• Use Your Voice
• Reduce Your Ecological Footprint
• Walk or Ride a Bike
• Car Pooling
• Energy Saving at Home
• Switch Off Unused Appliances
• The 3R’s Reduce, Re-Use, Recycle
• Use Less Water
• Plant Trees
• Be Veg
• We can make a difference.
• So be veg, go green and save the planet!

Hallo, gracious viewers, and welcome to Planet Earth: Our Loving Home. Today we will look at how children are working to save the environment, showcasing the efforts that kids around the world are making for the planet and the top ten ways young people can help solve the problem of climate change.

Skye (f): Welcome to our program today, which focuses on children.
Deja (f): As we are the planet’s future leaders and decision makers, we are vital to its survival.
Skye (f): And we can play a major role in stopping climate change and saving the environment for the benefit of all Earth’s inhabitants.
Deja (f): Listen carefully as we count down the top ten ways we can help.
Skye (f): But first, what do you know about climate change?
Deja (f): Let’s take a quick look at what’s happening to our planet.

VOICE: The atmosphere is made up of a mixture of gases. This delicate equilibrium of gases support life on Earth. When it is out of balance, however, it can cause global warming and currently the rapid rates of change in carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere is alarming. Carbon dioxide levels have increased by more than 25% over the last century. Even more troubling is the fact that methane levels have more than doubled since pre-industrial times.

In our everyday lives, we are adding “heat trapping” gases that create a warming effect around the Earth known as the “greenhouse effect.” This results in ice meltdowns and extreme climate patterns relating to temperature, humidity, rainfall, and wind. Plant life, animal species and humans are all being endangered as weather conditions become more and more severe with the rising temperatures.

No. 10 - Use Your Voice

American girl: Starting at #10 of our countdown is use your voice, speak up and pass on what you know about climate change to others.

Tell your parents, your family members and their friends about the problem and what they can do to help solve it. The faster we can all make the changes necessary to care for our environment and its inhabitants the better our world will be. Let people know they can watch Supreme Master Television to learn about effective ways to help. Pass the message on to others that our amazing planet is in urgent need of attention and that we all need to take swift action to keep it beautiful for all its residents and precious ecosystems.

No. 9 – Reduce Your Ecological Footprint

Nia(f): Do you know what an “ecological footprint” is? It’s nothing like a normal footprint in the sand. Our ecological footprint is a measure of how we impact Earth’s ecosystems through our daily lives. It includes human activities such as transportation, food consumption, electricity use and others. We all need to reduce our ecological footprint and this is number 9 as we continue to count down the top ten ways kids around the world can help to save the environment.

No. 8 – Walk or Ride a Bike

Aria: Hi, Dad! Would you take me to the playground?
John: Sure! I’ll get the car key.
Aria: Can I ride my bike? And it’ll save the petrol as well.
John: Great idea! I’ll walk, you can take the bike! Come on, let’s go!

OHIO Boy : Number 8 is walk or ride a bike.

OHIO Boy: By walking or riding a bicycle when traveling short distances you’re not only getting exercise but you’re doing your part to reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.

OHIO Boy: It looks like these kids don’t know about reducing carbon dioxide. Someone needs to inform them about walking or riding to school if they don’t live too far away.

OHIO Boy: Now they understand!

No. 7 – Carpool

OHIO Boy: When it’s too far to walk or ride a bike arrange a carpool, which is number 7 in our countdown.

OHIO Boy: Just like these kids. Ask mom or dad to be the designated driver then invite friends going to the same place to travel with you. By making sure all the seats in the car are filled, you can make valuable savings on energy and emissions, resulting in a cleaner environment and parents with more dollars in their pockets to spend on the important things in their lives -- us!.

No. 6 – Energy Saving at Home

Deja (f): At number 6 is energy saving in the home with energy-efficient light bulbs and appliances.
Aria (f): Talk to your parents and see if they are aware of these products and also suggest solar power for heating hot water in your home.
Deja (f): In cold weather just put on another layer of clothes before turning on the heat and find a clean way to heat your home instead of burning fossil fuels like coal, oil or gas, which just put more harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

.No. 5 – Switch Off Unused Appliances

Aria (f): Number 5 is very easy to do.
Deja (f): Simply make sure anything electrical that isn’t needed or being used is turned off.
Skye (f): Don’t leave things on standby as they still use power.
Deja (f): It’s best to turn them off at the power point or pull out the plug.

No. 4 – 3 Rs:  Reduce, Re-Use, Recycle

Skye(f): The 3R’s are at number 4 in our countdown: reduce, re-use and recycle.
Use both sides of a sheet of paper before you recycle it and other papers.
Recycle used plastic, glass and cans.
Remind parents to use fabric and cloth bags for grocery shopping, and carrying items.
Reduce the amount of packaged items you use.
Take your lunch to school in a reusable bag or container.
Encourage others to recycle at home and at school.

Help organize the collection of rubbish at school, at the park and on the beach – keep your environment clean.

Compost food scraps and once again remind parents to buy products that are kind to the environment and all its inhabitants – people, plants and animals.

Support local organic growers. Organic fruits and veggies taste great as they are free of harmful chemicals and pesticides. Use only what you need so there will always be more for later.

No. 3 – Use Less Water

Nia(f): Another essential aspect of reducing our ecological footprint is using less water, which is at number 3. Water is essential for life. All people, plants and animals need water to live and grow. Water conservation is vital to saving the environment and we can help by doing things like turning off the tap or faucet when brushing our teeth and spending less time in the shower to save precious water supplies.

VOICE: Many countries around the world are short of water and food because of climate change.

In 2007, Ryan Hreljac was just six years old when his teacher told his class about people in Africa who were struggling just to get enough water to live. Ryan decided he was going to do something to help and started doing chores at home to raise money for a well to supply water to these people. Ryan lives in Canada, many miles from Africa, but his compassion extended to African brethren in need.

When others heard of what Ryan was doing they began to help him and gave money for more and more wells until now, when the Ryan Well Foundation has built 461 wells bringing water, better health and sanitization to 16 countries around the globe. Thus, from the efforts of one six-year-old boy clean water has reached nearly 600,000 people, showing that we kids can make a difference and what we do is important!

No. 2 – Plant Trees

Montreal - girl: Back to our countdown and number 2 is, plant trees
Montreal - boy:  and encourage others to do the same.

VOICE: All around the world, people have cut down too many trees. This deforestation is another major cause of climate change because trees remove atmospheric carbon dioxide, but with fewer trees the carbon just stays in the air adding to the greenhouse effect.

Montreal - girl: The world’s forests have been greatly reduced in size and number
Montreal - boy: and we must keep what we have left
Montreal - girl: and also plant more trees.

VOICE: Planting native trees in your area can also provide shelter and food for local wildlife.

VOICE:  Forests and trees are felled every day to make room for more animal farms.

Montreal - girl:  We have too many animals on farms and they give off gases such as methane, and excrement that pollute the air, the soil and our waterways.

VOICE: Animal farming is the main cause of climate change and the most significant polluter of our environment. So cutting down on the production of animals for food has an immediate impact and is the best solution for addressing climate change.

Animals are farmed for meat and other food products such as milk and cheese. Becoming vegetarian or better yet vegan is the simplest most efficient way to eliminate animal farming and stop the massive amounts of greenhouse gases that result from the animal industry. It is also a more compassionate way to live.

Montreal – girl and boy: No animal needs to die for us to live!
Montreal – girl: It’s easy to live a caring, healthy life
Montreal – boy: as a vegan or vegetarian
Montreal – girl: in harmony with the environment and our co-inhabitants
Montreal – boy: the animals.

No. 1 – Be Veg

Skye: Trees clean our air and fruits and veggies nourish our bodies. So number 1 in our countdown happens to be the best way to save the environment, being vegan or vegetarian. If all of us become vegans or vegetarians we will soon see the planet’s ecosystems change for the better and heal.

Aria: So where can we find yummy vegetarian or vegan food?
Deja: Come, I’ll show you. We can log onto Supreme Master Television’s website at www.SupremeMasterTV.com.

Skye: Yes, and you will find many delicious recipes from around the world that you and your beloved family will enjoy.

Deja: Or you can tune in to Supreme Master Television on most Sundays and watch Supreme Master Ching Hai’s cooking show, where she shows us how to cook simple and nutritious dishes for all of us to enjoy

Deja: To save the world from climate change, let’s start with ourselves.
Skye: Let’s be responsible for our future and live in harmony with the environment. We can share our eco-friendly ideas with others and if we need help, parents or other adults or groups can assist us in putting our ideas into action.

 Together, we can make it happen.

VOICE: Supreme Master Ching Hai has often mentioned that compared to other proposed solutions for climate change, none is as effective as the adoption of an animal-free diet.
 

 We can make it happen.
So be veg, go green and save the planet!

www.ryanswell.ca/
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http://www.unep.org/tunza/children/inner.asp?ct=climate
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http://www.unep.org/tunza/children/pdfs/WhatCanYouDo.pdf
http://www.unep.org/Tunza/children/
http://www.unep.org/wed/2007/english/Information_Material/Alphabet.asp
http://tiki.oneworld.net/global_warming/climate_links.html
http://oneclimate.net/