CHAPTER 2

The Challenge

When we got back to the classroom after recess, Jessie pulled a bunch of stuff out of her jacket pocket. “Look what I found on the playground, Mrs. Wushy.”

“What is it, Jessie?”

“A bunch of trash: a chip bag, a candy wrapper, a napkin, and a spoon.”

“Eeeewwww,” said Chloe, backing away. “All that stuff is full of germs. Why did you pick it up?”

“Because it doesn’t belong on the playground,” said Jessie. “It belongs in a trash can. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to play on a playground full of trash!”

“Good for you, Jessie,” said Mrs. Wushy.

“I can’t believe that all of that stuff was out there,” I said. “I never noticed it before.”

“Me, neither,” said Jessie. “But since we started talking about taking care of our planet, I decided to look carefully today.”

“It’s amazing what you notice once you start looking,” said Mrs. Wushy. “Maybe as part of our Earth Day activities this week, we can do a playground cleanup. What do you all think?”

“I think that sounds like a great idea!” I said. “Can we do it now?”

“Not right now,” said Mrs. Wushy. “We’ll do it one day later this week. Right now I want to tell you all about the Earth Day Challenge.”

“I know I’m going to win,” Max bragged.

“How do you know?” said Jessie.

“Because I know,” said Max, sticking out his chest.

“But Mrs. Wushy hasn’t even told us what it is yet,” said Jessie. “Why don’t you stop bragging for one minute and let Mrs. Wushy explain it?”

Max glared at Jessie.

“You might win, Max,” said Mrs. Wushy.

Max grinned. “See? I told you!”

“But everyone else might win, too.”

Max frowned. “What do you mean?”

“There is not going to be just one winner. If everyone works hard to take care of the planet, then everyone will be a winner.”

“Even planet Earth,” said Robbie, laughing.

“Even our Earth,” said Mrs. Wushy.

“What do we have to do?” I asked.

Mrs. Wushy pulled out a piece of paper. “On this paper, I have listed ten things kids can do to help the planet. If you do all ten things by Friday, then you will become a member of the Green Team.”

“But I don’t like the color green,” said Chloe. “Can I be a member of the Pink Team?”

“No,” said Mrs. Wushy.

“Why not?” asked Chloe.

“Because it is called the Green Team for a reason. Has anyone ever heard someone say, ‘I’m going green’?”

“Yes, but I never knew what they meant,” I said.

“It means that they are doing things that are good for the planet and protecting the environment,” said Robbie.

“That’s right,” said Mrs. Wushy. “So this week we are all going to go green!”

“Cool,” said Jessie.

“Let’s look at the list,” said Mrs. Wushy. “Number one: Bring in some materials, such as cans and newspapers, that we can recycle by using them for projects here at school.”

“That’s easy,” I whispered to Robbie. “We have a ton of stuff like that at my house.”

“Number two: Be a power saver. Turn off all the lights when you leave a room. Also, remember to turn off the television and the computer when you are not using them.”

Robbie smiled. “This is going to be easier than I thought.”

“Number three: Turn off the water when you are brushing your teeth and remind other people in your family to do it, too.”

“But I always leave the water running when I brush my teeth,” Chloe whined. “What’s so bad about that?”

“You are wasting a lot of water,” said Mrs. Wushy. “If everyone turned off the water when they brushed their teeth, think about how much water we could save.”

Chloe let out a big sigh.

“Number four: Bring a reusable water bottle to school instead of the plastic kind that you throw out.”

“But I don’t have one of those,” said Max.

“Well, if you explain to your mom why it’s so important to have one, then I’m sure she will buy one for you. She will end up saving a lot of money by not buying bottles of water every week.”

“I never thought of that,” said Jessie. “That’s a good point!”

“And there will be a lot less trash,” said Robbie.

“You all are catching on,” said Mrs. Wushy. “Number five: Pick up ten pieces of trash in your neighborhood.”

“Ten!” said Chloe. “My mom doesn’t want me to touch even one piece of trash on the ground. It’s full of germs.”

“If you are worried about the germs, then you can wear a pair of gloves when you pick up the trash,” said Mrs. Wushy.

“Oh, I have the perfect pair!” said Chloe. “They’re pink with silvery sparkles on them!”

“Only Chloe would think about what she was going to wear to pick up trash,” Jessie whispered.

I giggled. “This doesn’t seem so bad,” I thought. We were halfway through the list, and the first five seemed pretty easy to do.

“Number six: Walk or ride your bike to school one day this week instead of taking the bus or riding in a car. You can find a friend or a parent to walk or ride with you.”

“But I can’t walk that far in my party shoes,” said Chloe.

“Well, you little fancy-pants,” said Max, “I guess you’ll just have to wear sneakers that day.”

“But sneakers don’t match my party dresses. Only my party shoes do!” Chloe jumped out of her chair and twirled around so everyone could admire her outfit. “See?” she said.

“Chloe, please sit down,” said Mrs. Wushy. “I need to tell the class about the last four items on the list. Number seven: Take cloth bags to the grocery store so you don’t use plastic bags for your food.”

“I don’t have any cloth bags,” said Jessie.

“Many grocery stores will give them to you for about one dollar if you ask,” said Mrs. Wushy.

“I’ll do that,” said Jessie.

“Number eight: Use both sides of a piece of paper before you recycle it. When we save paper, we save trees,” said Mrs. Wushy.

“A lot of trees are cut down every year,” said Robbie.

“That’s right, Robbie,” said Mrs. Wushy. “Number nine: Use a cloth towel to dry your hands in the kitchen instead of a paper towel.”

“You mean like a dish towel?” said Max.

“Yes,” said Mrs. Wushy. “That is exactly what I mean.”

“My mom already has one of those hanging in the kitchen.”

“And finally, number ten: Take a shower instead of a bath.”

“But I have to take a bubble bath every night,” said Chloe. “My mom says that’s how I keep my skin baby-soft.”

“Oh brother,” Jessie mumbled. “What will the princess do without her royal bath?”

“Just explain to your mother that when you take a shower, you use half as much water as when you take a bath,” said Mrs. Wushy. “You can always use lotion to keep your skin soft.”

Chloe frowned. “It’s not the same.”

“I will give you one of these challenge lists to take home. Do each of these activities sometime during the next two days and check them off as you go. If all of the activities are checked off by Friday, then you will become a member of the Green Team.”

“Cool!” said Jessie. “This sounds like a lot of fun!”

“We get to have fun and help the planet at the same time,” said Robbie. “Are you ready, Freddy?”

“Yeah, sure,” I said, smiling weakly. I didn’t know how I was going to be able to do all these things by Friday. But if I didn’t do them all, then I wouldn’t get to be a member of the Green Team.

I gulped. I’d have to get started as soon as I got home.