Take Care of Earth. People work together to help our planet. April 22 is Earth Day! That day reminds people to take care of our planet. Many kids and adults will take part in the Great American Cleanup. It is held each year from March 1 to May 31. Weekly Reader spoke
with Gail Cunningham. She is in charge of the Great American Cleanup. She says, "People should get into the habit of taking care of
Earth all year long." Here are some ways people can help.
Clean Up Litter People will clean up beaches and parks this year. They will pick up litter, or trash. Animals can mistake litter for food
and choke on it. In 2014, volunteers for the Great American Cleanup collected more than 37 million pounds of litter and debris.
Plant a Tree Many people will plant trees. Volunteers planted more than 41,000 trees in 2014. Trees are very important. They help
clean the air. They also give off a gas called oxygen. People and animals need oxygen to live.
Recycle People will recycle paper, bottles, and cans. When something is recycled, it is made into something new. Volunteers
collected more than 250 million pounds of items to be used for recycling or reusing in 2014. Many of these items were bottles, which a
company used to make backpacks for kids. A few years ago, the bottles were made into fleece jackets. Those jackets were given to
kids who didn't have enough warm clothing. "It is wonderful to turn plastic bottles into something fantastic," says Cunningham.
o Earth Day reminds people to take care of the planet.
O That the sun shines for 12 hours
That the planet is round.
O What pollution is