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Information on various types of pollution - air, land, and water - and offers simple ways for students to help prevent it. The guide also covers the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and provides facts and tips on recycling, energy conservation, and water conservation.
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Schools Goin ’ Green!
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Schools Goin’ Green! Who We Are Schools Goin’ Green (SGG) is a multi-year program sponsored by the cities of Sunnyvale and Cupertino, and funded through a grant by the Santa Clara Valley Water District. The program’s goal is to assist local youth in implementing student-led campaigns. These campaigns focus on cleaning up litter and educating their fellow students to lead environmentally conscious lives. SGG Schools Taking Part
Land Pollution Litter and Landfills Litter is a devastating form of land pollution that can be avoided if people responsibly dispose of their garbage. Every year billions of dollars are spent to clean up litter in the U.S. Litter harms natural habitats, endangers humans and wildlife, and eventually ends up in the ocean. a Due to land pollution, the earth loses approximately 25 billion tons of topsoil each year. b More than 1 million pounds of garbage are thrown out of car windows by Americans each year. c Each year, Americans add 1.8 billion disposable diapers, 30 million foam cups, and 220 million tires to landfills. d Over 80% of items in landfills can be recycled, but they’re not. Why? People choose not to. e The main human contributor to pollution is landfills. Water Pollution Water pollution is caused when litter, fluids from automobiles, toxic industrial waste, or other harmful substances end up in our waterways. Managing the waste we generate in a responsible way can reduce the water pollution we create and keep our groundwater, lakes, rivers and oceans clean and healthy. a Fourteen billion pounds of garbage (mostly plastic) are dumped into the ocean every year. b In America, 40% of the rivers and 46% of lakes are polluted and are considered unhealthy for swimming, fishing, or aquatic life. c 15 million children under the age of 5 die each year because of diseases caused by drinking water. d 80% of the water pollution is caused by litter ending up in storm drains. e About 700 million people worldwide drink contaminated water.
Great Pacific Garbage Patch The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a mixture of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean. Marine debris is litter that ends up in oceans, seas, and other large bodies of water. The patch was formed gradually as a result of marine debris gathered by ocean currents. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific trash vortex, is located between Hawaii and California. When currents shift, debris can end up on beaches in Hawaii. The amount of debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch accumulates because much of it is not biodegradable. Many plastics, for instance, do not wear down; they simply break into tinier and tinier pieces. The patch is not visible from Google Maps. A majority of the debris is composed of smaller pieces that are floating in the water columns. Simple Ways to Help Stop Pollution Air Pollution
Energy Facts a Enough sunlight reaches the earth’s surface each minute to satisfy the world’s energy demands for an entire year. b Refrigerators in the U.S. consume about the same energy as 25 large power plants produce each year. c The amount of energy Americans use doubles every 20 years. d From 2008 to 2030, world energy consumption is expected to increase more than 55%. e Cooling and heating costs make up approximately 1/2 of an average U.S. home’s total energy bill Tips
Sources sunnyvale.ca.gov epa.gov recyclingacrossamerica.org http://www.conserve-energy-future.com http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/air/tsb/ams/ aqmdp/share.htm http://education.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/ great-pacific-garbage-patch/ https://www3.epa.gov/airquality/peg_caa/reduce.html http://eschooltoday.com/pollution/land-pollution/land- pollution-facts.html http://water.usgs.gov/edu/activity-watercontent.html https://www.wm.com/location/california/san-joaquin/ hughson/facts/index.jsp