April 30, 2011
I am so proud of all of you who wrote to me in response to Earth Day! Today, the last day of April, we posted almost 300 promises that you have made to Earth Day’s BILLION ACTS OF GREEN website. Seymour Science readers have really stepped up to make a difference! I feel sure that you will all work hard to continue caring for our planet Earth every day.
As promised, we are publishing everyone’s writing about why they care about Earth Day. This list is alphabetical, so find your name and show your writing to your families, your teachers, your librarians and your friends. You are part of an important cause, and each of you deserves to be very proud of what you’ve done.

Alana:
Dear Mr. Simon, My carbon footprint was very surprising to me. To know how large of a footprint I am leaving is mind blowing. My carbon foot is 19.9. I have a fairly large family. I have 5 people in my family. To reduce my carbon footprint I could turn off the T.V. when I am not watching it. Also, I could reduce the amount of time I use the T.V. Another thing I could do is buy a reusable water bottle. I could also eat less fast food. Sincerely, Alana

Alana B.:

Alex:

Alyssa:

Amanda:

Amber:

Amelia P.:

Andrew H.:

My name is Andrew and I am a student at Churchville Elementary. My carbon footprint was 16.25. I am not too proud about that so I’ve been trying to lessen that score by walking more to "baseball practice" or my friend’s house. I also am only washing my clothes when I need to. My new wash day is Friday instead of ever other day. I also bought an aluminum bottle for water. I thank you for this opportunity to write back to you. Sincerely, Andrew
Andy:

and not use too much electricity.
Andy:

Andy:

How about you?
Ashley C.:

Ashley C.:

August:

Ayla:


Brigid:

My name is Brigid. I am a sixth grader at Churchville Elementary School. I’m a BIG fan. Our whole grade used the carbon footprint calculator and mine was pretty low. It was 7.6. Some of my goals were to help more wild animals, to recycle more, and to live a healthier lifestyle (eating more fruits and vegetables and when I’m done, putting the cores and peels in my aunt and uncle’s composter, reducing usage of land fills). Thank you for coming to Churchville and inspiring me and my classmates. Sincerely, Brigid
Brynn C.:

Our school (Churchville Elementary) has been talking about you, your books and your visit for a while now. I calculated my carbon footprint and made pledges to reduce it. One of mine was to use less electrical appliances. Whenever I leave my room, my lights get unplugged. I even have a water bottle label chain to show how many of my water bottles I have recycled. I’m trying to help our planet in as many ways as possible. Thank you for inspiring me. From, Brynn
Bryanna T.:

Cailin:

Caleb:

What I will do on Earth Day after school is "outdoor Friday". That way I will stop wasting electricity and let nature protect me.
Cali:

Carly:

Carly:

Cayla:

Cecily:

What my family and I are doing for earth day is that we are rarely using the lights in my house!!!
Cecily:

Celina:

On Earth Day, Mrs. Edward always sells seedlings for a month. The money goes to saving the Earth. I was in her class last year, I miss her so much. She inspired me.
Chris A.:
I could turn the lights off when no one is using them.
Christian:

I planted PLANTS yes I did I RECYCLED didn’t kick the plants in my garden
EARTH DAY EARTH DAY EARTH DAY OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH YEAH EARTH DAY EARTH DAY EARTH DAY OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH YEAH.
That’s the end of my song.
Christina:

Connor M.:
I tore up a white-board to recycle the cardboard inside of it. I recycle water bottles, soda bottles and glass so our environment will not be a landfill. I will try to use and reserve energy. I am also getting fluorescent light bulbs.
Conor:


Dan:

Dana:

Dana :

My name is Dana and I am a sixth grader at Churchville Elementary school. My carbon footprint was 13.5 (not so good). Some things I can do to reduce my carbon footprint is that I can try to reduce, reuse, and recycle. I can reduce the amount of electricity I use during the day. I can also reuse some of my plastic water bottles. Finally, I can recycle papers along with plastics. Sincerely, Dana
Daniella:

Danny:

Do you ever feel suspicious, like our earth is falling apart, and we, need to help, because we need to recycle and reuse, just like Blue’s Clues. Maybe the reason why, we have global warming, is because we are using too many cars, because baby you need to recycle, think about using a bicycle, make them go la, la, la, you’re going to leave them La! YAY!
David:

Devin:

Drew:

Elizabeth:

Emma:

Emma:

Ethan:

Ethan:

Flugal:
For Earth Day I am going to use the least amount of water, try to preserve energy, use reusable bags for shopping and keep the green life healthy and clean.
(\_(\
( º-º) <———BUNNY!
(")(")
Frankie:

Glenn:

Giana:

What my classmates and I do to help the environment is, when we are done with a math packet, instead of putting it in the trash, we put it in the recycling bin.
Hailey:

For Earth Day I am going to try to use the least amount of electricity. I am also going to try to plant some plants like flowers or trees.
Hera:

Jack:

Jackie:

Jacob:

Jared:

Jason:

I will try to use less lights in my house by turning them off when they are not being used.
Jay:

Jennifer P.:

Jess:

Jessie:

In my family we recycle. Also, when we leave a room we turn off the lights to save energy.
Jillian:

1. I will pick up trash around my neighborhood.
2. I will reduce, reuse, and recycle everything that I use.
3. I will walk or ride a bike to school instead of taking a car or the bus.
4. I will carpool with friends and use less fuel.
5. Instead of using paper bags for lunch and plastic water bottles, I will use reusable water bottles and lunch bags.
6. I will use less electricity and turn off electrical appliances when no one is using them.
These are some things that I will do to help make the world a better place!
Joey:

I recycle plastic bottles when I find them.
John Lyman School 3rd & 4th graders:

We picked up trash in our yards and neighborhoods in honor of Earth Day. We also planted trees and gardens with our families. Someone also planted blueberries. We know you need to recycle to keep the earth clean.
John Lyman School 3rd & 4th graders:

Some of us planted gardens in honor of Earth Day. Our class also walked around our school grounds and picked up trash. Some of us also picked up trash at a baseball field. We continue to enjoy your books. At our school, your books are used everywhere. We’ve also just begun checking out your blog. BTW ~ The photo of the week of the tree frog was awesome!
Jordan:

Every day, my family recycles bottles. We also use reusable cups instead of buying water bottles at the store.
Jordyn:

Every day I recycle and have a lot of plants outside. When I walk my dog, I pick up trash, just to make the earth a little bit cleaner. My family and I recycle anything that we can possibly recycle. My mom, dad and I all use reusable water bottles. In the summer I water all the plants and in the winter and when it’s cold out, my grandpa does it. This is what I do to help the earth on Earth Day and any other day! Thanks for reading this!
Justin:

For Earth Day this 2011 I’m going to not use my microphone and just project my voice. Also I’m going to not use any lights in my house. Also when my Dad and I go to the mart we will not get bags we will get reusable bags instead of plastic bags. Another thing I will do is go to the nearest beach and clean it up.
Kayla:

Kara:

On Earth Day I tried not to use as much electricity. I also recycled as much as I could.
Keegan:

When I take a walk I pick up trash on the street.
Kevin S.:

Some of things we could do to help our planet are very simple. We could recycle, shut off the lights when we are not in a room, or shut off the water when we are not using it. Some of the things I do personally are, I have a carpool to soccer practice. This helps the planet because there is not as much gas being used, which will lead to there not being any pollution! These are just some of the many ways we can help OUR planet.
Kid:

Earth Day is Great! Earth Day is fun! Earth Day is for everyone!!
Kiera B.:

I can walk or ride my bike to school or to the park. This can cut down fuel pollution.
Kylie:

My family and I always recycle. We recycle bottles and newspapers everyday.
Kylie:

My Family recycles bottles and newspaper everyday. We always try to recycle everything!!!!!!
Lauren:

At my house I clean up my neighborhood. I also recycle our paper bags and plastic bottles.
Layton:

I always have fruit peels and other things that I don’t eat that can decompose so I want to ask my parents if we can buy a composting box. A composting box would be perfect for my family because of all the food that could be composted and made into rich soil. The soil is great for planting flowers it can also encourage me to plant more plants with homemade soil. It also can save money because there could be no more trips to buy soil.
I also would like to save energy by turning of lights any time I am not in a room. Playing outside can also save energy and not watching TV or playing on the computers.
I love the blog question and I’m going to use some of the other kids’ ideas to help the Earth. Earth Day is a great day and I love to help the Earth.
Lizzie:

A couple of months ago I had solar panels built into my house and now my family and I are running on solar power. And we also have a compost bin which we put banana peels, apple cores, peels of all fruits, etc.
Lizzie:

I am a 4th grader at Churchville and our school is having a seedling sale and all the money is going to save the earth.
Lucas:

My family recycles cans and bottles and we reuse grocery bags for a trash bag. We also use fluorescent bulbs.
Lucy M.:

I am a student from Churchville Elementary and our Green Club is selling little seedlings this week! It costs $1.00, and I’m definitely buying one! Now I just have to figure out where to plant it…
Maddie:

My family and I recycle plastic bottles and turn off lights when I leave a room.
Maddie:

At our school, we have an e-Friday folder. We are trying to go paperless here at Churchville. One of the teachers that works here is totally green! Her name is Mrs. Edwards. That’s all she does is come up with ways to help the earth! We even have a green club with her after school! Also at home there is a creek near me, every Earth Day, my brother and I go out and pick up all the litter that people throw in it. There are lots of fish and frogs so when we are all finished I look back and feel great because I made a difference!
Maddy:

Some of the ways that I will help clean up our Earth and make it a better place is that whenever I leave a room I will turn all the electric off so that we wouldn’t waste the energy. I also would pick up trash while going for a walk so that our Earth would be a better place to look at and a better place to be. I will also try not to use gas because I know that the world has basically a cover around it that traps the gases and toxins right here on earth for us to breathe. That is basically all that I will do for Earth month this year and will try to do for the rest of my life.
Mady:

To help our planet I am going to reduce, reuse, and recycle. I am going to recycle any plastic bottles or glass bottles that are used in my house. Also I am going to try to clean up my neighborhood the trash on my lawn or on my neighbors. That is my Earth Day Pledge!
Magenta:

I will clean the creek by my house of all the trash in it!!! YAY!!!!
Mark:

I like to recycle and here’s a song.
Give your favorite tree a hug. Don’t be a litterbug. If it’s not recyclable it’s not even likable. Hear us plead and hear us shout. Survival is what it’s all about. Make a resolution help stop pollution. Love your Mother Earth.
Max:

What I do for Earth Day or every day actually is I turn off all of the lights and electronics when I am done using them. An example of that would be yesterday when I turned on my radio. When I was done listening to it I turned it off.
Max:

I ride my bike or the school bus to school to keep the air cleaner by not using our car!
Megan:

For Earth Day, my family and I are trying to be "greener". For example, we are saving plastic bags from the grocery store and reusing them from the smaller trash cans that are too small to use the regular trash bags. We also have been using the bags to use at store instead of using a new bag. So far, my family is "green and earth friendly!"
Melanie W.:

Dear Mr. Simon,
For me Earth day is everyday!
I cannot remember my carbon footprint but I know it was pretty good! I recycle my water bottles, I hand wash my clothes sometimes. I will be sure to lower my carbon footprint a little since it is very good!
GO GREEN!
Melanie W.:

I Have Made A song for you.
Earth Day oh Earth Day ... I love so much Earth Day I wish Earth Day was every day….. I will always remember my fragile Earth Day oh oh oh oh oh…..
Melanie W.:

Dear Mr.Simon,
My name is Melanie W. and I am a 6th grader at Churchville Elementary School.
I’ve been following my carbon footprint ever since I took the survey. I will stop using my phone, and laptop (computer) as much. I will turn off the lights and stop wasting electricity. When you were at our school and describing the earth, I realized that it’s a big world and everyone is at least using too much electricity. We need to lower our use to help the world!
Mike:

For Earth Day, I went around my neighborhood and picked up trash. We also picked up trash on the highway near my home. I think Earth Day is great. I think we should have it every day.
Nate:

My family have recently installed a new and more green heating and AC system. Earth Day every day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nicholle:

I can install CFL bulbs in all my lights. I can also turn lights off when I’m not using them.
Nick:

My family and I recycle bottles, cans and paper.
Nick:

I love recycling and I will clean the earth!
Nick:

My family and I go to the park and pick up the trash.
Noah:

On Earth Day I recycle plastic bottles and glass bottles, I also do this year round.
Noah:

What I do for Earth Day and all year round is use less electricity by playing outside and no video games or computer for the whole day, maybe a little time on the computer or playing video games. What my family and I do is recycle plastic bottles and glass bottles.
Olivia:

One day last year my sister and I went to a hill near our house and saw graffiti on an old outdoor fireplace with empty cans and snacks etc. So we went back home, got some bags and picked up all the trash around the fireplace. Plus my family is so green we have curtains made out of old coffee bean bags. So Cool! Also my friend Lizzie and I have Japanese erasers that are also eco-friendly. Back to my family we also use green toilet paper and save so many trees using it. Plus have you heard about blackle.com? It’s the same as google.com but it saves electricity. Plus, every time I or anyone in my family leave a room we turn off our lights. Thanks Mr. Simon and GO GREEN!
Olivia:

I love recycling and when people throw trash on the ground I pick it up. I hate it when people don’t recycle. I know this is weird but at school I usually pick up scrap paper that people put in our trash can and put it in the recycling can. Don’t worry, I wash my hands after.
Olivia:

When I go food shopping with my mom we use reusable bags.
Olivia:

Dear Mr. Simon,
My name is Olivia, a sixth grader at Churchville Elementary school. My carbon footprint is 9.25. What I am trying to do to reduce my carbon footprint is try to recycle everything I can. I’m also trying to be outside even more than I already am, and trying not to use as much electricity. I’m also telling my family and friends about how they can find their carbon footprint and how they can reduce it. Sincerely, Olivia
Paige:

Hi Seymour, I love your blog! My billion acts of green pledge is to reuse plastic bottles instead of throwing them away into a landfill. Also I will pick up trash around my neighborhood (the woods behind my house). That is my Earth Day pledge!
Paige:

Hello Mr. Simon, I am very sad because my favorite animal, the Giant Panda, is endangered. If I could I would do anything to save the GIANT PANDAS OF THE WORLD!
Paige:

On April 22nd, on Earth Day I will clean the trash off the streets.
Paige:Hello Seymour, I just wanted to say HAPPY EARTH DAY to everyone who loves the earth! Hug a tree!
Rafeef:

At my house my family and I always pick up trash outside on the ground and we recycle. I love your blogs, Seymour, they’re awesome.
Rebecca:

At home my dad and I have a veggie garden, three apple trees, three cranberry bushes, one gooseberry bush and a fig tree. When these plants die we do not throw them out instead we put them in a compost pile. We have gone through two of them already. That is how I help the Earth.
Reza:

I can turn off the sink while I’m brushing my teeth.
Riley:

GO EARTH DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rye-Guy:

I will turn the lights off when I’m not using them.
Sachi:

I save water by closing the water faucet when I brush my teeth.
Saim:

I Have Made a song for you ...
Earth day oh Earth day ... I love so much earth day I wish earth day was every day….. I will always remember my fragile earth day oh oh oh oh oh
Saim:

For me Earth Day Is Everyday!!!! (:
Saim:

Dear Mr.Simon,
My name is Saim and I go to Churchville Elm.
I went on Carbon Footprint Calculator, and ever since I’ve been wondering how to lower my carbon footprint! I thought of some and they were to watch less T.V and to turn off the sink when I’m done using it. Also using my Phone and computer less.
Sammy:

On Earth day, my family helps out around the neighborhood. We also like to help my grandma out with the beautiful garden she has. We Love to keep the earth Fresh & Green! Especially on Earth Day!!
Sarah:

I read all my manga online.
It’s killing two birds with one stone!
Instead of wasting gas by going to the bookstore,
I read it on my own computer!
And, since it’s a book, it needs paper to be made,
so I am also saving trees!
More people should read manga online.

At home I collect and recycle bottles, plastic bags and paper. Every time we go to the super market we use the bags to recycle items (paper, plastic, bottles and cans). When teenagers drive past our lawn and throw trash out the window we go pick it up and or recycle it or throw it in the trashcans.
Shaun:

Dear Seymour Simon,
My name is Shaun and I am a Churchville student in 6th grade. I have a carbon footprint of 9.34. I keep trying to reduce my carbon footprint and my family is too. I tell my family to turn off the TV and go outside. I also car pool and that takes out a whole entire car on the road. I just took the test again and I got a 7.67. I am very proud of my self and continue to try to do better. I made a difference of 1.67 and that is good for me (for now). Sincerely, Shaun
Shawn:

Earth Day is every day!
Simon:

For Earth Day this year I am going to go to the grocery store and use my recyclable canvas bags. I am also not going to use the plastic bags for my fruit and vegetables. This weekend, I am also going to make a conscious effort to not use gasoline-powered transport over the next week.
Mrs. Smalley, Librarian:

Hi Seymour,
Many of the third graders in the library just posted comments to your blog. They really enjoyed reading your blog site. I particularly liked your comment about how much carbon dioxide a tree absorbs in its lifetime. Verrry interesting!
Sonny:

I recycle soda cans and bottles and clean my yard!
Steven P.:

The way I celebrate Earth Day with my family is pick up trash whenever we see it. Use electric stuff less and reuse plastic bags.
Steven P.:

Some ways my family celebrates Earth Day is picking up litter when we see it. We could use less electricity.
Stuart:

I recycle and raise money for trees.
Sydney:

So, on Earth Day, our school sells baby trees and I always make sure I buy one. Also, my family recycles plastic and uses energy saving lights. I usually refuse to use plastic silverware and cups. I beg my parents not to buy them because they ruin our planet. I am happy they bought water bottles you can reuse!!! They are better because you can use them over and over and over again for years, and also, they keep drinks MUCH colder!!!! I didn’t realize how much I help out our earth! Thanks for listening.
Tavi:

I am going to plant three small trees in my backyard. I already have started a food garden. It would be cool to make a flowerpot out of recycled soda cans.
Taylor:

One way that everyone can help the Earth is by not wasting water. While waiting for the water to heat up in the shower, get all the cold water in a bucket and use it to water your grass. That way you won’t be wasting water.
Tommy:

Earth Day is everyday!
Tusia:

My family and I already do a lot of things to keep the world clean, but here are some other things we could all try to do. I will pick up trash when I’m outside with my dog, and ask my parents to do so also. Something else I will do is use reusable water bottles instead of plastic ones. Another thing I will do is walk to places that don’t need to be driven to, and if it’s too long of a walk I will try to ride my bike or scooter there. The final thing I will do is use energy efficient light bulbs. These are all the things I will do to keep the world clean!
Ty:

Every Earth Day I pick up trash in my neighborhood.
Victoria:

Here’s my idea to help save planet Earth: If any light is on in your house, turn it off and don’t turn on lights if it’s sunny outside. You could just use sunlight. Or if anything is plugged in the wall, unplug it so you won’t be using electricity.
Zack:

Ummmmm I really don’t know what to say but I know Earth Day should be every day. It would really help the planet a lot.
Posted by: Seymour Simon




