My Science School

There are many ways that people help the earth. Some of them restore or preserve resources. Others reduce pollution and reuse resources.

Children in Sweden helped save a rain forest that is halfway around the world from their homes. They wrote letters and talked to people to get them involved, and raised money to help save a rain forest in Costa Rica, Central America. They even got children from other countries interested in helping, too. Today, the rain forest is called El Bosque Eterno de los Ninos, or The Children’s Eternal Forest, and serves as a natural wildlife habitat for lots of endangered plants and animals.

Another place many plants and animals live is in the ocean, but it isn’t always a safe, clean home. A major source of ocean pollution is oil. When oil is accidentally spilled into the ocean, governments, businesses, and people join together to help to clean it up.

Governments are passing laws to force industries to control their pollution or pay large fines. For example, factories can only dump a certain amount of their wastes into the air or into lakes and rivers.

Many people plant trees. The new trees help replace old ones that were cut down to make paper, furniture, or other products. Planting trees also helps preserve soil. Without trees and other plants, fertile soil is easily blown and washed away.

In Kalundborg, Denmark, one company uses another company’s waste for energy. A coal-powered plant produces steam and heat to make electricity. In the past, the used steam was released into the air. But now it is channeled to other industries. These industries use the steam for heat as well as other processes.

Every day, while generating electric energy, power plants produce mineral called gypsum as a waste product. Instead of throwing it away, some plants send the gypsum to another company that uses it to make plasterboard.

In many places, especially in some countries in Europe, people often share car journeys, or drive together. This helps to reduce pollution.

People who work to be sure that the earth can provide for all living things are called conservationists. Conservation is the protection and clever use of natural resources. Everyone can be a conservationist every day.