Children's Literature @ NYPL

Booktalking "True Green Kids" by Kim McKay

Ever wonder what you could do to help the environment? This book provides a plethora of suggestions. Following are just a few of the ideas you can read about in this work.

  1. Watch your water consumption.
  2. Use natural light, such as sunshine.
  3. Recycle materials such as paper and aluminum cans.
  4. Reduce your consumption; use less.
  5. Reuse materials (e.g. use scrap paper to write on).
  6. Use fluorescent light bulbs.
  7. Turn off the lights when you leave the room.
  8. Compost fruit and vegetable scraps.
  9. Pick up your dog's poop off of the street.
  10. Give your pets food that is relatively free of additives and preservatives (extra chemicals).
  11. Write to politicians to support environmentally friendly legislation.
  12. Read books and watch movies about the environment.
  13. Borrow books from the library that many people will be able to read.
  14. When you want to buy something, think about whether or not you really need it.
  15. Buy products with less packaging.
  16. Buy locally grown food to reduce pollution caused by transportation vehicles.
  17. Buy organic foods that are produced without pesticides.
  18. Use paper or reusable bags rather than plastic for shopping.
  19. Reuse water bottles.
  20. Tell people about leaky faucets so that they can be fixed.
  21. Turn the lights off in rooms that are not being used.
  22. Celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd!
  23. Plant a garden and use compost as a fertilizer.
  24. Ask your teacher if your class can have a poster creation contest for a green topic (such as recycling).
  25. Create a play about the environment.
  26. Create your own gifts for others.
  27. Start an Eco-blog to educate people about ways to save the planet.
  28. If you are going to purchase a vehicle, consider a hybrid or electric one.
  29. Remember the four R's - recycle, reduce, reuse, and rethink!

True Green Kids: 100 Things You Can Do to Save the Planet by Kim McKay, 2008

I liked this book because it gives kids concrete projects that they can embark upon to help the environment. I loved learning about being environmentally-friendly when I was a kid, and I took recycling to heart.