PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, APRIL 26, 2019
for kids
by kids
Arbor Day started with a president who cared
In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt gave a proclamation, as
presidents do; this one, however, was diff erent than most speeches.
This one was written for and given to students. The thought of a
President writing a speech for people my age seems kind of strange.
That is until you read it. The general idea of the speech is that the
younger generation needs to care about trees, but we’ll get to that in
a second. But, why was the President talking to school children about
trees?
Arbor Day is a holiday that is dedicated to the planting of trees.
The fi rst American Arbor day was in Nebraska City, Nebraska in 1872.
The holiday gained popularity and, in 1906, even the President saw
the importance of it. He gave several speeches on the importance of
conserving the forest to the lumber industry; but Major Israel McCreight
had a diff erent idea. He urged Roosevelt to give a speech to the youth.
Throughout history humans have had a nasty habit of using, and
wasting, resources and not caring about replacing them until they’re
almost gone. In Roosevelt’s speech, he said, “Any nation which in its
youth lives only for the day, reaps without sowing.” That means any
nation that takes without replacing, is going to fail in the future.
“A people without children would face a hopeless future; a country
without trees is almost as hopeless; forests which are so used that
they cannot renew themselves will soon vanish, and with them all
their benefi ts,” he said. This is why we replace trees on
Arbor Day. Ideally, for every tree that got cut down
,another would be replaced. It wasn’t until we
were in danger of losing our forests that we
started taking steps to reverse the damage.
In the same address Roosevelt said, “In your
full manhood and womanhood, you will want
what nature once so bountifully supplied, and man so
thoughtlessly destroyed; and because of that want you will reproach us,
not for what we have used, but for what we have wasted.” Using natural
resources is not a bad thing so long as they are used responsibly and
replaced so that others can use them, too.
“The road to success is the right use of what we have and the
improvement of present opportunity,” Roosevelt said. Just because
something is good does not mean that we should stop improving. At
one point in time there were cellphones as big as a brick, before that
there were pay phones, and before that you could only call someone
from your house.
Arbor Day is important because it forces us to look forward to the
future, to what’s next. It’s a time to give a gift to the next generation.
When a tree is planted as a little tree it doesn’t have much use; but as
years go by it grows into something that can be benefi cial in many ways.
As time went on, Arbor Day, though it is still practiced in some places,
was changed to Earth Day. With less of a focus on planting trees and
more of a focus on preserving the Earth in general.
- All content by Lauren Murphy of No Adults Allowed
The truth about climate
change and how you can help
Look outside on any Oregon day and the sun will be beaming down. Look out the
same window a couple hours later and it’s highly likely that it will be pouring down rain.
While most Oregonians will say, “That’s Oregon weather for you,” unpredictable weather
is a sign of a bigger issue all around the globe.
Over the last century, the temperature of the Earth has risen 1°C. While that may not
seem like a big deal it could have some pretty wild consequences; unpredictable weather
is one of them. Earth’s rising temperature was once known as global warming, now we call
it climate change.
Climate change is caused by the Greenhouse Eff ect when heat from the sun gets trapped
in the Earth’s atmosphere and cooks it like a rotisserie chicken. This is caused by the burning
of fossil fuels like gas for a car.
One big contributor to this eff ect is commercial farming and even silly things like cow
farts. While one little cow toot doesn’t seem like it would be a big deal at all, there are 1.5
billion little cows releasing gas into the atmosphere, which adds up pretty quickly.
Carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse gases that contributes to climate change. It’s the
stuff humans breathe out, but it is also produced in massive amounts by the cars we drive, the
factories that produce the things we buy and, in many places, the power that keeps the lights
on in homes. Trees play a big role in turning carbon dioxide into the oxygen we breathe, but
we are losing trees in massive numbers every year to make more room for humans.
So if the Earth is getting warmer does that mean everywhere will start to feel like Hawaii?
No. The planet will be aff ected more negatively than that. Some areas will get hotter and drier,
others might get more rain, huge ice caps are melting, higher sea levels and the possibility
of more devastating storms like hurricanes and tornadoes are very real. Rain might not seem
like a huge deal to Oregonians, but its a big deal if it goes away in other places. If it continues,
farmers may resort to using harsh chemicals to save money on their crops, chemicals that
can ruin the soil for years to come.
Climate change also aff ects more than just humans and plants, it aff ects the critters,
too. Animals who live in the poles (polar bears, penguins, seals etc.) are losing their homes.
According to National Geographic for Kids, experts believe that the Arctic sea ice is melting
at a shocking rate – 9 percent per decade! Animals that live in the rainforests are losing their
homes due to the cutting and burning of forests. In areas where the sea levels are on the
rise, sea turtles eggs on beaches are threatened.
All of this is why you need to do your part every day. Find ways to reduce the
amount of trash you create, plant a tree and pick up litter when you see it on
the ground. We only have one Earth and we need to keep it safe and
healthy for everyone.
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One big contributor to
climate change is human
waste. So what can we do with
all of our plastic bottles? While
there are many ideas online,
this alternative use for a water bottle caught my eye.
Cut the bottle in half
Paint the bottle, mine is painted blue and green in
honor of the earth and conservation. Let it dry, this takes
a long time.
You have a couple of options next: you can plant an
already-sprouted plant or you can plant seeds. If you’re
choosing to plant an already grown plant, be sure to pick
something that lives well in pots. You might want to do this
outside so that you don’t make a mess. Move the plant from
the pot it came in the store to the painted water bottle.
If you’re planting seeds follow the instructions on the
bag. Be sure to follow the care instructions for the plant.
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