Helping the Earth—a Little at a Time

After studying recycling, pollution, and the environment in school, my children became aware of and concerned about these issues. They brought home a list titled “101 Ways You Can Help the Environment” and insisted we begin to implement some of the suggestions. Our lives were already busy, but I took a look at the list and realized that while we couldn’t tackle all the items at once, we could start with a few.

We began by using cloth diapers instead of the disposable kind for our new baby. At first I was skeptical because I thought this change would entail much more work for me. But when the whole family offered to help, I found it was less difficult than I had imagined. The cloth diapers were easy to launder and far less expensive than the disposable ones we had been buying. As we worked together, we felt pleased with our efforts and also saved money.

Encouraged by one success, we took another look at the list and found ways we could start recycling newspaper, aluminum, glass, and plastic. The children enjoyed squashing the plastic milk jugs and throwing the glass bottles into the recycling bin. They also earned a little extra money by turning in aluminum cans.

We still have a long way to go on our list of 101 ways to help the environment, but we have learned that by making small changes, we can do our part. Also, the whole family is learning valuable lessons about not being wasteful. We are even earning money, and we enjoy working together to make our part of the world a better place.—Ann Fluekiger Larsen, Salt Lake City, Utah