Mission

1. Mission Planet Save Earth Ideas were taken from the book Mission Save the Planet – Things you can do to help fight global warming by Sally Ride and Tam O’Shaughnessy; Roaring Brook Press 2009

2. Energy is essential. We use it for heat, electricity, transportation and manufacturing. We all need it to stay warm, to cook food and to have light in the night. We use energy to fuel our airplanes and cars and we use it to make things in factories. Everything from peanut butter to plastic bottles, from T-shirts to cell phones takes a lot of energy to make. Where does the worlds, energy come from today? Over 85% of it comes from fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas. The rest comes from many other sources like wind, water, radioactive atoms and the sun. Energy in our Lives:

3. When do I use Energy ? For one day keep track of all the things you do that use energy and as a result send carbon dioxide into the air. (for example watching TV, sending emails, calling on a cell phone, turning on light, riding a car). This will make you aware of your energy consumption. My Energy Consumption Today:

4. What’s the problem? The problem with fossil fuels is when they are burned they send carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases into the air. Year after year for the past two centuries carbon dioxide has been piling up in our atmosphere and more is added every day. This buildup changes our air and makes our world warmer. We can already see changes all over the globe. Oceans are warmer, mountain glaciers are melting, ice shelves are crumbling and sea levels are rising. The CO2 in the air also dissolves in the oceans making them more acidic. So from the rainforests and the dry deserts to the icy poles and sea, animals and plants are struggling to survive. What can we do? Scientists are working hard to come up with solutions to stop the buildup of heat-trapping gases in our air. But we can do things too. It is time to make choices that are better for our planet. When we use less energy, less fuel is burned and less CO2 goes into the air. It is as simple as that and you can help to make a difference!

5. What can I do? Challenge yourself for one week to reduce your energy consumption. You can start with the suggestions we have provided on our list. Be creative. You will probably come up with many more cool ideas to save energy. Keep saving energy!

6. Here is a list of things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint and conserve energy:

9. How Far Has My Meal Traveled? On average food in the United States travels 1,490 miles to get to your plate. Transporting this food for thousands of miles by trucks, trains, ships or airplanes uses a lot of energy and releases tons of carbon dioxide into the air. How far did your dinner travel to get to your table? Make a list of what you ate for dinner recently at your home. Next time you go to the grocery store find out where your food came from (maybe with the help of your parents or the store manager). Pre-packed food will tell you on the label and fruit and vegetables will have signs in the store. Pick 4 or 5 items from your list; this will give you an idea. What food traveled the farthest? What could you do to make a change? Think globally - buy locally!

10. How Far Has My Meal Traveled? Continues on next page