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Table of Contents

Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

Earth Day Heroes

He Has a Bright Idea

Avery Hairston is lighting up people's lives. The 15-year-old from New York City created a charity called RelightNY. It helps people who struggle to pay their energy bills by giving them compact fluorescent lightbulbs, which reduce long-term energy costs.They are also better for the environment than regular bulbs. "People who can afford the bulbs, which are a bit expensive, should buy them for themselves and supply them to others," Avery told TFK.

He Is Big on Recycling

ELI KAHN, 15, started Cartridges for a Cure to raise money for children's cancer research by recycling empty ink cartridges. Eli has raised $82,000 for Johns Hopkins Children's Center. "With a little time and effort, anything can get bigger," Eli told TFK.

She Makes Water Safe to Drink

Kelydra Welcker, 17, is on a mission to make drinking water safer. She invented an easy way to remove the chemical C8 from her West Virginia town's water supply. C8 seeped into the water from a nearby industrial plant. "Clean water should be a given," Kelydra told TFK. "Everyone should have it."

Wangari Maathai, from Kenya, Africa, has been working to save the environment for 30 years. In 1977, she started a movement in Kenya to help combat deforestation. The program has planted more than 30 million trees in Africa. Her work earned her the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.

Now Maathai has invited the world to join her growing efforts. Last fall, she helped launch the Billion Tree Campaign. The United Nations program encourages people to plant trees in their communities, with the goal of planting 1 billion trees worldwide this year. Pledges to grow green have poured in, and more than 9 million trees have been planted. Says Maathai, "This is something anybody can do."

Next: 10 Ways You Can Make A Difference