How can we look after our environment?

Welcome to The Regenerators.

Our environment is everything around us. It begins just outside our bodies and stretches farther than our eyes can see.

It includes the air that we breathe, the land that we live on and the plants and animals that share our world. It includes the weather and climate.

The environment is where plants and animals find everything they need to survive.

Many humans drink water from taps and find snacks in the fridge. But everything we eat, drink and use comes from our environment, too.

We need to conserve our environment so that everyone can get the things they need to live a healthy and happy life.

Because if we look after our environment, our environment will look after us.

Catch up with Fatima (from the future!) to discover some ways to conserve and protect our green spaces.

We can think of the whole world as our environment – from green spaces near where we live, to faraway forests and oceans.

Our environment is where we get everything we need to survive and it does so much for us.

The world is huge, but the things that humans need are not found everywhere. We need to share them with all the other living creatures on the planet.

Find out why Ellen loves spending time in green spaces and how she helps to look after them with this clip from CBBC Newsround.

Nature makes us happy

There is a brilliant reason to look after our environment. Spending time in nature helps to keep us happy and healthy.

What do you like best about exploring your local environment? Is it playing with friends? The chance to spot plants and animals?

But our green spaces can do so much more than just make us feel good. They can:

• Create habitats for nature to thrive.
• Remove air pollution and help keep urban environments cooler, which helps to reduce emissions.
• Slow the flow of surface water, reducing the risk of flooding by moving water safely away from homes and businesses.

When you next spend time in a green space, take a closer look at all the plants and animals that share it. You will start to notice something amazing.

Everything in our environment is linked – from a tiny insect to the tallest tree. You are connected to everything too.

The air you breathe is a mixture of gases. Some are given out by plants. Others are made by microbes and fungi as they feed on dead logs.

The waste gases we breathe out are taken in by plants and recycled into the gases we breathe in again.

Sometimes, humans change the environment because they are trying to make life better. For example, we plant crops so that everyone has enough food or we build homes so that everyone has somewhere to live.

But when we do these things without planning carefully or considering the consequences, we can change our environment in a negative way

Everything in the natural world is linked together in a complex system and humans are part of this system too.

Sometimes our actions can affect things for the worse and damage our environment. However, we can also make changes that repair our environment.

We can all help to conserve our environment by trying to live in a way that is more sustainable.

This means finding ways to get the things we need, without leaving the environment in a worse state than we found it.

Everything we buy, use and throw away has an impact on the environment. Reducing what we consume is a step towards living more sustainably.

The green spaces near your home are an important part of our environment too. Spend time exploring them.

There are lots of children up and down the country who are making a difference in their local area. So look out for ways you can get involved too.

Find out how these young people are helping their local green space with this clip from Countryfile.

You could work with others to make a change to a bigger green space in your school or community. Make sure to have a teacher, adult, or community worker on hand to help you out.

You could even write to local leaders to ask for their help.

Remember, everything in our environment is connected. Looking after one green space will help everything else that shares it – including us!

• Leave grass to grow long, giving wildlife a place to hide.
• Scatter native wildflower seeds (or simply let ‘weeds’ grow until they flower).
• Get permission to make small holes under walls and fences, which will help animals move from place to place.
• Don’t tidy up fallen leaves and dead wood – leave them to decay and rot away.
• Add a place where water can collect, to create a bird bath or small pond.
• Plant a tree!
• Not everyone has the same access to green spaces. So talk to your friends and help them discover the environment around them.

Well done Regenerator, you've completed this lesson. Now let's see what you can remember.

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