EARTH DAY

earth

The following are reflections and prayers written for Earth Day 2000.

These were read to the Ben Calf Robe students, by the Grade 3/4 students, each day over the intercom.

In addition, a different song was played after each topic, that related to the reflection and prayer. The title of the songs, are the title of each reflection.

Also, the Grade 3/4 class put a HUGE 'Earth Day' display outside of their classroom, that covered the hallway. Students of the school were invited to tour and view the 'EARTH learning' of our classroom.


ONE PLANET

All across the world, people are beginning to learn ways to help keep our planet Earth, safe and healthy, the way God always wants it to be.

'Earth Day' is a day set aside, to remember how important it is for everyone to care about the future of our planet. If we don't learn to do something now...there won't be a healthy Earth for us, tomorrow.

(Students learned through music, song, reading, experimenting, presentations and field trips, to develop a greater awareness of the need for all of us to understand how we need to treat our Earth!)

Almighty God,
Help us learn how to keep this Earth safe, from pollution and other damage. Help us all learn ways to be nicer to our planet, so that we will always have a healthy place to live and share with each other. Thank you for giving us life God, and may what we do to thank you, make you proud of each and every one of us.

Amen


GARBAGE

One of the biggest problem our Earth faces, is the problem of GARBAGE and how to get rid of it.

Over 5 billion people live on this planet...and each of those 5 billion people, make garbage.

Some of us have been learning what we need to do, to cut down on the amount of garbage we make, and the amount of garbage we send to the dump.

Garbage causes some of the pollution of our planet, and not all garbage should be going in your garbage can. We need to learn how to throw away garbage properly and wisely. Most of all...we must try to REDUCE the amount of garbage on our planet!

(Students toured the Edmonton Clover Bar Landfill and discovered where the garbage goes after the garbage truck picks it up!)

Almighty God,
Thank you for the many blessings we receive each day. Help us learn how to be kinder to our Earth, so that we will not make so much garbage, and we will throw our garbage away, carefully.

Amen


COMPOST

One of the ways we make a lot of garbage, is with all the food scraps we create. All of these food scraps do not need to go in the garbage can.

Some of us are learning that a COMPOST can help use food and yard scraps, to make healthy new SOIL for our Earth.

Having healthy soil is very important, so that we may be able to grow plants. Plants give us food and clean air, so we better make sure we have healthy soil for them to grow in.

Composting is a way to REDUCE the amount of garbage in our can, by learning to REUSE wastes, and REPLACE soil, for our planet.

(Students saw the new Composting Plant built for the city of Edmonton!)

Almighty God,
You are always there for us. You teach us ways to be creators, just like You are. You show us ways to take care of ourselves and our planet home. Thank you God. With Your help, we will all learn to help our planet.

Amen


RECYCLE

A very big and important way to keep garbage out of our garbage cans, is by RECYCLING.

Many of us have already learned how easy it is, to recycle a lot of the garbage we are making. We are always trying to find ways to REDUCE, REUSE, and RECYCLE, so that our garbage can does not fill up with things that could and should be going to other places. Sometimes we even make money for not throwing things in the garbage can!

(Students toured the Edmonton Recycling Plant and learned how the city's recyclables are separated and sent away...sometimes for money or new products to be made!)

Almighty God,
Thank you for helping us find better ways to treat each other, and our planet.
Be with us God, as we learn to be more careful with our Earth. Help us always, to think and be aware of what we could and should do, with the garbage in our world.

Amen


LET'S SAVE WATER

One of our Earth's most precious resources, is WATER. Even though it is very plentiful on our planet, it is also in very great danger. More and more of our clean water supplies are disappearing, because of POLLUTION.

All life on our planet, depends on clean water; people, plants, and creatures, all need water for survival. We must learn to keep our water supplies safe from pollution. We must also learn to try and REDUCE how much water we use, and not to waste our clean water, or we may one day have no have clean water left! There are many places on this Earth already, that do not have clean water for drinking and living.

We cannot live without clean water. We must learn to help save water...NOW!

(Students had a class presentation from EPCOR, and learned how our city gathers, cleans, and stores our water supply. We also had a look at the Water Treatment Plant, as we were cross-country skiing on Edmonton's 'Gold Bar Park' trails!)

Almighty God,
Thank you for giving us the gift of water, to help us live. May we always know the taste of cool clean water, and see the new life that it brings. Help us learn to be careful with our water, and treat it as a very special gift to us.

Amen


WALK, RUN, RIDE A BIKE

One of the ways we create a lot of POLLUTION on our planet, is with the use of our vehicles, that run on the non-renewable resources of gas and oil.

Instead of driving around so much, we should be using our energy to do more WALKING, RUNNING and RIDING BIKES. These do not hurt our environment, and they are very good for us to do too!

Pollution from our vehicles is harmful to our clean air, and this hurts us. Our planet's OZONE layer is being eaten up by air pollution. We must REDUCE the amount of air pollution, and REPLACE the way we get around our world.

We must learn to CONSERVE our demands for energy, and choose to use energy sources that do not harm the air, and our environment.

(Students enjoyed a presentation from the University of Alberta's 'Solar-Powered Car' Project!)

Almighty God,
We are blessed with energy. You have given us a body, and we must learn to use it. Even though you have given us our brains, that have helped us to invent and create things that can make our lives easier, we must never forget to treat our planet Earth, nicely.

Amen


PLANT A TREE

Trees are one of the many plants in our world, that help our planet to be a healthy place to live. Trees give us fruit, nuts, wood, paper, shade to keep us cool, and privacy. Trees act as sound barriers, have sturdy branches to climb on, are homes for creatures, are food for animals, and are naturally beautiful.

Trees and other plants are also a pollution solution, because they are clean, green, oxygen machines. Plants breathe in our carbon dioxide and breathe out clean oxygen (air) for us to breathe. Plants also cool the air around them like an air conditioner does. Plants clean the air by trapping dust, dirt and grit onto their leaves. The roots of plants hold and protect soil, so it doesn't blow or wash away during winds and rains.

We must make sure that we always have plenty of plants around us, to help our planet. Whenever we take a plant out of the ground, we must REMEMBER to REPLACE it with another one.

(Students recycled a part of a tree, by decorating it during each week of LENT, to create their class 'Easter Tree'!)

Almighty God,
You have shown us that life can last forever, if we REMEMBER to take care of life, and respect the life around us. Each of us is a gift from You, God. We live with each other. We help each other. We need to respect each other and value each other. Thank you God for all the life on our planet.

Amen


WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Earth is our home. It supplies warmth, fresh air, water, food, energy, and materials to make things. It is home to people, plants, and animals. We all exist together, that is God's plan for us.

We must all learn to make our planet a successful and healthy place to live and grow. Each of us helps or hurts our planet, by the choices we make, and the things we do.

'Earth Day' should be EVERYDAY! REMEMBER to RETHINK, REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE, REPLACE, RESPECT and REACT!!!

We can and do, make a difference in this world. It is time for all of us to care. It is time for us to work together, so that there will be a safer, healthier and happier future ahead for all of us!

(Students taught others about helping to save the Earth, by sharing all that they learned!)

Almighty God,
You are The WAY, The TRUTH and The LIFE. You want us to have a healthy and happy home on this planet Earth. Be with us, and help us to learn and do better, with the gifts you have given us. Thank you God, for all that You give us, each day.

Amen