1. Earth Day How can we make a difference?

2. Pass It On Down - Alabama ·So let's leave some blue up above us ·Let's leave some green on the ground ·It's only ours to borrow, let's save some for tomorrow ·Leave it and pass it on down ·There's a place where I live called the Canyon ·Where Daddy taught me to swim ·And that water, it's so pure ·And I'm gonna make sure ·Daddy's grandkids can swim there like him ·Now we all oughta feel just a little bit guilty ·When we look into the eyes of our kids ·'Cause brothers it's a fact, if we take and don't put back ·They'll have to pay for all we did ·So let's leave some blue up above us ·Let's leave some green on the ground ·It's only ours to borrow, let's save some for tomorrow ·Leave it and pass it on down ·We live in the land of plenty ·But many things aren't plenty anymore ·Like the water from our sink ·They say's not safe to drink ·You gotta go and buy it at the store ·Now we're told there's a hole in the ozone ·Look what's washing on the beach ·And Lord, I believe, from the heavens to the seas ·We're bringing Mother Nature to her knees ·So let's leave some blue up above us ·Let's leave some green on the ground ·It's only ours to borrow, let's save some for tomorrow ·Leave it and pass it on down ·Well there's a change taking place way on the mountains ·Acid rain is falling on the leaves ·And down in Brazil, the fires are burning still ·How we gonna breathe without them trees

3. Earth Day History ·It may be hard to imagine that before 1970, a factory could spew toxic black clouds into the air or dump tons of toxic waste into a nearby stream, and that was perfectly legal. They could not be taken to court to stop it. ·How was that possible? Because there was no EPA, no Clean Air Act, no Clean Water Act. There were no legal or regulatory mechanisms to protect our environment. ·In 1962, Senator Gaylord Nelson decided something needed to be done to protect the environment. The work that he began led to what we now know as Earth Day. Nelson realized very few people were concerned about environmental problems . ·"For several years, it has been troubling me," Nelson wrote in a 1962 article, "that the state of the environment is simply a non-issue in the politics of our country.“

4. Earth Day History ·Nelson then headed to Washington, D.C., where he hoped to convince President John F. Kennedy to take a stand on environmental issues. It wasn't long before President Kennedy heard Nelson's concerns and agreed that action should be taken. ·The President set out on a five-day, 11-state conservation tour in September 1963. Although Kennedy's high-profile tour was not a success, Nelson was not ready to give up. Nelson continued to speak to audiences across 25 states about the importance of the environment. Although his point of view began to catch on among most people, politicians still were not listening.

5. Earth Day History ·In September 1969, at a conference in Seattle, Nelson announced that he would stage a nationwide grassroots demonstration on behalf of the environment the next spring. He invited everyone in the audience to attend. ·On April 22, 1970, more than 20 million demonstrators and thousands of schools and local communities participated in Nelson's demonstration. The occasion made people sit up and pay attention to environmental issues. Word about the environment began to spread. ·On March 21, 1971, the UN Secretary-General signed a proclamation establishing Earth Day as an official international holiday. ·In 1990, Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting the status of environmental issues on to the world stage. Earth Day 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

6. Earth Day History ·Earth Day 2000 focused on global warming and a push for clean energy. Earth Day 2000 had the Internet to help link activists around the world. By the time April 22 rolled around, 5,000 environmental groups around the world were on board, reaching out to hundreds of millions of people in a record 184 countries. Events varied: A talking drum chain traveled from village to village in Gabon, Africa, for example, while hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., USA. ·Earth Day 1970 worked because it had support from so many different types of people - Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, city people and country people, tycoons and labor leaders. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts.

7. Earth Day History ·2011 marks the 41st anniversary of that first Earth Day, with events planned around the world. ·Sen. Nelson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- the highest honor given to civilians in the United States -- for his role as Earth Day founder. ·Gaylord Nelson died on July 3, 2005, but his contributions will always be remembered as younger generations continue his fight to preserve the world's environment.

8. THE PROBLEM ISN'T OVER... Floating Junkyard Floating Junkyard Pacific Ocean Trash Vortex video Breaking Down Plastics

9. Can one person make a difference?

10. SOLUTIONS... Nine Lives of a Peanut Butter Jar Plastic Recycling Code Guide A Day in the Life of a Recycled Can Recycling Aluminum Recycling Reduce Electricity Reduce Water Reduce Household Trash

11. Earth Day Ideas ·Pick one of these to turn in: ·Write a short story or cartoon strip about the life cycle of a product made of plastic, glass, paper, cardboard, aluminum, or steel. Use your imagination and think of ways the product could be reused in several ways or recycled and made into something completely different. ·Design a poster of why students should recycle at school ·Create a plan for how the school can be more “green” ·Create a poster of 10 ways students can “live green” at home ·Create a poster advertising Earth Day ·Have another idea? See Mrs. Thomas!