EcoKids Blog

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     I think that our t eachers are doing a good job teaching us about the world and that we should save the world and all the animals so we can save things. I pick saving the world because we should come together and save it. We can come together and do the right thing. We need to save the plant so we can live but the one thing I don’t like is what we are using the animals for like cloths, books, glue, makeup, wigs, instruments, etc.

 By Alexis, age 11

Now that the holidays are coming soon, I wonder what I should do to celebrate?

 I think of the winter holidays as a time of year where I can show the people in my life how much I care about them. There are many ways I can do this. First, I can think really hard about what they like to do. For example, I know my mom loves cooking. Then, I can try to do something to make her happy (and surprised!). Of course I could just buy her a new cookbook. An even better idea though, is to make one myself using some of my favourite recipes. I could decorate the book using some of my amazing creative skills. She’ll love it for sure!

 I also want to do something special for my friends. I think I will do something that will make them laugh. Hmmm… what could this be? Maybe I could write a funny song, and make a video to share with them. I could also take some pictures from a long time ago, and make a cool scrapbook with silly quotes below. Or if they have a favourite food – I know one friend really likes perogies – then I could make that special treat just for them!

 Sometimes I worry about buying the “right” thing – and if my friends or family will like it. But then I think, as long as I do something that shows them I care, that’s all that matters. If I do want to buy something, then I can try to make it as good for the environmentally as possible. What does that mean? Well, nothing with too much packaging. Also, something made from recycled or reusable materials is great. There are so many “green” gift ideas out there!

 My family and friends will really like it when I give them something thoughtful – and handmade! Maybe I’ll try to make an awesome DIY project of something useful. And I’ll be sure to wrap it up in some old newspaper or magazine articles so I won’t have to buy any fancy wrapping paper.

 What will you do for the holidays? How will you show others that they are special to you?

By Andrew

Photo credit: Courtesy of flickr user Donna Grayson

We need to help the tiger, because all of the poachers are just being cruel! Just because they are animals doesn’t mean that they don’t have feelings! Imagine if you were a tiger. You are stalking your prey.  All of a sudden, there’s a loud BANG and your prey runs away. You look behind you and see a gun locked on you. How do you feel? Whatever you feel, they feel it. All of the animals and humans are the same when it comes down to the basics. Imagine baby tiger cubs, newborns, squealing, yelping,…..you don’t want to imagine it, do you? Well, it’s happening now, right when you are sitting there, reading this. You are able to get up and get something from the kitchen by will. So, I say, help tigers and other endangered species!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Emily, age 11

Photo credit: Courtesy of flickr user Tambako the Jaguar

Recently, the endangered Amur leopard was spotted by a camera trap in Wangqing, China. The traps were set up by World Wildlife Foundation and the Jilin Forestry Department. Did you know that there is only an estimated 7-12 Amur leopards left in all of China? The Amur leopard is considered a very rare and endangered species, and extreme conservation efforts are necessary.

Why are they endangered?

The Amur leopard’s habitat range was significantly reduced due to the extensive increase in logging and farming in 2000 (http://www.squidoo.com/endangeredamurleopard). The logging and farming also heavily reduced the amount of prey for the Amur leopard, the roe and sika deer. Another major factor was the poachers that hunted the Amur leopards for their fur and sometimes for trophies.

A group of 13 international and Russian non-governmental organizations pooled their resources together to create The Amur Leopard and Tiger Alliance (ATLA) http://amur-leopard.org/index.php?id=324 . They developed a comprehensive conservation program for the Amur leopard. A great way to contribute is to donate to this organization and the Tallinn Zoo (http://www.loomaaed.ee/) in Estonia which is known to be the most active Amur leopard breeding zoo.

Facts about the Amur leopard

The Amur leopard is a majestic animal, and is considered one of the most unique leopards in the leopard family because their coat can change colours depending on the season. In the winter, it has more of a light colour and in the summer, it has a reddish-orange coat. Males weigh about 32-48kg, and females weigh about 25-43kg. They can live up to 20 years and reside in areas of China, Korea and Russia. Just like the Amur leopard, every other animal is unique and has lots of interesting facts! http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/amur_leopard2/

What is your favourite animal?

With that in mind, what is your favourite animal? Is it a snapping turtle? Is it a great white shark? Is it a lovable monkey? Could it be a parrot? Whatever the case may be, take a second to think about what if there were no longer turtles, sharks, monkeys or parrots left in the world? Now that is a scary thought. Do some research on if the species is endangered or not. Then find out why they are endangered to really figure out what you can do to help.

What can you do?

There are so many things you can do to protect these endangered animals! You can:

1)      Research online to learn more about a certain species and present it to your class for your next school report! The World Wildlife Foundation has a great web page talking about some of the current most endangered species: http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/

2)      Form an animal conservation or protection club either in your school or your community to generate awareness of certain endangered species.

3)      Educate everyone around you on the importance of a balanced ecosystem and how every animal plays an important role!

4)      Start a petition campaign to help protect an endangered species in your country!

5)      Get your friends and family involved by starting a fundraiser such as a bake sale, raffle or an auction to generate funds. You can then donate all the funds to a specific wildlife preservation organization such as: World Wildlife Foundation (http://www.worldwildlife.org), Wildlife Preservation Canada (http://www.wptc.org/), or The Nature Conservancy (http://www.nature.org/)

Together if we all do our part, we can help save the lives of many animals and preserve our ecosystems!

What are you waiting for? Get active and make a difference today!

Interested in writing a blog post about an endangered animal? Do it right now and send it to ecokids@earthday.ca to be published and generate awareness for an animal!

For more information on endangered animals visit: http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/

Joey, Earth Day Canada Intern

Photo credit: Courtesy of flickr user ucumari

There are different gases in the air, but the major ones are oxygen and carbon. When we breathe, we inhale oxygen and exhale carbon. The fact that plants do the exact opposite of this helps us keep a balance. With the increasing amount of people and decreasing amount of plants, this balance is upset. What throws it of even more is when we drill for oil and coal. When a living thing dies and is left to biodegrade in the earth, all the carbon that is naturally stored in our bodies in leaked into the earth. This carbon, over a long period of time, turns into oil and coal trapped under the earth’s surface. When this is used in factories, it adds excess carbon into the air, which ruins the good cycle. Burning all this carbon adds to the greenhouse effect and destroys the ozone layer, gradually.

Ayisha, age 12

It was a sunny day with lots of humidity surrounding the park. Today’s activities were leaf-rubbing, bug-catching, making sailboats out of juice boxes and participating in the demonstration by Kim’s scrutinises about renewable energy such as windmills.

The first activity involved lot of thinking about natures’ different characteristics in the different types of leaves. This was a native activity called ‘leaf-rubbings’ where young children from the ages of 6 to 10 collected different types of leaves such as black walnut, Norway maple, silver maple and other leaves from other trees around the park. When the children were finished with their leaf collecting they were to take a piece of paper and crayon to rub their leaf onto the paper. To do this, the children were to place the leaf on the side of which you could feel its scaly texture and then take a crayon and try to rub the leaf against the paper to get the scaly texture on the paper.

Once the children had finished this challenging task they took some bug nets and cages to catch bugs for the next activity. Teresa suggested that I also go in on the bug fun. She had stated that it was early in the season to catch any grass hoppers because they come out in August so the best catch I could get was a black moth and some leaf hoppers. It was quite fun and challenging at the same time when trying to place the bugs in their cages. Once every one had had a go at sweeping bugs we had to unfortunately let our little bug-buddies go.

Our last but not least activity for the day was making sailboats out of juice boxes that were neatly cut open by Kim. To make the sail boat, the materials we used were the cut open juice boxes, kebab sticks, sticky tack and torn plastic bags. Building the sail boats we placed the kebab sticks, used the sticky tacks to stick them down to the juice box and for the sail we used it to catch wind and to stick this sail onto the stick we used sticky tack. Later on, when everyone was done building their boats we headed down to the pond to see if the wind would take them.

Next, we headed up to Norval Park to see the renewable energy activity done by Kim. She showed us pictures and diagrams of windmill farms and how important renewable energy is. Kim also had some windmills that she had built that were very well made.

 All in all, even if the weather wasn’t really co-operating with us it was still a far-fetched fun-filled day!

Harnoor, age 13

Do you know what a coral reefs are?

 They are made of calcium carbonate shells, and this substance is secreted by corals. Corals are actually very small living animals. 

 They can be found in some of the ocean’s shallow surface waters. They form very diverse water ecosystems and because of this they are also called, ‘rainforests of the sea’. These coral reefs don’t take up much space, yet they are home to 25% of all marine species, such as fish, crustaceans, sponges, and molluscs.

 Other than being home to many species, what do coral reefs do?

 Coral reefs have many functions other than being a diverse habitat for marine life. They protect coastal areas by being barriers that break the waves of storms. They also slow coastal erosion and flooding. 

Wildlife that cannot survive without the reef are food sources for people living along the coast. They also are economically valuable as tourist and fishing spots.

 Coral reefs are at risk!!

 Ocean water acidity is on the rise. Humans have created a lot of greenhouse gases (especially CO2) over the years which are disrupting coral growth and even killing what is there already. When CO2 from the air dissolves into the water, corals can no longer make their shells and the reef disintegrates.

Some studies predict that in the next 80 years water will be too acidic for coral reefs to survive, and already 10% have been destroyed.

 What can you do?

 You can keep learning about coral reefs, and pass on your knowledge to friends and family. If you happen to visit a coral reef, be careful not to touch it or break any of it off as a souvenir. Also, CO2 is a major killer of coral reef, so try to do what you can to lower your own carbon footprint.

Every effort makes a difference!

Leila P.

September 21 is National Tree Day in Canada.  On Tree Day, we will celebrate and appreciate the diversity of our forests and the positive impacts trees have on our lives. While we celebrate, we also should do something to work against the things that are threatening forests!

Last summer I visited the Amazon forests of Ecuador (located in South America). During my stay I thought the distinct types of trees there were really interesting. We were surrounded by trees that were very different from any trees that I had seen before: Massive trees with huge trunks (meters in diameter), trees with large roots which were raised up above the ground, or trees that have no roots and instead grow on trunks of another tree (these are called stranglers). 

As different as trees found all over the world can be, they still have two things in common: they all have essential benefits for humans and animals, and they are all being threatened by deforestation.

Forests bring us many benefits. They stabilize our climate by removing CO2 from the air and shading our land, purify our water, and prevent floods. Forests also provide us with many different foods and products such as fruit, maple syrup, nuts, lumber, paper, Christmas trees, and medicine. Forests are also very important to animals. Many different animals make their homes in forests, and they rely on their forest habitats for food and shelter.

Unfortunately, forests around the world are threatened by deforestation. Some forests are cleared for timber to produce wood and paper, some are cleared to get to other resources, and others for space to build roads and buildings. Trees are being cut down too quickly for the earth to regenerate new forests. This is helping to cause climate change because there are fewer trees to remove CO2. Deforestation is also very bad for all of the animals that live in forests. Many of them may become endangered or extinct when they begin to lose their habitats. Read more about Canadian forests, the benefits that come from trees, and the dangers of deforestation, in the new Homework Help section on the EcoKids website.

On September 21^st join other Canadians in planting trees and in doing something for our (green and leafy) environment. Take a look at the Tree Canada website to find a Tree

Day event that is happening close to where you live. If you go out tree planting with your school, family, or friends send us a picture of your group and your planted trees; we love to see them!

Parastesh A., EcoKids Intern

Photo credit: Courtesy of flickr user Helen Rickard

Try the Life-Cycle Activity with your friends and family to understand the full impact of things you buy!

Start by choosing a product that you bought (or that someone bought for you) this week. How much energy and packaging do you think your product took to make and travel into your hands? Think about its full life-cycle, from material extraction to processing, packaging, transport, and whether or not it can be reused. Whoa…who knew there were so many things to think about??!

–Example: a pair of sneakers. What kinds of materials were used? Were any harmful man-made chemicals needed? Did it come with tissue paper and a cardboard box? Did you throw out that box or use it for some other purpose?

–Example: a tomato. Is it in season and grown locally, or transported from afar? If it’s from afar, did it travel to you by truck, boat, or plane? Were pesticides or fertilizers used to grow it, or is it organic? Did you carry it home in a plastic bag?

It’s interesting to think of how everything you have and use is created somehow from different materials, processing and packaging, and can come to you from varying distances. Remember to be aware of where things come from, and think about the energy and materials that went into making them!

Here are some things you can try to do to be more environmentally friendly when you or your family go shopping:

-Try to buy local as much as you can.

-Bring reusable bags or boxes with you (instead of using the store’s new ones).

-Support organic.

-Avoid products with multiple layers of packaging that are unnecessary and will end up in the garbage.

-Be really environmentally friendly by only buying what you need, instead of buying everything you want!

By Leila P., EcoKids Intern

Photo credit: Courtesy of flickr user Cheetleys

I went to New york for vacation this month and we walked down to the town beach. When we got there we looked around and there was trash all over the parking lot! I know it’s a parking lot and all, but really, you couldn’t take the time to reach down and put it in the trash! Come on. So anyway we were so stunned my mom couln’t even talk! We walked back the house we were staying in and we borrowed the truck. We drove back and picked out the bottles and cans so they would be recycled. Then, we picked up all the trash and put it where it belongs, the trash can. A Photographer asked us if she could put us in the paper. I slept well that night knowing that we did a wonderful deed.

By Kaitlyn, age 10

Photo credit: Courtesy of flickr user U.S Coast Guard