Ecomemphis

School is nearly out, and summer is almost here. So I’ve rounded up a few websites to entertain and educate kids about our world. Hope you enjoy. If you have more, please send them to me and I’ll add.

CaptainPlanetFoundation.org – a website with a mission to support hands-on environmental projects for kids in grades K-12.

PBS Kids Go Green Challenge – From the heroes at PBS with an ‘Arthur’ theme.

Ecomagination – a fun little site powered by GE. Energy Kid’s Page Kids – Games, classroom activities,

Climate Change for Kids – Explains the greenhouse effect, why climate change matters and more.

Smithsonian Smorgasbord – Not just about the environment, but many activities to thrill the kids.

The Great Green Web Game – a little dated, but still works for kids.Smokey the Bear – what a throw-back!

The Smithsonian Zoo website - another spectacular site by The Smithsonian

Scholastics Act Green – Usually not too keen on Scholastics, but this looks just fine.

Environmental Kids – by the EPA.

NASA’s K-2 -  NASA’s Newsbreaks (K – 2nd Grades) uses animated characters to introduce science, technology, engineering, math, and NASA concepts.

Let’s Go Outside! – It’s time to reconnect with our environment.

Living in a Green World -  If you want to make a difference, the best way to start is to follow these three principles: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

TVA Kids – Learn all about the Tennessee Valley Authority, or TVA and how you can help protect the environment with this interactive site.

Eekoworld – Learn about the environment.

BrainPop Has animated movies created to explain the world around us in an engaging way.

EcoKids – For 14 & up.

More sites for kids:
* ecokids.com
* ecosavvykids.com
* globalkids.org
* globalwarmingkids.net
* kidsplanet.org
* pewclimate.org
* unep.org
* worldwildlife.org

It’s no secret that plastic bags are “bad for the environment,” but did you know how bad? Most likely, that answer is NO.

This powerpoint highlights the incredible dangers plastic bags create for our streets, communities, animals, oceans and world. A mindblowing fact is that if 1 out of 5 people used 1 one reuseable bag for a grocery run, we would save 1,330,560,000,000 plastic bags over our lifetime. That’s a lot of plastic bags that won’t be piling up in our landfills or washing up on our coastlines.

Consider writing your local government officials to create a ban or tax on using plastic bags–San Francisco has already banned them, and Oakland and Boston are considering a ban. More cities across the U.S. could join in this effort to cut down on using plastic bags. Recycling these bags is not the best solution, for according to the data from the San Francisco Department for the Environment, “it costs $4,000 to process and recycle 1 ton of plastic bags, which can be sold on the commodities market for $32.”

Just view the powerpoint and let it sink in. Consider taking reusable bags you have laying around the house next time you go to the grocery store. Check out sites like Reusable Bags, EcoBags or 1 Bag at a Time for more useful information.

Sure kids (and some adults) love spending hours upon hours playing Playstation 3 or XBox 360, but did you know those games consume more energy in your home than the refrigerator?

According to a study done by Australian consumer agency Choice, when plugged in games like Playstation 3 and XBox 360 consume five times the amount of energy of other household appliances. Surprisingly, however, the Nintendo Wii consumes much less energy than any of the other popular video games.

As with anything other item in your home consuming electricity, unplug when not in use!