Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day, Syosset Kids! As I am sure you have all recently heard "green is the new black!"

While that statement may confuse you, what it basically means is that "going green" a term used to describe many actions we can take to protect our environment has become extremely popular these days. How does this relate to the color black then?

Saying that something is "the new black" is a funny saying to indicate the sudden widespread popularity of something. And as mentioned above, keeping the environment safe has been a hot topic recently. So therefore I say once again, "green is the new black".

Though as children, it may seem that this is beyond you, there are many things you can do in order to "go green" easily on your own and begin living life in tune with the environment.

You can check out a book which gives you ideas on art projects which can be made out of recycled materials, for instance. Did you know that used egg cartons and milk cartons make great materials for budding artists? In fact, when I was younger and "going green" wasn't on the tip of every one's tongue as it is today, I used to make tons of great things re-using household materials. I even used egg cartons as a palate for paints! Sometimes I would put soil in them and plant flowers, which brings me to another great way you an go green.

With the spring weather right around the corner, why not ask your parents if you can try gardening? If you plant flowers, they provide food for insects such as bees who pollinate them and in turn make honey. Even planting a simple green leaved plant can be good for the environment in a small way. My brother once planted a seed in the backyard and it has now grown into a tree which towers well over 12 feet tall!

When cleaning out your closet make sure you donate old clothes instead of throwing them out. They may not fit you anymore, but there are sure to be people in need who can use them and it creates less garbage. You can find donation bins outside of many shopping centers. Clothing that is too worn to be donated can be cut up to make rags or can even be worn as gardening clothes!

Of course you can also encourage your parents to get reusable bags for the grocery stores instead of wasteful plastic, but what about when you go shopping for things other than food? There are companies that produce small portable bags which can be carried anywhere and used when you are shopping for anything from video games to the clothing you get to replace your donations with.

With your help we can make every day Earth Day!