Proof a Five-Year-Old is Smarter Than Most of Us When it Comes to Ecology

This week O's teacher sent home some worksheets and activities for the kids to do around Earth Day. Not homework, really, but activities to make them think about the planet and our effects on it. Which of course made me smile.

So there is a "blank" picture of the Earth, and the activity asks to draw things that are beautiful about the earth. So he drew flowers, water. :)

Then it says, flip over, and on the back, draw something showing one problem Earth has. He drew a dumpster, and "garbage". He said he drew an old TV that someone threw away, and a banana peel.

So I figured it would make sense to take the opportunity to explain the difference between those two types of "garbage". I explained that a banana peel is a fruit, so it comes from the Earth - it's a natural product that will simply decompose back into the soil, and the Earth will use those nutrients to grow other things.

I then explained the old TV, on the other hand, was man-made, with plastic and glass and metal. And those pieces don't break down into the Earth. So that becomes the waste we don't know what to do with, and why we have a problem.

So he looked at me, and said, "so why do we throw our banana peels in the garbage?"

(Dramatic pause as the adult realizes she'd better step up. Now.)

I attempt explanation. Well, we don't have anywhere to put them. The right thing to do is compost that stuff. That means we can collect it in a composter under the sink, and then transfer it to the garden. We're going to make our garden this weekend...would you like us to start doing that?

Yes.

Okay, deal.
I'll report on how it goes.

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day today! A little moment of thought for all on the state of our little globe.
Food for thought: http://www.climatecrisis.net/thescience/

Personally, I am not an activist or highly political about it, I'm just taking the science as the science, and trying to improve upon what I and my family do here and there. Here is what our family is trying to do to be greener:

• We have replaced our (non-hybrid) Higlander and my husband's Corolla with two Priuses.
• I am starting to collect/purchase reusable bags for local supermarkets.
• We make sure we reuse the plastic bags we get with purchases for other uses.
• We recycle.
• We're trying to remember to unplug, turn off, etc...when things aren't needed.

We still need to:

• Curb our family's water-bottle addiction.
• We are going to start replacing light bulbs...for some reason this is taking longer to do than I thought.
• When our renovation is done, we plan on only using "green" treatments on our lawn and in our yard.
• We are going to plant a vegetable garden, as soon as our plot allows.

What are you doing? Any good ideas to share?