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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, July 20, 2009

Helping kids go green, one tip at a time


By Margaret Webb Pressler
Washington Post

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

"Recycle This Book: 100 Top Children's Book Authors Tell You How to Go Green,"
edited by Dan Gutman; Yearling Books.

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Parents: How do you encourage your kids to live green? Share tips at www.hawaii.momslikeme.com.

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Kids want to help the Earth, but how?

They remember to turn off the lights (most of the time), but what else can ordinary people do that will make a difference?

"Recycle This Book," suitable for ages 9-12, has 100 tips for kids and their families to become more green.

These short pieces of advice, most just two pages long, are written by some authors youngsters will know, such as Andrew Clements ("Frindle") and Lois Duncan ("Hotel For Dogs").

They are all fun to read.

Author and illustrator Lisa Desimini, for example, suggests getting some of the chemical cleaners out of your house by using natural products such as baking soda and lemon oil.

Author Iain Lawrence writes about how he became an activist, joining with neighbors to fight the building of a polluting power plant on the island where he lives.

Author Rosemary Wells (who has written more than 100 books) tells of her grown daughter becoming an organic farmer and then converting the engine in her car to run on cooking oil rather than gasoline.

The car now runs on oil from the local hamburger restaurant.

Kids can read an essay or two, then move on with their day, feeling inspired to think more about their actions and the environment.

When they need another burst of inspiration, they can pick it up again.