Pollution education resources for ages 8 to 12

Reducing pollution: for a healthy environment

Pollution is a word we know well, but it can be a little scary. Why? Because pollution means problems – for human health, for animal health, and even for the health of the entire planet. It's impossible to stop polluting completely. But reducing pollution - a lot, even - is entirely possible! Everyone can do their part, even you!

For more information on this topic, check out the teen page.

What is pollution?

Pollution is when substances or objects are released into the environment that harms living things and upsets the balance of the planet. You've probably seen smoke coming out of a chimney, trash floating on the water, or smelled something bad when passing a truck. That’s all pollution!
Sometimes pollution happens naturally, like smoke from a forest fire or gases from a volcanic eruption. But most of the time, humans are the ones responsible.

Figure 1: Different types of pollution

The more time goes on, the more pollution there is

Pollution has always been around. Even the first humans caused a little pollution by making fires. Back then, this had very little impact. But since those early days, the human population has grown A LOT and so has pollution!

Today, almost everything we do creates pollution. Making objects, traveling, cooking, using a phone. Even a simple pair of shoes needed materials, energy, and transportation before you could wear them!

Pollution is everywhere

Imagine you spill a bottle of juice on the ground during a picnic. The liquid won't just stay there. It will soak into the ground and might even flow into a river or lake. If the fish take a little sip of that fruit juice, it's no big deal! But imagine if it were oil or toxic chemicals spilled into nature. These substances pollute the environment, harm plants and animals, and can even contaminate the water we drink.

Often, pollutants don't stay where they were released. Wind, rain, and rivers carry them all over the planet. That’s why pollution can be found anywhere - at the bottom of the ocean, on a mountain top, on a glacier, and even in our bodies!

Treating the earth like a trash can

In the past, almost everything was reused, and food scraps were given to animals or used as fertilizer. The little waste that remained was burned or buried.

The real problems with trash really started around the 11th century, in medieval cities, when waste was thrown directly into the streets. The result? Diseases and major epidemics such as the Black Death! Luckily, people came up with very effective solutions, like sewers, garbage collection, and the invention of the trash can in Paris by Monsieur Poubelle!

Figure 2: Landfill waste

Today, garbage is still a big problem. Why? Because we produce too much of it, and because some of it takes centuries to break down. Things like plastic, old phones, and synthetic clothes don't decompose like an apple or a dead leaf!

People in wealthier countries consume a lot and therefore produce a lot of waste. In Canada, we aren’t doing so well. On average, Canadians throw away 300 kilograms of garbage every year. That's about 30 large garbage bags full per person!

Figure 3: Waste produced per person

Types of waste

Waste can come from many different places and be in different forms. We can identify three major types of waste:

• Household waste: what we throw away at home, at school, when we go to the movies, etc. (packaging, food scraps, broken items).
• Industrial waste: produced by factories (heavy metals, chemicals).
• Agricultural waste: related to farms (fertilizer, pesticides).

Figure 4: Types of waste

Where does the trash go?

Trash doesn’t just disappear like magic! It can be:

• buried in landfills (but that takes up a lot of space)
• burned (but that pollutes the air) or
• thrown into nature (which is a VERY bad idea!)

If waste isn’t stored properly, it can cause big problems, like releasing harmful substances or hurting animals! Maybe you've heard about sea turtles that swallow plastic bags because they think they’re jellyfish. You can imagine that kind of meal isn’t easy to digest!

Figure 5: Wildlife affected by pollution

There’s pollution in the air

Have you ever heard the word smog? It is a thick, toxic fog that forms in large cities when the air is very polluted. It happens when smoke from fireplaces and car exhaust fumes build up and don’t get blown away by the wind. When smog is present, a lot of people may have trouble breathing.

Air pollution is dangerous for human health, but it’s also harmful to animals  and plants. It’s even bad for the planet. Just think about greenhouse gases, which contribute to global warming. Watch these videos to learn more about air quality.

We’re fed up with wastewater

When we wash dishes, do laundry, or flush the toilet, the dirty water goes down the drain. Usually, it goes through a treatment plant that cleans most of it before it ends up rivers or lakes. The same goes for water that comes from factories. The problem is that this wastewater treatment doesn’t catch all the pollutants and, worse, it doesn’t happen everywhere.

If someone flushes medicines down the toilet, those substances end up in the water with the fish and can affect the fish’s health. Chances are that the fish won’t be too happy about that!

In many countries, there is no system to treat wastewater. Often, everything, even waste, is dumped directly into rivers or the sea. That doesn't exactly make you want to go for a swim.

Figure 6: Water pollution

Soil contamination alert!

Many human activities like farming, factories, oil drilling, and mining release pollutants into the soil. These can be things like pesticides, heavy metals, chemicals, and hydrocarbons. And unfortunately, it’s not always an accident! These types of pollutants can stay in nature for a very long time and have impacts on the environment. For example, some of them could hurt animals by affecting their reproductive and immune systems.

Noisy and bright – and totally disruptive

A lawnmower roaring, cars speeding down the highway, an airplane taking off – all that noise is another kind of pollution. It doesn’t just annoy us or keep us awake; it can also cause lots of different health problems. And it's not any better for animals.

For example, the noise from boats or oil drilling can be very harmful to beluga whales who communicate using sounds. A baby beluga and its mother might have trouble communicating and could get separated!

Streetlights are great for walking around at night! But for many species, leaving the lights on all night isn't such a bright idea! Too much light confuses night-time creatures like moths and bats who have trouble telling night from day. This really messes them up!

Pollution: enough is enough!

Stopping pollution completely is impossible! But we can work hard to reduce pollution as much as possible. Governments make rules, monitor industries, and make sure everyone follows the law. But this isn't always easy, because some companies and a lot of people don't want to change how they do things.

Citizens, like us, can also support environmental groups and ask leaders to take action to reduce waste, toxic products, and pollution in the air and water. Together, we can make a difference!

And what can we do?

You too, with your friends and family, can help reduce pollution. It's not that hard.

• Ride your bike or walk instead of using the car when you can. Less cars mean less air pollution.
• Avoid heating using wood stoves. Less smoke means less air pollution.
• Take batteries, light bulbs, and toxic products to the special recycling centers instead of letting them contaminate the environment when thrown into the trash.
• Recycle everything you can: plastic, paper, glass, old electronic devices – every item recovered can have a second life.
• Take expired medicine back to the pharmacy. Never throw them in the trash or flush down the toilet.
• Only buy things you really need. Otherwise, choose second-hand clothes and items instead of new ones. It's good for the planet.
• Say no to extra packaging! Choose products with less plastic. Less waste means less pollution.
• Share and borrow instead of buying new stuff: tools, books, games. It's good for nature and your wallet.
• Help clean up your neighborhood, a river, or a beach by participating in trash collection events.

Want to do more? Check out the 9Rs for more eco-friendly ideas.

Figure 7: Shrink your pollution!

Every little bit helps! If everyone pitches in, the planet will be a much better place, and so will we. So, are you ready to take action?