Earth Day celebrations at WWF-US

Good morning everyone:

Here's some interesting education material from WWF-US that they have developed for their Earth Day celebrations.

Best weekend wishes, Sandra Hails, Ramsar Secretariat

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WOW is an education program of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) that uses biodiversity as a "window" to explore Earth's incredible web of life. Visit us at www.worldwildlife.org/windows.

Earth Day Is April 22! Here are some ways to help young people celebrate our planet:

"Pennies for the Planet" Earth Day Challenge
Get kids involved in conservation action this Earth Day by having them rise to the "Pennies for the Planet" Earth Day challenge! WWF is challenging kids to educate others about this year's three target ecoregions-the Rivers and Streams of the American Southeast, the Madagascar Dry and Spiny Forests, and the Sulu-Sulawesi Seas of southeast Asia-and to raise pennies for on-the-ground conservation in each of those places in the most creative ways they can think of. More information can be found at www.worldwildlife.org/windows/pennies.

Special Activity for Educators
In honor of Earth Day and for a limited time only, educators will find a special activity available on the "Pennies for the Planet" Web site for downloading. "Coral Bleaching: A Drama in Four Acts," from the latest "Windows on the Wild" publication ("Oceans of Life: An Educator's Guide to Exploring Marine Biodiversity") focuses on coral reefs and the effects of climate change on their health, and lets kids explore the topic through drama. Download the activity and accompanying background information on coral reefs at www.worldwildlife.org/windows/pennies.

Shopping Smart
As part of WWF and the Center for a New American Dream's new "Be, Live, Buy Different" initiative, kids in Baltimore are telling others to buy differently-and it's all starting during Earth Week with a kick-off concert at the Baltimore Zoo. They're learning about how our consumer choices affect the planet and ways they can make a difference by being smart consumers. They're also learning how to write rap songs, and getting a chance to record them and enter them in an online contest-anyone can vote, so visit www.ibuydifferent.org to find out more about the competition and details about casting your ballot.

At ibuydifferent.org, you can also learn how one kid really can make a difference-find out about four simple actions to take this Earth Day, and use an on-line calculator to see the number of trees, gallons of water, and pounds of carbon dioxide that will be saved. Also find information on smart shopping habits, free mp3s and a Community Action Guide to download, more about the life cycles of common products, and interactive quizzes and icards.

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Sandra Hails, CEPA Programme Officer
Ramsar Convention Secretariat
Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 999 0176; Fax: +41 22 999 0169
E-mail: hails@ramsar.org
Web Site: http://ramsar.org
CEPA mini-Web site: http://ramsar.org/outreach_index.htm