September Electricity
Electricity is the September Focus of the PWRDF Family Calendar -- you can explore this important concern with your family at any time of the year.
PWRDF Story: Organization for Eelam Refugees Rehabilitation (OfERR)
At the OfERR model farm in Tamil Nadu India, Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka learn innovative methods for farming that are environmentally friendly. This solar pump is used to provide water for crops and livestock.
OfERR was founded in 1984 by a group of Sri Lankan refugees who arrived in India in the early 80’s with the first wave of Sri Lankan Tamils fleeing civil war and human rights abuses in their country. There are presently more than a hundred thousand refugees in Tamil Nadu and 78,500 of them are sheltered in the 119 Refugee camps run by the government. OfERR is an organization run by refugees for refugees that works to improve the daily lives of refugees with the ultimate goal of preparing them to return to their beloved island home. All of the organization's programs are designed to build skills and use portable materials that can be of use when establishing themselves back on the island. PWRDF is proud to be a long time partner of these creative, and hard-working folk.
WHAT ARE FOSSIL FUELS?
Fossil fuels are derived from the remains (fossils) of plants and animals that over millions of years have been compressed into hydrocarbons — dense concentrations of hydrogen and carbon buried deep beneath the earth’s surface and oceans. The three main fossil fuels are crude oil, natural gas, and coal. More from KAIROS....
Family Activity: Power Down Day
Take a day away from ordinary routines and as a family commit to going without fossil fuels, or fossil fuel powered electricity for one 12 hour day. What about a family scavenger hunt for all the things in your home that are made from fossil fuels -- check the bathroom, the kitchen cupboards, as well as the garage. Go through the list and see what changes you can make. Make sure you take some time for simple pleasures that you might not ordinarily enjoy -- read a story together, sing together, look at family photos. At the end of the time, tell each other about what was easy and what was hard and where you might go from here. Tell us how you did it and what you learned.
KAIROS has created a guide for a group experience that can be adapted for use at home. PowerDown Day Guide.
Activity for ages 3-6: Tiny Paper Lanterns
Hang these lanterns with thread in the house where you want to remember to turn off the electricity -- near the light switch, or the computer --or wherever you need a reminder in the house to make an earth-friendly choice.
Materials
Plain or patterned paper; Scissors, Markers or crayons; Tape; Thread
Directions
1. Cut out a small square of paper - about 4 inches square.
2. Decorate with pens or crayons, or use patterned paper.
3. Cut a thin strip off one side of the square to use later as handle.
4. Fold the paper in half and make a series of horizontal cuts from the folded edge, upwards, but stopping short of the top edge. The cuts should be evenly spaced, about 1/2 inch apart.
5. Open up the paper and bend it around so that the two sides join and the cuts are running vertically.
6. Fix the sides together with a small piece of sticky tape at top and bottom.
7. Stick the handle strip over the top with tape.
Adapted from: The Under-Fives Activity Book, by Stella Maidment London:Red Fox,1992 ISBN 0 09 986530 0
Let there be light
Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day...Genesis 1.3-4
Activity for ages 6-10: Let there be light
Use this line drawn from the story of creation as inspiration for a piece of art. Paint, color, collage...... try out a few different ways of letting this theme speak to you. Perhaps make some holes in your picture to allow sunlight through. Or cover the holes with tissue or something that changes in the light. What does the creation story say to us today about how to care for the earth?
Eco-Fun: Great Projects, Experiments and Games for a Greener Earth. David Suzuki & Kathy Vanderlinden
Ages 8-11 Forty-eight fun-filled, science-based environmental activities for kids to explore the world they live in and find ways to make it better. Projects include: building a solar panel, making recycled paper, building a worm composter and create a forest ecosystem in a jar. Available from Parent Books.
Activity for ages 10-15: Off the Grid
