Go Green Kids & Parents Magazine March 2022 by GGK MEDIA

March 2022 volume 8, issue 4

GO GREEN

kids & parents

MAGAZINE

Contents PG 9

Helping kids develop con dence PG 13-16 You Need To Know This Month: Flower Fruit Animal

Green things YOU can do this Month PG 17

No more 'wish-cycling:' Make better recycling choices

PG 20

The impossibility of harming the environment PG 25

How pet owners can make a di erence when it comes to recycling PG 26

5 ways parents can interest kids in STEM at home

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(BPT) - While the past two years have been tough on everyone, they've been especially hard for children living with challenging family circumstances or in communities hit hardest by health and economic di culties. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children's Hospital Association recently declared children's mental health a national emergency due to the serious toll COVID-19 has taken on families. According to the CDC, between March and October 2020, the percentage of emergency department visits for children with mental health emergencies grew by 24% for children ages 5-11. The pandemic also caused a decline in children receiving primary care and behavioral health services, which can negatively impact their well-being. What can adults do to help children cope? Supporting children facing unprecedented changes and challenges is key to helping them develop emotional skills - like resilience - that will last a lifetime, according to Dr. Arethusa Stevens Kirk, national senior medical director at UnitedHealthcare. Children and adolescents have faced unprecedented stressors in their environments: quarantines, illness in families and other disruptions. The pandemic has a ected the stability and structure of families, with over 140,000 U.S. children experiencing the death of a parent or grandparent from COVID-19, according to the AAP. According to AAP research, children of racial and ethnic minority families are at 4.5 times greater risk of losing a caregiver. "I grew up in and out of foster care starting at age 4, so I understand how important it is to help children remain resilient in the face of challenging environments. Knowing how to talk with children and demonstrate compassion helps reduce stress in their lives," said Kirk. "As a pediatrician, I see how vital it is that we teach them skills like resilience, exibility, con dence and persistence."

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Helping kids develop confidence and become more resilient

Resources to support children's mental health and development To help children develop critical life skills, Sesame Workshop, the non-pro t organization behind the children's program "Sesame Street" has introduced new resources to help children build resilience. Made possible by UnitedHealthcare, the new content includes three online storybooks and an online course for providers. The content helps teach con dence and how to encourage practicing persistence and dealing with change - all key ingredients to resilience. For providers: The "Roads to Resilience" online course is designed to help providers including healthcare workers, educators, and housing and social service providers use the new resources, along with tools and new ideas to foster professional development. For children: Three storybooks feature the "Sesame Street" Muppets Karli, Lily and Alex. * "The Monster Dash: A Story about Resilience and Flexibility" explores dealing with change. Because of her mom's struggle with addiction, Karli has spent time in foster care, living with a lack of predictability and control. But caring adults have given her tools to build resilience. Being exible and pivoting when circumstances change is a big part of resilience. * "Looking for Special: A Story about Resilience and Con dence" teaches children about con dence. Lily and her family haven't always had enough food, and for a while they didn't have a home of their own - but they've endured hard times and are stronger for it. * "Bounce Back: A Story about Resilience and Persistence" shows Alex practicing persistence. When Alex's father was incarcerated, Alex and his family faced big challenges, and he had to cope with hard feelings like fear and anger. Persistence is another part of resilience and, like everyone, Alex needs to nd ways to manage his frustration and practice patience. "Resources and skills like these help children cope with di culties. Anyone involved in a child's care holds power, and they can use that power to help children feel safe, seen - and hopeful," added Kirk. "By working together, we can improve children's overall health and wellbeing." For over 10 years, UnitedHealthcare and Sesame Workshop have worked together to improve the well-being of children and families - especially those most vulnerable - by providing tools to build a strong foundation for lifelong healthy habits. This partnership includes the "Growing Every Day, Every Way" program, which provides families and caregivers with resources to address topics including food insecurity, physical activity, developmental milestones and healthy habits, to help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger and kinder. These resources are available in English and Spanish for parents and providers to access and download at SesameStreetInCommunities.org.

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FLOWER

You Need To Know This Month

daffodils

Did you Know… Da odils are some of the rst owers we see in springtime and are a great indicator that winter is over. Because of this, they are seen to represent rebirth and new beginnings. Daffodils are a hardy and easy perennial that grows in most regions of North America, except in the hottest, wettest areas, such as South Florida. Daffodil bulbs are best planted in September - November in well drained soil. They will grow well in sun or part shade. (They are the March birth ower, after all!). The traditional daffodil ower may be showy yellow or white, with six petals and a trumpet-shape central corona.

FRUIT Mandarin

You Need To Know This Month

Did you Know… Mandarins are a type of orange and the overarching category that Tangerines, Clementines, and Satsumas fall into. They are generally smaller and sweeter than oranges, a little flatter in shape, and they and have a thinner, looser skin that makes them easier to peel. Tangerines are a specific type of mandarin orange. Mandarins contain Vitamins A, B, and a high level of Vitamin C which is great for preventing infections, removing free radicals, and supporting skin health. The Vitamin C found in mandarins works to stop colds and keep your immune system functioning properly so you can fight off any nasty bugs that come your way! Did you know that Asian treat a mandarin as a symbol, especially when it comes to the Chinese New Year. That's because the Chinese word for mandarin—kam—sounds similar to the word for “gold.” So, having mandarin oranges around the home at New Year is said to bring riches into your life.

ANIMAL

You Need To Know This Month

Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

They’re known as “charismatic megafauna” for a reason. These endangered animals ooze star power, a factor that conservationists have capitalized on in order to fund projects to protect them (and, often by default, the other organisms that share their complex ecosystems). People are far more likely to donate money to save an adorable panda or a magni cent tiger than they are to drop some shekels on preserving the limbless worm skink or the Gerlach’s cockroach. However, skinks and roaches are integral participants in their ecosystems as well and just as deserving of assistance as their ashier compatriots. You might then consider the animals on this list the A-listers whose box o ce draw nances the continued existence of the lesser-known character actors who inhabit the same environments. And if the concept of trickle-down conservation sticks in your craw, get to work on that “save the Gerlach’s cockroach” Kickstarter campaign. I’d donate. Maybe. Everyone loves a panda…they might be the kitschiest animal humanity has driven to the brink of extinction yet. From stu ed animals to martial arts-trained CGI abominations, we just can’t seem to get enough of the bi-colored beasts. Though their “aww factor” may verge on the cloying, it hasn’t been without e ect. China, which is home to the remaining wild population of fewer than 2,500 individuals, has since the late 1980s instituted more stringent habitat protections and poaching has all but ceased. Their status is still tenuous, though. Their range is fragmented and they are still subject to disease, occasional predation, and starvation when large swathes of the bamboo on which they feed completes its life cycle and dies.

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https://www.britannica.com/list/10-of-the-most-famousendangered-species

Green things YOU can do this Month

Annually March 8th

World Wildlife Day- Held annually on March 3rd

Meatout -Vegan Diet -Annually March 20

International Day of Forests Annually on March 21st

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World Meteorological Day - Annually March 23rd

World Water Day Annually on March 22nd

Earth Hour - Turn o their lights for one hour (from 8:30pm 9:30pm local time). Annually late March

No more 'wish-cycling:' Make better recycling choices

(BPT) - Wish-cycling is when you toss that item into the recycling bin, even when you are not 100% sure

it goes there. Good intentions can end up contaminating the recycling system. Worse, it could mean that your recycling ends up as waste. That's why you should make your 2022 New Year's resolution to learn how best to recycle in your community. Recycling saves money, creates jobs and protects the environment. Your recycling can help your community by: Creating 370,000 full time jobs According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, recycling and reusing activities account for $37.8 billion in wages for workers and $5.5 billion in tax revenues every year. You can grow these numbers. If everyone in the U.S. were recycling 37.4 million tons of materials and delivering them back to economic use, it would generate 370,000 new full-time equivalent jobs nationwide such as collecting curbside recyclables, processing materials, supplying the materials to companies, transporting materials, maintaining equipment and more. Conserving 154 million barrels of oil Recycling puts used materials back into use, helping to create a circular economy that means fewer natural resources are extracted for raw materials. Amcor, which makes plastic packaging for food, beverage, personal care and healthcare products, has been increasing the amount of recycled resin, the material used to make rigid packaging. While resin can be produced during the oil re ning process, the use of recycled resin is far more environmentally friendly. In the last two years alone, Amcor bought 86% more recycled resin, which means far less virgin plastic resin used in that plastic bottle you bought.

Plastic bottles for the products most used by consumers can easily be made using recycled material - some can even be made with 100% recycled material. Even better, it can become a never-ending cycle where that beverage or shampoo bottle can be made into a new bottle again and again and again. Reducing 96 million metric tons of C02 If everyone in the U.S. properly recycled the 20 million tons of household waste that is recyclable instead of throwing it in the trash, the U.S. could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 96 million metric tons. It would have the same e ect as taking more than 20 million cars o U.S. highways. How to properly recycle It can be confusing to know exactly what to recycle, as guidelines may vary from state to state and even town to town. The lack of consistency across recycling centers in the U.S. is due to varying capabilities and di erent technologies. Additionally, some packaging is just harder to recycle than others. For example, cartons that hold shelf-stable milk, soup or coconut water are made from multiple materials and are only recyclable in some communities that can separate the plastic and aluminum from the paper. Also, although glass containers require a lot of energy to melt down and recycle, some communities still nd a use for them by crushing them and using the glass as a land ll cover. Do take the time to read about the recycling guidelines in your community so you can make it your goal to recycle more and better. Find local recycling guidelines through your town's website or at how2recycle.info.

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The Impossibility of Harming the Environment by Roy E. Cordato “The ‘polluter pays principle’ states that whoever is responsible for damage to the environment should bear the costs associated with it.” —United Nations Environmental Programme1

he “polluter pays principle” appeals to our sense of justice. People should be held responsible for their actions, and polluters who cause damage to others should “pay” for that damage. Furthermore, forcing polluters to bear the costs of their activities would enhance economic efficiency. In other words, appropriately applied, policies based on the principle face no tradeoff between the efficient working of a capitalist system and environmental protection. But as with most general principles, the devil is in the details. In this case the details relate to basic questions that any application must answer: How do we define pollution? Who is a polluter? How much should the payment be, and to whom should payment be made? The answers to these questions are at the heart of whether an application will be either just or economically efficient. Most advocates of the principle never talk about harms to people. The statement above is typical. Polluters are those who “damage” or impose “costs” on the environment. This Roy Cordato is vice president for research and resident scholar at the John Locke Foundation. His more extensive discussion of the “polluter pays principle” can be found at www.iret.org.

language is common. The U.N.’s “Rio Declaration on Environment and Development” states that “National authorities should endeavor to promote the internalization of environmental costs and the use of economic instruments. . . .”2 (More on this below.) The “Draft International Covenant of Environment and Development” states: “Parties shall apply the principle that the costs of preventing, controlling, and reducing potential or actual harm to the environment are to be borne by the originator.”3 Ultimately terms like “environmental costs” and “damage to the environment” can mean anything a policymaker wants them to mean. Since all human activity involves altering (damaging?) the natural environment, the “polluter pays principle” as defined by its most vocal advocates can be invoked to justify taxing or regulating any consumption or production activity, and often is. Indeed this may be the point of using such nebulous language. Closely tied to that principle are policies typically referred to as “market based.”4 These policies are broken down into two categories, taxes and tradable permits. Both are seen as attempts to “make the polluter pay” by attaching a fee to the polluting activities.

The taxation approach is most direct. The tax would be paid either in the form of an emissions fee or an excise tax on the product associated with pollution. The tradable-permits approach (also called cap and trade) would first have the government establish an overall acceptable level of pollution for an industry and would then distribute emission permits to firms in that industry. The total amount of emissions represented by these permits would add up to the overall level that was initially established. Companies could then buy and sell these permits based on their needs to emit the pollutant and their abilities to find pollution-abatement techniques. The point is that in either case, the polluters are made to “pay” for their polluting activities, either through a tax or through the purchase of permits from others in the industry. While the moral case for market-based instruments is generally centered on the concept of making the polluter pay, the economic justification is based on the idea that using market-based incentives to accomplish environmental goals is more efficient than traditional commandand-control policies. Theoretically, polluters who must pay will have to consider all of the costs associated with their production activities and use resources more efficiently. Furthermore, they will have an incentive to find the lowest-cost methods for reducing emissions.

Manipulated Definition The problem is that, in advocacy and practice, the supporters of market-based instruments, like the supporters of the “polluter pays principle” more generally, manipulate the definition of cost to make it consistent with the vague concept of harm or damage discussed above. Economics attaches the concept of costs to human beings and individual decision-making. “Cost” refers to what must be given up when a person chooses one course of action rather than another, or when someone else’s activities prevent a person from choosing a course of action. For example, in the case of a company’s polluting a river, the cost might be to downstream recreational users who have to give up or cut back on certain activities that the pollution is preventing them from pursuing. From this perspective then, pollution problems arise because the polluter is imposing costs on other human beings. It is human users of the river who bear the costs, not the river itself. As with the “polluter pays principle” more generally, many advocates of marketbased instruments misuse the economic theory by redefining the concept of costs and damage to apply to things rather than to people. But the environment does not incur costs. Only people do. An article by David Pearce and Kerry Turner is typical. In the name of “making the polluter pay,” the authors call for excise taxes on the use of beverage containers.

Their claim is that “environmental damages from packaging waste is not reflected in the prices of packaged products” and that “the size of the levy needs to be related directly to the environmental damage done by the production and consumption of the packaging, or to the costs of restoration to the environment” (emphasis added).5 Nowhere is there a reference to costs or damage to actual people from the use or disposal of beverage containers. Unfortunately, such abuse of the concept of costs is not discouraged among economists. This article appeared in a respected and refereed academic journal. The notion that polluters should be made to pay for the damage they cause is nothing more than an extension of the idea that people should be held accountable for their actions. This fundamental principle is made coherent by property rights. When person A does harm to person B, it is understood that A has done damage to B’s person or property. The appeal of a “polluter pays principle” is that A makes B whole again; that is, to the extent possible, he provides restitution, most likely in the form of monetary compensation, for B’s suffering. It is right that environmental policy should make the polluter pay so long as it is grounded in these basic principles. Within this context ambiguity is greatly reduced about what kinds of emissions or by-products of production processes should be characterized as pollution, who should be identified as a polluter, and what the polluter should pay and to whom. If a producer emits a substance, whether into the air, a body of

water, or the ground, and those emissions cause health problems or cause damage to people’s property, then those emissions would be correctly characterized as pollution and the company as a polluter. The payments that the company would be forced to make should go, not to the government in the form of a tax or to other companies to buy permission to pollute, but to those in the community who have suffered from pollution. From this perspective pollution problems are the result of conflicts over the use of a resource. Persons A and B would both like to use the same resource for conflicting purposes. Usually the presence of private property allows for such conflicts to be resolved both peacefully and in a mutually beneficial way, even when the issue involves the environment. For example, on wildlife preserves owned by the Audubon Society it is not uncommon to see oil companies drilling for crude. While the Audubon Society and oil companies may want to use this land for what might first appear to be conflicting purposes, private ownership provides a strong incentive for the parties to compromise and resolve the differences. By leasing part of its land for oil exploration, the Audubon Society can gain revenues to purchase other lands while insuring that the drilling takes place in an environmentally friendly way. This is not the case on “publicly” owned lands, such as the Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR), where any drilling is viewed as being at the expense of environmental concerns.

Use Without Permission In cases where someone decides to make use of another’s property without permission, the problem is resolved by applying the simple rule that the person who owns (has title to) the property is the one whose purposes prevail. This approach takes the focus off the physical environment, per se, and places it on human beings and their right to live their lives unmolested. An activity is polluting only if it harms others. This approach to the “polluter pays principle” has two distinct and mutually re-inforcing advantages. First it is consistent with the principles of liberty. Under a property-rights–grounded principle, people are free to pursue whatever production or consumption goals they desire so long as there is personal accountability for any and all damage to others or their property. Second, if generally invoked as a guiding principle of environmental policy, it will enhance economic efficiency and social welfare. Moreover, those involved in production activities will attempt to ameliorate problems before they occur. There would be a strong incentive to develop new technologies that eliminate or minimize pollution from the outset. Environmental problems tend to arise when people are allowed to impose costs on others by degrading other people’s property or by using property that is unowned. A propertyrights-based “polluter pays principle” would go a long way toward solving many of these problems, first by seeing to it that existing property rights are enforced and by providing

principled guidance for the privatization of currently unowned resources by courts and legislatures. It will be much easier for lawmakers and adjudicators of disputes to move in the right direction once the target is clearly identified.

Notes United Nations Environmental Programme, Taking Action, Chapter 2, p. 3. “Rio Declaration on Environment and Development,” Principle 16, The U.N. Environment Programme, found at www.unep.org/documents/default.asp? DocumentID=78&ArticleID=1163. “Draft International Covenant on Environment and Development,” Article 11.6, World Conservation Union, found at www.iucn.org/themes/law/ the_draft_covenant.html. For the distinction between market-based environmentalism and free-market environmentalism, see Roy Cordato, “Market Based Environmentalism and the Free Market: They’re Not the Same” The Independent Review, Winter 1997. David Pearce and R. Kerry Turner, “Packaging Waste and the Polluter Pays Principle: A Taxation Solution,” Journal of Environmental Management and Planning, Vol. 35, No. 1, 1992, p.

“If you love a ower, don’t pic it up. Because if you pick it up it dies and it ceases to be what you love. So if you love a ower, let it be. Love is not about possession. Love is about appreciation.”~Osho

How pet owners can make a difference when it comes to recycling (BPT) - While most Americans may say they're environmentally conscious and care about recycling, their daily habits haven't caught up with their good intentions. In fact, the EPA reports that the recycling rate is currently only at about 32%. Part of this is due to confusion about what and how to recycle. If you're one of the growing number of people with a pet at home, your recycling habits may be even more complex by adding pet product packaging into the mix. With so much packaging produced today, your choice between the recycling bin and the trash can feel inconsequential in the grand scheme. But the truth is, every day consumers play a crucial role in reducing waste. In an ideal world, we would operate in a "circular economy," where the materials we now consider waste instead serve a secondary purpose. Some companies are committing to the environment by switching to more sustainable manufacturing processes and using recyclable - and recycled - materials in their packaging. But it takes more than just what companies can do alone; businesses rely on consumers to recycle correctly, fueling the supply of materials used to produce more environmentally friendly packaging. "Many consumers engage in 'wish recycling' - dropping an item in the bin and hoping it will be recycled," said Nida Bockert, senior director, Portfolio Innovation, Optimization and Sustainability at Purina. "At Purina, which makes some of the most popular pet care products, not only are we focused on empowering pet owners to choose the recycling bin instead of the trash, but we're also working to educate people on engaging in thoughtful recycling that avoids contaminating the waste stream." What one company is doing to improve their packaging Over 80% of Purina packaging is already made with materials that can be recycled. Aluminum, which can be endlessly recycled, makes up a large part of the brand's product packaging and is accepted in single-stream recycling which is picked up at your curb. However, only a fraction of the aluminum cans manufactured are made of recycled material, due to lack of supply. This is where consumers play an important role in closing the loop. When consumers rinse and recycle aluminum pet food cans, this creates a supply of second-life aluminum that's repurposed from scrap metal which generates far less greenhouse emissions than new aluminum. By creating a system that reuses existing resources instead of following a single-use method, it's possible to signi cantly reduce the harm done to the planet through consumerism and manufacturing.

What you can do First, support environmentally conscious brands when shopping. Purina is also making progress in recyclability beyond aluminum. The company is hard at work to make all of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025. Unsure about what can be recycled when it comes to pet product packaging, and how to recycle it? First, check with your local recycling facility to be sure you're following their guidelines. Here are some basic tips to prepare pet product packaging for recycling: * Metal cans: Rinse and drop into your single-stream recycling bin. * Plastic tubs: Rinse and drop into your single-stream recycling bin. * Tidy Cats containers: Empty and drop into your single-stream recycling bin. * Cardboard from variety packs: Drop into your single-stream recycling bin. * Shrink wrap from variety packs: Drop o at your local grocery store where available. To search your area, visit plastic lmrecycling.org. You can also always look for the "How2Recycle" label on any Purina brand package for help with recycling. If the package doesn't include that label, it's safe to say the product is not recyclable.

Nestlé is the newest member of the How2Recycle Label Program. Selected Nestlé USA and Purina® brands will use the How2Recycle label to help communicate to the public how to recycle their packaging.

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5 ways parents can interest kids in STEM at home

(BPT) - Did you know that there are simple, fun, everyday activities you can do with your kids to foster curiosity and interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math)? If you want your school-aged kids to be more engaged in these crucial educational subjects, the good news is that there are plenty of ways to support your children in learning. These activities are not only fun for kids of many ages and stages, but they will help introduce key principals needed to build a strong base for STEM education. 1. Build something together Making something by hand is a fantastic learning opportunity for kids, bolstering their understanding of engineering, physics and math. Even a simple project like a birdhouse, bookshelf or wind chimes teaches the importance of careful planning, why they need to measure accurately and the basics of construction - principles best learned hands-on. Plenty of ideas for simple projects can be found online or with an easy-to-use kit. 2. Reach new heights Kids love toys involving motion, and there's no better way to encounter principles of physics like velocity, momentum and gravity than with a high-quality marble run. If you want to build higher and race faster, the GraviTrax PRO Vertical Starter Set from Ravensburger is full of opportunities for complex problem-solving and experimentation - as a solo activity or with the whole family. Kids 8 and up (and parents!) will nd this set fun and challenging. The GraviTrax PRO set o ers multiple new ways to build higher and learn more about gravity. Kids can experiment with altering the speed of the marbles as they careen around curves and zoom down tracks. The complexity of what kids build will change as they get older, and with trial and error as they use the set. Even better - you can use the GraviTrax PRO set with any other GraviTrax product or accessories for endless combinations and exploration.

Cooking and baking involves STEM principles including math, chemistry, biology and agriculture. Next time you're making cookies or cake, take the opportunity to discuss common chemical reactions as your kids measure and mix. Here are a few common baking reactions to get you started:

3.Bake up a chemistry experiment Cooking and baking involves STEM principles including math, chemistry, biology and agriculture. Next time you're making cookies or cake, take the opportunity to discuss common chemical reactions as your kids measure and mix. Here are a few common baking reactions to get you started: * Caramelization and browning * Water evaporation * Expanding gases * Protein coagulation * Enzyme reactions You could talk about each ingredient's chemical composition, its role in the process and discuss how it a ects the results. Skip an ingredient or measure incorrectly, and the cake may not rise or becomes too dense. Flour and eggs contain proteins that help bond ingredients together. The gluten in our helps create the cake's structure. Sugar caramelizes and tenderizes, while milk or water provide moisture. Leavening agents such as baking powder and baking soda react with acidic and alkaline ingredients to release carbon dioxide into the batter - helping cakes expand and rise. Encourage observation and questions while you bake together. 4. Get your hands dirty Kids learn a lot about science through gardening and many love to watch things grow. What does a seed need to grow and become a plant? If you don't have space (or time) to create an outdoor garden, an indoor gardening kit can help you get started. Spending time together outdoors involves biological principles like photosynthesis and the life cycle of plants and animals. You can help your children observe the plants, birds and wildlife and answer questions about the di erent animal behaviors. 5. The sky's the limit Making toys that y and watching toys y can be endlessly fascinating for kids. Those activities also provide an entry point to teach them about physics principles like aerodynamics, lift and drag. Start by creating simple paper airplanes, and ask why some designs y better than others. Try ying a homemade or store-bought kite together. Which kind of design works better? How does the kite respond to the wind, and what keeps it a oat? Watching clouds, birds and airplanes can also pique kids' curiosity, and may lead to an interest in engineering, physics or space travel. You don't have to be an expert to encourage an interest in STEM learning. All it takes is a curious mind and looking at everyday activities in a whole new way.

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