Being GREEN

At our Earth Day Assembly, everyone was challenged to BE GREEN.  Here's Mr. Cressman's inspiring Earth Day Speech...

There’s something you should know about me.   My favourite colour is, and has always been, GREEN!  I think GREEN is the best colour ever.   

Fruit!  Veggies!  I just can’t get enough GREEN.  My birthday cake that my mom made me… yep, it’s GREEN!   And tasty too!   Thanks Mom.  

When I was a kid, I love the book, GREEN Eggs And Ham by Dr. Seuss.   Speaking of Seuss, the Grinch is amazingly GREEN. 

Come to think of it, there are lots of famous GREEN characters.  The Wicked Witch of the West…  she’s GREEN! So is Shrek. And Disgust from Inside Out.  And, of course, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!  And we can’t forget Kermit, the Frog.   He’s as GREEN as it gets.  

There’s no denying it.  GREEN is great!   After all, GREEN means GO.   Go GREEN!

Seriously, there are so many reasons to love GREEN.  Still, I love GREEN mostly because GREEN is the colour of nature.  Plants, grass, and trees… especially trees. 

Maybe that’s why being eco-friendly is called ‘being GREEN’.  If your actions are friendly to the earth, they are considered GREEN.  If your actions are

friendly to the earth, YOU are considered GREEN.  You should be proud of all your GREEN efforts.  You should be proud of being GREEN.

So, on Earth Day (and every day), let’s challenge ourselves to be GREEN.  And let’s aspire to be GREENer than ever.

Walking or riding to school… that’s GREEN.  Encourage your family to leave the car at home more often.

A waste-free lunch… totally GREEN.   Even if your apple is red.

Refilling your bottle with tap water… that’s GREEN.  And it’s healthy too.

Reusable coffee cups and reusable juice containers … they’re GREEN!   There’s no waste!

Turning the lights off / using less energy… big time GREEN. 

Working in the garden, planting trees… undeniably GREEN!

Cleaning up litter… very GREEN.    Thanks Jackman for taking time to make our neighbourhood clean again. 

Think back to our eco assembly at the beginning of the school year.   I encouraged everyone at Jackman to Reduce, Reuse & Recycle as much as possible. That’s 3 very important ways to be GREEN. Composting… well, that’s brown… but GREEN!  Landfill.  That’s just YUCK!   Totally NOT GREEN.  

To be honest, being GREEN isn’t easy.   Sometimes, it’s a lot of work!   And being GREEN isn’t convenient.   Unfortunately, many people choose convenience over GREENness. Here are some examples.

Store-bought cookies are convenient.  Homemade cookies are GREEN.  Making cookies take a little time and work.  But we all know which one tastes better. 

Buying plastic water bottles is convenient.   Filling a reusable water bottle with tap water is GREEN.  It just takes a little thought and planning.   Don’t leave home without it. 

 

Using plastic shopping bags when you’re shopping is convenient.   Shopping with a reusable bag is GREEN.  Again, it just takes a little thought and planning.  Be prepared when you go shopping.

Even though being GREEN needs an extra effort, we know just how important it is.  It may not be convenient, but it’s the right thing to do.  Do it for the Earth!

Think about something you can do to be GREEN at school, at home, or in the community.  Make a goal. Got one?   It’s time to make GREEN happen. Go GREEN!

Forget orange, blue, red, pink, purple…  please join me.  Add GREEN to your list of favourite colours.   And let your eco actions show it.

Happy Earth Day Everyone!   Go GREEN, Jackman!