Hi! Nice to meet you. What's your name? We're Alex and Micky and together we’re Team Anti-Pollution!
An enemy with many faces: pollution!
Many harmful substances are damaging the world's oceans, forests, meadows and air.
Average temperatures are rising, deserts are expanding and polar ice caps are melting!
The magic of recycling
One magic word will help us combat this enemy: RECYCLING. Recycling means turning waste (i.e. trash we create and need to dispose of) into something else.
Let's see how...
Things can change: turn the wheel!
Now it's time to go from words to actions, and you’ll be the one to decide what we do!
Each chaptEr contains a whEEl. turn it and complEtE thE figurEs to dEcidE how thEy bEhavE. thEn turn thE pagE to discovEr how things changE dEpEnding on thE choicE you ’ vE madE.
If you don’t like the impact your choices have on nature, go back a page and make a different decision. We all make mistakes, but we can always learn from them!
Throwing plastic bottles in the trash is like throwing away a golden opportunity! You can give new life to waste while having fun.
now go back and sEE how things could havE gonE.
Materials
It’s your turn!
Want to learn how to make Captain Turtle? Here’s how in just a few simple steps.
1 plastic bottle with an undulated base
1 piece of cardboard or poster board
1 pair of scissors
Glue
1
Ask an adult to cut the bottle three fingers from the base.
2
Place the base on the cardboard or poster board and trace a circle around it.
Captain Turtle is ready. Cut a slit in the top and your turtle becomes a cute piggy bank!
3
Draw the head and legs of the turtle around the circle.
4
Glue the bottle base to the cardboard or poster board.
PAPER AND GLASS
Worth the paper it's printed on
If you throw paper, boxes and notepads in the right bin, they’ll be recycled and turned into more paper. Even bags, frames and sofas can be recycled.
Glass: a hopeful message in a bottle
Glass can easily be recycled, turning jars into bottles, tables, sinks or even necklaces!
That's a lot of energy!
Recycling glass bottles and turning them into something new uses less energy than creating the same item from scratch. And using less energy means less climate change for the planet, which is definitely a good thing. Here’s why...
Micky is in the kitchen. She's finished all the jam. What should she do with the jar?
turn thE whEEl and choosE how to align thE figurEs. thEn turn thE pagE to sEE what happEns!
Micky's choices and actions impact climate change.
now go back and sEE how things could havE gonE...
A thorny problem!
Reusing paper is important! Otherwise, lots of trees will be cut down in order to make new paper. MISTER PORCUPINE is a great way to reuse paper!
To create this cute picture holder, follow the simple instructions, with the help of an adult.
Materials
1 old comic book
1 piece of cardboard or poster board
Glue and scissors
1
Open the comic book and fold the right corner inwards, aligning the lower edge of the page with the central fold.
2
Fold the page in half vertically, aligning the outer edge with the central fold of the comic book.
3
Fold each page in the same way to create the head and body of the porcupine.
4
Draw the eyes on a piece of white paper, cut them out and glue them to the porcupine's face.
ALUMINUM AND OTHER METAL
Much more than low-impact
Even tin cans and aluminum containers can be recycled. Ask where they should be thrown out to be recycled, thereby eliminating almost all the pollution generated when they’re made!
A problem of epic proportions
Stacked one on top of another, the quantity of tin cans used each year globally would stretch from the Earth to the moon 34 times. The problem, however, is entirely on our planet...
Alex just finished his drink. What will he do with the can?
turn thE whEEl and choosE how to align thE figurEs. thEn turn thE pagE to sEE what happEns.
Alex's actions have consequences for the future of the world's beaches and oceans.
Throw metal cans and tins in the right bins and save the world's beaches and oceans from pollution!
now go back and sEE how things could havE gonE...
If you recycle metal containers (soda cans, tins, etc.), beaches will be cleaner to play on and the aluminum will be used to make pots and pans, umbrellas, skis, bicycles and push scooters!
It’s also important to re-purpose metal cans. Don’t know what to do with them? What about turning them into a colorful BIRD
FEEDER?
Follow the instructions, getting help from an adult. Happy recycling!
Materials
1 tin can
1 fabric ribbon Paint
1
Wash the tin can carefully and ask an adult to open the top and bottom. Then paint it.
2
Once the paint is dry, attach it to the branch of a tree with the ribbon or rest it on a windowsill.
3
Place a bit of bird seed inside and wait patiently.
Birds will soon appear to eat the bird seed far from danger.
They’ll thank you with their chirping and will stick around to live in your neighborhood.
Don’t waste what's on your plate
If we waste food, it becomes trash too! And that's a real shame because it could be reused as nourishment for plants. It’s a bit of magic - do you know how it works?
I’ll explain!
It’s magic...don’t throw it away!
Food scraps can become a magic potion! Called “compost,” this mixture can make fields and orchards healthy and fertile, so plants will produce more fruit and vegetables!
Micky has finished eating lunch with her schoolmates. Where should she put the food she didn’t eat?
turn thE whEEl and choosE how to align thE figurEs. thEn turn thE pagE to sEE what happEns!
OTHER KINDS OF WASTE
When recycling can’t be done at home
Certain items have to be disposed of specially and can’t be thrown in the bins at home: clothes, drugs, batteries and electronic devices. Mom and dad will take them to a special center to ensure the stuff they're made of doesn’t pollute the environment.
A small but serious threat
If not disposed of properly, each battery that ends up in nature can contaminate the equivalent of 10 bathtubs full of water. Each year, we use the weight of 10,000 airplanes in batteries. Very few of them are recycled, and if they end up in rivers, it’s a big problem!
With a new battery, Alex's robot can walk again. But what will happen to the old battery?
turn thE whEEl and choosE how to align thE figurEs. thEn turn thE pagE to sEE what happEns!
Alex's actions have consequences for the planet's air and water.
now go back and sEE how things could havE gonE.
Even recycling clothes helps protect the environment. You might consider donating a shirt you no longer wear to another child. Or, if you cut the shirt into small pieces, the fabric can be turned into something else: a curtain for a window...or a flower! Here’s how.
HOW TO MAKE FABRIC ROSES
To turn a shirt into lots of fabric roses, follow the instructions below. Happy re-purposing!
Materials
1 old t-shirt
Needle and thread
Glue
1
Cut a strip from the t-shirt and ask mom or dad to sew it down the middle, gathering it a bit.
3
Glue a fabric circle on the back, without getting glue on your hands.
2
Fold it in half as shown here, then roll the piece of fabric.
4
Now your beautiful rose is ready. Repeat to make more flowers.
Gather your bouquet of roses in a vase: your room... will bloom!
Waste-free: say yes to recycling!
With your help, we’ve seen the threat that waste poses to nature: plastic, paper, glass, aluminum and other metals, and even other items should never be tossed away carelessly!
Haste makes waste
The first rule is to separate your trash carefully and put each item in the right bin (remember to ask an adult for help). That way, trash won’t end up stuck in a landfill for years. Instead, it will be recycled or reused, meaning it will be turned into new, useful items.
Anti-pollution actions, on repeat!
Recycling is very important if we want to save the planet: it’s the best way to save precious resources like water and energy, which we need to produce brand-new items.
We’ve discovered the magic formula of the four Rs!
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Recover, and we’ll all help save the planet!
