January 1st - March 15th 1996
BLUE PRINT EARTH ESSAYS
Indu Varma
ivarma@nbnet.nb.ca
Tor Arne Richvoldsen
richvold@grida.no
Gaia
Mother and father were to stay away all night in a leap year party almost all
night, but I had said that I didn't need a baby sitter.
I had turned on all the lights in the apartment, and the phone-number were on a piece of paper at the
refrigerator door.
Nevertheless I was afraid.
I had had two bottles of lemonade and eaten muffins and potato chips while I was watching TV.
After "Pictures from Norway"
there was something about the UN, then it was time for the Detectives, but I didn't dare to watch,
because I was alone.
I didn't want to watch SKY-channeleither, I didn't know what to do...
I found my space construction set and started building the big space-station. But this was also a little
scary when the moon lit up room.
I thought about what my father had told me about the earth and the universe.
It was the leap year night and full moon. A full moon was once a month, but leap year occured only
every fourth year.
I tried to figure out how often both happened on the same date, but the calculation was so difficult
that I decided to go to bed instead.
Just when I was falling asleep, I woke because I thought I heard someone crying. I went into the
living-room again.
The moonlight was making the carpet white. I put on my glasses, got the remote control from the
bookshelf and turned on the TV.
There was nothing on NRK, not on Swedish television either. Super-channel was as dead as the
other channels,
and Sky only sent the same videos I had watched four or five times before. I pressed the text-TV
button.
"WE PUT POISON IN OUR OWN DISH," I read.
"Will the North Sea be dead in fifteen years? A group of British scientists say so...."
I switch to the pages called "The Magazine." On these pages usually there were something funny to
read.
"FORESTS ARE DYING ALL OVER EUROPE. New tests show that 70% of Europe's
forests are threatened....."
And these were supposed to be funny ? I think I thought that all grown-ups must be crazy.
I turned to page 401, "Kid-pages". Perhaps I could find some funny jokes there. First I read a foolish
joke about an engineer
who always walked in the middle of the road because he was afraid of the "wild" flowers.
A boy called Thomas had written it.
Suddenly I saw my name on the TV-screen!
- ANDERS, it said. YOU HAVE TO CHANGE TO CHANNEL 8. I AM THERE.
I wasn't meant for me, was it ? It didn't say any more. Just
- Anders. You have to change to channel 8. I am there.
I didn't understand a thing, but I turned off the text-TV and switched to channel 8. There was this
girl at my own age.
Her skin was pale white, her hair was long and dark and she had a green sweater. It looked as if she
had just cried.
- Hello, she said. - You are called Anders, right ?
I thought it was a regular TV-program even if nothing used to happen when we switch to channel
8. That's why I didn't answer.
- You have to talk to me, Anders, she said.
- OK, I said in a low voice.
Now I could se the girl. She stood in front of a large piles of garbage. She had to be poor, because
her clothes were ragged.
I could see that she had tears in her eyes. Nevertheless she smiled in a special way.
Tears and a smile. I was like rain and sunshine at the same time.
- What's your name, I asked.
- I am Gaia.
Two big dimples showed on her face.
Gaia... My father had told me that Gaia was the Greek name of the Earth, but I didn't know that girls
could have that name.
- It is a Greek name, I said. - My name is also Greek, because it comes from the name Andreas
which means "man".
I don't know why I said all this, but I wasn't used to talk to girls. At least I wasn't used to talk to girls
who suddenly showed up on my TV-screen.
- Where do you live ? I asked.
- In the Milky Way, of course!
Now she smiled again, but her smile was sad also.
- I do, too. Anders Nitter, 3 Clover Road, Oslo, Norway, Europe, Earth, Solar System, Milky
Way.......
- Iack, you have a too-long address. Don't you know that all people live in a small house in a big
street called the Milky Way ?
- You are kidding!
- No, it's true.
She looked at me with her black eyes that sparkled seriously. It was strange to see that black eyes
on a girl
with a skin as pale-white as hers.
- Why are you so pale-white ? I asked.
Her body shook for a second - You must not ask me about science, Anders.
- Why is your skin that pale-white, I mean.
- That's because I am sick. Didn't you know ?
- What is wrong with you, then ?
- It's called..... pollution. Didn't you know that either ?
She turned her head and sort of pointed at the enormous pile of garbage in the background. It had to
be the garbage that made her sick.
- You didn't tell me exactly where you live.
- Don't you understand anything ? Are you as stupid as all the others.....
She sat down at a dirty barrel and hid her face in her hands.
- Gaia, I said. But she didn't answer. - Gaia, I cried, I was afraid she might go away.
Then she look up at me.
She was so beautiful I couldn't take my eyes away from her. I didn't matter, because she couldn't see
me.
I had never looked at a girl this way before. She made me feel happy and sad at the same time.
Suddenly I thought of a film I had seen a long time ago. It was about some Martians that all of a
sudden appeared on TV.
And Gaia had told me that she lived in the Milky Way.....
- Are you a Martian or something like that ? I had to ask.
- Nonsense, she said resigned. - You are, Anders.
- Am I ?
- Well, not exactly a Martian, then. You are an "earthborn", but it doesn't matter what you call your
planet where you live.
The most important is that you love it.
I had to laugh. But I a way she was right. It wasn't more strange to be a Martian than an
"earthborn".
- Why don't you tell me where you live ? I asked again.
- That's because I live everywhere. I live here. She pointed at the big garbage piles.
- Don't you have any parents ?
She nodded her head like she had a secret.
- Don't they look after you, then ?
She shook her head, and it looked as if she was going to cry again.
- Why not ?
- Don't you know ? They are too many.
- There are only two.
She shook her head again.
- All the people on this earth are my parents. But when a lot of people are to take care of something,
no-one does it properly.
She looked up at me :
- It might happen that I do die.
I didn't understand a thing, the only thing I did understand was that I felt sorry for this girl.
- My name is Gaia. - Don't you understand ?
I started to fool with my spectacles because I didn't know what to answer.
- You are pretty cute with those glasses, she said, and I leapt into the air.
- But you can't see me when you just are on TV.
- I can both see you and hear you, Anders.
- Can you step out of the TV, too ?
- Of course I can, I am everywhere. I am in the flowers and the trees and the lakes. That is where I
am most sick.
Now she started laughing.
- I am both boys and girls, you see. I am grown-ups, as well. Because you are me, all of you.
- This was strange.
- But it is even more strange that you don't understand this...... terribly sad, too. If you just could
understand that you are one
living organism, you wouldn't let go of so much poison in nature, because no-one voluntary poison
themselves.
Now she stood up and started to walk back and forth in front of the garbage-pile. I could see that a
wind was blowing,
because her hair moved.
It looked as if she was cold.
- You are so beautiful, I said.
- Oh.
- Look here! She said suddenly, she started walking across the garbage-pile. While she stood on the
top,
she pointed down at a large city.
- Do you see the yellow fog which is over the city ?
She had turned her back against me.
- Yes, I said loudly, I can see it.
- It is poison, Gaia said. - Do you see the trees down there, too ?
- Yes, I said, almost angry, because the trees didn't look good.
- They are almost dead. The air is so polluted that they can't breathe.......
She turned around and came towards me. I was as she was looking out of the TV-screen and into the
room where I was.
- Do you see that the full moon is up, Anders ?
- I nodded. It is leap-year and full moon.
- If you were standing on the moon looking at me like a glittering pearl on the sky,
then you would see that I am as much alive as you are.....
- But I see it now, I said. I have understood!
- If you had a telescope, you would see that I am sick, too.
- Can you really see that from the moon ?
She nodded.
- From space you can see all the big cities like ugly wounds.... And from the cities the freeways
beam in all directions.
Then there are new cities. It is as if something evil spreads all over the planet.
- You'll be healthy again soon, I said, because I felt terribly sorry for her.
- That's up to you, she said. -And all the others.
That was the last thing she said, because she suddenly disappeared and so did the enormous pile of
garbage.
Instead came a picture of planet Earth on the screen. Below the picture the word GAIA was written
in large letters.
I remember I thought that the picture must have been taken from the moon...........
Permission to put Jostein Gaarders "GAIA" on the Web has been given by Mia Bull Gundersen at Ascehoug's Publishing House, Oslo Norway.
Translated by Tor Arne
The earth is a great place. It was once ruled by dinosaurs, but now is ruled by people. At one point
in time, there was only one continent, but now there are seven. 75% of the earth (three quarthers) is
water and 25% (one quarter) is land.
Now that the earth is ruled by people, there is pollution. Pollution comes from lots of things like
cars, trains, planes, factories, and cigarette smoking. Cars, trains, and planes can get people to
places, but they all pollute. Before people were on earth, there was no pollution. There was only
trees, dinosaurs, and other types of nature. Pollution is killing all of our animals and making the air
that surrounds us smell bad. We need to stop this pollution.
One way to stop the pollution that comes from cars is to walk or ride a bike to where you are going.
Engineers could also start making solar powered cars that run by the sunlight. They also could make
solar powered trains. Another way to stop pollution is to get everyone to stop smoking. To do that
you must start preaching in the streets, in more homes, and in more schools. It is not getting taught
to these students that cigarette smoking will kill you.
This essay is written by Arnav Manchanda, a 6th grade student.
written by 6. graders at Eydehavn school
A long time ago there was nothing...
Some say it was a Big Bang, others claim that God was there and had a something to do with
it....
We all know what happened.
Gaia.
The "creation" was great, we would call it perfect!
Peaceful, clean and pure she was,
Gaia.
The landscapes so harmonic, the nature so fantastic.
Animals on the ground, birds in the sky and fish in the water.
Even humans lived close to nature....
It was peace on earth and life was good...
Why did this change ?
In the Old Testament the story says that "SIN" entered the word
when Adam and Eve picked fruit from the tree that God had told them
not to....
Is this what happened ?????? We don't have the answer....
All we know is that something went wrong -a long time ago.
Development of machines took place, new territories were explored
-and exploited by Europeans -some blinded by greed others by
religion..... And again others of pure curiosity.
Large companies grew up, new machines made a lot of work easier...
but they "produced" more than goods for those who could buy...
The first pollution had started....
It was limited to a few places. Everyone who saw this thought that
this PROGRESS was great. No one saw or could see that the development
had taken a dramatic turn....
Some people spoke up against this exploitation of the planet we all live on.
Very few would listen. And even fewer believed.
The signs became more an more clear. Something was wrong, seriously wrong.
In our biggest cities it became difficult to breath.. grey smoke filled the air...
But we went on - driving our cars, screaming if someone tried to raise the taxes on
gas in order to reduce our FREEDOM to drive wherever we want whenever we want.
Here we are, all of us together - At a turning point in our development.
We can choose different ways to go - Some will lead us to "places" we never hope to see, others will
take us through difficulties, but will lead us to a better world ???
What will our GAIA be like in 50 years ?
Many of us will be there....
In 100 years ?
Few of us will live that long .
When we look in our "magic mirror" we see a future for our Gaia, but we have to struggle to get
there..
The pictures in the mirror are blured and dim.
One picture shows empty oil-wells and gas-pipes. Others large ereas of dead soil, dead forests.
People are almost dying There are very few animals and birds left the oceans are loosing their
blue colour...
Out of this chaos comes a new way of thinking, a new way to live..
People - those who are left, are forced to think different - not so much of themselves or only of their
families - they have to think of what is best for everyone - what is best for GAIA ..
New energy resources are developed - energy that are re-newable and don't pollute. Solar energy,
energy from waves, wind and waterfalls.
New ways to produce the most important things we need - food, houses, clothes.
Transportation is collective - and the streetcars are all powered by electrisity - even busses and trains
are
The mirror get dim again and the picture disappears.
We are stuck in our room - here - now.
Is this what will happen ?
We don't know...
Is this what we want to happen ?
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can WE do something about it ????
WE believe WE CAN!!!!
One day there was a tired class of seventh grade students, who were acting like they'd rather be at
home sleeping. Their teacher was acting vigilant and talkative and it was putting them to sleep. She
was trying to come up with a positive idea to wake them up, so she decided to have a contest. This
contest would be accomplished on the World Wide Web. She would see who could think up the
most ideas to cure problems in a country beginning with the first letter of their name. After
researching the problems on the web, they would then choose one to actually go out and solve.
Then, they would bring back their solution and pass it to the next person. Hopefully, this would
inspire them to go out and solve a problem for their country. After all the students have completed
their projects, their solutions would be combined to make a collage to form the perfect peace potion.
SO......
Amy went to Aruba, a small island that is owned by the Netherlands, and discovered that the water
there was not clean or drinkable. She thought and thought and finally came up with the idea. So, she
told them that.
********************************************************************************
OUR WORLD - WHAT HAS TO BE DONE? AND WHEN!
I think that THROWING AWAY Garbage is one of Denmark's biggest problems.
Nearly noone is thinking when they throw things away. A lot of things both glass and plastics could
be reused and if you had some hens they could eat some of the kitchen throw-away. Well, I know
very well that you can't have hens on the third floor but then you could make a compost out of it.
If out demand for materials was not so big there would be less garbage automatically.
In some places the garbage is sorted. We could do like that. And in every town there should be a
place for the reuse of things. We have got such a place here in Hvide Sande and that is working very
well.
Another very big problem in the world are DRUGS. Of course the problem is not as big in Hvide
Sande as in a bigger town. In cities a lot of youngsters of our age have tried both hash and narcotics.
It was a chock to me when I was told for the first time but now I realise the problem. One of the
reasons that a lot of people are getting used to narcotics is that they don't know what they shall do
when they come home fro school. If only the adults would spend more time together with their
children and tell them how dangerous "drugs" are !! That would solve part of the problems, in
Denmark anyway.
The last problem is THE RAIN FOREST. I think that both young and old ones use too much paper.
But every time when you use a piece of paper you think: One piece more or less doesn't matter!
Please try to think of our grandchildren. When they grow up and have children there will surely be
no more ozonelayer left.
So use recycled paper, please! And use less paper daily.
We depend on the rain forest a lot, but we are also destroying it by cutting down and burning the
trees for lumber, clear cutting, farming land and other things. By cutting down and burning the
trees, we probably have made plants we have not discovered become extinct.
Many cures for diseases come from plants in the rain forest, yet we need those farmlands and those
other things. When we deforestate the rain forest, there is no place for the animals to go so they will
probably die. You may think there is no way to help this situation, but you are wrong. There are only
a few things we can do:
1. Buy a few acres of the rain forest by purchasing T-Shirts from a company whi is giving
the money to people of the rain forest so tree cutters wouldn't biy it to cut down the trees.
2. Write letters of concern about deforestation and the rain forest to environmentalists or a
government official.
3. Stop deforestation!!
People are cutting down rain forests at an extremely large rate. Too many people take the rain forests for granted, they just cut it down but they donUt know the consequences for what they are doing. People should wise up and at least listen to what is going to happen to the world if they keep cutting them down. One thing people should learn about what is happening is that we are losing air because of them.The rain forests have the largest amount and variety of trees. The trees suck in the Carbon dioxide and release Oxygen. If they cut down all of the trees in the rain forests, there will not be enough trees to make enough oxygen for the humans or any other thing that breathes oxygen.
Our rain forests are being cut down at a fast rate. Our trees are a very precious to us because with
out them we would not have alot of oxygen to live on. The rain forest has an environment of its own.
It has lots of animals and plants not yet found. Some of these plants that haven't been discovered
could be a cure for one of the deadly viruses like AIDS and cancer, but if we destroy it, it won't be
found for use the future.
We cut down acres of trees in a day, I wonder how long they will last?
We cut down trees for wood and paper products. even though we need those products for daily use,
we need oxygen to survive. We need to preserve these trees so we will have a lot of oxygen to
breathe.
Global warming is a fast growing problem.At this rate it will get so hot that it will make the ice caps
melt.I think we should stop using fossil fuels and stop making air pollution period!
The fossil fuels are putting extra gases into the atmosphere that we donUt need.The extra gases
make a process that is called the greenhouse effect. This makes all the heat that enters the
atmosphere stay trapped in here.That mixed along with the O-zone layer depleting is not so good.So
we need to stop global warming before our whole planet is covered in water!
Global Warming will hurt many things in the future if we don't put a stop to it now. If we keep using
spray aerosol bottles or if we keep burning stuff the ozone layer will keep deteriorating which means
that all the suns ultraviolet rays will get through the holes in the ozone. This means that the
temperature will rise about fifty degrees, and this rise in temperature will melt the polar ice caps and
all the water on earth will rise about twenty feet all over the world that might even put certain parts
of land under water like Florida or certain cities or islands.
Doctor Martin Luther King had a purpose in making his famous "I Have a
Dream" speech. Yet for many reasons people choose to ignore it. All though there are no
separation at public places, still you can tell where you are not wanted. To many people it is
important to hang around with your own type of race.If you mix with the wrong crowd it may hurt
someone mentally or physically. Some people need to open their eyes and notice all the tears that has
caused different people.
This world consists of many problems that need to be solved. Every time we turn around someone
has died, been killed, or are very ill. We talk about these problems, but never really try to do
something about it. As many problems we have in this world, ThereUs one that just makes me very
mad, RACISM. I feel racism is one of the biggest problems in this intense, dreadful world. We all
have many different cultures. Even so, I feel we should (not are) be created equal. It should not be
determined on the color of our skin, but what we stand for as people. If you look back on slavery, it
was terrible how people were treated because of the color of their skin or what they stood for or
believed in. In slavery I feel I wouldnUt have lasted two minutes. It was horrible to see how rough
people were treated. They were beaten at times. They had to do for others before they did for
themselves. They were pushed around and treated horrible. All of this pertains to the color of oneUs
skin. Because of this a grudge has been haled on many people. Even though we may never forget
these bad times, we all have to move on. Everyone should be respected even though they have a
different back ground or are a different color. RAll men and women should be created equal.
Hello!
I am here today to talk about one major problem in America. Now I know that their are a lot of
major problems, but one major major problemis race. I am not talking about Nascar racing or drag
racing, but race and color. This could be known as a racial issue or commonly called prejudice.
Racial issues have been around since the the end of the civil war and it did not begin until them. I feel
that people today just do not understand that it should not matter what color you are. Whether you
are black, white, or even if you were purple. You should be excepted for who you are not the color
you are.
An example of a racial issue is how people had separate bathrooms and water fountains for blacks
and whites. Racial issues were so bad the you could not use the bathroom without paying a dime first
because it was said that blacks were so poor and they could not afford to pay a dime to go to the
bathroom. Their was usually at least one bathroom that the blacks could use without having to pay a
dime. In my opinion, that was really bad. At least now you can actually walk into a bathroom
without having to pay a dime and now you can drink out of the same water fountain unless you are
so prejudice that you will not do anything after a black person.
Another example or a racial issue is slave. The slaves were bought and sold from Africa. Slaves were
not in the northern states, they were only in the southern states. Slaves were blacks owned by whites
and the slaves worked on their owners plantations-estate were crops are grown.
Slaves escaped by a woman named Harriet Tubman. She helped slave to escape into an underground
railroad. The railroad went from the south to the north where the slaves were free. Slavery was
stopped originally in Massachusetts. The woman who stopped it was Elizabeth Freeman. She went
to court and stated that TAll men are born and created equal therefore all should be free.U So thanks
to Elizabeth Freeman blacks today are free.
In conclusion, I feel that racial issues should stop and people need to realize that blacks and whites
are going to be together for a long time and the people that are racial need to understand and except
blacks for blacks and whites are whites. I have to admit that racial problems have come along way,
but we still have a long way to go.
There are many species of animals not yet discovered. Here is the problem: animals are becoming extinct faster than others can be discovered. Animals become extinct either by deforestation or by poaching. Elephants and tigers are both examples of poaching. Poaching is killing a living creature and taking only a part of it and leaving the carcass to rot. The ring-tailed lemur is a perfect example of deforestation. The ring-tailed lemur lives on the island of Madagascar and nowhere else. Deforestation is when people cut down trees to make way for farms, industries, and commercial use, and the animals are the ones that suffer because they lose their home and that is exactly what is happening to the ring-tailed lemur.
We once had them and we once stood for them, but the moral decay in todays society is tremendous.
The majority of our society no longer has high morals but it is the minority of our society that has
high standards.
Morals and standards should start at home,but the break down in todays families have left children
scared. These morals that should be taught at home are no longer taught. In fact the opposite of
these standards are expressed. The lack of family support towards standards is a major problem
leading towards the growth of moral decay.
Besides the break down of the family, our societys acceptance and tolerance level of what is going
on in the world is so much greater than it was fifty years ago. Unmarried parents, homosexuals,
radio, TV, and unchristian beliefs i.e. cults, false religious beliefs, are excepted as normal
occurrences and happenings.
Many things contribute to moral decay . The standards of our country needs to be raised or our
society is hopeless.
I am writing about not enough people care from my 20* problems. What I mean
by this is that to little people care about the earth.An example of this is that many people litter and
don't even think about it, it is like a natural habit for them.
Another example is that people are killing endangered and non-endangered animals. What I mean by
this is that the elephant is an endangered animal and people kill it for its ivory tusks.The cat and dog
should sound familiar to you and you may say people aren't killing cats and dogs, BUT yes they
are!!! If you go to the Humane WORLD HUNGER AND POVERTY!!!!!
WE CAN STOP WORLD HUNGER AND POVERTY BY NOT HAVING AS MANY KIDS AS
WE HAVE NOW. WE CAN ALSO STOP POVERTY BY NOT THROWING PEOPLE OUT OF
THEIR HOMES AND OFFERING THEM MORE JOBS. PEOPLE IN THE WORLD NEED
MORE MONEY SO THAT THEY CAN TAKE CARE OF THE KIDS THAT THEY ALREADY
HAVE.THIS IS JUST SOME OF THE SUGGESTIONS I HAVE ON THE PROBLEM OF
WORLD HUNGER AND WORLD POVERTY!
IF WE ALL WORK TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD IN
THE FUTURE!!!!!
I think alcohol and drugs are a huge problem in our society today. We need to crack down on
anyone who supplies, sells, or uses drugs. To many teens and young adults do drugs these days. The
people of society think they can do it just once but it is very addictive. It tears families apart,
alienates people from their friends and relatives, and even kills the people that use them. So many
families a day are destroyed and so many people are dying every day.
We need to cut down on young people having access to drugs and alcohol so easily. We need to
have more volunteers come to schools in our nation and explain to teens to stay away from drugs
and to stay in school and to go somewhere in their life.
Drugs and Alcohol are one of the biggest problems and causes of death in America and around the
world. We need to do whatever is in our power to keep our future from being brought down before
their time.
As you may know,we have many problems on our earth including poverty, ignorance, diseases,
global warning, crime, child abuse, animal abuse and drugs and alcohol. All these are very important
problems, but in the following I will discuss the one that concerns me the most-animal abuse.
You might be thinking that I'm shallow for caring more about animals than children, but really I care
about both of them a lot, it's just that I really get sad and depressed when I see animal abuse
happening.
People just don't care enough about animals. I mean some of them just treat them like objects. How
would they like it if they were kicked or beaten to serious injury,or even death? I don't think they
would enjoy it very much,either. I even heard about two insignificant,worthless, ignorant men who
burned a kittens nose until it was completely off, because they were bored.
Without a doubt, if you are an animal lover like myself, you would agree that animal abuse is cruel
and inhumane treatment. You don't have to like animals, but please, treat them as you would want to
be treated. It's nice to feel respected,and it especially feels good to feel cared for.
E-mail address: vholt@ismennt.is
Our mother, the Earth, is a small globe in our solarsystem.
If she did not exist, we would not exist.
On the Earth there is water and vegetation that we cannot be without. But now it is so, that we are
polluting so much, that soon do the plants stop growing and the water becomes polluted.
Before we, the human beings became a part of the world, the Earth was of course not polluted.
There were no cars, no smoking factories. Just animals and the Earth were covered with
vegetation.
But then the human being came and everything that follows him. A part of it is the pollution,
which is growing every year.
All around the world people are walking around our mother, the Earth, without thinking. They
throw garbage wherever, they drive polluting cars, have factories that are always sending smoke into
the air, sail ships that use polluting fuel and throw garbage into the ocean and so on. They even do
experiments with nuclear weapons!
The pollution has big effects to the ozonlayer, which is destroying very fast. Without that we would
all die of cancer and lack of oxygen. And if the ocean becomes polluted, then all the fishes die and a
lot of people will loose their job. For example in Iceland there is a lot of fishing, and if the ocean
becomes polluted then would so small nation as the Icelanders are loose their livelihood.
How can we solve this problem?
How can we prevent that after few years it will be so much pollution that we even cannot see a clear
water?
How can we protect the Earth from destruction?
We can recycle things, used busses more than we do, use the energy from the sun, electricity cars or
cars which use hydrogen, build saver oiltankers, electricity trains, plant trees and vegetation, use
gasoline without lead, stop using spraycans and by that way decrease pollution.
The earth is not a toy.
The Earth is our mother.
She feeds us and gives us clothes and we should respect her.
We must do what ever we can to stop the pollution.
We must help each other to save our Earth from pollution and
destruction.
Dear very concerned participants,
To some people our world is only a source and not a call of nature. There are many problems in this
world, the challenge is to find the soutions.
Like the homeless,we need to inform more people of this terrible problem.
Another problem is deforestation. In order to help this problem there should be a law past so that the
companies that cut down our trees are only allowed to cut down a certian amount.
There are many environmental issues that face us today. The Ozone layer is another important
environmental issue. The Ozone is depleting. The Ozone layer protects us from the suns ultraviolet
rays. Companies should ban the use of CFCs {chiorofluorocarbons} which are found in aerosal
sprays, refrigerators,air conditioners and more.
We have the solution to pollution.
We want more people to be aware of what pollution is doing to our earth. We need to form
orginizations thatare used to clean up our atmosphere.
The goverment should inform the people of what is happening and how they could help. Pollution
speechs should be required by our goverment and organization groups. National televised programs
for pollution solutions should be broadcasted all over the world.
Wars {especially in Bosnia} are killing many of our soldiers and innocent people. Violence is not the
solution to this problem. Peace Treaties should be required by all nations.
Diseases are a very big problem. Docters and scientists should take more pride in in finding the real
cures. We need to take more trips to the rainforest to get more medicines. If our rainforests are
destroyed there will be no cures to find. The rainforest provides many valuable sources to all
people and animals. Itis important to reuse and recycle our land.
Fires are dangerous. Especially, forest fires . They clear away land that is used by animals for homes.
Fires are deadly and more families should be cautious and educated on the prevention of fires.
Oil spills are killing edible sea creatures,. Our oceans are valuable sources of food, water, minerals
and transportation. The government should hire more responsible adults to drive the oiltanks. We
should also cut down on the oil trips.
We need to pass laws that prohibit animals being hunted for a sport. We are endangering the lives of
many young and innocent animals.
Now please don't be a Paul Bunyan and cut down our trees, be a Jonny Appleseed and plant
more seeds.
Violence
I think that we should stop violence because too many people are dying and getting hurt. I think that
people should have a license to own a gun. They should also have to take a class to own a gun or
weapon. Violence effects us because if someone dies it could make people so sad they might
commit suicide, they might also start drinking and kill themself and someone else! It could also cause
the person to think that drugs will solve all of their problems. That brings us to say that we should
band drugs. They should also have a license to drink alcohol. If we didn't have gangs and people
with bad attitudes then we would not have as many wars or fights.
Pollution
Our pollution is mainly caused by factories, cars, chemicals, fertilizer, trash, and too many dumps. I
think that factories should have solar powered machines to work instead of gas machines that pollute
the earth. Farmers should buy fertilizer that doesn't have deadly chemicals, that could
harm and kill our animals and plants.
Trees
I think that trees should not be cut down. If too many trees are being cut down then when storms come across the land destroying plants and there will be no roots to keep from having erosion. If there were no trees then there would be no apples, bananas, oranges, pears, peaches, tangerines, plums, nuts, coconuts, pineapples, lemons, limes, avocados, and figs. There would also be no paper or things made out of wood. Some animals would not have a habitat any more, and it would take away some of nature's beauty.
Dumps
I think there are too many dumps on earth. Dumps cause too much pollution. We can not clean up the dumps that are already here but we can stop them from getting larger. We can do that by recycling. In order to make a big difference we all need to work together. Maybe you don't live near a dump, but the people that do probably recycle and you should to!
Ozone Layer
The ozone layer is getting thinner and thinner every year. If there is a hole in the ozone layer then it will let ultra violet rays in. Ultra violet rays are harmful because they can cause cancer. Where ever the ultra violet rays are hitting earth it will be very hot. The polar regions ice and snow would melt causing the sea level to rise and would flood most of the earth. We can stop the ozone layer from getting holes in it by not using bad chemicals from hair spray bottles, not polluting, and recycling.
We would like to share with you what we learned about Blue Print Earth and the problems that face
our earth.
There are many problems that harm our environment, but one of the biggest problems is air
pollution. When we did a logging on Blue Print Earth, 21 schools had air pollution as a
problem.
Other problems that are big are paper mills and drugs. Fifteen schools had these problems on their
reports. Lastly, a big problem that harms our earth is guns and violence, with 13 schools writing
about it as a report.
Some of the least problems that face our environment were accidents, earthquakes and volcanoes.
Only one school wrote accidents as a problems; two about earthquakes; and two about volcanoes.
Volcanoes and earthquakes are natural disasters that can't be stopped.
In conclusion we think that most of the problems that affect our earth are man-made
threats.
So we all should try to decrease the chances of getting more pollution, drugs, guns, violence, etc.
We think that Blue Print Earth is doing a good job of trying to keep our environment clean,
beautiful, and healthy. We think it is a good idea to involve all schools and we are happy to be part
of a great program, Blue Print Earth!
Hi, we are in the sixth grade in Wilcox School in Lihue, Kauai. On our island of Kauai we have many choices to make and many consequences, too. But each choice has a value in it, too.
K-Mart (national chain discount department store) In Kukui Grove Shopping
Center they have extended their shopping center by adding K-Mart.
One of the consequences nature had to encounter was loss of land and soil. But one of the values
for K-Mart is people can have more jobs.
In conclusion, we learned that we must make our choices wisely and respectfully. Hawaii has a very
great deal of cultural places and a lot of greenness, so let's not destroy our values. They might come
in handy some day.
Solutions
We have been working on this essay for quite a while. The process we went through to write this
essay made it so everyone contributed equally. We brainstormed as a class about earth topics, after
reading *Gaia* from Norway on the web, and the kids each came up with a topic. Then each student
wrote their own problems and solutions to their topic. We uploaded those, and then started working
on individual essays by topic. Then a special writing group from our class volunteered to merge
the essays all into one. It took a lot of editing, and a lot of work, but I think it is wonderful! I hope
we're not too late. This has been a great project for our class.
Thank you,
Olympus Junior High World Classroom
Lisa Ward
A compilation of essays by Olympus Junior High Eighth Grade
Over the years the Earth has been untouched by human hands. It was a pristine place, but now
humans have tarnished that magnificent dream.
Noone can reverse what has already come to pass, that is, the ozone is dying. It has reached a
record low, especially over Antarctica.
The ozone has protected our petty species, but we fail to protect her. She blocks the
radiation and the u-v rays so our skin does not burn. The earth has become a place that
has been polluted, killed off, and chopped down. There is much to do now to save our dying earth,
and the whole world needs to help.
The population of the world is increasing more and more every day. From 1985-1990, the amount of
births in Africa alone is 45,000, with only 15,000 dying.
A famous person named Thomas Malthus who studies the growing of population believes that the
amount of people will be more than the amount of food farmers can produce.
He strongly suggests that people should marry late, and have no more than two children at
the max. He also believes that if this doesn't happen, by the year 2130 we will
run out of space for everyone, all the rain forests will be cut down, there won't be an ozone
layer anymore, and everyone will be starving because there won't be enough food. In our society the
population is growing more rapidly with people.
With more people, there are more and more cars, and more cars mean that there is a lot
more pollution.
Pollution is one of the biggest problems in the world today.
There are many different kinds of pollution. Some examples are air pollution, water pollution, soil
pollution and solid waste.
People dirty the air with gases and smoke. We poison the water with chemicals and other
substances, and damage the soil with too many fertilizers and pesticides.
One way we can reduce pollution is to use the local buses or taxies. That would decrease the amount
of carbon-monoxide that every car lets off. Carbon- monoxide may produce symptoms of
poisoning.
Another way we can reduce pollution is recycling. If you are always using too
much then it is advisable to recycle your garbage, or what is recyclable. Plastic, metal, paper, and
glass are all things that can be recycled.
Forests are rapidly disappearing all around the world but the worst is in the Pacific Islands and Latin
America.
Large natural forests in Solomon Islands, Fiji, Vanuatu, and Western Samoa may be gone
in 15 to 20 years.
Brazil loses 22,363,000 acres a year, Columbia loses 2,199,000 acres a year and Mexico
loses 1,520,000 acres a year.
Everyday more and more trees are being cut down which causes no homes for animals and no trees
to change the carbon dioxide to oxygen so that we can breathe. We should cut back on lumber
companies cutting down trees and make them plant trees back.
Endangered species face the most serious threat of extinction.
They need direct human protection for survival. Endangered species is plants or animals that are in
serious danger. We must try to help to protect them. There are many species that have been
endangered for a long time and there are others that have only been a little while. Yet some are
endangered, some are extinct.
In many cases, wildlife can be helped by ensuring that their environment provides enough food,
water, and shelter. This method is called habitat management.
Many species have been threatened by human destruction of their habitat and
have no where else to live. If they do not live in their own habitat they could die easily.
For example, a polar bear living in a desert. Some animals can live in another habitat, but very rarely
can they find another place to live. Our wildlife is very important. It
plays an important role in our lives. That's why we must find anyway to protect them, because
without animals or plants where would we be?
Another way that we have contributed to the loss of wonderful animals is by hunting to the point of
extinction for their fur, hides, or feathers. Another thing people could do, is to not promote the
wearing of fur coats and fur hats.
The most common ones that are hunted are: the big cats, alligators, caymans, quetzal
birds, eastern gray kangaroos, egrets, and most of the birds of paradise.
Manatees are also an endangered species. In 1989, 188 were found dead. In 1990, 164 were
found dead. That's 8% of the whole manatees' population. Manatees have a low reproduction rate
that makes it almost impossible to breed back into normal numbers. This prompts fears that these
aquatic teddy bears will quietly slip into extinction.
One aspect is oil spills. Oil spills pollute our oceans and kill our wildlife, waterfowl, and
fish. Oil on ocean surfaces is harmful to many forms of life because it prevents sufficient
sunlight from penetrating and reduces the level of oxygen.
In the arctic cold the biggest oil spill that has been made is 1,000 miles wide. Down under the naked
tundra bog there are miles of black slime and dead fish all over the ground. Oil, chemicals and
pesticides are all good in their own uses but are deadly if misused.
This essay has discussed many problems which are affecting the world each day. These
problems are growing rapidly and we are not doing much to change them. We need to do something
for the future generations, who deserve the same beauties of the world that we have received. Our
earth needs our help to save it, or our fate is near.
Indu Varma
&
Tor Arne Richvoldsen
Go to the KIDLINK Home Page