WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• Recycled food barrel (try checking with large restaurants or food distributors)
• 2 to 4 concrete blocks (to allow room for a bucket to fit under the spigot)
• 3/4-inch hose spigot
• Drill
• Saber saw
• 3/4 x 1-1/4-inch threaded pipe nipple (used as overflow connector)
• Window screen
• PVC cement

WHAT YOU’LL DO

1. Wash out the barrel with a solution of 1/8-cup bleach and 5 gallons of water.

2. Drill a 15/16-inch hole a few inches from the bottom of the barrel. Thread the spigot halfway into the barrel, apply PVC cement onto the threads and continue screwing it in until snug.

3. Using the same procedure as the spigot, install the 3/4-inch overflow connector a few inches from the top of the barrel.

4. Choose a good spot for the rain barrel. It needs to be close to a rain downspout and a short distance from your plants and gardens.

5. Raise the barrel off the ground by placing it on concrete blocks. Reconfigure the downspout so it empties directly into the barrel. Use the screen to cover the open hole in the barrel to prevent insects or debris from getting in.

6. If you’ve installed an overflow, you can attach a hose and direct the water to another part of your yard.

Congratulations to Tate for winning a special-edition Boys’ Life T-shirt. His Go Green entry was chosen in a random drawing.

Sell my video games I don’t play anymore to GameStop or consignment sale.
– Gunnar

Recycle cans, plastic bottles.
– Brian

I am going to turn off the TV when no one is watching it and turn off the computer too and pick up trash when I see any outside.
– Tayvaun

I am recycling bottles that have a number 1 or 2. Also, I am reusing plastic bags for grocery shopping.
– Anthony

Shutting off lights, recycling, using less chemicals, planting, conserving electricity, using less gas.
– Shawn

I have put a recycling box in my school classes and I have been reusing papers for origami and spelling tests. I’m also walking to school and to other town places and to friends houses. That’s my plan on how to go green!
– Sebastian

I don’t use canvas bags, but instead whenever I get paper or plastic bags, I always re-use them around the house, later, when I’m done with the bags, I recycle them.
– Bobby

I plan to ride the bus so I can save gas for other people.
– Devin

Turning computer off with a power strip so it doesn’t waste power when we go away from home on trips.
– Dakota

Giving away low-energy-use light bulbs for Christmas to family members.
– Canyon

We reuse our plastic shopping bags.
– Caleb

We’re getting an aerator for our sink faucet and a low flow or dual flush toilet for our bathroom.
– Seth

I am going to recycle.
– Tate

We bring home recyclable items (cups, bottles etc.) from restaurants & put them in our recycling bin!
– Ryan

I walk home from school, turn off electricity when not needed, keep lights off during daylight, keep all the water turned off. I also turn the furnace up to a set degree by my mom, shovel by hand, walk to my bank, house, etc. any time possible.
– Scott

Make a compost bin and put scraps of food in it.
– Asher

Some of the “green” actions in my life are: When I shop, I bring my own reusable bag. I use a cloth towel to dry my hands instead of paper towels. I recycle everything that can be recycled.
– Alice

We have switched our light bulbs to energy efficient ones.  I also turn off all lights and electronics when not in use.
– David

I am planning to go green by turning off lights when I’m not using them, recycle, save water, etc.
– Brandon

Making a birdhouse.
– Karl

I talked my dad into replacing all of the lightbulbs in our house with the LED bulbs as the old ones burned out.
– Aaron

I am turning off lights that are not in use, using both the front and back of a sheet of paper in school, and recycling to go green.
– Barak

Our new Cubmaster got us involved in recycling cans. Since my mother is the old Cubmaster, she got us involved in a stream clean up. At home, we have a compost pile, we put the yard clippings in it. After we are done with any table scraps (no meat), we add them. It is really fun to see what will grow from the seeds you have dumped, and we put leaves in it instead of the landfill. We use the compost on our mother’s garden in the spring. We also take a few of the worms and go fishing. We recycle our everyday products as well: our glass, papers and empty plastic bottles, etc. We turn off the water when we are brushing our teeth and turn out the lights when we leave a room. We even recycle the clothing we can no longer use. We have a yard sale, give them to a local family in need or pass them on to Goodwill. We also pack most of our lunches for school. If we remove a tree, we plant one somewhere else. We have planted trees at Sinoquipe.
– Tom/Mike

When I sell popcorn next year in 2009, I’m going to walk instead of ride in the car.
– Norman

Teaching our young scouts good recycling habits as well as understanding our responsibilities to protect our planet. We have recycled metals, glass and paper. We have gone on clean-up projects. We have planted new trees and flowers.
– Diana

I am recycling and unplugging my DS charger and turn off the computer when I’m done to save energy.
– Erik

I’ll use fluorescent bulbs, ride my bike to school, use solar panels.
– Andrew

Using cloth bags, shorter showers, drive hybrid car and as my science project, I made a solar generator.
– Jacob

Our pack is doing almost all our crafts with recycled materials.
– Yang

I am going to do all the things I learn in the magazine.
– Dylan

I walk (in the winter) or bike to school every day, unless I have some reports (like to bring a suitcase, or it’s raining or snowing hard).
– Jacques

Right now I plant new trees. I take some from places where they won’t be able to grow (like next to fences) and to places where they can. I also plant new ones from seed. I have planted or re-planted over 10 trees and plan to continue going green.
– Joe

I use a reusable water bottle and use CFL bulbs in my bed room. I also recycle aluminum cans.
– Drew

I am recycling more now and encouraging my entire family to do so. I am making sure lights are turned out when we are not using them, and my family is doing a lot more walking. I am picking up trash around my neighborhood. I am helping to keep my neighbor’s yard clean too. I ask my sister to unplug her hairdryer and curling iron when she is not using them too.
– Forrest

For the past few months, my family has been striving to reduce our carbon footprint for the betterment of our environment and livestyles. The efforts we have been making include buying organic produce and products, recycling plastics, glass, aluminum and newspapers. We have also designated a bin in our backyard as our compost bin. We use reusable water bottles and containers. Whenever our electronic devices are not in use, we are sure to turn them completely off as opposed to putting them on a screensaver or putting them to sleep. I am looking forward to doing more of such things in the future.
– Nicholas

We recycle everything that is possible at home.  We also have my aunt setting items aside so we can recycle those too.
– Chase

I will pick up all the trash people leave on the ground or in the water.
– Mr. Scouter

I have been recycling, composting and have been buying things at thrift stores.
– Nicholas

I am reusing all plastic bags, water bottles, and other reusable materials, for shopping, lunch, etc. Also, I use the recycling bin for stuff I can’t reuse, but can recycle.
– Achinthya

I made my mom buy the CFL light bulbs already. I recycle all the cans and glass at home. I go and turn off all of the power strips that are on the TV and the computer, and make sure that everything is unplugged in the house that are not needed.  I have put up signs all over town so that everyone knows a little bit about “Going Go” every two weeks.  No one is allow to take a long hot shower anymore, then have to take a short warm shower instead.  My mom, thanks to me, is using canvas bags at the grocery store now instead of plastic.  And every fall we use the leaves that fall off the tree for composting so that in the spring we have some great compost.  I add to it everyday with scraps from the kitchen and stuff from the yard.
– Michael

I got my entire school to recycle paper, bottles, and a ton more.
– Jon

I already use reusable containers for lunch. I recycle newspapers and magazines. And I always unplug my chargers.
– Michael

Our Cub Scout pack cleans up along the banks of the Chattahoochee River each October when we take part in Help the Hooch, a community-wide organized cleanup effort.  More than 11,000 volunteers participate.  I am proud that our pack is doing our part to keep the river clean!
– Benjamin

I am composting our leaves instead of burning them. We chopped the leaves into small pieces and will add them to our compost pile. This will make less pollution and reuse a natural product.
– Cody

Helping my dad recycle the leaves, helping my mom make a compost bin and planting a tree.
– Brendan

I participate in pack clean-up projects.  I also take my lunch to school everyday in reusable containers.
– Tristen

Every week I go around my house and recycle the paper I find.  So far I recycled a recycling bin full of paper.
– Tyler

When I am outside and see a piece of trash, I keep it and when I get home throw it out.
– Kevin

We have a two-knob shower. When the water gets cold, I turn the cold down, not the hot up.
– Rob

I will pick up trash. I have gone to Starfall.com and played Earth Day to pick up virtual trash (paper, cans, and plastic).
– Zachary

I am turning off most of the lights in my and my friends and families houses!
– BJ

I recycle old pop bottles to make bird feeders, use my old to small clothes to make grocery bags, and live in a no-emissions home with a no-emissions car.
– William

I will go green by picking up trash in my neighborhood, recycle paper, walk to school and not ride with my mom.
– Jordan

Together with the help of Comcast cable company and numerous Boy Scout troops and packs, we worked together to cleanup Washington Park Zoo and surrounding areas of Lake Michigan. It was great that we all came together to make a difference to help out environment.
– Dennis

I have twin sisters who are 5 years old and in K-5. They are in Girl Scouts. Together we are doing something for our environment. We are saving newspapers to be recycled. We have been saving newspapers for about three months now. We take a month’s worth of papers at a time to be recycled. It is amazing how much paper is used in a month’s time to make the newspapers and advertisements that are in Sunday’s papers. That is a lot of waste if the papers are not recycled.
– Casey

FRIDAY MORNING:

You need a lunch for school. You …

A. Plan on grabbing take-out at the burger place down the street.

B. Pack a lunch with reusable containers and a thermal bag.

Why add more trash to the planet? Packing your own food is usually healthier and cheaper, too.

Don’t forget your cell phone and iPod. You …

A. Take your electronics and leave the chargers plugged in.

B. Take your electronics and unplug the chargers.

Pull the plug on energy vampires. Chargers use — and waste — electricity and money even when they aren’t on. Either unplug them or put everything on a power strip and then switch it off. If everybody in the United States did this, $3 billion in energy costs could be saved every year.

Time to head to school. You …

A. Get Mom or Dad to drive you, solo.

B. Walk, bike or ride the bus.

Every car that’s off the road saves an average of 31.7 pounds of carbon emissions per day, or 5.8 tons a year.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON:

At soccer practice, you need to be sure to drink up. You …

A. Buy bottled water and then toss the bottle.

B. Drink water from a reusable bottle.

Every hour, about 2.5 million water bottles are thrown away. That’s a lot of trash.

After practice, you go grocery shopping with your parents. You …

A. Tell the clerk you want paper or plastic.

B. Use the cloth bags you brought from home.

Reusable bags cut down on the need for manufacturing plastic and paper ones (which sucks up energy and materials). The Environmental Protection Agency says as many as 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide every year.

Apples are on the grocery list. You …

A. Buy whatever’s at the supermarket.

B. Buy apples and other produce at the local farmers’ market.

Check the labels: Those apples might have been flown in from 3,000 miles away. Local foods don’t leave that huge carbon footprint — and they’re probably tastier, too.

FRIDAY EVENING:

You’re in charge of making the salad for dinner. You …

A. Toss the veggie scraps in the garbage.

B. Toss the veggie scraps in the compost pail.

Why add to the landfill? Composting is an easy way to put life back into the soil. Check out www.boyslife.org for an easy-to-make compost bin.

Soccer practice left you smelling not so great. You …

A. Fill up the bathtub and take a bath.

B. Take a short shower.

A four-minute shower uses about 20 gallons of water (with a low-flow shower head, only 10 gallons), while an average bath takes 40.

SATURDAY MORNING:

You’re finally up and at ’em, so you …

A. Throw on a cotton T-shirt.

B. Throw on a certified organic cotton T-shirt.

Cotton is a natural fabric, but growing it the nonorganic way uses serious amounts of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Just one pair of jeans requires two-thirds of a pound of chemicals; a T-shirt, another one-third pound. Organically grown cotton doesn’t use any.

It’s your turn to mow the lawn. You …

A. Fire up that gas-powered mower.

B. Use a reel (push) mower.

One traditional gas-powered lawn mower running for an hour puts out as much air pollution as eight new cars driven 55 miles in an hour. That push mower is also much quieter and a great way to build biceps.

SATURDAY AFTERNOON:

Your best bud wants to pick up a few things. You …

A. Hit the mall to see what’s new and hot.

B. Hit the thrift stores to see what’s old and cool.

It takes energy and resources to make new stuff, so give used things a chance. You can find unusual, interesting stuff, plus you’ll save money.

How about a snack? You …

A. Turn on the oven to warm up that leftover pizza.

B. Heat up your snack in the microwave (or eat it cold).

A microwave oven uses 85 percent less energy than a regular one (a toaster oven uses about 30 percent less).

SATURDAY EVENING:

You’ve finished that research paper for science class. You start to print, but the ink cartridge runs out. You …

A. Toss it.

B. Save it for recycling.

It takes three quarts of oil to make just one new cartridge. Plus, some stores not only recycle cartridges but also give you a few bucks toward a new one.

You reward your hard work with a few games on the computer. Afterward, you …

A. Let it go to a screensaver.

B. Set it to go into sleep or hibernate mode and later turn it off.

Ditch the screensaver: It uses about as much power as actual processing. At bedtime, or when the computer’s not in use, turn it off completely.

Just as it’s time for lights out, a light goes out. You …

A. Replace the bulb with a regular incandescent.

B. Replace the bulb with a compact fluorescent lightbulb (CFL).

A CFL uses only a quarter of the electricity that a regular bulb does, adding up to huge carbon savings and lower power bills.

SO HOW DID YOU DO?

Picking all A’s means it’s time to make some changes. Choosing a mix of A’s and B’s means you’re learning. But picking all B’s means you’re going easy on the environment and making a difference. Keep up the good work!

Their project, Get the Lead Out of Fishing, studied how wildlife is harmed by the 480 million lead weights that anglers lose each year. It has won lots of awards, including a 2007 President’s Environmental Youth Award. Research from the project is being used in legislation to ban lead from fishing. So far, the guys have collected and recycled nearly 60 pounds of lead.

Team leader Eagle Scout Mike Browne says, “It all started when I was 6 and asked my dad what happened to the weights we lost while fishing.” www.replacelead.com

Last April, Pack 46 of Central Point, Ore., hosted a Bus, Bike and Walk Week at its elementary school. The guys gave each student an Eco Card to tally their Earth-friendly travels. “It was just awesome! There were a lot more bikes around — 35 instead of three or four,” Cub Scout Colby Edwards, 8, says.

To honor the school’s surpassing its goal of 2,000 tallies (with 2,338), the pack put on a Green Day celebration with music, dancing and popcorn. “It felt like we were working on something together,” Cub Scout Tysen Lang, 9, says. “Even by everyone just doing a little, we were able to reach our goal.”

Going green can bring in “green.” Cub Scout Ryan Beaumont, 8, of Pack 437, Lakewood, Colo., came up with the idea for his own green business: selling Earthsacks. Sales of these reusable, all-natural cotton bags (to be used when shopping instead of plastic ones) help support Algalita Marine Research Foundation, which is involved in ocean plastic-pollution research and education. “We started the business on Earth Day last year, so we wanted it to be Earth friendly,” Ryan says. Ryan and his dad, Dave, also visit schools and Scout units to talk about making eco-friendly choices. www.earthsack.org

Four Scouts were on the team that won the 2008 Shell Eco-marathon, in which students designed, built and tested eco-friendly vehicles.

The team of 15 boys that included Adam Ferrari, 15; Matt Schneider, 16; and Quinn Schroeder, 15, Troop 399; and Andrew Ritter, 17, Troop 397, Evansville, Ind., got 2,843.4 miles per gallon, setting a record and winning the $10,000 grand prize to use for future projects.

“We need to develop vehicle technology so we don’t have such a reliance on oil,” Andrew says.

“I’m not too happy about gas prices,” Adam agrees. “And we need to make cars better for our world and atmosphere.”

Venturing Crew 202, Westminster, Md., not only earned the unit Hornaday Award in 2007, it has been recognized on state and national levels for its environmental work. The crew snagged three state conservation awards and a national 2008 SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Environmental Excellance Award, for which it won $10,000 for future projects. “The crew is passionate about what we’re doing, and we have fun at the same time,” says Eagle Scout Eric Kazyak, 15. Click here to read about some of the crew’s projects.

Life Scout Billy Weibley of Troop 42, Union, S.C., writes: “Our troop recycles cans, which helps pay for camp outings, badges, etc. We park a trailer along a major road through town that has ‘BSA Troop 42 Can Recycling’ posted on both sides. People can drop off aluminum cans, then we rotate patrols taking the trailer to the recycling center, sorting and processing the cans. It helps our troop and lets the community know we are available to do good things for the environment.”

For the national Bottle Brigade program, Pack 116, Chippewa Falls, Wis., collected more than 7,000 plastic soda bottles, more than any other participating Scout unit. The program is run by TerraCycle, which reuses the bottles to package plant foods (made from worm poop), paying 5 cents per bottle. The guys put the money toward helping everybody go to camp. Cub Scouts Ross Hebert and Brandon Lloyd say, “Collecting these bottles is a way to save our planet.” (www.terracycle.net/bb)

Star Scout Dave Ryan and Troop 777, Olmsted Falls, Ohio, created an innovative use of solar power at their council camp. “We bring a solar panel, car battery and a bunch of low-power red LED lights,” Dave says. “We set it up so the lights draw power from the battery, which draws power from the solar panel during the day.” (The guys use red light because it doesn’t affect night vision, contribute to light pollution or attract bugs like white light.) They also use their solar-power rig for other minor electrical needs, such as charging cell phones, inflating mattresses and operating low-power gear.

Troop 54 of Mandan, N.D., saved 113,928 kilowatts of energy, $11,393 in energy costs and put a stop to 90 tons of greenhouse gases through the Energy Star Change a Light Pledge program. The guys handed out more than 400 compact fluorescent lightbulbs in their community for residents to replace less energy-efficient regular incandescent bulbs.

Here’s how to tumble your way to rich compost for your garden and plants.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• Sturdy plastic 55-gallon (or so) food barrel
• Drill
• Saw
• Hammer
• Adjustable wrench
• 8 3⁄8-by-3 1⁄2-inch carriage bolts
• 8 3⁄8-inch nuts
• 8 3⁄8-inch washers
• 16d galvanized nails
• 2 bungee cords (If barrel has a locking lid, you won’t need the bungees.)
• 5 2-by-6-inch boards (Lengths will be determined by the size of the container.)
• 3⁄4-inch galvanized pipe, threaded both ends (You can get a standard-size pre-cut threaded pipe. The length will be determined by diameter of the barrel.)
• 2 3⁄4-inch galvanized pipe caps

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Prepare the Barrel

1. Wash out the barrel and drill two 7⁄8-inch holes halfway between the top and bottom. These holes are for the 3⁄4-inch galvanized pipe.

2. Drill 1⁄2-inch holes evenly spaced around the barrel.

Build a Sturdy Frame

3. Cut the 2-by-6-inch boards and assemble the frame as shown, using the hardware listed. The feet should be almost as long as the legs are high.

4. Drill 7⁄8-inch holes at the top of the legs and pass the 3⁄4-inch steel pipe through the hole in one leg, into the barrel and out through the leg on the other side. Screw on the pipe caps.

5. If the lid needs to be held in place, drill small holes around the lid to hook bungee cords.

COMPOSTING BASICS

Layer yard waste into the tumbler. Alternate green materials like grass clippings with brown ones like hay or fallen leaves. Put in some garden soil and kitchen waste such as veggie scraps, fruit peels, cereal, bread, crushed egg shells, tea bags, and coffee grounds and filters. Never use meat, poultry, fish, dairy or pet waste. That stuff can attract unwanted critters.

Bacteria breaks down the materials in your tumbler and turns it into rich organic compost. The decomposing material will become hot as the bacteria does its work. The material in your tumbler should be about as moist as a damp sponge. Spin your tumbler one or two times a week to mix the contents and keep it aerated.

HOW TO FIND A BARREL

Food barrels are used for things like juice or pickles. Try checking with large restaurants or food distributors. Also, there are companies that sell used food barrels.

Welcome to the green, Earth-friendly community of the future. For the past seven months, we have told you how to Go Green! Here’s what our world might look like once we have all gone green. Imagine the possibilities.

Water-harvesting systems collect rainwater. Indoor systems filter and reuse wastewater.

Homes are a mix of old and new. Traditional building materials include straw, adobe and packed earth. Computer-controlled laser cutters reduce construction waste. Skylights provide natural light, while solar energy heats and cools the home. Houses are full of recycled materials.

Turbines capture energy in the air and at sea. Blimps with blades sail high, and flying turbines soar even higher: three miles above Earth, harnessing strong high-altitude winds. Below the waves, tidal turbines catch the ocean’s strength.

Wind farms provide clean energy. Solar farms cover hundreds of acres and provide electricity without any pollution.

Native trees, flowers, grasses and bushes use less water, purify the air, pull contaminants out of the soil and filter storm water. Green spaces replace some concrete city areas and streets.

Many people telecommute, working from home. Energy-efficient transportation choices include a national system of trails for walking and biking, “clean” trains and mass-transit systems.

Fans flock to sports arenas by mass transit. At the stadium, solar panels follow the sun’s movements to catch its energy. Wind funnels through turbines inside the arena’s structure, circulating through vents to provide cool air on hot days.

People grow some of their own food in community and rooftop gardens. Shoppers buy fresh, organic produce at farmers’ markets. Buying locally cuts carbon emissions from shipping food long distances. Farming organically keeps chemical pesticides and fertilizers out of the ground and waterways.

Stores no longer hand out paper or plastic bags. Shoppers bring their own reusable bags to carry stuff.

Cars zoom along with solar panels, mini-turbines, lithium batteries and on-board generators, powered by electricity and various alternative fuels.

Planes and airships run on solar power, with energy stored in batteries. Hydrogen-powered airliners make the jump to hypersonic Mach 5 speeds. Personal air vehicles are lightweight and fuel-efficient.

When products reach the end of their usefulness, shoppers return them to the store for recycling.

It wasn’t long ago that computers came on the scene, opening up huge numbers of new jobs. In the same way, green technologies provide new career opportunities. Jobs that never existed before are in demand, both now and in the future.

Lunar habitats are almost completely self-sustaining. Huge mirrors use sunlight to create electricity. Fish tanks and gardens supply food, while liquids and waste are cleaned for reuse.

Through his work with these organizations, Ringo understands the impact of changing weather patterns on wildlife. Here’s what Ringo and many scientists are saying about what’s happening around the world.

AFRICA

The continent of Africa has felt the effects more than any place, Ringo says. Up to a million wildebeests in the Serengeti plain travel north every dry season in search of water and food. Due to severe droughts the past several years, wildebeests, as well as zebras and antelopes, are finding less water along the way. Many never complete their journey.

ASIA

Much of the water in China, India and Nepal comes from glaciers in the Himalayas. “In 50 years, those glaciers could be gone,” Ringo says, causing a water shortage that would affect wildlife such as the already endangered panda.

Orangutans in Borneo are endangered due to destruction of tropical forest habitat. Many experts believe orangutans could become extinct in the wild in 10 to 15 years.

THE POLES

Arctic ice the size of New York, Georgia and Texas combined has melted. This habitat loss means fewer seals, which means less food for polar bears. Polar bears might swim up to 60 miles to find their next meal; many drown or starve.

Antarctic ice is also melting, changing where penguins breed and raise young. Warming ocean water reduces krill, penguins’ favorite food. The World Wildlife Fund reports the emperor penguin population has dropped 50 percent in the past 50 years.

AUSTRALIA

Some of Australia’s butterflies are under threat of extinction. Insects are the first to go, says Australian scientist Dr. Don Sands. “They’re the best indication of climate change because the impact on them is almost immediate,” Dr. Sands says. Because of their short life spans, if they don’t find food and mate quickly, species die out.

YOUR BACKYARD

“Climate changes affect bird migration patterns,” Ringo says. Winter arrives later and spring earlier. Birds that normally fly south for the winter might stick around or not fly as far south. Migrating species, including birds, butterflies and insects, are moving poleward. Robins have been spotted 500 miles north of the Arctic Circle. There is no word in the Inuit language for “robin.” These Native Americans living in this region never needed one before.

THE UNITED STATES

The National Wildlife Federation says that in the Florida Everglades, as sea levels rise, salt water creeps into freshwater areas and destroys wetlands. Fish and birds are threatened, as well as the endangered Key deer and Florida panther.

Spruce bark beetles, once limited to the Southeast, are migrating north due to warmer temps. “They’re eating forests in Canada and Alaska by the thousands of acres,” Ringo says. Mosquito habitats are also expanding to higher latitudes and elevations. Not only is this bad news for campers, but it also could mean an increase in the disease malaria.

THE RAIN FORESTS

The largest commercial cattle herd in the world lives along the Amazon River, passing huge amounts of the greenhouse gas methane. Deforestation for logging and soybeans adds to the problem. Biologist Daniel Nepstad of Woods Hole Research Center predicts that if this continues, 40 percent of the Amazon forest will be gone by 2050, potentially impacting all area wildlife, especially fish such as the piranha.

WHY SHOULD YOU GO GREEN? IT’S JUST PLAIN SMART.

It’s not politics. It’s the heart of Scouting: promoting conservation and responsible outdoorsmanship. Do your own part to reduce your impact on the Earth:

• Recycle.
• Use compact fluorescent light bulbs.
• Turn off lights and unplug electronics when you’re done.
• Plant trees.
• Turn thermostats down in winter, up in summer.
• Drive less: Ride your bike, take a bus, walk or carpool.
• Take shorter showers to use less hot water.
• Encourage adults to buy energy-efficient appliances and cars.
• Properly inflate car tires.

YOU’LL NEED

• pruning clippers
• drill and 3⁄32-inch bit
• clamp
• scratch awl or nail
• white glue
• 2mm-diameter drafting lead, 2B grade (at art or office supply stores)
• utility knife or pocketknife
• adult permission or supervision

STEP 1: Find a twig. Look for one with interesting color, texture or with a forked shape. (The length of the twig, though, must be straight.) Hold the twig as you would a pencil to find the right size. Use pruning clippers to trim away unwanted parts. Check the twig for bugs (you don’t want any).

STEP 2: Clamp the twig to the edge of a workbench or piece of plywood. Be careful! Too much pressure can crush the twig.

STEP 3: Use a scratch awl or the point of a nail to make a dent at the center of the twig’s end. The dent will become the starting point for the drill bit.

STEP 4: Drill to a depth of 1 to 1 1⁄4 inches. Make sure to keep both hands on the tool!

As you drill, you may need to back out the bit to clear wood chips from the drill’s flutes (its spiral grooves). To do this, stop the drill and scrub the bit with an old toothbrush.

STEP 5: Squirt a small puddle of glue on a scrap of wood or cardboard. Roll the end of the lead in the glue, then work it back and forth in the hole to spread the adhesive.

STEP 6: Trim the lead by breaking it sideways against the twig. Let the glue dry overnight.

STEP 7: Sharpen the pencil with a sharp utility knife or pocketknife. Whittle away from your body, removing thin shavings as you work around the pencil. Use your imagination to personalize your pencil, or simply enjoy the colors and textures that nature provides.

Recycle empty bottles and jugs into these fun and useful projects.

1. Ten-Minute Bird Feeder

Cut four holes two inches from the bottom on each side of a half-gallon milk jug. Below each hole, make a small hole and poke dowels or sticks through the feeder. Ask an adult to drill a small hole in the cap.

Attach a string or metal coat hanger, fill with birdseed and hang it up.

2. Self-Watering Planter

Cut the top third off a two-liter plastic bottle. Ask an adult to drill a small hole in the cap. Pass a string through the hole. Fill the bottom of the bottle about half way with water. Place the top upside-down in the bottom and put in your plant. The string will wick up the water into the soil.

3. Ball Toss Game

Cut the bottoms off two one-gallon milk jugs. Make a ball from rolled-up plastic grocery bags and tape. Enjoy a game of catch.

4. Quicker Berry Picker

Cut a hand-size hole opposite the handle on a one-gallon milk jug. Slide the handle onto your belt. You’re ready to pick and hold more berries.

5. Flying Saucers

Cut the bottom from a milk jug about three inches high. Cut three or four three-inch circles from the upper part of the jug. Try to sail the disks into the milk-jug bottom.

6. Garden Scoop or Boat Bailer

Cut a one-gallon milk jug at an angle as shown. This is great for spreading compost or removing water from a boat.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• Utility knife
• Tape
• Saw
• Drill
• Roofing nails
• Glue
• 2 sheets of corrugated cardboard, 7 1/2 inches by 30 inches
• 2 2-by-2-by-12-inch connector boards
• Piece of poster board large enough to cover the bottom of the cooker
• 12-inch-wide aluminum foil
• 2 1-by-1-by-13 1/2-inch wood uprights
• Small wooden dowl, sharpened at one end

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Step 1. Using the utility knife, cut a curve from the two pieces of cardboard.

Step 2. Connect the curves together using the 12-inch connecting boards, glue and roofing nails.

Step 3. Bend the poster board over the curves, mark with a pencil and cut to size. Glue and tape in place.

Step 4. Spread glue evenly onto the poster board. Carefully glue down the aluminum foil. Make it as smooth as possible.

Step 5. Drill a hole in one upright, cut a notch on the other and glue in place.

Step 6. Aim the cooker at the sun, skewer your hot dogs, and get the rolls and mustard.

HOW IT WORKS

The sun reflects heat off the parabolic curve and concentrates it at a single point.

Cave paintings have been around for thousands of years. Light up your own bedroom “cave” with this torn-paper lamp shade.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• Old lamp shade (light colored, preferably white)
• Junk mail (uncoated paper with no printing)
• Brown paper grocery bag
• Glue
• Sponge or cloth
• Used coffee grounds
• Scissors
• Paintbrush
• Pencil
• Shallow baking pans

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Step 1: Tear junk mail into different shapes.

Step 2: Wrinkle the paper, flatten it out in the pan and rub wet coffee grounds into it. With a sponge or damp cloth, rub away any leftover grounds.

Step 3: While the paper is still damp, brush white glue on the back and press the torn paper onto the lamp shade. Make sure there are no bubbles or loose edges. Apply more paper, overlapping pieces as you go. Allow more than 1/2 inch of paper to protrude beyond the top and bottom. Continue until you cover the entire shade.

Step 4: Cut away the excess paper from the top and bottom of the shade, leaving a clean 1/2-inch overlap. Create tabs by making vertical cuts every 1/2 inch around the top and bottom of the shade.

Brush extra glue on the inside of the tabs and fold them over the shade. Work around the shade, pressing the tabs down until they stay in place.

Option: You can punch holes and thread heavy string around the top and bottom.

Step 5: Draw your cave drawings on a brown grocery bag. Carefully tear out the drawings. Wrinkle them up, smooth them out and dampen them with a sponge or cloth. Brush glue on the back and paste onto your lamp shade.

Step 6: Brush a coat of glue over the entire lamp shade and let it dry. Turn on your lamp, and your room instantly looks like a fire-lit cave.

Green: The New Gold

For a city to play host to the Olympics, the International Olympic Committee requires it to have a plan to help the environment. As one of the most polluted cities in the world, 2008 host city Beijing, China, faced big challenges. The Chinese government has spent more than $12 billion to put on a “green” Olympics this month.

Throughout Olympic Park, solar, wind and geothermal power heats water and cools buildings. Eco-friendly buses and rail lines shuttle millions of people.

The National Aquatics Center is covered by more than 3,000 panels that save energy by soaking in and trapping the sun’s warmth and light, like a greenhouse. The National Stadium can recycle 100 tons of rainwater per hour.

On the Ball

Pulling off an event like the Super Bowl takes loads of electricity, and transportation to the big game uses tons of gas. To help offset all that fuel-burning, the National Football League planted 42 acres of trees in Arizona for this year’s Super Bowl. And thanks to the NFL’s recycling program, 70 percent of the 1,000 tons of trash escaped the landfill.

The NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles sport green in more ways than on their jerseys. The team prints tickets and programs with recycled paper and runs its offices and training facility on solar power. Also, the team has announced plans for the Eagles Forest near Philadelphia. The native trees and shrubs planted here will help offset energy used when the team travels.

Setting an X-ample

The X Games makes recycling fun. Fans who “Get Caught Recycling” earn tokens when they toss trash into recycling bins and carpool or take public transportation to the event. Fans can trade the tokens for cool stuff at the TRASHed Recycling Store.

In some dining areas, utensils and cups are made from biodegradable corn starch and sugar cane. And all the grease from burgers and fries? Turned into earth-friendly biodiesel fuel.

Skiing Into the Future

Aspen Ski Resort in Colorado was the first U.S. ski resort to offset energy use with wind power, and its snowcats run on biodiesel.

The world’s first solar- and wind-powered chairlift is at Colorado’s Steamboat resort. The biggest green resort village in North America is coming to Vail, Colo. It will be all about alternative energy, recycling, use of natural light and conservation.

Greener Greens

More than 16,000 golf courses cover 1.5 million acres of U.S. land. That’s bigger than the state of Delaware. Creating golf courses destroys natural habitats, and chemical pesticides and fertilizers pollute ground water.

Many golf courses are starting water-recycling programs; planting native trees, shrubs and grasses (which require less watering); switching to electric or biodiesel carts; and using natural fertilizers and anti-pest methods.

Waving the Green Flag

The car-racing world is cutting down its carbon “tire track.” NASCAR has switched to less-polluting unleaded gas. The Indy Racing League and Formula One circuit use ethanol and biofuels.

And who knows what the future holds? Engineers in England have built a biodegradable racer named Eco One. Its body is made from plant materials; tires from natural rubber and potato starch; brakes from plant materials and cashew nut oil; engine and chassis from recyclable steel. It runs on biofuel, and it is fast: 0 to 62 miles per hour in four seconds with a top speed of 150 m.p.h.

Some drivers are going green, too. NASCAR champ Ward Burton started a wildlife foundation for habitat preservation and kid-friendly environmental education. “However big or however small,” Burton says, “we all can make a difference.”

The Ball’s in Your Court

Saving the environment isn’t just up to the pros. You can do your part:

• Use reusable water bottles.
• Ride your bike, walk, bus or carpool to games and practices. A four-mile bicycle trip keeps about 15 pounds of pollutants out of the air.
• Take a shorter shower after practice or the game.
• Organize recycling programs at local parks.
• See if the ski resort where you’re going offers a SkiGreen Tag, which helps offset travel pollution with clean energy.
• Buy a tree for the Eagles Forest (click here)

Green Your Gear

Ball, bat and other sports-equipment production uses energy and materials. Conserve these resources by buying top-notch stuff that lasts or by buying used gear. You can also get equipment made from Earth-friendly materials. Here are just a few sources:

• Swing away at biodegradable golf balls and tees from www.ecogolf.com and www.ecogolfballs.com.
• Get eco-friendly surf-, skate- and snow boards at www.arborsports.com.
• Consider carbon-neutral outfitters like Escape Adventures, the world’s first. www.escapeadventures.com

Living on Mars is still science fiction, but growing plants without soil is science fact. The technique is called hydroponics. It’s simply growing plants in water, something you can do today.

Researchers say hydroponics will someday be used not only for feeding space dwellers but also us earthlings.

Raising plants without soil allows farmers to grow more food in less space. That’s especially important in poorer countries, where many people go hungry.

The term hydroponics was coined in 1936 by a scientist in California who planted a tomato in a tub of water. The plant grew more than 25 feet tall!

Once word got around, people were growing plants in baskets, on patios and on rooftops using only water and a little plant food.

Disney Does Science

People who have eaten at EPCOT Center in Walt Disney World have experienced hydroponics. Researchers there produce fresh tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers from hydroponic gardens.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is using hydroponics to provide fresh food for astronauts. On the frozen continent of Antarctica, scientists are testing hydroponic techniques that may be used on missions to Mars.

Many commercial growers around the world are turning to hydroponics as an alternative to traditional farming. More food can be produced, and weed problems are eliminated.

Strawberries are a popular hydroponics crop in Australia. Tomatoes, lettuce and a variety of herbs lead the way in Ontario, Canada. In the United States, cucumbers and tomatoes are grown in water.

A Year-Round Garden

Hydroponics is not only useful. It can be fun. Clear a place on your window sill, and you too can grow vegetables, flowers and fruits–and dream about feeding fresh veggies to colonists on Mars.

START A HYDROPONIC GARDEN

Plants don’t need soil as long as they have five things: food, water, light, air and support. You can provide all five in a hydroponic garden.

What You Need:

• A small, single-stemmed houseplant. Most common houseplants will work well. Or try a vegetable plant.
• A clear glass jar or bottle.
• A cork stopper with a large hole in the middle.
• Cotton waddling.
• Plant food.

What You Do:

This will get messy, so go outside or spread newspapers over your work area. Carefully remove the small houseplant from its pot. Place one hand over the soil surface, with the stem between two fingers, and turn the pot upside-down. Tap the bottom of the pot while gently easing the plant out.

Gently brush all the soil from the roots.

Carefully thread the plant stem through the cork stopper and place the roots into the glass container filled with lukewarm tap water.

Use the cotton wadding to fill any gaps between the plant stem and cork stopper. Be careful not to squeeze the stem.

Move your plant to a sunny location and watch it grow!

After about a week, pour out the water and refill.

Your plant will be hungry by now, so add a general-purpose plant food according to label directions. Look for a food labeled “water soluble.” You can find it at garden centers, hardware stores or grocery stores.

Change the water and the plant food solution about once a month.

Eco-Island Living

Take 250,000 or so used plastic bottles; add plywood, bamboo and sand; and — presto — you have a two-story house on your own deserted island.

In 1998, Richart Sowa began building his own tropical paradise on a floating artificial island off the coast of Mexico. He filled nets with the bottles to keep the island afloat and added mangroves and other plants to keep the island cool. He cooked on a solar-powered stove and collected rainwater for bathing.

Unfortunately, “Spiral Island” was washed ashore during Hurricane Emily in 2005. That hasn’t stopped Sowa from getting to work on a second island near Isla Mujeres, Mexico.

Going to the Birds

Do something innovative with an old computer. In Australia, farmer Rex Harris takes the shells of vintage Macintosh computers, props them on large poles and uses them as birdhouses. He says the ventilation on the front and back of the computers makes them ideal for nesting boxes.

Harris prefers the original 1984 all-in-one Macintosh, which he finds at flea markets and garage sales. So far, the birdhouses have attracted kestrels, butcherbirds and the colorful Eastern Rosella parrot.

The Power of Poop

At the Bronx Zoo in New York City, the motto is “your waste will not be wasted.” Normal toilets flush waste into a sewer system. But at the zoo’s eco-restrooms, waste enters a large composting tank below the bathroom. Here, red worms, fungi and bacteria transform today’s waste into tomorrow’s fertilizer. The soil is then used to grow flowers at the zoo’s gardens, which are watered with excess water from the restroom sinks. The composting toilet system saves up to a million gallons of water a year that would typically be used to flush the toilets.

Up on the Rooftop

When Chicago’s mayor decided to put a 20,000-square-foot green roof on City Hall, many citizens thought he was loony. Now they’re green with envy as the new roof absorbs rainwater, cools the building and has saved some $25,000 in energy costs.

Mayor Richard Daley was so smitten with this eco-design that the city has completed or is now constructing more than 4 million square feet of rooftop gardens, more than all other American cities combined. Even a McDonald’s, a Wal-Mart and an Apple store have planted gardens atop their buildings. Would you like some grass stains with those fries?

Green Feet

When you hear the words “recycled shoes,” you probably think of those worn-out hand-me-downs from your older brother. But thanks to a new company called Worn Again, you can buy recycled shoes that are both eco-friendly and cool.

All Worn Again shoes are 80 percent recycled, from materials like scraps of old military jackets, T-shirts, coffee bags and jeans. Our favorites are the Escape and the Bicycle shoe, made from recycled bike tires and rewoven leather and textile fibers.

Worn Agains aren’t cheap at $130, but buying a pair is a good way of telling the shoe industry you care about the environment.

— Mark Anders

Save the Midwest’s Rain Forest

A rain forest in Iowa? Scheduled to open in 2010, Earthpark will be set inside a giant terrarium along the shore of Lake Red Rock, Iowa’s largest lake. When completed, the four-acre terrarium will stand more than 150 feet high and be home to more than 1,000 species of plants and animals, includ-ing rubber trees, blue macaws, screaming piha birds and freshwater stingrays. Its power will come from solar, wind and geothermal energy sources.

— Joseph Baneth Allen

Sweet!

Anyone who has munched a handful of M&M’s to get up that last bit of mountain trail knows that sugar can give an extra burst of energy. Now researchers at Saint Louis University say the sugar found in maple tree sap or flat soda pop can fuel the next generation of batteries.

Not only are they three to four times longer-lasting than the typical lithium ion battery (used in cell phones, laptop computers and iPods), these sweet new creations are also biodegradable. Look for them to hit the market in the next five years.

From Mean to Green

Across America, big abandoned city areas that were once eyesores are being turned into fun urban parks. In 2005, the Seattle Art Museum began transforming a vacant industrial site into the Olympic Sculpture Park which opened last year.

In Boston Harbor, Spectacle Island was just a garbage dump. Environmentalists suggested taking the dirt excavated from “The Big Dig,” a big traffic tunnel under the city, to reshape the island and provide topsoil for plants and trees. The 100-acre park now has a trail system and beach.

Soon to open in New York City is High Line urban park, formerly an elevated train track that was in disrepair for the past 20 years.

Bottom line: Our oceans are stressed out.

Covering 70 percent of Earth, oceans provide oxygen, nutrients and wildlife habitat; break down waste; and help control climate. They are vital to life on Earth.

As environmental scientist David Suzuki says, “Our oceans are now threatened by the deadliest predator ever to appear on the planet, and that is us.”

Here’s a look at what’s going on in our oceans and how you can help.

PROBLEM: OVERFISHING

What’s Happening: A food chain connects what eats what. Killing off too many of a single species within a chain can have a domino effect on all life. Because of its impact on marine food chains, overfishing by commercial fishermen might be the most destructive activity affecting the seas.

Fish are being caught faster than they can reproduce, and an estimated 25 percent of what is caught is wasted. The catching of unwanted sea creatures that end up dying in nets is driving species to extinction.

What You Can Do: Make seafood choices that are good for the ocean. Download a Seafood Watch Pocket Guide from the Monterey Bay Aquarium at www.boyslife.org/links/seafoodwatch.

PROBLEM: POLLUTION

What’s Happening: Sewage, chemicals, oil, tons of garbage and more make their way into the ocean each year.

Pollutants such as fertilizers can cause giant algae blooms. These blooms suck up all the oxygen in the water, creating dead zones where life cannot exist.

Tides can carry pollution miles from its original source. As currents move garbage across the ocean, it collects into huge vortexes. These massive floating rafts of trash are largely made up of plastics that don’t break down: bags, containers, balloons, bottles, bottle tops, toothbrushes and packaging. One of the largest vortexes, located in the Pacific Ocean, is about the size of Texas.

These vortexes kill more than a million sea birds and 100,000 sea mammals and turtles each year. They either get tangled up and drown or eat the smaller plastics, which “resemble fish eggs, sea weed and other floating food,” explains Tracy McMullen of the South Carolina Aquarium. “Feeling full all the time, these animals with stomachs full of plastic eventually starve to death.”

What You Can Do:

• Buy organic. Wherever you live, fertilizers and pesticides used to grow food end up in the ocean. Buying organic helps keep these poisons out of the water cycle.
• Look for hazardous waste disposal sites in your community to properly get rid of paints, oils, chemicals and batteries (www.boyslife.org/links/earth911).
• Reduce, reuse and recycle to help keep garbage out of the ocean.

PROBLEM: GLOBAL WARMING

What’s Happening: Warmer water is melting Arctic sea ice. Phytoplankton, the base of most aquatic food chains, depends on sea ice to bloom. When there’s less sea ice, there’s less phytoplankton.

Less phytoplankton will affect the food chain, all the way up to humans. “Many scientists now think Arctic sea ice will be completely gone in 30 years,” says former Scout Jake Levenson of the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

“Changes in sea ice will have profound effects not only for Arctic animals like seals and polar bears, but on the seasonal krill population, too. Krill (which feed on phytoplankton) form the base of much of the food chain around the world. Less of it means less food for whales and just about all the fish we buy in the supermarket.”

Also, melting polar ice caps and glaciers are causing rising sea levels. By 2100, they could rise by as much as 35 inches. That’s about five times more than sea level changes over the past 100 years. Possible results? Coastline damage and flooding in coastal and low-lying cities.

What You Can Do: Help cut down greenhouse gases by walking, biking or skateboarding to school instead of driving. Turn off lights, computers, TVs and game consoles when you’re done.

PROBLEM: DYING CORAL REEFS

What’s Happening: Climate change is putting coral reefs at risk. These “rain forests of the sea” provide habitat for nearly 25 percent of all marine life: fish, sponges, lobsters, crabs, starfish, sea turtles, sea snakes and more. Loss of reefs means loss of species diversity.

Warmer water is increasing diseases in corals and stifling their growth. At the same time, excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is also making the oceans more acidic, which is harmful to animals with chalky skeletons such as coral. Their skeletons stop developing, and it is their skeletons that form the coral reefs.

Other reef threats: overfishing, pollution and coastal development. And you don’t have to live near the coast to affect reefs. Since much of our continent’s water drains into the Gulf of Mexico, “what inland residents do to their water supply can impact coral reefs from Texas to Mexico to Florida and beyond,” says Scouter Kelly Drinnen of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.

What You Can Do:

• Make sure only human and food wastes are flushed down the toilet, not harmful chemicals.
• Use nontoxic cleaning products to ensure poisons and other chemicals aren’t washed down the drain.
• Get active in programs to protect oceans and coasts, such as International Coastal Cleanup Day on Sept. 20 (www.boyslife.org/links/oceanconservancy) and International Year of the Reef events.

Click on the images below to check out vehicles already on the road, and some that might be rolling along in the not-too-distant future.

SUPER-COMPACTS

Smaller vehicles mean better fuel efficiency. Super-compact cars such as the Mini Cooper and the two-seater Smart ForTwo are some of the smallest of the small. The Smart delivers 36 miles per gallon (m.p.g.), and the Mini Cooper manual transmission gets about 32 m.p.g. A new Smart “micro hybrid” design due out in 2009 is promising more than 60 m.p.g.

How green are they? They get great gas mileage, but they’re still burning gas.

Challenge: Convincing drivers that these tiny vehicles can really get the job done.

ADVANCED GASOLINE VEHICLES

More efficient engines, aerodynamic design, better transmissions and tires, as well as strong, lightweight materials, are all ways to make any car burn less gas. All this technology is on the road today, but it hasn’t all been put in one car yet. New government standards requiring cars and trucks to average 35 m.p.g. by 2020 should increase fuel-efficient options across the board.

How green are they? These types of vehicles would still burn gas, but a lot less than most cars.

Challenge: More technology per car could mean higher prices up front.

DIESEL VEHICLES

Diesel fuel packs more energy than normal gas and puts out less pollution that contributes to global warming. The best diesels are sold in Europe. Cleaner options should be available in the United States soon.

How green are they? Although more efficient and cleaner in some ways than gas, diesel still cranks out a lot of soot (also known as “particulate matter” or “PM”), a very unhealthy substance.

Challenge: Technologies to clean up PM are expensive.

BIODIESEL

Some biodiesel is made from animal fat and grease. You can actually take old fryer grease from fast food joints and use it as fuel. Other biodiesel comes from plants on farms, just like ethanol. A diesel vehicle can be converted to run on biodiesel, which some cities are doing with their public transportation.

How green are they? It can beat gas but, like ethanol, it depends on how the biodiesel is made.

Challenge: Finding the fuel can be hard, it can run into problems at cold temps, you’ll void the warranty on your car if you use it — and your car might smell like French fries.

FLEX-FUEL VEHICLES

Ethanol is a fuel that can come from plants such as corn, soy and grass. Almost any car can use up to 10 percent ethanol, but flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs) are made to use up to 85 percent, along with gas.

How green are they? That depends on how the ethanol is made. Some is a lot better than gas; some is worse (between a 30 percent decrease in global-warming pollution to a 20 percent increase). Also, the most fuel-efficient FFV, the Chrysler Sebring, gets only 22 m.p.g. running on gas and only 16 m.p.g. on ethanol.

Challenge: Creating a car that is fuel-efficient enough to take real advantage of what ethanol might have to offer. Plus, fueling stations are hard to find in many parts of the country.

HYBRIDS

Hybrid vehicles have gas engines paired with electric motors and large batteries. When you hit the brakes, the car uses that energy to charge the battery. The most efficient hybrids use their electric batteries to boost m.p.g. rather than speed or acceleration.

How green are they? The Toyota Prius is the most fuel-efficient four-door on the road, getting 46 m.p.g., with the Honda Civic Hybrid coming in second at 42 m.p.g.

Challenge: Still burning gas.

PLUG-IN HYBRIDS AND ELECTRIC CARS

Plug-in hybrids are equipped with a gas engine but are made to use it only rarely, and electric cars have no gas tank at all. You plug the vehicle into the wall to recharge, just like reusable batteries.

How green are they? Cleaner than gas, but how much cleaner depends on where the electricity comes from. A coal-burning power plant? Not so good. Solar panels on your roof? Awesome.

Challenge: The driving range of the batteries before needing to be recharged, plus plug-in hybrid batteries are especially pricey.

HYDROGEN FUEL-CELL VEHICLES

Fuel-cell cars use hydrogen tanks and oxygen in the air to produce power. The only thing that comes out of the tailpipe is water.

How green are they? Very. Fuel-cell technology leads to even less overall waste than batteries.

Challenge: It may be a long time before most drivers can get their hands on a hydrogen fuel-cell car, since figuring out how to make the fuel-cell engine and hydrogen production clean and affordable is still years away.

• Make a compost tumbler
• Build a rain barrel
• Six projects to do with plastic bottles and jugs

What makes this compact garden so productive is that you will be placing plants close together in squares instead of traditional rows. You can continue to plant as you harvest.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• Hammer
• Saw
• Shovel
• Wire cutters
• Tape measure
• 4 4-foot 2-by-10′s
• 16d galvanized nails
• 2 6-foot 2-by-4′s
• 4-foot 2-by-4
• 49 feet of 12-gauge galvanized wire, cut into 7 7-foot lengths
• 8d galvanized nails
• About 1/2 cubic yard or 14 cubic feet of good garden soil
• A sunny spot for your garden

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Frame

1. Using the 2-by-10′s and 16d nails, hammer together a 4-foot square.

Trellis

2. Nail the 6-foot 2-by-4′s to the back of the frame.

3. Nail the 4-foot 2-by-4 across the back of the uprights.

4. Attach the 7 wires on the back of the trellis by wrapping wires around nails.

Planting

Fill the frame with good garden soil. Divide it into 16 squares. The smaller the mature plant, the more you can plant in each square.

A Helpful Garden

Nail 5/8-inch or heavier exterior plywood to the bottom of the frame and lift the frame to table height by placing it on sturdy saw horses or legs. Once filled with soil, it will be easily accessible to a person in a wheelchair or someone who is more comfortable sitting than kneeling.

HERE’S WHY YOU ARE AN ENVIRONMENTALIST: You like to go camping in a forest. Or catch fish. Or sit by a campfire. Or snorkel around coral reefs.

Global warming is threatening those simple things. It’s bringing warmer temperatures to forests so bark beetles breed faster and kill the trees. It’s cutting down snowfall on mountains so there’s less runoff, and rivers and streams are drying up. It’s creating drought, making chaparral so brittle that you risk a dangerous wildfire when you light a campfire. It’s causing warmer ocean water, which harms coral reefs.

WHAT IS GLOBAL WARMING? It is an increase in the Earth’s average temperature. Since the mid-1800’s, the average temperature of the planet has gone up by one degree. If one degree doesn’t sound like a big deal, it’s the difference between a frozen Popsicle and a sticky puddle on the floor.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, co-winners of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, is made up of 2,000 scientists from more than 150 countries. They say human activity has caused the planet to warm up. What kind of activity? Turning on lights, powering computers, heating homes, driving cars, flying planes, and manufacturing furniture or toys or steel.

All this activity requires the burning of fossil fuels to release energy. Coal, oil and natural gas are fossil fuels. They are carbon-based substances that scientists say formed millions of years ago even before dinosaurs roamed the Earth. When burned, the carbon inside them hits the air and becomes carbon dioxide.

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, meaning that it lets sunlight in, like a glass ceiling on a greenhouse, but doesn’t let heat out. In other words, carbon dioxide acts like a blanket over the Earth, trapping heat and warming up the planet more than is healthy.

The extra heat is melting our glaciers. It’s melting summer Arctic ice and permanent ice sheets covering Greenland. It’s creating extremes in our weather and changing the seasons. It’s bringing tropical diseases as mosquitoes breed in stagnant flood water. It’s putting animals such as polar bears, penguins, some species of butterflies and coral at risk of extinction. It’s eroding coasts because of rising sea levels.

WHAT ARE PEOPLE DOING ABOUT IT? With every problem comes an opportunity. The problem of global warming has created some cool solutions.

Alternative fuels like ethanol and biodiesel are made from corn and sugar crops, as well as vegetable oil. There are “veggie” cars on the road today. (Some even have the faint aroma of French fries.) There are about 25 different brands of hybrid cars, which combine a gas engine with an electric one to cut down carbon dioxide emissions. Other alternative fuel vehicles, such as electric and hydrogen fuel-cell, are starting to zoom onto our roads.

Renewable energy is a way to generate electricity with resources that will never run out. Unlike coal or natural gas, solar power, wind power and hydropower (from water) are renewable. A company in Australia is building a 1,600-foot solar tower in a desert that will bring electricity to 100,000 homes. Twenty percent of the world’s electricity comes from dams, which use water to create energy. And one typical wind turbine can generate enough power for 1,000 homes.

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT? Everyone has a carbon footprint. Just as you leave a footprint in the sand on the beach, you leave a “footprint” of carbon emissions every day.

Your carbon footprint comes from normal activities like turning on the light in your room, taking a shower, riding in a car to school, even eating a banana that’s been flown in from Mexico. (That airplane put out carbon dioxide to get the banana to your grocery store.) Unlike a footprint in the sand, you can’t wash away your carbon footprint. Carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere for decades. So what you do today will affect the atmosphere your kids will live in. Find out how big of a carbon footprint you’re leaving here.

We need to think about a more sustainable way of living, meaning one in which we don’t waste valuable resources but use those that will never run out. Click here to see some simple things you can do today to Go Green!

Cambria Gordon is coauthor of “The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming.” Scholastic, www.scholastic.com, $15.99 softcover. Ages 8 and up.

More Go Green reads:

“This Is My Planet: The Kids’ Guide to Global Warming” by Jan Thornhill. Maple Tree Press, www.mapletreepress.com, $10.95 softcover. Ages 9 to 13.

“You Can Save the Planet: 50 Ways You Can Make a Difference” by Jacquie Wines. Scholastic, www.scholastic.com, $4.99 softcover. Ages 9 and up.

But nothing could prepare him for the work it would take to earn the top conservation award that the BSA has to offer—the William T. Hornaday Silver Medal.

“When I first saw the requirements, I was shocked at how much work they would require, and how daunting the award seemed,” says Josh, whose dad is one of those professional scientists, a biologist.

Several years and four massive projects later, Josh was being presented with the award by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne in Washington, D.C.

“Not until I was actually given the award did I begin to realize the impact my projects had on the environment as well as on other people,” Josh says. “I don’t particularly like fanfare or recognition, but I realize the importance of inspiring other people.”

It takes more than a passing interest in conservation to earn this honor. It takes years of dedication and hard work.

Josh says the key for him was to think big, but not too big.

“Something that helped me earn the award was to break it down into steps,” he says.

First Things First

Completing the Silver Medal requirements is similar to planning an Eagle Scout project, only bigger. You can’t do it unless you already have a passion for the subject matter.

Josh has always been passionate about preserving the environment near his home in Royal Oak, Md. Each of his Hornaday projects focused on that area, and each project had its own challenges.

Seems there’s a lot of paperwork that goes along with trying to save the Earth.

“One thing I found difficult was writing up the summary and working on the actual application,” Josh says. “It was easy to put off, and it took a large amount of time. The writing required a lot of motivation on my part.”

The key is not to try to save the Earth overnight. Scouts should realize going in that this isn’t going to be easy.

Instead of focusing on the Silver Medal right away, Josh suggests Scouts work on the requirements for the Badge and Bronze Medal first.

Don’t Work Alone

In the process of earning any of the Hornaday awards, guys likely are going to have to enlist the help of scientists and others with experience.

Along his way, Josh had to address nearly 100 science professionals from state and federal agencies like the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

But he didn’t flinch. When going after projects like these, you need all the help you can get.

“The most critical factor is getting good, qualified conservation professionals to work with you,” says Tim Beaty, chair of the Hornaday committee. “I think they can be found anywhere, in every county—in hiking clubs, in Audubon societies….

“Your local blue pages with government listings will have some sort of government agency that can help.”

In college he learned the practice of taxidermy and became chief taxidermist at the National Museum in Washington, D.C. He went on specimen-collecting trips to Florida, Cuba, the West Indies, India, Ceylon, the Malay Peninsula and Borneo.

Author of hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles, he wrote more than 20 books and created the Bronx Zoo and D.C.’s National Zoo.

About 1,100 Hornaday medals have been awarded since 1917. That’s an average of fewer than 15 per year. (By contrast, 51,742 Scouts earned the rank of Eagle in 2007 alone.)

Hornaday established the awards program to recognize Scouts who complete a series of truly exceptional conservation projects. Earning one takes a tremendous amount of time and dedication.

Hornaday Badge: Scouts must earn five merit badges from a list of environmental-related categories, then plan, lead and carry out a significant conservation project.

Hornaday Bronze Medal: Scouts must earn the Environmental Science merit badge, plus five more badges related to conservation, then plan, lead and carry out three significant projects.

Hornaday Silver Medal: Scouts must earn all of the conservation-related merit badges, plus three additional merit badges, then plan, lead and carry out four significant projects.

The Hornaday Gold Medal is for adults.

For a list of the required merit badges and project categories, click here.

HORNADAY SILVER MEDAL WINNERS SINCE 2000

Matthew Authement, Troop 219, St. Petersburg, Fla.: Removed invasive tree species at nature preserve; improved migratory songbird habitat; constructed nesting boxes and birdcage for educational program at preserve; managed community battery recovery and recycling project.

Brady Baldwin, Lone Scout, Green Valley, Calif.: Removed trash and built sign to discourage littering at park; built and installed bat boxes; built and installed recycling bins; promoted energy conservation at middle school.

Kyle Baldwin, Lone Scout, Green Valley, Calif.: Cleared dams blocking a creek; promoted use of solar energy at high school; installed wood-duck boxes; installed information signs at a park.

Daniel Barber, Troop 942, Cameron, N.C.: Designed and installed outdoor physical fitness stations; installed bridges across streams near high school; made cross-country running course more environmentally friendly; restored the area surrounding town well sites.

Matthew Brennan, Troop 13, Warren, Pa.: Restored damaged undergrowth at wildlife area; monitored bald eagle nest and planted vegetation to serve as food for wildlife; removed hazardous discarded fishing line from reservoir; repaired hiking trail for better erosion control.

Travis Cochran, Troop 104, Cedarpines Park, Calif.: Restored forest and wildlife habitat at fire station; improved wildlife water source; protected endangered plants at park by removing invasive species; returned illegal road to natural conditions; planted and maintained trees at Scout camp.

Carl Diamond, Varsity Scout Team 1357, Woodbridge, Va.: Removed trash and repaired damage to a hiking trail; removed non-native vegetation from a wildlife refuge; promoted proper disposal of hazardous household waste; improved wildlife habitats in park.

Robert Dixon, Troop 748, Oceanside, Calif.: Removed invasive tree species from wildlife preserve; developed plan to create backyard wildlife habitats; monitored activities of endangered native bird population; removed and repaired incorrectly installed drainpipes that were causing erosion.

Lewis Gorman IV, Troop 144, Cherry Hill, N.J.: Started battery recycling program; restored and

rerouted hiking trail at Scout camp; built and installed nesting boxes for birds along a trail; created a tree identification trail.

Jesse Hand, Venturing Crew 18, Manitou Springs, Colo.: Conceived and directed erosion control project; led reforestation project; organized chemical waste collection and recycling program; worked on wolf protection/community awareness project.

Graham Huggins, Troop 320, Simpsonville, S.C.: Built nature trail around pond; introduced pond fish that would eat invasive weeds; launched erosion control projects at state park; repaired signs along hiking trail.

Jonathan Kruse, Troop 519, Russiaville, Ind.: Built and installed bird feeders along nature trail; launched erosion control project along river; ran composting education program; ran hazardous material disposal project.

Michael Lionetti, Troop 825, Houston, Tex.: Planted native vegetation to prevent erosion and flooding; explored ways to improve flood control properties along a canal; ran Christmas tree recycling program; planted native trees.

John Maseda, Troop 301, St. Petersburg, Fla.: Removed invasive species of tree from park; taught wildlife education classes; restored native plant populations at a park; promoted proper methods for hazardous material disposal.

Joshua Mayes, Troop 105, Wallisville, Tex.: Planted vegetation to benefit marsh wildlife; repaired boat ramp at Scout camp; conducted seed collecting and planting project for wildlife refuge; restored

native grasses to marshlands.

Griffin McGee, Troop 908, Burns Harbor, Ind.: Removal of non-native plants; led ditch construction project to improve drainage; planted pine trees at camp; built new hiking trail at park.

Quentin Mullen, Venturing Crew 009, Winchester, Ind.: Built outdoors learning display at environmental center; ran battery recycling drive at middle school; created nature program at Cub Scout day camp; helped with biological survey and monitoring project at 10 sites.

Samuel Nassie, Troop 770, Paradise, Calif.: Restored hiking trail; helped with reforestation project in wildfire-damaged area; installed wood-duck nesting boxes near a lake; created program for proper disposal and recycling of household batteries.

Victor Otruba, Sea Scout Ship 2001, Mansfield, Pa.: Founded nonprofit organization to clean up a river; set up demonstrations of limestone treatments that improve water quality; gathered hardwood nuts and planted them on reclaimed mining land; rerouted stream that was eroding a coal mine.

John Peake, Explorer Post 2121, Ventura, Calif.: Installed warning signs on face of storm drains;

established native butterfly park; worked on oil recycling education program; worked on hazardous material disposal program.

John Rasmussen, Troop 623, Hutchinson, Minn.: Implemented an education project involving backyard habitats for bats; created a project to raise awareness of an invasive underwater plant; conducted a recycling/composting education project; collected data on land restoration project.

Lucas Reineke, Troop 105, Glendale, Ariz.: Developed project to educate children on fish preservation; gathered information for large tree planting project; created public education project concerning recycling and composting; repaired erosion damage on trail.

Jeffrey Teigler, Troop 341, Altoona, Pa.: Conducted projects to improve safety, wildlife diversity and rehabilitation efforts at a wildlife rehabilitation center; worked on projects to improve water quality in streams; spearheaded reforestation project along a stream; planted trees over a limestone aquifer to reduce pollutants.

Wade Walker, Troop 74, Manhattan, Kan.: Removed undesirable trees along streams; resurfaced driveway near stream and redirected stream to prevent erosion; directed project to remove hazardous materials; built and installed birdhouses and bird feeders.

Dylan Wetzel, Troop 256, Harrisburg, Pa.: Built, installed and maintained bird nesting boxes; implemented erosion control methods along stream; implemented recycling program; directed project that resulted in the planting of 1,700 trees.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 1⁄2-inch-thick plywood
• Saw
• Drill
• Screwdriver
• Wood screws
• 4 small hinges
• 2 gate-hook sets
• Some screen
• Stapler
• All-purpose caulk
• Primer
• White outdoor oil-based paint
• Paintbrush

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

Cut the following from 1/2-inch-thick plywood:

• One piece, 29 1 ⁄2 inches long and 15 1 ⁄2 inches wide, for the base
• Two pieces, 18 1 ⁄2 by 7 inches, for the sides
• Two pieces, 15 1 ⁄2 by 7 inches, for the front and back
• One piece, 14 1 ⁄2 by 7 inches, for the main interior divider
• Two pieces, 9 by 7 inches, for interior dividers
• Two pieces, 7 by 5 inches, for the porch dividers
• One piece, 19 1 ⁄2 by 15 1 ⁄2 inches, for the ceiling
• One piece, 11 by 11 inches, for the roof peaks
• One piece, 29 1 ⁄2 by 11 1 ⁄2 inches, for the roof
• One piece, 29 1 ⁄2 by 12 inches, for the roof

STEP 1: Attach the sides to the base, leaving 5 1⁄2 inches on each end.

STEP 2: Drill four 5⁄16-inch holes,

2 1⁄4 inches and 4 1⁄2 inches from each end and 1 inch from the top of the main interior divider.

STEP 3: Attach the interior dividers to the base with screws.

STEP 4: Drill six 5⁄16-inch holes through the floor of each of the four compartments, one in each corner and one midway along each side.

STEP 5: Drill four 5⁄16-inch holes in each of the front and back panels, 1 inch from the top and 2 3⁄4 inches and 5 inches from both ends. Cut two 2 1⁄16-inch-diameter holes in each panel, each hole 3 inches from the side and 1 inch from the bottom.

STEP 6: Hinge the front and back pieces to the sides. Secure an eye catch to the free end of the front and back panels, and screw the hook into the sides.

STEP 7: Attach the porch dividers to the front and back between the entrance holes.

STEP 8: Cut the 11-inch square of wood along the diagonal to create roof peaks. Drill a 2 1⁄8-inch hole 3 inches from the top of each peak. Cut a piece of screen and staple over each hole. Attach the peaks to the front and back of the ceiling.

STEP 9: Attach the ceiling to the sides. Drill a 2 1⁄8-inch hole centered over each compartment and cover with screen.

STEP 10: Attach the narrow roof panel to the peaks. Position the wide panel so it overlaps the top edge of the shorter panel and secure to the roof peak. Seal the roof edge with caulk and finish the exterior with primer and white outdoor oilbased paint. Mount your house on a wooden post using angle irons or on a telescoping pole with a floor flange of the appropriate diameter.

The Purple Martin Conservation Association offers tips for choosing your martin house location and the best dates to open the house in your region at www.purplemartin.org

YOU’LL NEED:

• Adult permission and/or help
• One 30-inch 1-inch-by-12-inch board (You can also cut a similar-size piece from a ¾ -inch-thick piece of plywood; treated wood weathers better.)
• 7 feet of 1-inch-by-1-inch pine (Or use 1-inch pine quarter round trim, or cut 1-inch by 1-inch strips from the 3/4 –inch-thick plywood).
• 10 galvanized 6-penny box or finishing nails
• One 1-inch pipe flange with four ¾-inch screws
• One 6 to 8 foot length of 1-inch galvanized pipe with one end threaded. (You can also screw the feeder onto a deck railing or hang it from eyehooks.)

Note: A roof is not necessary, but one can be added to keep the seed drier.

STEP 1: Cut platform base.

STEP 2: Measure and cut trim pieces so that they fit around the edge of the top of the platform. This will serve to contain the seed.

STEP 3: Nail or screw the trim pieces to the platform.

STEP 4: Fasten the pipe flange in the center of the bottom side of the platform with ¾-inch screws. (Or fasten screw eyes to each end of the platform.)

STEP 5 : Screw pipe into the pipe flange and erect your feeder in your yard within viewing distance of your window.

Place the feeder in your best viewing position — but also consider nearby shrubs and trees for shelter and protection for the feeding birds. In open areas, place your feeder on the side of the house that is most protected from winter winds.

Each bird species has its special habits and needs. The best high-energy foods include sunflower seeds, peanut kernel, white proso millet and suet (beef fat).

Lastly, because birds will come to depend on your feeder, it is important that you keep it full of food. Neglect it, and birds could suffer.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• A pizza box
• Black construction paper
• Aluminum foil
• Plastic window covering
• Permanent marker
• Glue
• Tape
• Scissors
• Ruler
• String

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

STEP 1: Line the inside bottom of the box with foil.

STEP 2: Cover foil with black paper and tape in place.

STEP 3: Set the plastic under the box and trace the outline of the box.

STEP 4: Remove the box and draw another outline 1⁄4-inch inside the first outline and cut along inside line.

STEP 5: Close the box cover, and draw another line 1 inch from each side.

STEP 6: Cut along the lines on the front and sides—not the back.
STEP 7: Open the cover and line the inside with foil.

STEP 8: Glue foil in place.

STEP 9: Cover foil with the cut plastic and tape in place.

STEP 10: All layers should be airtight and wrinkle-free.

STEP 11: On the outside of the box cover, attach a string long enough to keep the flap open and let the sun shine in.

STEP 12: Once you have the oven, all you need is the sun. Choose a spot that will get at least several hours of direct sun away from any strong wind.

TRY IT OUT

Solar cooking takes a little practice. Try this recipe first:

Solar Oven S’mores:

Ingredients:

• Graham crackers
• Milk chocolate bars
• Marshmallows

Place graham crackers next to each other on the bottom of a black cast-iron pot. Black pots are best because they absorb and retain the sun’s heat better than light-colored pans. Top each cracker with a piece of chocolate and a marshmallow. Put a glass lid over the pot and place the pot in the center of your solar oven. When the marshmallow is gooey, take out the crackers and add the second layer of graham crackers on top to complete it.

• Carry a canvas bag when you go shopping, instead of choosing “paper or plastic” store bags. Plastic bags are made from petroleum, which is an oil product. Paper bags are made from trees, important absorbers of excess carbon dioxide.
• Drink from a reusable water bottle. 2.5 million water bottles are thrown away every hour. This adds to our landfills and releases methane, a powerful heat-trapping greenhouse gas.
• Replace a light bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb (CFL). CFL’s use ¼ the energy that a regular (incandescent) light bulb uses. If every home in America changed just one light bulb, it would be equal to taking 800,000 cars off the road. LED light bulbs are another energy-efficient option.
• Unplug your iPod, DS and cell phone chargers when you’re finished charging. The plug in the wall keeps draining energy, putting more greenhouse gas pollution from a coal-fired power plant into the air.
• Take shorter showers. Heating water uses energy.
• Print on both sides of the paper when using your computer printer. Also, look for paper that’s made from at least 30 percent post-consumer waste.
• Take a thermal lunch box to school filled with plastic containers instead of throw-away baggies.
• Set your computer to go into standby mode, or sleep mode, instead of using a screen-saver.
• Organize a “walk-to-school” day, encouraging anyone who can to take public transportation or walk/bike/skateboard to school.
• Buy stuff with minimal packaging.

Click here for a PDF version of these instructions.

YOU’LL NEED:

• A two-liter plastic bottle
• scissors
• push-pin
• rocks or gravel
• potting soil
• seeds of your choice
• small amount of tape
• adult supervision

Step 1: Remove the label from the bottle. If the label doesn’t come off easily, fill the bottle with warm tap water until thewater rises above the label. Let stand for 10 or 15 minutes. The label should peel off easily.

Step 2: Measure four inches down from the plastic bottle cap. Draw a line and cut off the bottle top at this point. Place a thin layer of small rocks or gravel in the bottom of the bottle for drainage. Fill halfway with potting soil. Following the instructions on he seed package, plant the seeds. Water just a sprinkle—too much and you’ll drown your plants.

Step 3: With a push-pin, make several holes in the top of the bottle cap. (It’s easier than it sounds.) Screw cap onto cutoff top of bottle. This is now the lid of your greenhouse bottle. Carefully place on top of the bottle, securing it with a small piece of tape on one side.

Step 4: Set the bottle in a sunny place and wait for your seeds to sprout. When they get about an inch high, remove the bottle top and let the plants grow until you are ready to transplant outdoors or into another pot.

Note: Single-serving-size plastic bottles work equally well, only you can’t get as many plants in them. For these smaller greenhouses, measure down 31⁄2 inches from the top instead of 4 inches.

For more information on bats, go to www.batcon.org.

Materials Needed (makes 1)

• 1/4 sheet ( 2′ x 4′ ) 1/2″ cdx (outdoor grade) plywood
• One piece 1″ x 2″ (3/4″ x 1 3/4″ finished) x 8′ pine (furring strip)
• 20-30 1 1/4″ coated deck or exterior-grade Phillips screws
• One pint black, water-based stain, exterior-grade
• One pint water-based primer, exterior-grade
• One quart flat water-based paint or stain, exterior-grade
• One tube paintable latex caulk
• 1″ x 3″ x 28″ board for roof (optional, but highly recommended)
• Black asphalt shingles or galvanized metal (optional)
• 6-10 7/8″ roofing nails (optional)

Recommended Tools

• table saw or handsaw
• caulking gun
• variable speed reversing drill
• paintbrushes
• Phillips bit for drill
• tape measure or yardstick
• scissors (optional)
• staple gun (optional)

Construction Procedure

1. Measure and cut plywood into three pieces:
   • 26 1/2″ x 24″
   • 16 1/2″ x 24″
   • 5″ x 24″
2. Roughen inside of backboard and landing area by cutting horizontal grooves with sharp object or saw. Space grooves about 1/2″ apart, cutting 1/16″ to 1/32″ deep.
3. Apply two coats of black, water-based stain to interior surfaces. Do not use paint, as it will fill grooves, making them unusable.
4. Measure and cut furring into one 24″ and two 20 1/4″ pieces.
5. Attach furring strips to back, caulking first. Start with 24″ piece at top. Roosting chamber will be 3/4″ wide (front to back).
6. Attach front to furring strips, top piece first (don’t forget to caulk). Leave 1/2″ vent space between top and bottom front pieces.
7. Caulk around all outside joints to further seal roosting chamber.
8. Attach a 1″ x 3″ x 28″ board to the top as a roof, if desired (optional, but highly recommended).
9. Paint or stain exterior three times (use primer for first coat).
10. Cover roof with shingles or galvanized metal (optional).

Optional Modifications to the Small Economy Bat House

1. Wider bat houses can be built for larger colonies. Be sure to adjust dimensions for back and front pieces and ceiling strip. A 3/4″ support spacer may be required in the center of the roosting chamber for bat houses over 24″ wide to prevent warping.
2. Two bat houses can be placed back to back, mounted on poles. Before assembly, a horizontal 3/4″ slot should be cut in the back of each house about 9″ from the bottom edge of the back piece to permit movement of bats between houses. Two pieces of wood, 1″ x 4″ x 4 1/4″, screwed horizontally to each side, will join the two boxes. To provide additional roosting space, leave a 3/4″ space between the two houses, and roughen the wood surfaces or cover the back of each with plastic mesh. (Do not cover the rear exit slots; see item 4 below). One 1″ x 4″ x 34″ vertical piece attached to each side over the horizontal pieces blocks light, but allows bats and air to enter. A galvanized metal roof, covering both houses, protects the center roosting area from rain. Eaves should be about 3″ in southern areas and about 1 1/2″ in the north.
3. Ventilation may not be necessary in cold climates. In this case, the front should be a single piece 23″ long. Smaller bat houses like this one will be less successful in cool climates. However, those mounted on buildings gain heat faster, maintain thermal stability better and are more likely to attract bats.
4. Durable plastic mesh can be substituted for roughening to provide footholds for bats. Attach one 20″ x 22 1/2″ piece to backboard after staining interior, but prior to assembly.

Have you ever wished you could dig money out of the ground? In a way you can. Raising worms in a small worm farm can make you extra money during the summer. Bait stores and fishermen are always in need of worms. Gardeners and farmers use them to help their plants, because worms burrow into the soil allowing air and moisture into it. This helps the roots grow deeper and stronger.

Building a Business

Getting started is easy. Everything you need can be found in your local home-improvement store. You can estimate spending about $50 on the supplies needed to build your worm bed.

YOU’LL NEED:

• 2 25-lb. bags of cement mix
• 6 7-inch by 1⁄4-inch by 6-foot boards
• 6 7-inch by 1⁄4-inch by 3-foot boards
• 6 2-inch by 1⁄4-inch by 2-foot boards
• a 3-by-6-foot screen mesh
• adult permission and/or help

The boards can be bought new or you can use old boards you have lying around. The boards may be different sizes as long as they are equal to the size of the bed.

STEP 1: Pick a spot that is shady most of the day.

STEP 2: Measure an area 6 feet long by 3 feet wide.

STEP 3: Dig a hole the size of that area to 36 inches deep. (Ask your parents permission first.) Keep some of the dirt for use later.

STEP 4: With your boards, make a box frame to fit inside the bed you’ve dug. The box will be set into the ground about a foot below the surface.

STEP 5: Place the frame inside the bed. There should be a 1/4-inch gap around the outside of the frame.

STEP 6: Mix the cement according to the directions on the bag.

STEP 7: Pour the concrete into the 1/4-inch gap around the box. Don’t overfill into the bed.

STEP 8: Let the concrete harden. Remove the frame one wall at a time.

STEP 9: Fill the bed with a mixture of peat moss, shredded newspaper and part of the dirt you removed.

STEP 10: Make the top from two of the 6-footlong boards and two of the 3-foot boards. Nail the screen mesh to the boards to make a rectangular door-like frame.

STEP 11: Place the top on the worm bed. This will keep animals out of the bed.

Ordering Your Worms

Now order your worms. The best way is from a worm supplier. You can find a list of these in any outdoor magazine, or you can go to the Internet. One example: www.wormman.com. Suppliers will have several different types of worms. Ken Chiarella of Monroe Township, N.J., the Worm Man behind the www.wormman.com Web site, recommends red worms for the beginning worm farmer because they’re cheap and easy to raise. You can get about 1,000 worms for $18. Mr. Chiarella warns that you should let your bed sit for several days before you add the worms. Otherwise decomposition will make the soil too hot and the worms will crawl away.

Easy to Please

Taking care of your worms is easy. They will eat anything from leaves to small stones. Table scraps such as banana peels, lettuce and even paper towels can also be added. Feed and water your worms every other day. Use a garden hose to lightly spray the bed until it becomes moist. Let your worms settle into their new home for two months before you start selling them. It is best to use a pitchfork when removing the worms from the bed. Worms are night creatures, so the best time to dig is early morning and late evening. Mr. Chiarella said that 1,000 red worms could turn into tens of thousands more in a year, depending on how much space they have in which to breed. The going rate for selling worms as bait is about $2 for 25 worms, he said. Mr. Chiarella, a wholesaler, said he did $150,000 in business in 1999.