Green Reading for the Kiddies
Because it's never too early to indoctrinate the little ones into the way of the eco-friendly, check out the latest adventures of William the Garbage Truck and his green posse. "William Is Going Green" is the first book in the William the Garbage Truck series by James Martin II. Starting out the story as a plain old white garbage truck, William
learns about conservation, makes friends, and eventually transforms
into a green hybrid recycling truck committed to the fight against
global warming.Did I mention the story is about trucks? Kids loooove them some trucks.
Dubbed an "enchanting, colorful adventure" by Amazon, "William Is Going Green" was created by Martin as homage to his 4-year-old son and his love of big, rad trucks. The littlest Martin (James III) was even given the title of co-author and is an integral part of creating the characters and the stories, right down to what each of William the Garbage Truck's transport eco-buddies look like.
A reformed environmental ignorant, Martin was first made aware of the delicate and complicated relationship between the earth and human beans when he inadvertently committed an environmental sin. While landscaping his home in Connecticut, he cut down trees on his property and was immediately fined and instructed to replant. Whoops! Determined to be more environmentally aware, Martin educated himself intensely on global warming and conservation.
"I realized how much I had affected the environment," Martin said. "I realized it was a problem, so once I replanted the trees, I wanted to teach others what I had learned. I chose children because if they can learn from birth where the bottles go -- they go in the blue bin -- then it will be part of them; it will get under their skin."
Among the tips gleaned from the book for the little ones:
- Turn off the lights; when you're asleep at night.
- Brush your teeth, have fun, but don't let the water run.
- Don't throw away your toys; Give them to other girls and boys.
As Crosby, Stills and Nash would say: teach your children well...sing along, you know the words.
About this blog
Roxanne Kotzman is a Daily News Photo Department veteran of nine years. When she and longtime friend Stacy Long
discovered their love all of all things environmentally responsible, they launched Happy Monkey Planet and jumped head-first into the vibrant eco-community.
Wow, so much to learn! But initially the idea is a pretty simple one: Let's change the world through information, education and action.
Rox & Stacy are a lot like you: ecologically minded but sometimes just plain overwhelmed when charged with the task of making a far-reaching difference in the environment. They have jobs, families, homes, lives and pets.
But what if doing better was a simple as a light-bulb change, a reusable canvas grocery bag, recycling that soda can or a cold-water wash?
These eco-chicks just hope to have a little fun, learn a little more, share a lot of information and maybe make the planet a happier, greener, cleaner place.
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