Hello From 2030 is an awesome futuristic book by Jan Paul Schutten. It sort of looks like a textbook. At 180 pages, it’s definitely a longer read.

It’s great for ages 9 and above, especially. It includes lots of interesting tidbits about future technology, food, robots, etc. I think it’d be an especially good book to read in honor of Earth Day.

Here are just a few of the topics this book explores:

• Power from kites that are high up in the air where it’s windier
• Local food production
• Homes of the future
• Being more earth-friendly in the future, not because we want to be, but because we’ll have to be
• Amount of water used for different products (for example, it takes about 925 gallons of water to grow a half pound of beef)
• Foods that look and taste like meat will be more common
• Being healthier in some ways because of advances in diagnosing health issues
• Cars that recognize each other “I’m braking suddenly ahead of you”

If these topics sound interesting to you, hopefully you get a chance to read this book. I was able to find it at my local library. It’s truly fun to imagine what the year 2030 and beyond will be like!

~ Carrie

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Being earth-friendly is challenging sometimes. What tools can we use to be more earth-friendly? Here are a few.

• Reusable bag
• Tennis shoes
• Gloves
• Thread and needle
• Cleaning cloth
• Reusable water bottle
• Seeds

You can show kids (or adults) these items and ask them why they might be earth-friendly tools. I listed some possible answers below, but there may be many correct answers.

• Reusable bag (saves plastic bags which are made from oil)
• Tennis shoes (walk places instead of driving)
• Gloves (pick up litter)
• Thread and needle (fix clothes that are ripped instead of buying more new clothes)
• Cleaning cloth (use over and over instead of paper towels that are thrown away after one use)
• Reusable water bottle (use over and over instead of buying bottled water)
• Seeds (plant flowers that bees will enjoy and plant your own food)

Here are a few more items you could include if you’d like: cloth napkin (saves on paper napkins), reusable snack container (saves on zippered bags that get thrown away after one use), etc.

One of the latest resource in my TPT store includes printables to go along with this activity, if you’d like.

Let’s heal the earth, one action at a time.
~Carrie

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Did you know that you can charge your cell phone with a mini solar charger? I’ve had this charger for about six weeks and I want to share some of the pros and cons of this particular charger.

I love the concept of having a solar charger. It’s hard to tell from the photo, but the charger is about the size of a cell phone and it connects to your phone with a cable.

Direct Sunlight

When I first tried it out, it was a little frustrating because it was cloudy here (in the midwest) for awhile. I was trying to charge it through the window and it wasn’t getting me anything. But, I’ve found that on sunny days, if I have it outside on my deck in direct sunlight, it does give my phone a charge. It varies day by day how much the charge increases. Some days it might increase from 40% to 65%. Some days it might go from 40% to 42% and some days it doesn’t increase at all, especially if it was an overcast day.

It does better when it’s angled towards the sun. So I’ve been putting mine in a bowl and tilting it in the direction of the sun. If I’m home and I think about it, I move it mid afternoon so it’s angled again after the sun moves. Then, I bring it inside once the sun is mostly down and charge my phone with it. I have an iPhone, but I’m thinking it’s probably compatible with many other phones too.

Flashlight

It also has a flashlight built in, which works even when the device doesn’t have enough juice to increase the charge on a phone. I had trouble figuring out how to turn the flashlight on at first. You have to hold the on/off switch down for a few seconds. The on/off switch blends in to the side of the charger.

Trial and Error

One other thing I want to mention is that the instructions for this product were not helpful. The directions were written in a tiny font and hard to follow. I learned most of what I know by trying different things with the device. I found that if I connect the cord to the charger, then connect it to the phone, it seems to charge better. Again, lots of trial and error.

You definitely have to play around with it and have patience trying different methods. But, I sort of enjoy experimenting with different ways to get it to charge more. So, if that would frustrate you, I would avoid buying this particular charger. But, if you want to experiment with your own little solar panel, I recommend giving it a try. It might be good for camping without electricity, as long as you had enough sun, etc.

I love that I’m not having to charge my phone in the wall outlet as much. But, I wouldn’t recommend counting on this to be your sole means of charging. For me, it just cuts down on charging in the wall, but I still have to do that sometimes. I love having a better environmental impact, even if it’s saving just a little bit of electricity.

Let me know if you have any questions.

~Carrie

P.S. One word of advice- make sure to not leave it out in the rain. Mine isn’t working now after it was submerged in rain water. Hopefully it starts working again after drying out. I did see some on amazon now that are advertised as “rain proof”, but I don’t think the one I got was.

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This would be a great book to read anytime. But, as April 22nd approaches, I think it would be an awesome book to read to celebrate Earth Day.

Polar Bear, Why Is Your World Melting? by Robert E. Wells explores arctic ice melt, which affects polar bears as well as humanity.

It explains the issue well by discussing the greenhouse effect. And, as the book points out, “arctic ice melt is important because arctic ice helps regulate weather all over the world. Because ice is white, it reflects the sun’s heat back into space, keeping the whole world cooler.”

Polar Bear, Why Is Your World Melting  also shares ways to help, including recycling, planting trees, using energy-saving lights, insulating buildings well, and walking and biking places.

Each of us can try to do our part to reduce our environmental footprint. I know I could do a lot more myself. Hopefully companies transition to greener energy as well. Let’s heal the earth, one action at a time.

Follow My Book Boost on Facebook to hear about more Earth Day books in the future!
~ Carrie

p.s. I have a Polar Bear Puppet available in my TPT store, in case that interests you. Click below to see more.

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I recommend Plastic Free by Beth Terry. In a country where plastic is everywhere, this is a great guide for reducing our plastic consumption.

This book shows how plastic is harmful to animals and sea life because they think it’s food. It also gives great information as to why plastic is harmful to the planet in other ways. For example, oil, a non-renewable fossil fuel, is used to make many plastics. The energy needed to produce and transport all of the single-use plastic is also wasteful. As crazy as it sounds, nearly every piece of plastic ever made still exists today.

I love the fact that scientists are designing more biodegradable and compostable plastics that aren’t made from fossil fuels. Until those become more mainstream, reducing our plastic use is vital for the health of so many creatures on earth, including humans.

Here are a few changes I’ve personally made since reading this book.

Pencils vs. pens

I’m using more “old school” pencils. Pens are still good for times when you might need to write a lot and don’t have time to sharpen, but I’m enjoying using standard pencils more often.

Snack cheese

My kids love snacking on cheese. There are some brands that sell cheese cubes instead of individually wrapped pieces of cheese.

Scotch tape

I’ve started buying the individual rolls that can be refilled into a reusable dispenser.

Reusable containers and water bottles

Instead of single-use zippered baggies, I try to use as many reusable containers as possible. The containers are sometimes plastic, but at least they get used over and over. Reusable water bottles can also have a great impact.

Straws and lids

When I self-serve my drink at a fast food restaurant, I skip the straw and lid and drink straight from the cup. If I end up taking the drink to go, I’ll grab a lid and straw as I head out the door.

Forks

For parties I’m hosting, I’m being deliberate about what disposable items I buy. Using forks from my drawer instead of plastic forks has been an easy switch. If I don’t have enough metal forks, I use plastic and wash them for another time.

Going completely plastic-free doesn’t appeal to me. But, finding more ways to be less wasteful is worthwhile. We owe it to animals, ocean life, our kids, and people in other countries who aren’t contributing to the problem as much as we are.

I’d love to hear, in what ways do you try to reduce your plastic use?

~ Carrie

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