Posts in “Environment” Category

Photograph by Evan Zhang, My Shot


Watermelons are delicious and great fuel for kids on a hot summer afternoon. But they also might make great fuel for cars!

Wayne Fish, a chemist with the Agricultural Research Service in Lane, Oklahoma, and his team were working on a project using watermelons when they realized that watermelon juice could be used to make ethanol, which can be used as fuel for cars. Only about four of every five watermelons grown are sold to people for food. The remaining fifth of the watermelons go to waste. That could be a lot of fuel!

Read more about this green (or is it red?) fuel on National Geographic News.

Put your own words into a photo of a woman eating watermelon on National Geographic Kids.

Saving energy is important. But what is energy, exactly? How is it measured? And how do we use it in our daily lives? Get answers to these questions and much more on the Energy Kids website. Play games, answer riddles, and get ideas for science fair projects while you brush up on your energy knowledge.

Get tips on how to save power on National Geographic Kids.

Learn how we can get energy from cows! Read Cow Power.

Have you ever wanted to explore a new place and just be yourself? Forests are a great place for outdoors adventure! The Discover the Forest website helps you find a park or forest near you. Once you've picked a spot, you can print out a book of ideas, learn to use a compass, and match animal tracks. Go exploring!

Watch the Discover the Forest video from the Forest Service.


Visit Discover the Forest to find a park near you.

What's it like to be a conservationist? Meet Mike Fay.

Learn how to take a camping trip in your backyard on National Geographic Kids.

Scientists in Denmark wondered if global warming could make Greenland's wolf spiders bigger. During a ten-year study, they tracked spider sizes. In years when spring came 30 days earlier than usual, some spiders grew exoskeletons that were thicker than average, resulting in bigger bodies! In colder winters, spiders grew thinner exoskeletons. What's more, during warmer springs female spiders grew larger than the male spiders did.



Photograph by Tom Uhlman/AP

As the Earth's temperature warms, bigger spiders could become the norm. Researchers aren't sure why warmer temperatures mean bigger wolf spiders. It could be because their prime hunting season is longer. Or perhaps longer summers allow the spiders to molt--shed their old exoskeletons--more often, letting grow bigger during their lifetimes. The study's co-author, Toke Høye, is pretty sure that bigger spiders will also mean MORE spiders, because larger female wolf spiders have more offspring than smaller ones.

Read more about this spider study on National Geographic News.

Watch a jumping spider video on National Geographic Kids.

Photograph by Enric Sala


NG Fellow Enric Sala and a team of scientists are starting out on a six-week expedition to study undisturbed reef systems in the Southern Line Islands. This research will create a model of what healthy coral reefs and other healthy marine ecosystems should be like. Damaged coral reefs can be compared with the model, and scientists will be able to better understand what steps are needed to help the reefs recover.

Turn off your lights this Saturday, March 28 from 8:30 to 9:30 local time and participate in a global observance called Earth Hour. Individuals, businesses, and organizations across the world will be participating (National Geographic included). Earth Hour is a demonstration of how much we can do to cut back power use and prevent climate change if we all work together.

The first lights-out will be in the Chatham Island off the coast of New Zealand. From there, the wave of darkened buildings, streets, and monuments will ripple through all 25 time zones. Even the Eiffel Tower will go dark.

The more participants there are, the bigger the impact will be. So get ready to power down!

Learn more about Earth Hour.

Read about last year's Earth Hour on National Geographic News.

Get more power saving tips on National Geographic Kids.

True Green Kids: 100 Things You Can Do To Save the Planet by Kim McKay and Jenny Bonnin was named the Best Hands-On Science Book by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. True Green Kids is packed with simple things you can do to help save the planet!

Read kids' reviews about True Green Kids, including how Jordan earned eco-points and how Parker shortened his showers on the DogEared Books Blog.

AD: True Green Kids: 100 Things You Can Do To Save the Planet

Get green tips on National Geographic Kids.

Being green has nothing to do with the seasons and everything to do with protecting the Earth year-round. February 2-8 is National Green Week. Schools and students can sign up and help teach the world how to be environmentally aware. Is your school participating?

Learn about National Green Week.

Get tips on how to go green.

Photograph by Enric Sala


In the last few days of his presidency, President George W. Bush created three new national monuments in the Pacific Ocean in the largest ocean conservation effort ever. The new monuments will protect Kingman Reef  (as part of the U.S. Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument), Rose Atoll, and the Mariana Trench, which is home to Earth's deepest spot.

All three of the protected areas are home to many species, including the giant coral colony shown in the photo above.