Earth Day #6 - Game - How can you protect the environment?

How can you protect the environment?

Let's play a game to find out what you know!

Rules of the Game

For each scenario that I give you, think about which answer would be the best for the environment of our planet.

Multiple Select

You need to clean your house. There is just no room for all of the clothes, games, and toys anymore! So you:

• Throw away outgrown clothes and toys that you don't use anymore.

• Hold a garage sale. Sell your unwanted items.

• Give away the things that you don't need or want to someone who can use them.

What should you do with all of your clutter?

Throwing things away just adds to our landfill problem. Remember that it takes years and years for most mandmade products to decompose!

Whenever it is possible, you should either sell or give things away - if someone else could use it!

Multiple Choice

You are going to a friend's birthday party. What do you do with their gift?

• Buy special fancy paper and ribbon to wrap the gift.

• Don't wrap the gift at all.

• Find a box or a bag to put the gift in. Then paint or draw on it with bright colors.

What is best when giving gifts?

• Wrapping paper for gifts is usually not recyclable - if you're careful you might be able to reuse it.

• Birthdays are more fun when the gifts are wrapped. You can reuse an old box or bag. I've even wrapped gifts in the comics section of my newspaper!

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Multiple Choice

You need snacks for school. You should:

• Ask your parents to buy individual packs of raisins, cereal, or chips.

• Use a plastic bag to pack snacks.

• Buy one large package, then pack snacks in reusable containers!

What is the best way to handle snacks?

• Small individual packaging means extra garbage.

• Packing snacks in plastic bags also means extra garbage.

• Buying reusable containers reduces the amount of garbage (trash) that you make!

Multiple Choice

You know that it is important to save water. So when you brush your teeth, you:

• Let the water run while you are brushing.

• Wet your toothbrush, and then shut off the water until it's time to rinse.

• Brush your teeth only once per week.

How can you save water when brushing your teeth?

• Did you know that if you leave the water running, you can waste FIVE GALLONS OF WATER while you are brushing?!?

• You need to brush your teeth, so just turn off the water once your brush is wet.

Multiple Choice

You got a little dirty when playing outside. It's time to clean yourself up. You should:

• Take a long bubble bath.

• Shower for 30 minutes to be sure you get all of the dirt off.

• Take a short shower.

What is the most environmentally friendly way to get clean?

• Did you know that a bath can use up to 50 gallons of water?!?

• Did you know that a shower can use up to 5 gallons of water EVERY minute?

• A short shower saves water if you can keep it to 5-10 minutes!

Multiple Select

You need some new pencils for a test at school on Friday. What should you do?

• Ask your mom or dad to drive you to a nearby store to get the pencils.

• Bike or walk to the neighborhood store by yourself (or with your parents).

• Keep a list of things you need to get at the store. When mom/dad go next time, give them the list.

How often should you drive places?

• Did you know that cars are the biggest cause of air pollution in the United States?

• If you can walk or bike somewhere, you are saving energy and reducing pollution!

• Combining trips together also reduces pollution.

Multiple Select

It's time to go get groceries at the store again. You should:

• Use the plastic bags at the checkout counter.

• Choose brown paper bags.

• Bring your own reusable bags or even boxes for your groceries.

What should we do at the grocery store?

• Plastic bags take forever to break down, and when they do they can be a danger to animals.

• Paper bags can be recycled or reused.

• Reusable bags are the best option if you have them and use them over and over again.

Multiple Choice

You are studying in your bedroom when it begins to get dark. You:

• Turn on all of the lights in your room so that you can see.

• Turn on the lamp at your desk so that you can see your work.

• Do nothing because you always keep all of the lights turned on in your room.

Does it matter if I keep all of the lights on?

• Lights use electricity, which is produced by using energy.

• The more lights we have on, the more energy we are using.

• If you can see with just a single light, then just use that!

Multiple Select

You want your parents to become more interested in the environment. You should:

• Ask them if you can help with recycling at home.

• When they ask you what you did in school today, tell them that you learned about caring for the environment.

• Tell them: "Your generation has messed up the world. Why don't you get your act together?"

Can you convince your parents to help you protect the environment?

• Attacking people usually doesn't help them change their minds.

• Asking them if you can make small changes is a great way to start!

Protecting Our Earth

Remember, we only get one planet, and it only has so many resources.

What can you do to help protect the planet for yourself, your children, and the generations to come?