There once was a little angel who wished to help the planet. When he asked the master angel what he could do, he was given an assignment. The master angel told him, 'Go observe the patterns of pollution on Earth and bring back a report. Think of it as the addition of anything harmful. Remember to look for pollution in all its forms; it can be solid, liquid, or gas.'
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The little angel was eager to set out and explore all the earth. First, he examined the earth for solid pollution. As he scanned the earth, he found many things that were causing harm. He found plastic everywhere! Plastic is not biodegradable, he thought, so that means it doesn't break down like wood or paper. I wonder if it could be reused instead of thrown away. No sooner had he thought it than he saw humans in many places recycling plastic to make other things. They made things like park benches, playground equipment, and small bridges. What a great idea, he thought.
He found lots of other solid pollution that could be recycled, like metal and glass. Then he found something very bad. Many places were dumping dangerous chemicals onto the earth and they were finding their way into the waters! Agriculture and manufacturing places were using chemicals that cannot be recycled.
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That made him start looking at the water and looking for liquid contaminants. A contaminant is something that makes water, air, or food no longer usable. Some contaminants, like fertilizers and manure, cause algae to grow in the lakes or oceans, and they use up the oxygen, causing other animals to die. What could be done about that?
Look! There were many people on the earth trying to clean up the water. People were watching the products they bought and were using less water to try and save the clean water. People were cleaning up oil spills and reusing farm wastes to produce energy. Some people were growing their own gardens without chemicals. What great ideas, thought the little angel.
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He now had one more area to explore. What kind of pollution was in the gas form? This one was very hard to find, because gas spreads into the air and you can't see it. As he searched, he found many things putting gas pollution into the air: factories, coal-burning power plants, trash burning, cars, tractors, and even cows were adding to the pollution. Wow! What could be done about that?
Again, no sooner had he thought it than he saw people trying to make a difference. People were driving small cars, riding bikes, or walking. People were putting filters on the chimneys that smoked. Some made power using the sun, wind, water, and even trash! People can be very clever, thought the little angel. How can I convince more people to try these things?
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The little angel brought his report back to the master angel and asked how he could help more people do these good things. 'Give them just a few words to remember,' said the master angel, 'and see if the word spreads.' The angel thought and thought: what would be easy to remember and pass along? Finally, he got it! 'Only one planet,' he said. Did it make a difference? Pass it along and see what you think!
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Pollution or harmful substances in our land, water, and air comes in many forms and from many sources. For things that are not biodegradable, recycling can help, but people need to watch what they use and do to help with other contaminants. We have 'only one planet'—pass the word along!
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Do your part to reduce pollution and safely clean up some pollution in your area! With a teacher, parent, or guardian, you can safely pick up litter in your neighborhood, school playground, or other local area by wearing gardening gloves and using a trash bag and a trash-picker (also known as a pick-up stick.) Make sure to wear bright clothes or a safety vest if you're anywhere near a road, and always have a parent or guardian with you.
Bring multiple bags for multiple types of litter, such as garbage, paper recycling, metal recycling, and plastic recycling. The garbage you can throw away, and the recycling you can either recycle from home or take to a local recycling plant.
Make sure not to pick up hazardous materials, such as dead animals, toxic chemicals, or needles.
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