The Earthsavers mission for kids

(Part I)

Children must be told and shown that they can accomplish wonderful things for planet Earth. They can either learn to tackle global issues until it is second nature to them, or they can grow up feeling that the environmental problems are too big and difficult – too hopeless to deal with. We should not let that happen.

Let us give the child a vision of the whole Universe… an imposing reality and answer to all questions.

"We shall walk together in this path of life, for all things are a part of the Universe…" This idea focuses the child’s mind so that he ceases his aimless quest for knowledge.

The Keys To The Universe

The basic ideas, which even kindergarten children can learn, are the fundamentals of Geography and History. Geography is easy to learn using the puzzle maps of the World, Asia, and the Philippines. Grade I children may do the advanced lesson of "the four blankets of the earth" referring to planet Earth and its covers – the land or lithosphere, the waters or hydrosphere, the air or atmosphere. The fourth is the biosphere or all living things that inhabit land, water and the air. With a small globe it is easy to see the land, three-fourths of it the oceans and rivers, then imagine the invisible outer layer of air.

History deals with time and how things change within time. The Time Line of Life can be injected into one picture album of "The First Five Years of Robert ‘Bobby’ dela Cruz". His picture per year should include his parents, siblings and relatives. A major annual event may be illustrated with pictures. For example – Bobby’s father takes the family to live in Singapore. Another year, Bobby’s sister, Jane is born. As the child grows, the looks of the family members also change.

Botany and Zoology are the other keys to the universe. Classified Picture Cards of plants may be matched to identify the "parts of a plant, a leaf, or a flower". Zoology cards of vertebrates will help identify the "parts of a mammal, bird, fish, reptile or amphibian". However, actual gardening and pet care should complement these science lessons.

Genesis — God’s Gift Of Creation To Man

The first book of the Bible, Genesis, recounts that in the beginning there was nothing, only God. Then, for five days, each day covering a millennium of years, God created the Earth and filled it with the best animals, plants and minerals. He made Earth a paradise.

After this was all prepared, He created Man giving him planet Earth and all life on it plus the divine gifts of "full knowledge and immortality". But when Man sinned, he lost Eden and the divine gifts. He became ignorant and primitive, and was reduced to cultivating the earth to survive. However, God, in His infinite wisdom and love, gave man a key to living, which none of the other living creatures had – intelligence, imagination and free will. All his life must be fulfilled with good works and prayers to redeem himself as a child of the Creator. Thus, when he proves himself, at the end he can join the Holy Father again in the real Eden.

The Time Life scroll marks 20 centuries before God sent His Son to Earth (BC — before Christ) and 20 centuries after (AD — Anno Domini). Then, Man discovered and learned slowly and painfully how the animal, plant and mineral kingdoms were meant to be his sources of food, clothing, shelter, medicine, transport, and others. But, God bound him within an invisible network — the Cosmic Organization. This meant that unless he learned the laws of life, he would fail to respect and maintain them – causing his ultimate destruction.

Pollution Destroys The Cycle Of Life

The primary laws of the Cosmic Organization are order, cleanliness, a plan or system, and the cycle of life. For example, plant life needs soil, sunlight, water and rain. In turn, animals feed on plants. Part of what they eat is absorbed by their bodies. The rest is rejected and becomes waste that enriches the soil.

Plants give off oxygen to the atmosphere – oxygen which animals and men need. Meantime, men and animals emit carbon dioxide which is vital to the plants. This balance of life must be sustained by Man. After all, he is the beneficiary of the plant and animal kingdoms. Unless Man applies his knowledge, unless he cares, the sphere of life will be harmed and eventually destroyed.

The destruction of air, land and water life is caused by pollution. The most conspicuous example is the disposal of garbage. All the garbage in town is taken to a dump or "landfill" assigned by the local government. After the garbage truck leaves, a big tractor should come along to push dirt on top and bury the garbage. But, Man is making so much garbage that he has no room to bury all of it. Every child can help to reduce the volume of household garbage if he is taught to separate paper from plastic, collect cans and bottles in boxes, put out the leftover food for the animal feeds and reuse paper waste.

The residents must insist that the mayor organize a more systematic collection of the varied waste matters which have been sorted out. Every Monday for instance, the garbage truck could collect the bottles, cans and huge cartons. Another fixed day could be set for fruit and refuse.

The Earthsavers’ Vocabulary

Scientific words are part of the campaign to save the earth. We must understand them before joining this mission:

ACID RAIN. When we look up, we see the blue sky and clouds. But, there are also things we do not see, some of which are harmful to the Earth. When factories work, like moving cars, fuel is burnt. Invisible gases are released to the air. Mixed with water in the air, they become acidic like lemon or vinegar. Mixed with rain clouds or snow, the acids fall back to Earth, as Acid Rain. They harm plants, rivers, lakes, fishes and other living creatures. Sometimes, they kill the forest. OUR MISSION: Stop making Acid Rain. One way is to walk or ride a bike for short distances instead of riding a car. Car pools will also help and maximize the use of vehicles.

THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT. A greenhouse is a building made up of glass, where you can grow flowers and other plants that need a lot of warmth. The sun shines through the glass warming the greenhouse. The roof and walls keep the heat from getting out. The Earth is blanketed by invisible gases, like carbon dioxide, that act like a greenhouse. The sun shines in and the gases like a roof, trap the heat and keep it close to the planet. That is good – we need warmth. But, if the Earth’s temperature should get hotter by a few degrees, the weather all over the planet would change in big ways. Places that are warm would become too hot to live in and places that are cold would become warm. The places where most of our food grow could get so hot that it won’t grow anymore. OUR MISSION: Every child can help stop the Greenhouse Effect by using less energy, protecting and planting trees, as well as recycling so factories don’t work as hard in making things.

THE OZONE HOLE. Up in the sky, above the air we breathe, is a layer of gas called ozone. The ozone blocks rays that are good for us from coming through. The ozone layer is now damaged by gases that people make, called CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons). They are used in refrigerators, fire extinguishers, air conditioners, plastic foam and other things. The CFCs float to the top of the atmosphere, where the ozone layer is and ‘eat up’ the ozone like little Pac-Man. OUR MISSION: Scientists are concerned about the ozone layer because a lot of it has gone away in just a few years. We must refrain from using hair sprays and cosmetics in pressurized cans. If we plant more trees, we won’t need as much air-conditioning. Think of all the trees you can grow if you plant the seeds from your kitchen: calamansi (green native lemon), mango, avocado, duhat (purple berry), santol, etc.

You Need Not Be A Grown Up To Save The Earth

You need not be a grown up to help save the Earth. As parents and teachers, we should pass this message to our kids. We must provide them with tools for survival. And in the new millennium, this means giving them the confidence they can change and save the world.

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