Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Happy Earth Day! Mayflower Mill Students Walk to School to Spark Awareness

BJ is Excited about Earth Day!

Earth Day Founder Gaylord Nelson would be very proud of some Mayflower Mill students this morning that honored Earth Day by walking to school today. My daughter Megan, a fifth-grader is certainly a future politician and will change the way things are done in Washington led the way this morning by walking to school.

Megan's Mom and my tough, yet beautiful wife walked with her despite needing 3 stitches this morning from an injury she had last night while helping with a school project. I held down the fort at home early this morning and look forward to biking to work this week and leaving the car at home. Lauren my three year old was taught how important recycling is and helped me sort through newspapers, plastics, and cans this morning.

Lauren, my 3 year old, will post her exclusive interview here on the weather blog about how other kids are helping make a difference. They are our future and today it is certainly looking brighter. Earth Day was founded in 1970. John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy also helped to push things along from the idea that was conceived back in 1962 by Nelson. They all were instrumental in making Congress more aware of the importance of taking care of Mother Earth. The environment was largely an issue that was ignored back then, but things have certainly changed today and that is a good thing. But we still have a long way to go.

Lauren's interview: Why did my doggie walk with you to school?
Megan: It is Earth Day and it is important to know that there are many things you can do to make a difference. By walking with BJ this morning we kept 10 micrograms of potentially cancer-causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from being released into the air. This means you can go to the park and have lots of fun!

Lauren: Can I watch Wonder Pets on TV after the park?
Megan: Yes, but remember that when your TV no longer works you have to recycle it just like you would your old coloring books. A 27 inch TV can produce up to 8 pounds of lead which can be released into the air and our water supplies.

Lauren: Can I play Webkinz or will that hurt Earth?
Megan: You can play computer games, but once your computer does not work you need to recycle it like your TV. Computers also contain lead along with cadmium and mercury. This can hurt earth and you.

Lauren: Can we plant flowers or trees to make Earth pretty?
Megan: Yes, planting trees and flowers is another sure way of taking care of the environment. Trees absorb yucky air that makes you cough or what we call pollution. They also provide homes for birds and other animals and give off plenty off oxygen so we can all breathe easier. They help us save on air conditioner costs and reduce flash flooding so Daddy doesn't have to go to work as much.

Lauren: Thanks Megan, now we can play!
Megan: One last thing to remember...Each ton (2000 pounds) of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4000 kilowatts of energy, and 7000 gallons of water. This represents a 64% energy savings, a 58% water savings, and 60 pounds less of air pollution! If you don't choose to reuse the planet will lose.

Great job kids! Megan said her friend Kirsten along with her Mom walked to school with them this morning and the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classes at Mayflower cleaned all the trash up around the school grounds today. They found tons of trash. Now hopefully when you get older you will no longer need cars that fill up with gas. Enough is enough. Vote: Megan Prangley! I think she will make a great President some day. Lauren is well on her way to being a successful TV anchor. She had some pointed questions that helped teach me about things that I had no idea would hurt the planet. I will never look at my computer the same. As we all can now see, taking care of the environment is no longer important but a necessity. The gas prices are a sure warning sign that change is needed and there is no turning back.

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