Lin Oliver joined our effort this years too. Lin is the renowned author of the Who Shrunk Daniel Funk? series, Henry Winkler’s co-author on the Hank Zipzer series, a respected television executive and beloved co-founder of SCBWI. After one of her April talks, she donated 50% of her speaking fee to Heal the Bay in honor of A4ED.

To date, our coalition has given voice to young readers across the United States—in FL, AZ, NY, PA, NJ, CA, CT, AR, IL & VT—and we even went international this year with an A4ED author visit in Queensland, Australia (good on ya, Michelle.) Indeed, thousands of students have already benefitted from the generosity of our amazing authors and our contributions to conservation have grown to over $15,750!

Student votes at our 2012 A4ED school visits directed funds to many organizations: National Park Foundation, World Wildlife Fund, Humane Society of the United States, Southwest Wildlife, Audubon Arkansas, Australian Koala Foundation, Watershed Nature Center, Phoenix Zoo Conservation Fund, and Kitts Sea Turtle Monitoring Network.

We hope the leadership of our prestigious team inspires more eco-minded authors and illustrators to join Authors for Earth Day. By giving kids the power to shape their future, we shape our own. And the rewards are plentiful. Author Barb Gowan recently wrote of her A4ED experience, “I’ve benefitted in ways that words can’t express.”

In my book series, Amazing Animal Features, children not only learn about unique animal features, they learn about many of the animals’ habitats and why they’re important.  Earth Day is the perfect time to read and talk to children about animals and how they need their habitats for food and protection. For example, the rhinoceros hornbill eats fruit from trees in the rainforest where they live. The platypus is just one of many animals that makes its home in rivers and streams.  By protecting the rainforest and keeping our rivers and streams clean, these animals can be assured a protected habitat.

Books about animals are not only fun to write, children find them fun to read . Why not take the time to share and explore some of your favorite animal books with the young people in your life? The animals will thank you!

Linda Bozzo is the author of over 30 nonfiction books for the school and library market, most of which are about animals! She is excited to join Authors for Earth Day in promoting environment awareness. For more information about Linda and her books, visit her website at www.lindabozzo.com.

author Linda Crotta Brennan as a little girl - before the Earth Day movement was founded

My publisher at Apprentice Shop Books, Muriel Dubois, had put out a call for proposals for a new series on turning points in American history. I asked my husband for suggestions. Being a pharmacist, he came up with medical-related things like the invention of antibiotics or the discovery of DNA. None of those topics excited me. Then he told me he’d heard an NPR broadcast on the impact of the first Earth Day. I knew that was it, a topic at the intersection of two of my passions, the environment and history.

I played hooky from a meeting that evening to work up my proposal and sent it off late that night. When I opened my email at 7:30 the next morning, I already had a go from my publisher.

This was not going to be the usual Earth Day book about planting trees and recycling. I wanted to show kids what conditions were like before Earth Day, when there was little or no environmental protection. It’s important for kids to know what that meant, especially now, when some are trying to weaken our regulations.

During my research, I watched videos of men spraying kids with DDT as they waited in line for the school bus. I learned about rivers that were so polluted they caught fire. In my book, I wanted to document the changing attitudes. I opened one chapter with this line: “Folks in Donora, Pennsylvania were proud of their pollution. In the Donora of 1948, pollution meant progress and prosperity, at least until a smog descended on the city that left over 6,000 people sick and twenty people dead.”

“By the 1960’s Americans had begun to worry about the threats to their environment, but it took two environmental heroes, Senator Gaylord Nelson and Denis Hayes, the creators of Earth Day, to wake up congress and the president to the dangers.” Because of their vision and their efforts, that first Earth Day, on April 22, 1970, was the largest demonstration in American history. It’s estimated that 20,000,000 people took part, about a tenth of the population of the United States.

That got the attention of our elected officials. Soon after, President Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency. Congress passed the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act. Most of the environmental protections we enjoy today were enacted in the decade following the first Earth Day. It was a turning point in American history.

Climate change, deforestation, oil spills; environmental problems continue to plague us. To quote Senator Gaylord Nelson, “Are we able to meet the challenge? Yes. Are we willing? That is the unanswered question.”

Linda Crotta Brennan is the author of Flannel Kisses, Marshmallow Kisses, and The Black Regiment of the American Revolution. Her book, When Rivers Burned: The Earth Day Story, will be out from Apprentice Shop Books next year. Look for it! For more information about Linda and her books, visit her website at www.lindacrottabrennan.com

Different kinds of birds called flycatchers roost between the evergreen needles, and tree swallows look for holes in the locusts’ trunks. Swallows and flycatchers eat many insects and I love to watch them darting over fields, snatching bugs for their lunch. Underneath the trees grow snow asters, goldenrod and other low plants where insects deposit eggs along twigs or attach cocoons. Some of the insects attack our alfalfa plants, but other beneficial bugs, such as praying mantis or lace wings eat the ones that harm our crops.

On hot summer afternoons, my husband and I rest in the shade of the trees when taking a break from baling hay or weeding a long row of raspberry plants. The living fences also resist the constant winds that blow off of Lake Michigan. These winds shove snow into drifts and can pick up and carry away soil from a freshly tilled field, but the grid of hedgerows protects our soil from wind erosion. When heavy rains pour, the tree roots absorb moisture and also limit soil erosion. The black locusts’ blossoms not only feed bees, but their roots “fix” nitrogen that fertilizes the ground.

As organic farmers, we want to do all that we can to protect our soil. When the folks who come to you-pick our fruit and ask questions about organic farming, I avoid talking about what we don’t do, such as using toxic pesticides or herbicides, but I emphasize how organic farmers work to improve an ecosystem. I explain that we add compost and minerals to our dirt to improve its fertility because healthy soil will grow healthy plants that can resist diseases and even pests. My husband sprays fish emulsion, a smelly brown goo, and liquid seaweed to fertilize our blueberry bushes’ leaves. Vigorous bushes will produce tastier and sweeter fruit that I believe is better for us. I point to the hedgerows and explain how the trees protect my land.

Like most organic farmers, I want to work with the earth; this is why we use solar panels and a wind generator to make electricity for our home. We’ve also planted acres of wildflowers, red and pink poppies, blue bachelor buttons and white daisies to feed bees. For me, organic farming is not just a job, but a way of living that begins with simple acts, planting trees, sowing a small bed of flowers, playing in the yard instead of driving somewhere in a car.

No matter where we live, we can work together to help our planet. Like those rows and rows of trees encircling my farm, when we link our actions, we become a living fence that protects our earth.

Here is a quote from the Rutgers University’s Economics for Kids review of my latest novel:

“On Viney’s Mountain offers an old-fashioned love story wrapped around a plot based on some fundamental economic principles. The protection of natural resources, the development of farming and herding skills, the requirements for establishing a lumber industry, and conflicts over the distribution of property rights are all important economic ideas that the author uses to motivate the storyline. A fiercely independent and incredibly stubborn lead female character further contributes to the potency of this richly-satisfying work of historical fiction.”

Joan Donaldson is an award-winning author of books for young readers, from picture books to YA novels. She also does podcasts for WMUK Public Radio from Western Michigan University. To learn more about Joan’s unique farm life and her books, visit www.joandonaldson.com.

Come to find out, just how many trees go into producing a book varies by paper type, whether or not the pages are coated, and cut size. The website Conservatree has several calculations to determine how many trees might be used to make various types of paper.

The site got me thinking. As a writer whose work and product revolves around paper, I’m responsible for making a concerted effort to conserve and reduce the amount of paper I use. So in my office, here are some things that I do:

• I make quick notes about stories I’m working on on scrap paper such as white envelopes that come with bills or junk mail, and the backside of grocery lists.
• When I mark pages in books that I’m reading to research a nonfiction story, I tear post-it notes into smaller sizes and use those instead of full-size Post-its.
• When I print out stories to edit on paper, I print them on the backside of already printed on sheets of paper. When both sides are used, I recycle the paper.
• I limit the number of drafts I print out. Instead I work mostly on my laptop to do my editing.

When it comes to printed books, I advocate getting rid of the jacket cover and just printing the information on the hard cover.

Some of my creative friends have repurposed old books into journals and notebooks by reusing the covers and adding blank pages inside made of recycled paper. Rather than throwing out falling apart books, I’ve seen artists use the pages to print images on and then frame the new art.

Teachers can take old pages of books and cut them into squares for kids to make origami art with, or cut out the artwork in the book to make greeting cards.

On Conservatree there’s a link to see what else you can do to save paper. Let’s save more trees, one sheet at a time.

Natasha Wing is the author of over 20 children’s books, including An Eye for Color: The Story of Josef Albers, and The Night Before series. Learn more about Natasha and her work at www.natashawing.com.

Our blog inspires readers to go green year round. But our big annual event takes place in April when A4ED participants schedule special school visits to promote literacy and raise money for conservation.

Each author provides a list of five conservation organizations or “nominees” to their host school and then based on a student vote the day of their visit, the author generously donates 30-100% of their speaking fee to the winning organization. Most children have never had a voice in the world so it’s quite amazing to empower a whole school in this special way. 

An A4ED school visit is one of the most far-reaching actions an author or illustrator can take because the impact of our whole coalition is so much bigger than our individual events. Authors for Earth Day has already reached thousands of students from California to New York and raised over $10K to support conservation! And we’re just getting started—imagine the potential as our coalition grows! Each author has their own Participant Page that includes info about their books and schools visits, along with photos and video links, so readers like you can learn more about them. And yes, we have several famous authors in our ranks!

It’s not too late to help us for 2012. If you know any school teachers or librarians seeking a rich experience for their students, please encourage them to host an Authors for Earth Day visit at their school. They can learn how through our A4ED website.

I write the phrase on the board. I hear other students saying, “Yeah,” and, “That’s a good one.” I turn and ask for other suggestions. The students are brainstorming possible book titles for a collection of their creative nonfiction stories. It’s spring, 2011. I am the “artist-in-residence” at an elementary school in Flagstaff, Arizona. I’m more specifically a writing coach/social studies teacher, giving the students factual information and prompts, so they can write their own stories, springing from the rich history, the diverse environments and people that make up the American Southwest. With some generous funding from the local children’s museum, we’re making an actual printed book with store-quality covers and a table of contents with all the student-authors’ names. Each author will get a copy.

After their teacher and I count up the votes, “Creatures of the West” is the clear winner for our title. “But not all the stories are about animals,” one student points out. “Some are about people.”

It’s then that I say maybe the most important thing I’ve said all spring: “People are creatures.” This rolls into a lively yet all-too-short discussion. Later, I think how crucial it is for a young person, for any person of any age, to see that our cars, computers, and smart phones, our drive-through and plastic wrapped food, our sealed up, temperature controlled houses, schools, and offices, often make us forget we’re animals too. We need to be reminded we’re not so different from tigers, flittering bats, skittering chickarees, and ladybugs, who need to fly away home. Because we alone, amongst all the living critters, the timber wolves, coyotes, rhino, field mice, and grizzly bears, need to be reminded that we are home. Don’t we all ride this same fantastic rock through a skyway of stars? And who amongst us passengers isn’t trying to make a living, recover from the effort, or fill the time in-between?

To begin to instill in children, to instill in anyone, a feeling of compassion towards the Earth and all of its inhabitants, maybe the first step is to simply point out that humans are creatures amongst many other creatures of the north, south, east, and west.

Matthew Henry Hall is the author of the children’s book Phoebe and Chub among other acclaimed titles. He is also a cartoonist and a singer. Visit him at http://www.matthewhenryhall.com.

© 2011, Matthew Henry Hall | Photo: Mike Frick. All Rights Reserved.

But today some life on earth is threatened not because of natural changes in the world but because of human activities.  Human beings have taken up the stewardship of the world, but we haven’t done a very good job lately.  We need to do better.  And fast.

One thing I’ve noticed about people over my own lifetime is that when they know more about something or someone, they often care about it or them.  Familiarity can strengthen our sense of responsibility toward others.  If a friend is in trouble, we are more likely to reach out a helping hand.

This is one reason why I like to write stories with animal main characters.  I find out as much as I can about the animals and then I use that information to write scenes that help my readers get to know what the animals’ lives are truly like.  So my animals aren’t merely people in disguise – no, my frogs have frog concerns, my swans have swan habits, my warthogs face and offer typical warthog behavior.  Readers get to feel like the animals – they see the daily struggles, the threats, but also the joys and satisfactions.  They get to pretend like they are the animals while they’re reading the book – it’s a vicarious experience.  And my hope is that the familiarity they gain with each animal will make them look at these animals with care and want to reach out a helping hand.

My daughter Eva is a veterinarian, and together we wrote a book about bonobos: BOBBY THE BOLD.  Dial published it in 2006.  Bonobos are a lot like chimpanzees, and they live in the Congo.  They are the rarest great ape and the least familiar one to people.  They are marvelous creatures, very peaceable and intelligent.  And they are among the most endangered of the African primates because of loss of habitat and exploitation by humans.

Eva and I have also written a story called TAKE YOUR TIME, about a Galapagos tortoise.  It will come out with Henry Holt Publisher when the illustrator, Lita Judge, finishes it.  These friendly vegetarians are the world’s largest tortoises.  And they are endangered because people eat their eggs and kill them for their shells, and people are polluting their islands.

I hope you’ll look for all my animal books and pass them to others.  The more friends these animals make, the more hands there will be helping to stave off extinction.

Donna Jo Napoli has written dozens of award-winning books from picture books to YA, contemporary fiction to fantasy to historical novels, mathematics tales and science tales as well as books geared toward helping deaf people learn to read. Visit www.donnajonapoli.com/ to learn more.

Marianne and students at Jupiter Farms Elementary with ocean masks they crafted for the event

The Authors for Earth Day event at Jupiter Farms Elementary School that I participated in, thanks to Sylvan Learning Center, empowered kids to help care for our earth.

Author visits by Suzy Kline (NY), Dan Gutman (PA), Conrad Storad and Brooke Bessesen (AZ) and me (FL) inspired thousands of students toward smart environmental stewardship. Together we raised money for conservation, bringing the two-year total A4ED contributions to $10,350! (This was the 2nd year for this very worthwhile event.)

The not-for-profit conservation organizations that received donations this year were: Clearwater Environmental Organization, Greenpeace, Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, Phoenix Zoo Conservation and World Wildlife Fund. If you know where Busch Wildlife Sanctuary is, you’ve figured out which one the terrific kids at Jupiter Farms Elementary voted for.

Busch Wildlife is dedicated to the protection and conservation of Florida’s wildlife. It offers the whole family an opportunity not just to see animals but to learn about nature and wildlife. Nature trails lead visitors to wildlife exhibits of native Florida animals. There is also a wildlife hospital designed to take care of sick, injured and orphaned wild animals. Thousands of animals have received care there.

Kudos to everyone who made Authors for Earth Day 2011 possible, especially to Brooke Bessesen who organizes the event every year. Hopefully next year even more “eco-minded” authors and illustrators will donate their time (just one day a year) to visit a school in their area for Authors for Earth Day and give kids “a voice” to help care for our planet.

Marianne Berkes is the author of several children’s books, including Over in the Ocean and Marsh Music. Her newest title Animalogy will be released August 2011. Learn more about Marianne and all of her books visit www.marianneberkes.com.

Human beings are going to HAVE to change, whether we want to or not. It’s just a question of whether we change NOW, when we still have time, or if we change LATER, when it may be too late.

Did you see the movie Titanic? The ship slammed into the iceberg because the lookouts didn’t see it until they were almost upon it. If they had seen the iceberg in the distance, the captain could have steered the ship around it. Earth is on a collision course with environmental disaster right now, and we are running out of time to steer around it. Each day that we delay will make it more difficult.

For years, scientists have been warning that we are like the passengers of the Titanic. But little was done. When Hurricane Katrina just about wiped out New Orleans in 2005, people started to pay attention. But even THAT has not motivated our political leaders to do what needs to be done–begin a crash program to switch to alternative sources of energy. What’s it going to take?

It’s going to take you and your generation.

All your life grownups have been telling you that you can accomplish anything you put your mind to. Here’s your chance to prove it.

Here are some places you can go to get involved or get more information…

Greenpeace  Fighting to save the planet since 1971.
The Sierra Club“Inspired by nature, we work together to protect our communities and the planet.” Founded in 1892.
Environmental Defense Founded in 1967 as the Environmental Defense Fund, they look for innovative, practical ways to solve the most urgent environmental problems.
Tree Musketeers An organization dedicated to empowering young people to lead environmental improvement movements.
EarthPulse National Geographic’s home for conservation.
Natural Resources Defense Council
PIRG It stands for “Public Interest Research Group” and acts as a watchdog for the public interest.
www.earthday.net  Measure your impact on the Earth’s resources.
EPA Global Warming Kids Site Learn about the greenhouse effect and how we change the climate.
What’s Up With the Weather This PBS site looks at global warming. Find out how much fossil fuel you use.
The Green Squad Kids taking action for greener, healthier schools.
Earth Day in Your Neighborhood How to do an Earth Day on your block.
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Kids Lots of information about the environment here.
Environmental Kids Club A club for kids interested in learning more about the environment, and getting involved in environmental activities.

Today, April 22nd… celebrate Earth Day!

Dan Gutman is the author of nearly 100 popular books for kids. He also edited Recycle This Book: 100 Top Children’s Authors Tell You How to Go Green. Learn more at www.dangutman.com.