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True Green Kids: 100 Things You Can Do to Save the Planet
True Green Kids is the one book every home should have for the next generation. This vital children’s title is an innovative collection of fun and practical ways to help kids become agents for environmental change in their world.
With fresh, new strategies and a bright, friendly design, True Green Kids invites the whole family to embark on an eco-adventure through a series of fun ideas that can be applied everywhere from the living room to the local park. Underscoring its message of individual awareness and action with beautiful color illustrations and lively text, the book puts an energetic spin on conservation, making environmental stewardship exciting and empowering for young kids. With a foreword by Clean Up the World Ambassador and National Geographic Emerging Explorer David de Rothschild, this volume brings the core message that you can make a difference to a younger audience in an engaging, educational way. While primarily aimed at kids, the book also encourages the active involvement of parents, teachers, and other members of the community, making it a vital addition to every library, home, and classroom.
With fresh, new strategies and a bright, friendly design, True Green Kids invites the whole family to embark on an eco-adventure through a series of fun ideas that can be applied everywhere from the living room to the local park. Underscoring its message of individual awareness and action with beautiful color illustrations and lively text, the book puts an energetic spin on conservation, making environmental stewardship exciting and empowering for young kids. With a foreword by Clean Up the World Ambassador and National Geographic Emerging Explorer David de Rothschild, this volume brings the core message that you can make a difference to a younger audience in an engaging, educational way. While primarily aimed at kids, the book also encourages the active involvement of parents, teachers, and other members of the community, making it a vital addition to every library, home, and classroom.
144 pages, Library Binding
First published September 9, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 5, 2010
Another "have fun while saving the planet" kid-indoctrination book.
My thoughts:
Problems with the book:
1. Assumes there is a problem called "global warming." In fact, says that climate change is "widely accepted that this is caused by human activity." No it's not. Scientists don't agree because the science isn't there; science is not done by agreement or consensus.
2. Defines carbon dioxide, which is good, but also says it's what we all exhale. How can a gas we exhale in our normal existence be harmful to the planet we are designed to live on?
3. Actually mentions the flatulation of cows and sheep as a problem in producing methane gas. Really? You're going to go with bovine farts?
4. Says the six warmest years in the past 150 have been since 1998. Even if that's true, so? The earth's climate warms and cools in natural cycles.
5. Quote: "Our agriculture, industry, and vehicles pollute our skies--even though on a bright sunny day you may still find that hard to believe." I wonder why that is . . .
6. "Native Americans who have cared for this country for thousands of years." Right . . .
7. The preface says you don't have to chain yourself and/or your family to a tree in order to do something for the planet, but that can be fun, too. What?
Things you can do to save the planet:
1. First thing in the 100 you can do to save the planet: read the book. Huh.
2. Get a solar-powered battery charger. How much do those cost? In both dollars and in what it takes to make them? Doesn't mention that . . .
3. Surf the web to find out what you can do. How much energy will that take?
4. Use rechargeable batteries. I have no problem with this, but then it says in the same paragraph: Use "hand-operated items--such as wind-up radios--that function without batteries." So we should go back to the early 20th century and hand-crank our stuff? Right . . .
5. Listen to music that inspires you about the planet. Okay. Support musicians who support the earth . . . like those musicians who had the "live earth" concert in 2007 that cost more in money, energy, and carbon dioxide from planes, buses, and trucks to get them all there than most countries produce in a year. Way to go, Dave Matthews . . .
6. Save water. Living in a dry climate, I can appreciate these ways to save water, since they're what we've always done, not to save the planet but because it's what we had to do.
7. Change lightbulbs to CFL bulbs . . . sounds good until one breaks and the mercury inside is released. You can't just sweep that up.
8. "Inspect your trash every week before putting it out for collection or taking it to the dump. Make sure all your recyclables have been sorted correctly." You want kids rooting through garbage each week?
9. Recycle your pet poop into methane gas for fuel. You first. (And I thought methane gas was bad, not good . . .)
10. Keep your pets inside at night to keep them from killing birds and other animals. How does this save the planet?
11. Observe nature. Okay. How does this save the planet?
12. Enjoy nature. Okay. How does this save the planet? Oh, it doesn't, but it does, later in the paragraph, "make you feel good." I got it now.
13. Keep yourself healthy. How does this save . . . never mind.
14. Support your favorite green celebrities. Right . . . because they know what they're talking about.
15. Watch "An Inconvenient Truth," which is not truthful. Now they want you to be indoctrinated into the global warming cult. Also, "A Bug's Life" is apparently an environmental film . . . who knew?
16. Enjoy environmental art. Text accompanied by a photo of a large crab sculpture made from recycled farm parts . . . next to the ocean . . . and the sculpture is rusting . . . polluting the ocean they're trying to save . . .
17. Set up a trading club with friends for CDs and DVDs. Isn't that illegal?
18. "Don't believe the hype" in advertising. Does this include environmental advertising as well?
19. "When you buy something with unnecessary packaging, send a message to the retailer by leaving the excess packaging behind at the store!" Right. They'll just throw it away and get upset at you for littering, which is illegal and isn't environmentally friendly . . . since you just told us earlier to pick up litter when out on walks.
20. Reusable shopping bags. I'm okay with that.
21. Buy American. I'm okay with that (even though America is evil because we haven't signed the Kyoto Protocol), but I find it funny the authors are Australian and are telling us how we can do things better. Hmmm.
22. Participate in World Earth Hour: turning off your lights for an hour to raise awareness. Then turn all your lights right back on and go on with your life.
23. Plant and sustain a garden at school. With what spare time?
24. Have a week-long eco-week at school and take even more time away from learning!
25. Take an eco-friendly vacation (to a place like Disney World? a place that filled in swamplands to create a tourist attraction while at the same time promoting all sorts of eco-friendly things, but didn't even have warm-air dryers in the bathrooms?).
26. Instead of flying, drive or take the bus on vacations. Okay, if everyone drives, how does that make it better than flying? How many people can fit on an airplane as opposed to hundreds of cars on the road?
27. Use garbage and recycled stuff to make art. Is it really art then, or just a pile of trash? You decide.
28. Give gifts made of recycled stuff, because everyone loves getting old junk as a present.
29. The earth has been at an average of 57 degrees F for the last 10,000 years. Really? How do you know that? The ice caps could melt and raise ocean levels. Really? All the oceans are connected. Do you know how much water it would take to raise all the oceans just one millimeter? More than what's in the ice caps . . .
30. Hybrid cars, of course! Even though a Toyota Prius costs more in money, energy, fuel, materials, and other sundry things to make (because a certain material in the battery can only be found in one place on earth and then only refined in an entirely different place) than a Hummer does.
31. And finally, think about devoting your future to the environment. Here it is, then, what they really want.
Other stuff:
1. They actually use a photo of someone hugging a tree.
2. They use a photo of a polar bear on a "melting" iceberg, photos which have been proven to be doctored.
3. They mention Hurricane Katrina, of course.
4. Under resources, they have a listing of websites under "Science" and they're all about carbon footprints . . . not really science.
5. They end the book with a good African proverb, but feel compelled to say it was quoted by Algore when he accepted the '07 Nobel Peace Prize.
My thoughts:
Problems with the book:
1. Assumes there is a problem called "global warming." In fact, says that climate change is "widely accepted that this is caused by human activity." No it's not. Scientists don't agree because the science isn't there; science is not done by agreement or consensus.
2. Defines carbon dioxide, which is good, but also says it's what we all exhale. How can a gas we exhale in our normal existence be harmful to the planet we are designed to live on?
3. Actually mentions the flatulation of cows and sheep as a problem in producing methane gas. Really? You're going to go with bovine farts?
4. Says the six warmest years in the past 150 have been since 1998. Even if that's true, so? The earth's climate warms and cools in natural cycles.
5. Quote: "Our agriculture, industry, and vehicles pollute our skies--even though on a bright sunny day you may still find that hard to believe." I wonder why that is . . .
6. "Native Americans who have cared for this country for thousands of years." Right . . .
7. The preface says you don't have to chain yourself and/or your family to a tree in order to do something for the planet, but that can be fun, too. What?
Things you can do to save the planet:
1. First thing in the 100 you can do to save the planet: read the book. Huh.
2. Get a solar-powered battery charger. How much do those cost? In both dollars and in what it takes to make them? Doesn't mention that . . .
3. Surf the web to find out what you can do. How much energy will that take?
4. Use rechargeable batteries. I have no problem with this, but then it says in the same paragraph: Use "hand-operated items--such as wind-up radios--that function without batteries." So we should go back to the early 20th century and hand-crank our stuff? Right . . .
5. Listen to music that inspires you about the planet. Okay. Support musicians who support the earth . . . like those musicians who had the "live earth" concert in 2007 that cost more in money, energy, and carbon dioxide from planes, buses, and trucks to get them all there than most countries produce in a year. Way to go, Dave Matthews . . .
6. Save water. Living in a dry climate, I can appreciate these ways to save water, since they're what we've always done, not to save the planet but because it's what we had to do.
7. Change lightbulbs to CFL bulbs . . . sounds good until one breaks and the mercury inside is released. You can't just sweep that up.
8. "Inspect your trash every week before putting it out for collection or taking it to the dump. Make sure all your recyclables have been sorted correctly." You want kids rooting through garbage each week?
9. Recycle your pet poop into methane gas for fuel. You first. (And I thought methane gas was bad, not good . . .)
10. Keep your pets inside at night to keep them from killing birds and other animals. How does this save the planet?
11. Observe nature. Okay. How does this save the planet?
12. Enjoy nature. Okay. How does this save the planet? Oh, it doesn't, but it does, later in the paragraph, "make you feel good." I got it now.
13. Keep yourself healthy. How does this save . . . never mind.
14. Support your favorite green celebrities. Right . . . because they know what they're talking about.
15. Watch "An Inconvenient Truth," which is not truthful. Now they want you to be indoctrinated into the global warming cult. Also, "A Bug's Life" is apparently an environmental film . . . who knew?
16. Enjoy environmental art. Text accompanied by a photo of a large crab sculpture made from recycled farm parts . . . next to the ocean . . . and the sculpture is rusting . . . polluting the ocean they're trying to save . . .
17. Set up a trading club with friends for CDs and DVDs. Isn't that illegal?
18. "Don't believe the hype" in advertising. Does this include environmental advertising as well?
19. "When you buy something with unnecessary packaging, send a message to the retailer by leaving the excess packaging behind at the store!" Right. They'll just throw it away and get upset at you for littering, which is illegal and isn't environmentally friendly . . . since you just told us earlier to pick up litter when out on walks.
20. Reusable shopping bags. I'm okay with that.
21. Buy American. I'm okay with that (even though America is evil because we haven't signed the Kyoto Protocol), but I find it funny the authors are Australian and are telling us how we can do things better. Hmmm.
22. Participate in World Earth Hour: turning off your lights for an hour to raise awareness. Then turn all your lights right back on and go on with your life.
23. Plant and sustain a garden at school. With what spare time?
24. Have a week-long eco-week at school and take even more time away from learning!
25. Take an eco-friendly vacation (to a place like Disney World? a place that filled in swamplands to create a tourist attraction while at the same time promoting all sorts of eco-friendly things, but didn't even have warm-air dryers in the bathrooms?).
26. Instead of flying, drive or take the bus on vacations. Okay, if everyone drives, how does that make it better than flying? How many people can fit on an airplane as opposed to hundreds of cars on the road?
27. Use garbage and recycled stuff to make art. Is it really art then, or just a pile of trash? You decide.
28. Give gifts made of recycled stuff, because everyone loves getting old junk as a present.
29. The earth has been at an average of 57 degrees F for the last 10,000 years. Really? How do you know that? The ice caps could melt and raise ocean levels. Really? All the oceans are connected. Do you know how much water it would take to raise all the oceans just one millimeter? More than what's in the ice caps . . .
30. Hybrid cars, of course! Even though a Toyota Prius costs more in money, energy, fuel, materials, and other sundry things to make (because a certain material in the battery can only be found in one place on earth and then only refined in an entirely different place) than a Hummer does.
31. And finally, think about devoting your future to the environment. Here it is, then, what they really want.
Other stuff:
1. They actually use a photo of someone hugging a tree.
2. They use a photo of a polar bear on a "melting" iceberg, photos which have been proven to be doctored.
3. They mention Hurricane Katrina, of course.
4. Under resources, they have a listing of websites under "Science" and they're all about carbon footprints . . . not really science.
5. They end the book with a good African proverb, but feel compelled to say it was quoted by Algore when he accepted the '07 Nobel Peace Prize.
July 8, 2019
This book is simply out of date. Information about the Climate Crisis is changing so fast, this book is full of ideas that were good ten plus years ago. For example, it sings the praises and advanced thinking of using recyclable grocery bags. Since I live in California, the entire state is supposed to have their own bags, or they pay extra for a bag at the store. It is common to see people put their purchases back into the grocery cart then load them into the bag they forgot to bring into the store. I did not check but I suspect most of the web links are unusable now. It suggests getting a screen savor for your computer. Definitely SO yesterday! There are many such examples. However, what hasn't changed is the authors' enthusiasm for thinking of green ideas. Plenty of the suggestions are still current: walk more, drive or be driven less, etc. It is a good try but another strike against it is that it is definitely on the preachy side and encourages kids to be preachy as well. Such books are still needed but really should be updated.
Read
February 16, 2012Ever wondered what a kid can do to do save the planet? Well True Green Kids: 100 Things You Can do Save the Planet has 100 different projects, activities and actions any kid can do to help preserve the environment. If you have an MP3 player, cell phone or any toy that uses batteries then you can make use of thing number 8; use rechargeable batteries! They may cost more but they can be reused thousands of times and when you don’t dispose of regular batteries correctly the heavy metals from them can soak into the ground and pollute water supplies. If you like crafts then things 81-90 are for you! They offer all different ways you can be creative and green like making art out of found objects or using natural elements in your masterpieces. If you’re ready to be an activist for the Earth then come in the Library and grab, True Green Kids and soon you’ll be greening up your room, shopping habits, school and even vacations!
November 17, 2009
Genre: Informative
Copyright: 2008
Did you know only 10 percent of the energy released from a standard light bulb is converted into light? That means the other 90 percent is wasted as heat! What a waste of energy!
"True Green Kids" was a fantastic book that offers students and adults alike ideas that can help make our world a greener (environmentally speaking) place. With simple ideas/suggestions like recycling, taking shorter showers, or even turning off the lights, "True Green Kids" can give not only kids ideas, but adults as well. Great images and photographs accompany the text, as well as numerous tips, websites, and resources students can use and visit after reading this book. One person can make a difference in this world, is that person you?
Copyright: 2008
Did you know only 10 percent of the energy released from a standard light bulb is converted into light? That means the other 90 percent is wasted as heat! What a waste of energy!
"True Green Kids" was a fantastic book that offers students and adults alike ideas that can help make our world a greener (environmentally speaking) place. With simple ideas/suggestions like recycling, taking shorter showers, or even turning off the lights, "True Green Kids" can give not only kids ideas, but adults as well. Great images and photographs accompany the text, as well as numerous tips, websites, and resources students can use and visit after reading this book. One person can make a difference in this world, is that person you?
June 13, 2015
True Green Kids is a good book to get ideas from. It packs a lot of information in, and does it well, with a little for each of the 100 things you can do. It is set up with a short main tip highlighted in blue on top, with more explanation available below if the kid wants to know more. Lots of photos and pictures!
This would be a good resource for Earth Day activities, elementary school science teachers, parents of little scientists, and kids in 1st to 5th grades.
This would be a good resource for Earth Day activities, elementary school science teachers, parents of little scientists, and kids in 1st to 5th grades.
April 17, 2009
Good book for earth day activities with web-sites included.
May 1, 2014
Good list of suggestions for what kids can do to help the climate crisis. A little bit harsh at times. Just because you don't have a worm farm doesn't mean you're a bad person!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews