Water and Whales

Today, I was thinking about water. As much as I’m trying to save the environment, I have a question, too. How come if you run your water you are wasting it? Wouldn’t it be cleaning the water in the ocean? Because after all, all drains lead to the ocean, don’t they?

Then, I started not only thinking about water, but what lives in it! For example, whales. I was just reading that the American Government voted against a bill today that would try to protect beluga whales in Cook Inlet in Alaska. When I was two years old, I went to see the whales. I don’t remember much, but I like looking at the photos. I know what beluga whales look like, but to give you an idea, they look like big, white dolphins with short noses. There are also bottle-nosed dolphins, which are real dolphins. Belugas are white, they have a regular form like any other dolphin, but they have something special. They have some sort of lump on their heads. Now I know what you environmental-saving kiddos are probably thinking about the lump on the head thing: they bumped their heads from birth. Well, not exactly. But you're close. The reason why they have that funny lump on their noggin is just normal. Technically, they get it from birth. It’s to help with their echolocation.

I went to a really cool site, Highlights for Kids. I looked up whales and found a lot of fun stuff, like:

1. Stories about real whales: Living Near Whales, My Three Days With Gray Whales, A Whale of a Patient
2. Interactive hidden pictures about whales: Watching Whales
3. And crafts about whales: Wavy Whale

That’s fun, but here’s something more serious. Whales are still being hunted and for no good reason.

On top of that, pollution threatens them, hardly any baby whales are bring born, ships run into and kill them and they die, caught in fishing gear. Whales are now endangered. If you care, take a look at these sites. They tell you what you can do for whales:

• Save the Whales
• Greenpeace - Whales

Finally, you might want to visit a fun website for kids to learn about whales that I found on the Australian government's website, Kids Interactive - Whales.

Remember, be good to our planet today!

Today I want to talk about environmental books. I just read a book called Snuffle. It's about a baby elephant (named Snuffle) who discovers a little seedling that turns into a sunflower. It's perfect to read to your little brother or sister. Another book you could read is The Teazels and the Polluted Pond. The story is about how a farmer pollutes a pond by using insecticide so all the animals living in the pond and around it get very sick. But the animals find a way to clean up the pond and solve the problem by working together. If you want to read something more advanced, why don't you try Animals in Danger? It's by National Geographic and tells us all about endangered species.

Have you read these books too? What did you think of them? Have you read any other good books about the environment or wildlife? If so, please let me know. And remember, be good to our planet today!

Hi! I call myself Green Girl and I am 8 years old. I decided to start a blog today because it is the starting of the school year and I want to make a difference in keeping our planet evergreen. I have some ideas for this blog. I want to start today with a commitment. I think everybody should read it because each person can make a difference.

BE GREEN

COMMITMENT

I commit to:

• Recycling everything I can
• Not littering
• Not leaving water running
• Using less and not being wasteful
• Reusing everything I can

I really believe that one small step can make a big difference in the world. Be good to our planet today!