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Do One Thing Today

by Patricia Newman

We writers write about our passions, the injustices we see, or things that make us say, “Wow!”. For me, that’s the environment because we need it to survive. Endangered animals, such as sea otters, help us in ways we’re only just figuring out. The ocean makes 75% of the oxygen we breathe and is responsible for our weather.

I translate my passion into stories for readers like you. My most recent books are about animals on the brink of extinction, an ocean polluted with plastic, sea otters who save an entire ecosystem, and the deadly Ebola virus that also attacks endangered wild apes.

I discovered a wonderful Twitter and Instagram hashtag called #DoOneThingToday, which encourages us to be more aware of how we affect our environment. In honor of Earth Day, I challenge you to choose the one way you will become more Earth-friendly. I’ve listed several ideas below, but I’m sure you can think of others. Whatever you decide to do, write about it. Draft a story, compose a poem or a song, make a poster, draw a picture, write a script and make a video, send a letter to the President of the United States. No matter what you write, share it with others and challenge them to follow your lead.

Without fresh air, clean water, and wildlife, Earth would be about as habitable as Mars. #DoOneThingToday (and send me a picture of what you do).


#DoOneThingToday Ideas

·      Read about nature.

·      Go for hike to see now much wildlife you can spot. Ask questions about what you see.

·      Visit a zoo or a nature center. Better yet, sign up to volunteer.

·      Drink water from reusable bottles. Refuse plastic water and soda bottles.

·      Pack your school lunch in reusable containers instead of plastic bags.

·      Bring reusable utensils to school instead of using plastic utensils.

·      Say no to straws in restaurants and on juice boxes.

·      Save energy by turning off lights to reduce climate change.

 

 

 


Patricia Newman is the author of Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem, a Junior Library Guild Selection and recipient of a starred Kirkus review; Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a Green Earth Book Award winner; and Ebola: Fears and Facts, a Booklist Editors’ Choice selection. In fall 2018, Zoo Scientists to the Rescue will be released. Visit her at www.patriciamnewman.com.