Earth Day Dairy Spin

Although it's Earth Day Everyday on the dairy farm, I was an invited guest to the  early  Earth Day celebration with Bentonville students at Old High Middle School. Students enjoyed a variety of activities related to protecting and caring for the earth that are important  to   everyday living.


Sharing information about dairy farming is important to me   because caring for the environment is a responsibility dairy farmers share with our local community. Good environmental practices are  essential to a dairy farm's success and for  future generations. You can find more dairy facts and information about sustainability and environmental protection practices   at Midwest Dairy.

                       My display included information about dairy nutrition and dairy farming.

 

It was my day to be the Vanna of Dairy--passing out string cheese for every spin of the Dairy Wheel of Knowledge!

 

 

                                      I had fun  giving my own dairy farmer spin on Earth Day!

Everyday List for the Earth

It's not supposed to be necessary to wear long underwear for Earth Day outdoor activities in Northwest Arkansas in April, but it was good planning for our  activity  at Old High Middle School!  The chilly temperature did not lessen the excitement of the students as they moved to different activities on the front lawn of the school.

Our topic for the day was the Water Cycle and we had a lot of fun playing the Water Drop game to provide information about the importance of water and how we strive to recycle and protect our water supply.

If you're wondering how you may celebrate Earth Day everyday, here's the list we shared with the students:

• Unplug electronics. Even though they aren't in use, electronics still use up energy if they're plugged in.
• reuse bags you've been collecting whenever possible.
• Pledge to cut down on buying bottles of water. Get a reuseable bottle!
• Teach kids about reusing,reducing and recycling. Lessons today will turn to action tomorrow! Lead by example.
• Turn off the lights! So easy to do--make it a habit when you leave a room.
• Don't waste water. Be conscious of your water usage.
• Change the light bulbs in your house to Compact Florescent Lights (CFls). You'll save energy and also money on your electric bill.
• Plant a tree.
• When running errands have your route planned ahead of time so you are not back tracking.
• Compost. Reducing the amount of solid waste produced in a year means taking up less space in landfills. Plus, compost makes a great natural fertilizer.
• Maintain your car by keeping tire pressure right.
• Drive smarter by slowing down. Take it easy on the gas pedal and brakes.

Earth day Event

Our heifers were not aware that today was Earth Day as they were enjoying the warm sun, munching on green grass in the pasture as I left to attend the Earth Day Celebration in downtown Bentonville sponsored by Baker Elementary School. A dozen organizations were represented with table displays or demonstrations about environmental stewardship. I displayed information about dairy, provided dairy recipe booklets and gave out Borden string cheese.One little boy asked me if I was selling for free? His smile was priceless as I handed him that free cheese! Every grade participated in the Earth Day program with songs,poems, or facts about recycling and what we can do to improve our environment. One of the 4th grade classes made and modeled hats with recycled materials that we might find in our homes like newspapers, water bottles,cereal boxes,soda cans and pizza boxes. Those hats were definitely conversation pieces! These students recycle everyday in their school program. They are being taught about the value of caring for the environment. Dairy farmers value and care for our natural resources everyday because we depend on the land for our business and quality of life for our families and our communities. We know the future depends on what we do today. Farmers do celebrate Earth Day Everyday!