you no longer need or use, do not throw them away if they are in good condition. Pass them on to a sibling or a younger friend in the neighborhood to eliminate additional garbage in our landfills. The informational website KidsHealth suggests donating items to thrift stores so that these items can be used again.

Tips & Warnings

• Make the tasks involved in helping the environment more fun by inviting friends to join you. The message of caring for the environment will be spread faster by including more people.

• When cleaning up your community, make sure parents know where you plan to work, and get their permission.

References

• EPA: Climate Change Kid's Site, accessed April 2010
• Global Response: Ways You Can Help the Environment, accessed April 2010
• Kids Health: Raising Earth-Friendly Kids, August 2008