The three R's -- and I don't mean reading, writing and 'rithmatic.

The earth is the only planet we can live on. That is why we have to protect it. We need clean air, and clean water for humans to live on earth. What can we do to keep the air and water clean? Also, we use natural resources, like coal, oil and wood. What can we do to make sure that we don't run out of the things we need?

Mrs. Fey's water bottle has a good slogan on it. It says, "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle." Those are three ways we can protect the earth. We can reduce our needs. We can reuse items, instead of just throwing them away. And we can recycle things that can be turned back into new ones.

What are some ways we can reduce? When we buy things in the store, we can look for products that don't have too much wasteful packaging. We can bring our own re-usable bags to the store, so that we don't have to waste plastic bags. We can use less energy if we dress warm indoors, so that we don't have to use up energy to heat the house so much. It is important that when people buy cars, they try to get the one with the best fuel economy, so that they do not waste gasoline. New types of cars -- like hybrids and all-electric cars -- can also save energy.

We can protect the earth by reusing things. If we aren't aware of this problem, one day there will be no more space for landfills to hold all our garbage. Also, landfills are very expensive, and if we have to spend money on them, there is less money to spend on education and other important things. How often have you used a piece of aluminum foil once and then thrown it away? Did you ever thing about re-using it? Our parents' generation used lots of disposable things. We can start thinking about things that have lasting value.

That brings us to the third R -- recycling. At Clark Middle School, my class goes to all the classrooms and collects the paper and cardboard that other students and teachers use. Then, we put it in a special dumpster so that it can be taken to the recycling center. The paper is collected and shipped to Washington, where it is made into new paper. By recycling paper, we save energy, we save space in the landfills, and we save trees that would be used to make new paper. The trees then can breathe in carbon dioxide, and breathe out oxygen, so that our atmosphere is healthy.

Can you think of some other ways to save the earth?