♻️ Generation Carbon KidBook™
It's time to start - A Cartoon Almanac for kids
on ti era Genrbon Ca art t o s e t s tim t’ I A Carbon Almanac for Kids
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. You’ve learned about things like recycling and turning off the lights. That’s important, but there are even bigger things that you can do to help our Earth. Like using your voice. Read this guide to learn all you can, so you can teach people what you know. 2 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more. Want to share this ebook? Click here.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. What’s The temperature on the surface of our Earth is going up. In fact, it is 1 °C (1.8 °F) warmer. Scientists going on call this “global warming” and it’s with our making things harder for everyone. Earth? It’s not too late. But we need to get started. 3 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. “Our Earth doesn’t need you to be perfect. It just needs you to start. Until someone builds plastic-free helmets, you’ll need to Just wear a plastic one when you ride a bike or play football. start. Even though natural gas heats your town’s swimming pool, you should still have fun swimming in it. If you have to take an airplane because there’s no other way to get there, don’t worry. Fixing everything won’t happen for a while. Kids should just do their best. And teach adults what they know in the meantime.” Matthew N. Age 15, Boston, Massachusetts 4 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Although it may be hard to tell that it’s warmer W Whhyy i iss it when you go outside, our Earth can tell. It’s like our Earth has a fever and just a tiny increase in temperature is making it feel lousy. This fever getting triggers wild weather. Scientists say our Earth is getting warmer warmer? because people are doing things to harm it. But not everyone knows and understands this. Lots of adults did not learn this when they were in school. 5 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. THE WEATHER GETS WORSE AS TEMPERATURE GOES UP Our Earth’s fever produces See how the temperature gets warmer and it triggers crazy weather? This is what we mean wild weather. when we say “climate change.” 6 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Your mission: Teach 5 Adults what you learn in this book! Grown-ups might not even realize the stu昀昀 they’re doing is hurting our planet. When you teach others, you can help us save our Earth. ss hhii eee te t oou su s hheen yn y WW owow nn l kl k ll ’’ oouu , y, y ee gg dd aa bb t t aa hh 昀昀 t昀昀 t uu tt s ss s ’’ tt ii !! owow nn o ko k d td t eeee s ns n tt ulul dd 7 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more. aa
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Why do we need kids to teach adults? If one person decides to buy potatoes without using a plastic bag, then one plastic bag isn’t necessary. But what if potato companies stopped putting potatoes in plastic bags? Then we wouldn’t have millions of plastic bags harming our Earth. Maybe you don’t know an adult who works at a potato company. But, you might know a teacher, principal, coach, or parent who makes rules at their job that can help save our Earth. By teaching someone, your message spreads so that BIG changes can happen. 8 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Here’s a fun way you can help today…well, technically tonight: Take the Bedtime Story Challenge. It’s not what you think. (Or maybe it is, because you’ve de昀椀nitely already noticed the picture on this page.) If you choose to take this challenge you P.S. If you prefer not to post are going to read to your grown-up. This book. As a on social media, you can bedtime story. We know it’ll be great. always hang the photo on Make sure to get a good photo of the moment. your fridge to remind your Then ask your grown-up to post it on social media, household of the important saying something like: “Best bedtime story ever! I work you’re doing. learned about climate change tonight.” Add the hashtag #GenerationCarbon. Or talk about it. “I read my This will help to spread the word, so we can grown-up a bedtime story all help to save our planet. last night,” is a fun way to get someone’s attention. 9 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Are you ready to learn all you can about climate change? 10 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. What is carbon? It’s inside a pencil, but it’s also in the air and in your body. Carbon is in just about everything. If we burn something with carbon in it, it’s released into the air and becomes a gas called carbon dioxide. You can see carbon when there’s smoke coming from a 昀椀re, but you can’t see it when it’s in the form of carbon dioxide. PPllaanntts as abbssoorrb cb caarrbboon dn diiooxxiidde ae annd cd chhaanngge e We’ve been burning a lot of carbon for about iit it inntto oo oxxyyggeen tn thhaat ht huummaanns cs caan bn brreeaatthhee. . the last hundred years, and now it’s become a BBuut tt thheey cy caann’’t ht haannddlle te thhe ae ammoouunnt ot of f huge problem. ccaarrbboon dn diiooxxiidde wee we’’rre re reelleeaassiinng bg by by buurrnniinng g ttooo mo muucch fh foossssiil fl fuueell.. 11 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. What are TTiinny py pllaanntts as annd d aanniimamallss th thaatt fossil fuels? ccoontntaaiinn c caarrbboonn d diie.e. UUnnddeer tr thhe se saannd ad annd d CCrruudde oe oiil al annd nd naattuurraal l mmuudd, t, thhe de deeaad pd pllaanntts s ggaas as arre fe foorrmmeed ad annd d Fossils are the bones and parts of animals and anandd an aniimmalalss d deeccaayy.. ccoonnttaaiin ln lootts os of cf caarrbboonn.. plants that get turned into a special kind of rock. Like fossils, crude oil, coal, and natural gas are formed deep in the Earth from the remains of plants, animals, and other living things from long ago. This is why we call crude oil, coal, and natural gas fossil fuels. 12 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. We’re burning fossil fuels and making a mess. Let’s talk about those fossil fuels. Coal is o昀琀en burned to make electricity. When TThhisis is is tt aann coal is burned, the carbon that’s stored in the coal, tt oorr mpmp ii oo oou tu t goes into the air. We call this “releasing carbon.” oor yr y ff oor r w fw f oo nn n.n. Crude oil is an ingredient in gasoline that kk oouurr m miissssiioo powers cars. When we ride in gas-powered cars, we yy release carbon too. Natural gas heats and cools many of our homes. When we turn up the heat, guess what’s released? More carbon. 13 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. People release carbon every single day. There are tons of ways people add too much carbon dioxide to the air. Because carbon dioxide is invisible, we don’t always realize the harm we’re causing to our Earth. e e gg uu ee s a hs a h ooppll s is i ee hhii TT f pf p . I. I emem ll n n oobb oo bb prpr aarr yy ll ee cee c bb aa d sd s oobb ll oouu d prd pr cc ’’ ee , w, w .. ee rr dd ee ii tt xx ss oo ii aa dd g fg f nn ttii e ae acc bb 14 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. How much carbon are people TThhiis is is ts thhe wee weiigghht ot of tf thhe ce caarrbboon en eaacch ph peerrssoon n GGooaal bl by 2y 2005500: r: reelleeaassee releasing? iin tn thhe Ue Unniitteed Sd Sttaattees rs reelleeaassees es eaacch yeh yeaarr.. tthhiis wes weiigghht ot of cf caarrbboonn.. Each American releases about 14 metric tons of People reducing their own carbon emissions every single year — that’s the carbon is helpful, but that won’t weight of 6,300 bricks! be enough. Scientists say we must reduce the carbon we’re releasing to the weight of only 440 bricks. We’ll need all kinds of teamwork, This will mean some BIG changes for all of us. inventions, and even new laws if we want to get to 440 bricks. We can make these changes if we work together. 15 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. It’s kind of like our planet is holding its breath. If you’ve ever tried to swim under water, you know what it’s like to hold your breath. It’s not comfortable. This is because your body starts to run low on good stu昀昀 (oxygen) and 昀椀ll with not-so-good stu昀昀 (carbon dioxide). Your body needs to exhale the carbon dioxide to get rid of it, before it can 昀椀ll up with oxygen again. This is why the second you’re back above water your mouth opens to breathe. Your body was designed to do this. It needs the oxygen in fresh air. And it needs it as fast as it can get it, so you can feel better and stay healthy. 16 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Carbon overload! Our planet needs fresh air to stay healthy too. Things like trees and soil and oceans act like sponges to help. They absorb carbon dioxide from the air. But right now, the sponges are almost full. When people burn fossil fuels, they’re releasing too much carbon for the trees and oceans to soak up. 17 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. The greenhouse e昀昀ect. In 30 A.D., a Roman king requested cucumbers for breakfast. When it was too cold to grow cucumbers outside, the King’s servants built the 昀椀rst greenhouse. A greenhouse allows light from the Sun to go through its glass roof, so plants have the light they need to grow. The glass roof also helps keep the “Mum, it hasn’t been raining heat inside to keep the plants warm. This for so long and it’s bad. We allows gardeners to grow plants even need to water the plants in when it’s too cold to grow them outside. the garden more often.” 18 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more. Matilde R., 8 years old, Bologna, Italy
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. SSuunnlliigghht ct caan n ggo to thhrroouuggh th thhe e ggrereeennhhoouussee ga gasseess.. GGrereeennhhoouussee ga gasseess ssiit ht heerree, a, annd td trraap p hheeaat tt to mo maakke oe ouur r Greenhouse EEarartthh w wararmmeerr.. gases trap heat. Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide act like the glass roof of a greenhouse. Carbon and other gases sit high above the Earth When people say “carbon” they could and allow sunlight to reach the Earth. mean any of these greenhouse gases: But they also trap the Sun’s heat like a - carbon dioxide (CO2) greenhouse roof. This is why we call them - methane (CH4) “ greenhouse gases.” - nitrous oxide (N2O) This trapped heat is what’s warming - water vapor up our Earth and triggering crazy weather. - fluorinated gases 19 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Greenhouse e昀昀ect experiment. Want to learn more about the Materials: greenhouse e昀昀ect? Get ready to move - 2 dark plates or 1 dark cookie sheet fast, because we’re going to set up a - 2 teaspoons of butter race. Between pieces of butter. (We’ll - 1 clear jar give you a minute to read those last few words again.) Sure, it’ll be more like watching Turbo the snail a昀琀er he lost his special powers than getting to cheer on Lightning McQueen, but we promise it’ll be fun. Ready? Set? P.S. If you can’t do this activity until later, just skip ahead. 20 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Greenhouse e昀昀ect Go! experiment. Experiment: - Place one teaspoon of butter on each of your two plates. - Place the plates in a sunny spot. - Cover one of the pieces of butter with the jar. - Come up with a hypothesis (your best guess!): Which piece of butter will win the race by melting 昀椀rst? (If you really want to do it right, you’ll give each piece its very own racing name.) - See which piece of butter melts 昀椀rst. Once you’re done with your experiment use the butter to spread on your toast. Food waste is also a huge contributor to climate change. 21 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. What happened inside the jar? The covered butter melted 昀椀rst, right? This is the same idea behind the greenhouse e昀昀ect. Just like the glass roof of a greenhouse keeps heat inside, the jar kept heat inside of your experiment. On our planet, greenhouse gases act like the jar. They trap the Sun’s heat. That’s why our Earth is getting warmer. And that’s why it’s so important that we race to help our planet. Ready? Set? Keep reading… 22 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Our Earth is an ecosystem. Our Earth is at its best when everything works together. We call this an ecosystem. TThhiis ps poonnd id is a s a Right now, our ecosystem is not healthy. hheeaalltthhyy e eccoossyystestemm It’s hard for everything to work together with bbeeccaauusse ee evveerryytthhiinng ig is s all of the changes happening to our Earth. wwoorrkkiingng to toggeetthheerr.. DDooees ts thhiis ls looook k lliikke a he a heeaalltthhy y eeccoossyystestemm t too y yoouu?? 23 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. What’s weather and what’s climate? What’s it like there right now? Sunny? Snowy? You most likely answered fast. Because you know what weather is. TThhe ce clliimmaatte ae at st skki mi moouunnttaaiinns is is s But what about climate? For your mission, it’s uussuuaalllly cy coolldd, b, buut bt beeccaauusse oe of cf clliimmaatte e important to know about both. cchhaanngge te thheerree’’s ns now low leesss ss snnowow.. Climate is what the weather is usually like in an area over a long time. For example, the climate in Mexico is warm. That’s normal in Mexico. The climate in Canada is cooler than Mexico. That’s normal there. 24 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. “Normal” weather isn’t so normal anymore. Climate change is, well, changing things. Normal weather is just not happening as o昀琀en. In the U.S., Texas had super cold weather in the winter of 2021 that caused pipes to freeze, burst, and 昀氀ood people’s homes. That’s not normal. In Argentina, January 2022 temperatures in Buenos Aires were some of its hottest weather in 115 years. It was so hot that people got really sick. Events like these are happening all over the place. CCaaccttuus ps pllaanntts gs grrow iow in wn waarrm m cclliimmaatteess. W. Whheen in it st snnowows is in n wwaarrm pm pllaacceess, i, itt’’s a ss a siiggn n Have you noticed weird tthhaat tt thhe ce clliimmaatte ie is cs chhaannggiinngg.. weather where you live? 25 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. - Blackouts - Laggy internet “It’s probably - Cell phone service outages SSqquiruirrreellss a arree g geettttiningg - Flooded basements cchhuubbbbiieer br beeccaauusse le leesss s climate change.” - Frozen gutters ssnnow cow coovveer ar allllowows ts thheem m - Fallen trees tto 昀椀o 昀椀nnd md moorre fe foooodd.. When you hear people - Potholes - Mold talk about these things, - Cracked pavement - Disease-carrying remind them, “it’s - Asthma mosquitoes probably climate change.” - Allergies - Chubby squirrels - Fewer ski days - Wildfires - Pollution - Drought - Playground slides - Heavy downpours that are too hot to use - Heatwaves “One time, we were going to a baseball game — me and my dad — and right as we got into the stands, it got rained out.” 26 Ivan, Age 8, Minneapolis, MN
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. What’s taking so long to 昀椀x The problem is invisible. You’d be scared if you saw black smoke shooting out of climate change? your gas-powered car. But since the greenhouse gases Climate change has happened slowly. So slowly cars release are invisible, it’s it’s not enough for people to feel warmer when easy for people to forget the they walk outside. This is one reason people damage they’re doing. don’t know what’s happening. Lately, there have been storms, hurricanes, and heatwaves that help people understand. Getting people’s attention Some 昀椀nally realize how much damage has about climate change has happened to our Earth. been hard. This is why we need you to help. 27 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. It’s tough because some things that release carbon are things people depend on. Like concrete — making it releases lots of carbon. But in some countries, concrete is used to build lots of houses. Some people think they’ll have to give up doing fun things because of climate change, but that’s not true. There are lots of new ways to live that also protect our Earth: Wind can produce People can ride Trains are often electricity so we bicycles to the just as fast as can do things like park instead of airplanes for baking cookies. driving cars. your next trip. vs 28 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Land昀椀lls. Every day, people around the world throw away Keep stuff out of landfills by about 昀椀ve million tons of garbage. This is the borrowing stuff you’ll only use same weight as 33,000 blue whales. But when once. Did you know that some you throw something away, it doesn’t just “go libraries have tools, cake pans, away.” So, where does it go? and games you can borrow? First, trucks take your garbage to a land昀椀ll or garbage dump. A land昀椀ll is a big hole dug in the Earth. Garbage trucks dump the trash into the pit, then big machines cover it with dirt. 29 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. The dirt in land昀椀lls is home to bacteria that eat the tossed out food, paper, and plastic. As the bacteria eat, they send greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane into the air. Imagine a gazillion bacteria farts and burps made every second! Methane is the greenhouse gas that is released from landfills and traps heat. More garbage in landfills means more methane in the air. More methane means our Earth gets warmer and our weather gets crazier. 30 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Plastic is everywhere. In your What does plastic shampoo bottle and sneakers. have to do with People buy lots of plastic items, o昀琀en without even thinking. To save our climate change? Earth we need companies to stop o昀昀ering so many plastic items. Plastic is made from fossil fuels, which release carbon dioxide that warms our Earth. And, believe it or not, most plastic cannot be recycled even when you put it in a recycling bin. One solution is to ask companies to stop using and making plastic — you can usually 昀椀nd their email addresses on their company websites. Got a cut on your finger? Since most bandages are made with plastic, you’ll need to use one to stop the bleeding. WWhheen yn yoou wu weerre a ke a kiidd, w, weerre e tthheerre pe pllaassttiic sc sppoouutts os on n But wouldn’t it be great if companies cacarrddbbooaarrdd m mililkk ca carrttoonnss?? were only allowed to sell bandages n that didn’t harm our Earth? k a s Adult this: a 31 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. t t ee rr cc ee e se s s os onn e a e a s is i t bt b hhii ’’ TT ddnn ll oouu !! hh ee oonn t st s yy aa eerr hh vv tt l el e Recycling eell . T. T tt ee rr cc ee ss needs to Most of us have seen the symbol and try to recycle as much as we can. be 昀椀xed. We want to let you in on a secret. Only 8 out of 100 plastic items we put in the recycling bin actually get recycled. This means the other 92 plastic items we place in the recycle bin are burned, or end up in land昀椀lls or the ocean. Recycling 8 bottles is way better than no recycling though! It takes 400 years to break down plastic. A super long time. As soon as we make one pile of plastic trash, a factory is busy making many more piles of plastic trash. How do factories make plastic? Yep, by burning fossil fuels and releasing even more greenhouse gases into the air. SSpprreeaad td thhiis ns neewwss: M: Moosst t Sandwich bags and water ppllaassttiic yc yoou pu puut it in a rn a reeccyycclliinng g bottles that only get used bbiin nn neevveer gr geetts rs reeccyycclleedd!! once? We need to stop using those right now. 32 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Toys: an important choice to make when having fun. Ask your teacher to let you practice writing emails to Think about the last time you were lucky enough to get companies that use lots of a new toy. Chances are, you had to cut through some plastic packaging. Be sure thick plastic just to get the toy out of its packaging. to send them photos of the As you know, if that plastic went into the trash, plastic waste. it’ll take about 400 years to break down. It could even end up in an ocean and hurt 昀椀sh. What if instead of collecting more toys, you took more time doing things with your friends like playing tag, taking hikes, and making cra昀琀s? There are all sorts of ways to help. And they all come back to protecting our planet. 33 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Food choices matter. Teach an adult this! How do we decide which foods to eat? It has to taste good, that’s for sure. Out of every 10 But we also eat what’s available. Long ago, that meant people only ate pounds of food, 3 what they could grow nearby their homes. This meant they ate root pounds is wasted! vegetables in the fall or beans and squash in the summertime. Today, because airplanes can bring us food from around the world, it’s possible to get most types of food whenever you want them. Wow your family and Having so many food choices is nice — but transporting the food friends by mastering in planes and trucks releases a lot of carbon. And having too many tacos, stir fries, and choices means food ends up spoiled or simply thrown away. soups. These meals use up lots of bits of food that might get wasted. 34 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Food made from animals. Food made from animals is a big source of greenhouse gases. First, forests are cut down, so animals have land to graze. Cutting down trees releases carbon. And You have the power: now that trees are cut down, there are fewer - Choose a veggie burger instead of a beef trees to absorb carbon. burger in the cafeteria. You can still add all Then all the animals burp and fart the ketchup, pickles, and mustard you like! (a lot!). This releases methane, another - Drink plant-based milks like oat or soy heat-trapping gas. This makes our Earth instead of dairy. warmer and sets o昀昀 damaging weather. - Eat more plants: You don’t have to become Choosing to eat fruits and vegetables a complete vegetarian, unless you want to. instead of meat plays a big part in reducing - Just start by adding more fruits and veggies greenhouse gases. to your plate. 35 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Recipe for bean burger.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. What is fast fashion? What can you do about fast fashion? Stores used to display new clothing 4 - Wear hand-me-downs and share times a year: Winter, Spring, Summer, clothes with others. and Fall. Now new clothes appear in - Ask adults to shop at second-hand stores every week — that’s 52 times a stores. Bonus: Second-hand jeans are year! In the last 20 years, the amount of soft and broken in. clothing made has doubled. - Mend clothing that’s ripped. People want to be stylish, so they - Toss your backpack in the washer to buy more new clothes and trash the “old” clean it instead of buying a new one. ones. And we know what happens when something goes to the land昀椀ll. Bojo Bandango, courtesy of the ‘The Big PickSure Book’ by OuiChoose. Tap/click to check the website out! 37 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Will these Here are just a few of the animals survive animals at risk right now: climate change? - Adélie penguins - Emperor penguins - African forest elephants - Green sea turtles Climate change is right here, right - Asian elephants - Hippopotamuses now. Every living thing on our - Atlantic puffins - Leatherback turtles planet will be a昀昀ected. - Bengal tigers - Monarch butterflies Many animals are already - Black-headed - Mountain gorillas su昀昀ering. Some can’t have babies. squirrel monkeys - North atlantic Some can’t 昀椀nd food. Others can’t - Bumblebees right whales live in the warmer temperatures. - Darwin’s frogs - Polar bears - Duck-billed platypuses - Snow leopards And the thousands of bugs and insects you’ve never heard of. 38 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Activity: C l i mat c e c s aus han t e g or s s e Follow these m t r s t ong t ha he s t de ea t st r steps to draw a o u y bea rt l e c s he ’ green sea s. turtle. e your al r i a oc Sh s on s g n i g w a a t r h d s a he h onon t bb h rr t aa i nnCC w oo ii tt aa eerr #G #Geenn
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Activity: W ar t m em e m per r e at an m ur e Now try butt onar s erf c l h i e drawing a a har s ha v d t e s i urvi me monarch ving. butter昀氀y. e your al r i a oc Sh s on s g n i g w a a t r h d s a he h onon t bb h rr t aa i nnCC w oo ii tt aa eerr #G #Geenn
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Introducing net-zero s s dd nn oouu t t s ss s uu hhii , b, b TT dd ee tt aa cc ii emissions. ll .. ee oompmp mpmpll cc ii y sy s ll aall ee s rs r ’’ tt ii For millions of years when greenhouse gases were released, our Earth soaked up Emissions: a fancy word enough of them to keep the planet healthy. that means the release of Right now, that’s not happening. greenhouse gases. There are so many greenhouse gases being released that the Earth can’t soak them up Net-zero emissions: when fast enough. It just can’t keep up! Remember the Earth can soak up all the the full sponges? So that’s why we need to greenhouse gases we release. work on getting to net zero. 41 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Balancing greenhouse gases. Imagine a see-saw or a scale. On the right of the scale: things that release greenhouse gases like trucks and plastic bottles. On the le昀琀 of the scale: things that soak up greenhouse gases like trees and oceans. If all the greenhouse gases released are removed by the trees and oceans, the scale balances, and we’ve WWhheen tn thhe le leefft at annd rd riigghht st siiddees os of tf thhe e reached net zero. By keeping the scale balanced, the ssccaalle ae arre ae at tt thhe se saamme le leevveell, t, thheey ay arre ie in n Earth stays healthy. bbaallaannccee, a, annd we hd we haavve re reeaacchheed nd neet zt zeerroo.. Right now, there are more greenhouse gases than our Earth can handle, so the scale is not balanced. Scientists want us to balance the scale by the year 2050. 42 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. How bad is it for our Earth if you... play some Did you know that everything you plug in adds to climate change? This is especially MMosostt ss ’’ true if your electricity doesn’t ee oplopl video games? p pee ee ss nn’’ t.t. come from the sun or wind. A d d oo lamp, TV, charging phone – they all release carbon. So does a PlayStation, computer, or anything else you use to play video games. (Not to mention all the plastic it took to make these things.) It’s not a lot of carbon, but it’s still good for you to know. Answer: Not so bad. 43 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. How bad is it for our Earth if you... get car rides A big chunk of the carbon released on our planet comes from vehicles. Cars that run on gas are a part of to places you that. And trucks are even worse. That’s why walking and riding a could walk? bike help our planet. How we choose to get to places matters. Answer: Pretty bad! 44 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. How bad is it for our Earth if you... eat a It’s not just about eating the burger — it’s about all it took to get the burger to cheeseburger? your plate. The food most likely needed machines to be made, and big trucks to get it to stores. Each of those releases a lot of carbon. And before that, there was the cow. Cows need a ton of land and water — so much more than vegetables do. They also burp out methane — a greenhouse gas that traps heat and makes our Earth warmer. Answer: Not so great. For now, try to reduce the amount of meat you eat. 45 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. What can we do? 46 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. How can Start anywhere. kids help? Don’t worry about being perfect. Dry your clothes in the Sun. Remind your teachers, Plant a vegetable garden class parents, and and fruit trees. When you see things coaches: like bananas wrapped in No camping trip, class Use a refillable water bottle. plastic, point out to adults party, or soccer game Trucks that transport heavy how bananas this is. needs to include plastic water bottles release a lot water bottles! of carbon. Adults don’t always see things the way kids do. Get The Carbon Almanac for the adults in your life. You can borrow it from the library or learn more here. 47 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Print out the next page. Let’s get people’s attention! To get the people you live with to understand what’s happening to our Earth too, print out and post the fast facts on the next page, on your bathroom wall. Yes, even your bathroom can be a classroom! 48 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
FAST FACTS ABOUT Climate Change. - People use coal, oil, and gas for fuel. These fossil fuels allow people to drive cars and make electricity. - Fossil fuels release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. - Carbon dioxide traps heat. BIG changes are needed to - Trapped heat makes our Earth warmer. stop climate change like: - It may not feel warmer outside - Passing laws against companies from selling our door, but just a tiny increase in things that harm our Earth. temperature has a big impact, like serious - Making electricity from Sun and wind. storms, flooding, and droughts. - Voting for people who can make laws against harming our Earth. - Storms damage buildings, homes, - Teaching others about climate change. Lots animals, and our Earth. of people don’t know about this stuff. Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Want more? Visit thecarbonalmanac.org.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. You can help reduce the use of fossil fuel: Reuse Electric Sun and plastics vehicles wind The next time you Is your family Teach an adult this: get a plastic fork, buying a new car? You can now buy save it and use it Encourage them electricity made by over and over again. to consider electric 100% Sun and wind. Plastic is made from vehicles that need And it’s usually not fossil fuels, and most no gasoline. more expensive! people toss plastic Check your local after just one use. electric company’s website to learn how. 50 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation “If I have kids in 2050, I don’t want Carbon: them to have to deal with a broken It’s time to start. planet because nobody acted when they could.” “ Matthew N. Age 15, Boston, Massachusetts THINK BIG”ideas kids can teach adults. YOU can make a di昀昀erence! Where can you begin to help the planet? Greta Thunberg, the young Swedish climate activist, changed her parents’ minds FIRST. She showed them facts. They watched movies about the environment together. But the change did not happen right away. Greta kept pushing until the grown-ups REALLY listened. Children are Here’s a list of things better than grown-ups at making people take action — no you can teach some surprises there, kids are awesome! grown-ups. 51 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. These actions make a - Start a bike-to-school club to reduce di昀昀erence! the carbon released by the cars at HUGE school drop-o昀昀s. - Have your school o昀케cer hang signs asking drivers to turn o昀昀 cars when picking up kids. - Ask your teacher to make the theme of this year’s science fair all about climate change. - Teach 昀椀ve grown-ups what you know about climate change. Ask them to These are just ideas. Start with teach 昀椀ve more people. See how things anything you can dream up. can spread? Our Earth doesn’t need you to be perfect. It just needs you to start.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. More actions that make a di昀昀erence! - Turn o昀昀 the lights you don’t need. Wasted electricity means more carbon that’s released. - Run a class contest to see who can keep - Close doors right away so heat their pencil for the longest amount of doesn’t escape. time. It’s important to not throw things away when they are still useful. Because - Borrow items like jewelry, tools, carbon is released to make things too. and games so factories don’t release - Ask your principal to turn down the heat carbon making new stu昀昀. to instantly reduce the carbon being - Next time you choose your meal, released. Especially if kids are wearing choose a veggie burger. Or make the shorts in the colder months! bean burger recipe from this book. 53 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Activity: Planet-saving cra昀琀: Class T-shirts. Instructions by Jodi Levine for Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Bright T-shirts can help your teacher make sure the whole class stays together on a 昀椀eld trip and show your school spirit. But it’s not cool to wear a shirt that says, “3rd Graders Rock” when you’re in 4th grade. So, class shirts tend to get tossed a昀琀er just a few wears. For your next class party or 昀椀eld trip, make these bright class T-shirts. But don’t take them home – leave them for your teacher to use year a昀琀er year. This way, T-shirts will stay out of land昀椀lls. Forward to your teacher, scout leader, or class parent. 54 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Activity: Forward to your teacher, scout leader, or class parent. Planet-saving cra昀琀: Class T-shirts. 1 2 3 - Use a baby potato with - Slide a cardboard - Dip the cut end of the a pointy bottom. sheet into the T-shirt so potato into acrylic the paint won’t bleed paint or fabric paint. - Cut it in half with a through to the back. knife. This will create a - Stamp your pattern on teardrop shape. - Plan your shirt design. the T-shirt! Print twice Kids, please get an adult Use small pieces of in a V-shape to create to help with the cutting. masking tape to help a heart shape. plan the spacings. 55 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Jobs that will help save the Earth. Park rangers: Protect Want to take your mission even Environmental teachers: parks and the people further? Great. We need you. Now Teach students what they visiting them. there are all kinds of ways you can need to know to protect do this. the planet. But let’s talk about a big one: Futurists: Imagine a When you grow up, you could better world and help choose a job that helps to save the Environmental scientists: people get there! Earth. Here are 5 of them: Investigate climate e e change. (Kind of like an e ae arr Eco-Inventors: ss Earth doctor!) hhee d td t AAnn !! ww ee Create Earth-saving t a ft a f ss uu jj inventions. (You’ll see some of these coming up soon!) 56 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Be a climate activist. You could also become a climate activist, which is a name for anyone who takes action to 昀椀ght climate change. Sometimes this is a job. Other times? It’s just something people do. Greta Thunberg decided to take action as a kid. Now at age 19 she is one of the world’s most well-known climate activists. Just like Greta, you don’t need to be an adult “You are to be a climate activist. If you wanted, you could become one today. never too There are so many things you can do to start small to making a di昀昀erence. Like completing your mission to teach 5 adults make a about climate change. You’re doing awesome so far! difference.” - Greta Thunberg 57 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. You can invent things that’ll get us out of this mess. Draw your own eco- invention and share it with us using the hashtag #GenerationCarbon. 58 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Merch for our Earth. You already know about using your voice to teach others. How about raising money to support climate change organizations? “Upcycling” means taking something headed for the trash bin and turning it into something useful. You can upcycle old mugs, shirts, hats, lunchboxes, or anything else lying around your home. Think about how you can upcycle items, and sell them. Then you can use your money to donate to organizations that you care about. 59 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Merch ideas. To decorate clothes: - Launder the clothing. - Use fabric paint or fabric To upcycle pottery, dishes, and mugs: markers. And you can even paint - Wash and dry the item before painting it. and decorate over any stains! - Use acrylic enamel paint. Check with an adult to - Make sure the paint stays where make sure the paint you are using is dishwasher you want it by putting a scrap safe. This way your decorations will stay on even of cardboard under the fabric, if the item is washed in a dishwasher. and taping the clothing to your - Think of creative things to paint — globes, work surface. animals, rainbows — use your imagination. - Follow the instructions on the paint bottle. Let dry completely. Be patient! Some paints also need to be baked. Have an adult help you! 60 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Sell your Now that you have upcycled merchandise (a fancy Merch. word for “stu昀昀”), it’s time to hold a pop-up sale! Find a folding table and draw a sign. Let people know that you have upcycled merch to sell because YOU are doing your part to help Earth! Set up your table on a sidewalk, at the end of your driveway, at a farmer’s market, or any safe place where people gather. You can also list your items for sale online with the help of an adult. Make sure people know what you will do with the money. You can search online for organizations that help animals, protect trees, clean up oceans, or any other part of protecting the planet that you really care about. You can do this! 61 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. And of course, talking about climate change helps a lot. Time to train! Think of this like a special training session to help you on your mission. Like the scene in “Raya and the Last Dragon” where Raya’s dad teaches her to protect the gem. Or better yet, the scenes where Moana practices what she’ll say to introduce herself to Maui. Ready? Let’s go! 62 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Explain how climate change is causing weird weather. Use words everyone will understand, even if they don’t know a lot about this stuff . How to Take your turn teach this listening, too. stu昀昀: Agree on a positive After you listen, goal, like how you repeat what you each want a better heard. (This will show future. you care about what the other person thinks.) 63 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. How does it feel? A simple experiment kids can do with adults. 64 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. So know that this is normal — expecting it can help. People don’t always agree or think about Take deep breaths things the same way. Be ready if you start to feel nervous or frustrated for di昀昀erent as you listen. opinions. These talks don’t have to be It might help to perfect to make a talk about wacky difference. You just weather. Weather is need to begin. something on which most people agree. 65 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Your mission: Teach 5 adults Alright, it’s time to start. You now have a ton of climate knowledge. You know your stu昀昀. And your voice? It’s powerful. Always has been. Time to use both your knowledge and Print out the voice to teach 昀椀ve adults about climate next page. change. Let’s come up with a game plan, so you can help save our planet! What is the most useful thing you’ve learned? “That I should never give up.” 66 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more. Lucija, age 11, Zurich Switzerland
GAME PLAN Talk tracker FOR YOUR MISSION TO Who you could teach: When you could teach them: Did you teach them? TEACH 5 ADULTS. Write down the name of any adult Is there a day you’ll see them Circle yes or no. Each time you can teach. Need ideas? Teacher, soon? If not, guess when you you circle yes, color in or Start by filling in who you Principal, Aunt, Uncle, Grandparent, could teach them! check off a star below! could teach and when. Cousin, Neighbor, Family Friend. Then track your progress in the last column. 1 Yes / No There’s extra space, because you might not get to talk to 2 Yes / No everyone you think of. 3 Yes / No 4 Yes / No 5 Yes / No 6 Yes / No 7 Yes / No “The moment we decide to ful昀椀ll something we can do 8 Yes / No anything.” – Greta Thunberg 9 Yes / No Completed all of your stars? 10 Yes / No YOU DID IT! Here’s what to do next: - Take time to celebrate. You are amazing! - Visit carbonalmanac.org/genc to get your Changemaker Certificate. 1 2 3 4 5 - Let this be the beginning. Let’s keep working together to save our planet! Generation Carbon: It’s time to start.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. p p aa tt // kk cc ii ll y cy c ll d d mpmp nn SSii d ad a aa oo ll wwnn oo ee ee o do d rr tt hhe fe f t tt t nn ii !! prpr aardrd g gaammee Your most fun mission tool: bboo The Climate Quest Board Game. Here’s a fun way to teach adults about climate change: Invite them to play a game with you. And we have just - Make sure you have the one… about 15 minutes. Introducing Climate Quest, a simple board game - Best with 2-4 that will lead you down the path to a net-zero future. players, ages 7-11. Climate Quest takes you on a journey through - Play with adults to four big things that contribute to climate change: Food, teach them or with transportation, energy, and manufacturing. For each, friends just for fun! you’ll take climate actions and 昀椀nd out how they help or hurt our Earth. Ready to take the quest? Game time! 68 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
SPECIAL INVITATION Ready to learn how Invite others to join Join my planet- you can help save this mission! saving team! our planet? Print these cards and pass Get your free copy of Generation Get your free copy of Generation them out at school, stick them Carbon: It’s Time to Start at Carbon: It’s Time to Start at on a birthday gift, or hide carbonalmanac.org/kids carbonalmanac.org/kids them somewhere fun for a friend to find. SPECIAL INVITATION Ready to learn how SPECIAL INVITATION Join my planet- you can help save Join my planet- saving team! our planet? saving team! Get your free copy of Generation Get your free copy of Generation Get your free copy of Generation Carbon: It’s Time to Start at Carbon: It’s Time to Start at Carbon: It’s Time to Start at carbonalmanac.org/kids carbonalmanac.org/kids carbonalmanac.org/kids Ready to learn how SPECIAL INVITATION Ready to learn how you can help save Join my planet- you can help save our planet? saving team! our planet? Get your free copy of Generation Get your free copy of Generation Get your free copy of Generation Carbon: It’s Time to Start at Carbon: It’s Time to Start at Carbon: It’s Time to Start at carbonalmanac.org/kids carbonalmanac.org/kids carbonalmanac.org/kids SPECIAL INVITATION Ready to learn how SPECIAL INVITATION Join my planet- you can help save Join my planet- saving team! our planet? saving team! Get your free copy of Generation Get your free copy of Generation Get your free copy of Generation Carbon: It’s Time to Start at Carbon: It’s Time to Start at Carbon: It’s Time to Start at carbonalmanac.org/kids carbonalmanac.org/kids carbonalmanac.org/kids
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Thebiggest di昀昀erence comes fromacting together with others. And remember, the planet doesn’t need you to be perfect, it just needs you to start. 70 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Carry these lessons with you, PECTFULand go make a RES ruckus for our planet! ining ra n T o i sess e! omplethis. c t t e go v ou’ Y 71 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Kid Contributor Page Matilde Righi Ivan Edie Chua Rory Age 8, Bologna, Italy Age 8, Minneapolis, MN Age 7, Toronto, Canada Age 5, California Aubrielle Lucija Biuk Matthew NeJame Arlo DeCardenas Age 8, Grand Rapids, MI Age 11, Zurich, Switzerland Age 15, Boston, Massachusetts Age 18, Fort Worth, Texas Grace Elizabeth Granger Grayson Julia Ankenmann Toronto, Canada Toronto, Canada Age 6, Age 11, San Francisco, CA Age 5, Detroit, MI Age 15, 72
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. Adam Powers Jennifer Myers Chua Robert Gehorsam AJ Reisman Jennifer Hole Roc Bata Allan Ling Jessica P. Schmid Ronald Zorrilla Amanda Hsiung-Blodgett Jessica Zou Ross Martin Grown-up Andrea Hunter Jodi Levine Sally Olarte Andrei Ungureanu Kamilla Cospen Samantha Contributor Aroop Rayu Karen Mullins Sam Schuffenecker Avaleen Morris Karin Schildknecht Sebastien Thiroux Page Azin Katharina Tolle Seth Godin Barbara Orsi Katherine Palmer Simon Davie Babet Katie Boyer Clark Sonal Singh People from all over the world Bruce E Clark Kirsten Campbell Stephanie Morrison wrote this book. Bruce Glick Kristy Sharrow Steve Wexler Bruce Macaulay Laura Shimili Sunny Logsdon We had one mission: To spread Bulama Yusuf Leah Granger Susana Juárez the word about climate change. Calo Amico Leah Phinney Tania Marien Carl Simpson Leekei Tang Tanvi Muppala Now it’s your turn. Carolanne Petrusiak Leo Heise Tobias Welz Corey Girard Lindsay Hamilton Tonya Downing Gather your friends and do Covington Doan Lisa Duncan Warrie Warrie something that spreads the Darin Simmons Louise Carleton-Gertsch Winny Knust-Graichen climate change message. David William Fitzgerald Louise Karch Yan Tougas Desislava Dermishkova Maia Richardson Yve Alecia Smith ed Dorothy Coletta Manon Doran Zrinka Zvonarević It’s time to start. Elena Madalina Florescu Marty Martens We Etrit Shkreli Mary Ann Cabaltera Eva Forde Mary Elizabeth Sheehan Felice Della Gatta Max Francis Fernando Laudares Camargos Mayank Trivedi Illustrator: Michi Mathias Friedrich Blase Blase Melissa Designer: boon Lim Gillian McAinsh Mona Tellier Giuseppe Celestino Nicté Rivera Typeface credits: Inbar Lee Hyams Olimpia Turnip, David Jonathan Ross Jacqui Phillips Paige NeJame Averta, Kostas Bartsokas James Tunnicliffe Peter Stein Jeff Script, Gennady Fridman Jennifer Simpson Pieter Visser Minneapolis, FontPanda 73
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. The podcast “Why is there so much plastic in the ocean?” for curious “What pollutes the air, and how does it get there?” kids! “Will the polar bears have enough food because of climate change?” Hey, Gen C Changemakers! Generation Carbon is the podcast where kids like you help grown-ups like us save the planet. Kids have tough questions about climate change, and you deserve the answers. We’ll hear from friends, animals, classrooms, scientists, experts, and changemakers like you. And if you’re interested in submitting your own scienti昀椀c 昀椀ndings for an episode, we need Gen C science-minded reporters on the case! Visit thecarbonalmanac.org/genc for more information, and be sure to subscribe on your podcast app. Let’s change the world, Changemakers! Click/tap for Apple podcasts, or Google podcasts. 74 | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more.
Generation Carbon: It’s time to start. The Earth doesn’t need you to be perfect, it just needs you to start. | Check out The Carbon Almanac to learn more. Want to share this ebook? Click here.
