Children’s Books For Earth Day!

Thank You Earth

Acclaimed children’s book author and photographer April Pulley Sayre’s love letter to Earth is a stunning exploration of the beauty and complexity of the world around us. Remarkable photographs and a rich, layered text introduce concepts of science, nature, geography, biology, poetry, and community, perfect for classrooms and homeschooling. This nonfiction picture book is ideal for Earth Day and for celebrating the planet all year long.

Polar Bear, Why is Your World Melting?

Francis, and Greta Thunberg, among other so many unnamed and various advocates for Mother Earth. Unfortunately, the human race hasn’t listened or taken appropriate action out of its greed. We can’t tell future generations we were not aware of impending environmental crisis; we just need to recognize we can do something about it.

“Each of us has the power to help make the world a better place – it is up to you and me to do our part.”

--- Tia Nelson, daughter of Senator Gaylord Nelson, Wisconsin, founder of Earth Day, which launched a new wave of environmental activism worldwide, April 22, 1970.

“You can make a difference” sounds cliché, but what if everyone did something every day that would make a difference in our consumptive practices? What if we really meant it? We could make a difference and reduce our environmental footprint!

What we do matters! Being eco-friendly or simply ecologically aware and responsible is important, now more than ever. Even small changes in our lifestyleand our thinking - can help save the world, as Michael Pollan stated in The Guardian

In the Arctic, the summer ice is melting, making it hard for polar bears and their cubs to survive. Why is the world getting warmer? The heat of the sun is trapped by the "greenhouse" gases that surround Earth-carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor. If there is just the right amount of these trapped gases, the air is warm enough for plants, animals, and people to thrive. But now there is too much greenhouse gas, especially carbon dioxide. Polar bears, and all of us, are in trouble. Robert E. Wells shows why so much carbon dioxide is going into the air and what we can do to help keep Earth cool.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

When fourteen-year-old William Kamkwamba's Malawi village was hit by a drought, everyone's crops began to fail. Without enough money for food, let alone school, William spent his days in the library…and figured out how to bring electricity to his village. Persevering against the odds, William built a functioning windmill out of junkyard scraps, and thus became the local hero who harnessed the wind. Lyrically told and gloriously illustrated, this story will inspire many as it shows how - even in the worst of times - a great idea and a lot of hard work can still rock the world.

Below is a short list of things you, your family and your friends can do NOW!

Teach your children, review this list, and add to it with them. Model a kinder and more caring lifestyle.

• Eat all the food you buy, then compost what you don’t.

• Cook more meals at home / Eat less meat / Buy in bulk

• Cover that cooking pot / Use washable instead of throwaway items

• Use cruise control / Keep car tuned, oil changed, tires inflated / Lighten your load

• Unplug all electronics and appliances not being used

• Turn out lights when not in the room / Use LED lights

• Use rain barrels or collectors to water treesoutdoor and indoor plants

• Walk, bike, carpool, take the bus / combine errands

• Install water-saving showerheads and toilets

• Take 5-minute showers - don’t bathe / Turn water off when brushing your teeth

• Shop locally / Support farmers markets

• Brakes are the enemy of fuel efficiency - let up on the gas when approaching a stop

• Recycle what you can in your area - CLEAN items only! Do not mix items! Dirty and mixed items contaminate the entire load. Follow instructions when recycling.

Space does not allow a description of each of the following methods of reducing our carbon footprint or increasing our green lifestyle. Take time to research and move toward incorporating what might work for you.

• Composting

• Permaculture

• Rewilding and Climate Restoration

• Get out in Nature Start a Garden

• Reduce-Reuse-Repurpose-Recycle

• Harvest Rainwater

• Hydroponics

• Solar and Wind renewable energy

Advocate for Mother Earth through action. Vote, lobby, volunteer, protest, sign petitions, send letters, make calls, send emails, Tweet your elected officials.

“We are the first generation to feel the effect of climate change and the last generation who can do something about it.” -- Barack Obama, former U.S. President

Get involved! Learn about the great work happening in our area, state, and country at the following sites:

Earthday.org, Treehugger.com, TheGreenLife.com, ChildrenandNature.org, 350.org 350newmexico.org, www.earth-keepers.org, www.gallupsolar.org, www.sierraclub.org, www.workinbeauty.org, www.facebook.com › gallupfarmersmarket, recyclegallup.org, www.facebook.com/recyclegallup, New Mexico Wildlife Center, Defenders of Wildlife, New Mexico Interfaith Power & Light www.nm-ipl.org, yaleclimateconnections.org, Environmental Film Festivals dceff.org, citizensclimatelobby.org, Rainforest Alliance, Heifer Project, the YouTube Global Weirding video “What’s the Big Deal about a Few Degrees?” and so many more resources.

The writer owes thanks to the Presbytery of Santa Fe EarthCare team for the timely preparation of the Resource Packet from which materials were used for this article.

Submitted by Betsy Windisch, Chair, McKinley Citizens’ Recycling Council. Contact her through betsywindisch@ yahoo.com for more information about children’s books and additional resources on climate change.

Join us on The Earth Day Community Beautification Challenge!

All Gallup McKinley County Schools will participate in a school and area site cleanup during the week of April 17th – April 22nd. Last year we challenged all 32 of our schools to a cleanup challenge! The results exceeded anyone’s expectations as our students collectively picked up 262 bags of garbage! Our winner of that challenge was Red Rock Elementary School, who alone picked up a whopping 58 bags of trash!

This year we want to extend this challenge to the community of Gallup and all of McKinley County! We want to challenge all business, leaders, and individuals to a friendly Earth Day Community Beatification Challenge! We know all our students will be ready for this challenge, are you? We’ll see you out there McKinley County!