Make A Difference, Do Something

Back From Vacation!

2011-08-26T17:58:00.000-07:00

Hey there! I hope everybody is having a great summer and doing many wonderful things! I also hope that between relaxing and more relaxing, you all thought about some projects we could do! I did and I think I came up with one or two promising ideas. My first idea is to donate money to the conquer pediatric chiari foundation. Chiari is a little known disease with many symptons that make the patient suffer constantly. There is no known cure and since the disease is so little known about, it is hard for scientists to get enough money and conduct research. Feel free to look up this disease and the stories of the kids who have to go through it. So where did I go on vacation you ask? To Wyoming! To visit the mountains and some very good friends. While we were there we went hiking, biking, boating, and almost parasailing. We saw marmots, moose, bears, and swans. But one of our more exciting wildlife sightings was of the pika. After learning more about the pika I decided that this would be a really cool project, to somehow help the pika. The pika is a small squirrel type animal that can only live in an elevation of 6,600 to 13,000 feet. Because of there hindering elevation needs and mostly because of climate change, the pika is almost extinct. These are only two possible ideas and while I think together we could get far with them, I would love to hear everybody's thoughts and comments. Tell me what inspires you to make a difference. See ya all next time!

Lets Get Crackin!

2011-08-03T18:25:00.000-07:00

Hey there everybody! I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer. I know I am! Going to the pool, chilling with a good book, or hanging out with friends. But no amount of summer fun or ice creams can wash away the fact that there are still a ton of things that we need to do to help our community and our world. But what? What problem should we pick to conquer? So leave a comment, tell me what you think is the most pressing urge on this place we call home. Lets work together and solve a matter that is pressing upon our lives. So when you are sitting and watching tv or going for a walk, talk five minutes and think about what we can do together.

-Mollie

BEES!!!

2010-04-12T13:25:00.000-07:00

A couple days a go we got bees in our tubes!!! How do we know this????? because of the mud in the tube! The bee carries mud into the tube and lays eggs behind it. So I haven't actually seen the bees but I know they are there! I will upload a picture to this blog as soon as I find the camera connector cable.

2010-04-03T08:24:00.001-07:00

Yesterday my mom and I went to visit Sam Droege and give him the bee tubes so that he could mail them to everyone. After we gave him the tubes he took us in the woods where he was conducting an experiment (are bees more attracted to styrofoam cups or plastic solo cups). The cups were all filled with soapy water that killed the bees when they went in. We went around documenting how many bees were in each cup, after that Sam would pour the bees and the water through a little net where he would later pick out all the bees for preservation. I recorded how many bees were in each cup and the results were obvious:bees really didn't like the styrofoam cups.

In Sam's office I took some pictures of Osmia bees he has. He also gave us two trays of bees to take home and show to the schools.

It was a very successful trip and tomorrow we will be putting out the bee nests!!!

Bee Trap Nests

2010-03-31T19:19:00.000-07:00

I just finished making the very first successful bee trap nest! Besides the other two mess-ups with the trap nests, the project has been smooth sailing so far. Here are two tips when building the trap nests: 1. The holes for nine of the tubes SHOULD be breaking the edge of the foam. The tubes will brace themselves between the bottle and the foam. 2. You will not be able to read the numbers if written directly on the foam, I found it easier to put little pieces of duct tape on the foam and write the numbers on that.

Once again the instructions can be found at:http://www.discoverlife.org/bee/opp/design.html.

E-mail me at soccermollie@gmail.com or osmiaozzy@gmail.com if you have any questions!

If you want to participate and haven't spoken up-sorry I have to e-mail the list to Sam Droege (Bee expert extraordinaire) who will send out the tubes.

Bee Project Update

2010-03-26T05:01:00.001-07:00

Here's the e-maiI sent out to a bunch of people that helped me with the Polar Bear Project!

Hey everyone! It's Mollie Passacantando giving you an update. But this time, it's not about Polar Bears....it's about the bees! And I hope you might want to help out too.

How this started: After my polar bear project, I was honored that the author T.A. Barron chose me as a winner of the 2008 Gloria Barron Prize (named for his mom). This came with a cash award which could be spent on education and/or activism. I was wondering what to spend it on -- what could I do next that could help do something good for the world? Meanwhile I was lucky enough to be introduced by the Barron Prize people to Gabriela Chavarria, who has been my mentor for two years. Gaby is a PhD in BUMBLEBEES. Then, coincidentally I saw a program on the bee's disappearance. I knew that was an omen. So, my mom and I began an outline for a project that would help protect bees.

We are working in partnership with Gaby, Sam Droege of the U.S. Geological Survey, and our neighbors and friends the Brower Family to start a project called Let A Thousand Flowers Bloom. Our school, and four others are going to help start a BRAND NEW monitoring project for the U.S.G.S. that will help track the effects of global climate change on nectar flow and bee populations. We will be making and observing Osmia bee trap nests. Osmia are STINGLESS bees (my principal was really happy about that) and we will be among the first people to be part of this project. We are going to be entering our observations into an on-line database.

The reason I'm telling you all this is that we need more people to do this monitoring project with us! We especially need people in different parts of the country. So here's my question for you: would you, your family or your office or school like to build a simple trap nest (it is easy and small, too) and be part of this project? If so, I am using some of my prize money to fund the purchase of the special "bee tubes" that are necessary for the project - and the USGS is sponsoring the mailing of the tubes. If you send me your name and mailing address, you will receive the material you need to build the nests, with easy instructions provided on line. but HURRY because if you want to place the nests they need to be out in early spring when the bees are first emerging.

The last thing I wanted to mention is that once again thanks to your efforts with the polar bear project, I was featured in the just-published Girls Gone Green, a book about girls that have done projects to save the environment. The girls in the book are amazing. They are scientists, fundraisers, farmers and advocates for the coolest causes. I am so honored to be included in this book with girls who have done so much. If you are interested in more about Girls Gone Green, here is the publisher's website about the book: http://www.penguin.com/girlsgonegreen

I will be regularly blogging on our bee project (www.savethearctic.blogspot.com) and linking to a new Wiki site we're developing so everyone who is part of the project can post comments about the project, in addition to contributing to the REAL database at the USGS.

That's it for now. Please let me know if you are interested in the bee project. And have a GREAT spring!

~Mollie

2010-03-02T05:18:00.001-08:00

Here's the artwork developed for our bee project created by my friend Leigh Orleans. Do you like it? I think it is FANTASTIC!

2010-02-25T14:51:00.000-08:00

Hey there! Things are coming along really well. Last night I attended a meeting for the bee club I am starting at school. At the meeting were representatives for all the different schools partaking. We all came up with some really great ideas and I'm really excited for the project to start! There are actually only going to be about five meetings and the club isn't going to last very long, but it'll be great all the same. Another exciting book is that Girls Gone Green came out on Tuesday. This book features a little over 20 girls that all did something for the environment. One girl invented her own line of Eco-friendly make-up. Another designed and sold reusable lunch bags! I even have 5 pages about my Polar Bear Project in there. It's a really great book with a nice layout and lots of colors. I'll try and post more to keep you updated!

Here's a link to the Girls Gone Green site!

2010-01-20T04:38:00.000-08:00

In my profile, it says that you matter, here is proof.

2010-01-20T04:26:00.000-08:00

Hello fellow eco-friends. I want to tell you all about Heartwood USA. Heartwood USA is an animated comic series about a young girl who helps the environment and spoils her local eco-villains plans. You can watch the very first episode by going to http://www.heartwoodusa.com/episodes.html . It is a funny show and every episode tells about a different climate crisis. While watching these, you may learn something you didn't know, you may be inspired by Carson Heartwood and her bold actions, or you may just be grossed out by the fact that cow poop is one of the factors in hurting our environment. But no matter what, I guarantee that you will be captivated by this young girl and her adventures.

The Honey Bees

2010-01-11T17:50:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone (if anyone is out there) I hope your holidays were FANTASTIC and relaxing because we have our work cut out for us. Over the holidays I was handing out jars of honey to all of my relatives. On these jars I tied a label talking about the delicate state honey bees are in and what we need to do to protect them. I also wrote that to help honey bees and your fellow people, go to heifer.org, where you can donate the small amount of $30 to buy a family in need a bee hive. A bee hive can start a whole new life for a family, they can sell the honey and the honey comb and be lifted out of poverty by the helping hands of, that's right, YOU.

I just wanted to say that although I haven't been posting, I have been active with the environment. I am getting a science club started in my school to start raising awareness about the Homey Bees. In this club we will be working up to having bee boxes in our garden to help pollinate flowers. We will study these bees by using a great guide that my mentor, Gabriella Chavarria, gave to me. Once I get this started at my school I will be heading over to the other elementary schools that have gardens to see if they also would like to take part.

Have a nice day,

Mollie

Good Job!

2009-05-10T07:58:00.001-07:00

Thanks to everyone who signed the petition! You did really well!

Polar Bear on treadmill

2009-05-03T15:11:00.001-07:00

Although we would never want this to happen to a real polar bear, it's really funny!

Another Chance for Another World!

2009-05-03T14:33:00.001-07:00

I know I haven't been posting that much. But that doesn't mean I'm not doing anything to help the environment. This week, I'm going to the Interior Department to deliver a bunch of petitions.

This petition is about the rules Bush created and how they are harmful to animals such as polar bears. We all know Obama's a great president, and that he's going to bring change to America, but we still need to remind him about what we, as the public want. So, hopefully, this petition will persuade Obama to destroy these rules and make it so lives for animals are a little bit better.

Here's the link to the petition so you can sign.

And here's the link to information about the rules were trying to get rid of.

Don't Slip!

2009-02-07T15:55:00.000-08:00

This polar bear obviously needs reading glasses.

Polar Bears Making a Word for Themselves

2008-09-28T07:12:00.000-07:00

Mark Jenkins, the street artist has been working with Greenpeace lately. Mark Jenkins wraps clear packing tape around people or objects, to make them sturdier he stuffs them. Mark Jenkins then puts clothes on the shape

and puts them in the street. With Greenpeace he's made polar bears as homeless bears. These bears bring notification to the polar bear's situation.

T.A Barron

2008-09-28T06:37:00.000-07:00

I was nominated for a prize called the Gloria Barron Prize a while ago because of the work I did with the polar bears. I answered questions, my teacher wrote a letter, and my friends mom wrote a letter. That is what I had to do in order to be considered for this prize. All those papers went through a panel of judges. Many kids are nominated for this prize, but only ten are chosen winners. Each winner receives a press release and $2500 to spend on education or further activism. I WAS ONE OF THE WINNERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But you know what's even cooler? It wasn't me who won, it was you. You and everyone else who is trying to make an environmental difference in the world. The man who gives this award is T.A Barron. He named this prize after his mother. T.A Barron also happens to be a writer. His books are AMAZING! I highly recommend the The Lost Years of Merlin series. They are wonderful books!! His all new series continues The Lost Years of Merlin. Its called Merlin's Dragon. So last week I went to the Aladdin's Lamp Bookstore and attended a T.A Barron's book signing! T.A Barron is really nice. It was so awesome to meet him in person! Heres the link to T.A Barrons website! http://www.tabarron.com/

Evil Kleenex

2008-09-28T06:22:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a great summer! Here's a really awesome video about Kleenex and how they cut down trees from the Virgin Forest. They say that those trees make their tissues really soft. But, if you compare Kleenex to any other brand of tissues they are exactly the same. So try to avoid buying Kleenex!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d08X7GJLGn8

2008-07-28T15:05:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!!! I just wanted you guys to check out the awesome website about the Honey Bees!! I hope your all having a great summer!!!Sorry I haven't blogged lately!!http://helpthehoneybees.com/#/honeyBeeCrisis/honeyBeeCrisis/

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!

2008-05-15T17:40:00.000-07:00

Great job everybody!! You should take pride that YOU out of all people in the world helped the polar bears be on the endangered species list. Thanks so much for your help, now here are a bunch of pictures!!!!!!!!!!!

Climate Change Threatens Polar Bears

2008-04-28T04:55:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody! Here's a link to a very interesting article that says global warming is hurting the Polar Bears but they don't face extinction.Enjoy!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24325521/from/ET/

2008-03-12T05:13:00.000-07:00

http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/another-delay-in-the-fight-to

Remember the Polar Bear from the last clip? He's back and wants to be saved.

The Video

2008-02-29T16:04:00.000-08:00

Did you like that video of the Polar Bear protesting? Heres more info!http://www.capecodtoday.com/blogs/index.php/headlines/2008/02/13/polarbear_arrested_in_dc

2008-02-21T04:58:00.000-08:00

If you have a game boy or ds watch this vidieo.http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/campaigns/toxics/clashoftheconsoles

YouTube - Polar Bear Busted

2008-02-11T17:00:00.000-08:00

YouTube - Polar Bear Busted. This Polar bear wants to be saved, not in the next century,now.

Postponed again:(

2008-01-15T16:02:00.000-08:00

The decision to put the Polar Bears on the Endangered Species List has been postponed. Once again we will have to wait to find out whether all of our hard work has payed off. I think that The Head of the Fish and Wildlife center postponed it because they don't want to make the decision.He says"This decision is so important to a lot of people,including us,that we want to make sure it's the right decision." We cannot have these people delaying it any longer.The Polar Bears ARE endangered,why delay the decision?

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T11:33:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year. Please please,please email or send a comment. I think that I am going to have letters written to companies that have honey. To help raise awareness about the Honey Bees we can persuade products with Honey in them,Honey Nut Cheerios,Honey, Burt's Bees, and others.

Cotton eye joe dance

2007-11-11T17:07:00.000-08:00

Are you ready to rock?The Cotton Eye Joe dance is so awesome!!!!! Remember everybody, even in a time of crisis like this keep your spirits up or else what would life be?
Keep checking my blog for updates!!

The Honeybees

2007-11-01T17:20:00.000-07:00

Hi listeners, I'm back! Did everyone have a wonderful Halloween! I did I got 5 pounds of candy. But I don't know how i could of enjoyed Halloween when the honey bees are dying out. I didn't realize that our land depended on Honeybees so much until I watched a show on the Honeybees. We depend on Honeybees for apples, plums, nectarines, peaches, pears, oranges, and honeybees top product, Honey. You see without the Honeybees we would have to eat bread and meat all of our lifetime. You might say yeah, i love those foods i can deal with that. But, have you ever gotten this totally awesome new cereal, and you think i could live off this it taste so good? Well after like 2,3 or how ever many weeks it takes don't you get sick of it and tell your mom i don't want this cereal anymore? Well think about eating bread and meat your whole life. There is a way to pollinate without bees, and some places already do. WHOA hold up there keep reading this post because the way to pollinate without bees is humans. That's fine you say?? Well, its not it is extremely expensive and time consuming. Scientists have taken Honeybees and looked at their insides and found very disturbing results. The Honeybees are being infected by more than one disease, but what I think we should do now is stop everything that has harmed things in the past like pollution, lawn chemicals and so forth. PLEASE I NEED YOUR HELP.I know that I have been telling you to tell me to give me your ideas but now I think about it, don't give me your ideas DO your ideas, but tell me about them if you absolutely cant do your ideas. I will help you in anyway I can.Thank you and have a great day.

ATTENTION EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-10-24T16:20:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody!!How are you doing?!!!!?? I have an important an important massage!! Go to blankettheglobe.com to get information about making a blanket square to save the environment!!! It will be a great help!!!!!Thanks and stay posted.

2007-07-08T17:25:00.000-07:00

Hello!!!
Sorry I have not been writing on my blog lately. I'm telling you now that I am going to try and save the Honey Bees but I don't whats killing them yet.:( So as soon as I find out I am going to try and save them! If you have an idea on how the Honey Bees are disappearing please tell me by leaving a comment explaining why.

Thank You!!!!

2007-04-08T09:05:00.000-07:00

Hi there. I just want to thank all the people that wrote me letters! Some people even spread it to other people and that was VERY kind of them. I got 171 letters whew! thats ALOT!! Again thanks to all those people who wrote me letters and/or spread it around. The picture is of me mailing the letters to the Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska. I'm also going to hand deliver acopy of everyones letters to the Fish and Wildlife Service in Washington D.C. I will make sure your voice is heard in the government. STOP GLOBAL WARMING AND SAVE THE POLAR BEARS

Your last chance

2007-04-03T10:11:00.000-07:00

This really is your last chance to write to the fish and wildlife service to save the polar bears. The way you do that is you write a email to my email address at soccermollie@gmail.com addressed to Mr.Hall director of the fish and wildlife service. The things you should put in your letter are why you think the polar bears should be on the endangered species list!!!!!! Scroll down my blog posts to see a sample letter and you can use it but it's better to use your own words. Remember I need all the letters by friday April 6th.

Polar Bear Knut on CNN and Prosieben - Eisbär Knut

2007-04-03T07:06:00.001-07:00

Just LOOK at this polar bear his name is Knut pronounced ka-newt.

Otters holding hands

2007-04-03T06:57:00.001-07:00

Look at these cute otters!!

I spoke at the rally today!

2007-03-20T10:42:00.000-07:00

The Picture is me at the rally. The rally was really fun! I got to meet all sorts of people and I shook hands with a polar bear! ( in a costume)

The Polar Bears are endangered more then ever now! The deadline to write a letter is April 9th!The way you write a letter is you scroll down this very page and see the directions!!the post is entitled How to support the Polar Bears by writing to the fish and wildlife service. I hope that YOU get the chance to write a letter and save the Polar Bears! If we increase awareness about the Polar Bears being endangered then well probably increase awareness of global warming to! And if we increase awareness about global warming and do something about it then many animals will be stopped from extinction. So once you have written a letter you know that you have made a difference!

2007-03-15T17:39:00.000-07:00

Guess: Polar Bear or Dog???

How to support the Polar Bears by writing to the Fish and Wildlife Service

2007-03-13T04:52:00.000-07:00

I'm speaking at a rally on March 20th for the enlistment of the Polar Bears as an endangered species. The last day to save the Polar Bears is April 9. At the rally I want to say that I have gotten lots of other kids to send letters to the Fish and Wildlife Service. So peoples.... here's how you do it! Take the sample letter below (add your own thoughts if you want) and either post it as a comment to my blog, or email it to soccermollie@gmail.com. You need a Google or Blogger account to post to the blog. Then I will print out all the letters and deliver them to the Fish and Wildlife Service. My mom read in the paper this morning that sometimes government offices ignore emails so I will make sure they see your letter!!! Here's the letter:

Mr. Dale Hall, Director
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Dear Mr. Hall:

I strongly support including the polar bear on the Endangered Species list. I am (put number in) years old, and I want polar bears to still be around when I grow up. We want polar bears to be part of the future. Thank you for all the work you do keeping animals safe. Thank You for all your time and attention to this.

Yours Truly,

Your Name
Your Address

2007-03-07T08:53:00.000-08:00

I am responding to a comment published by Rachelle who lives in the U.K. Rachelle's daughter is also determined to help people, animals and the environment!!!! Rachelle and her daughter asked me what they could do to help stop Global Warming. Well first of all you can stop using gas to run your car and use french fry grease. You can also give comments on why you think that the Polar Bears should be on the endangered species list to Polar_Bear_Finding@fws.gov!! You can also tell your daughter to tell her classmates about it.Thanks Rachelle for your comment!!!

2007-03-07T07:44:00.000-08:00

On March 5th I went to a government hearing on the endangered species listing of the Polar Bears. I didn't speak but many other people did. Most people there wanted to save the Polar Bears. My dad's organization was handing out baseball caps that had been made into Polar Bear heads..............and life vests. Above there is a picture of me and my sister wearing our Polar Bear hats!!! The best part of the hearing was when a big Polar Bear came up to the microphone to testify!!! Above the picture of me and my sister is the Polar Bear testifying!!! The Polar Bear was VERY cute. OK people times almost up for the Polar Bears...........and for you.....so you better send in comments to help save the Polar Bears!!!! You can do this by sending an email to Polar_Bear_Finding@fws.gov. Or you can go to this address http://members.greenpeace.org/action/start/140 and it will have a sample letter for you to send. Hurry up quick because the deadline is April 9th.

2007-02-22T17:17:00.000-08:00

Check out this cool bit of information at polarbearsos.org. Please try and help save a polar bear today!!! STOP GLOBAL WARMING, STOP GLOBAL WARMING!!!

Skiing

2007-02-21T15:51:00.000-08:00

I LOVE to ski!!!!!!! But if there is global warming it will melt all the snow. And...if there is no snow nobody will be able to ski. AND SLUSH STINKS. Here's an article on climate change and skiing. In the picture are my friends, Leigh (far right) Torie (next to Leigh) Maddy (next to Torie) Me (next to Maddy) Julia (next to Me) And my sister Sophie (next to Julia).

2007-02-16T06:42:00.000-08:00

Remember to write to The Fish and Wildlife service to tell them what you think about the Polar Bears. To send a comment to The Fish and Wildlife service go to polar_bear_finding@fws.gov. I would appreciate it if you would send a copy of your letter to me, as well! Send it to soccermollie@gmail.com To get more information about the polar bears dying, go here. THANKS AND SAVE A POLAR BEAR TODAY!

2007-02-16T05:58:00.000-08:00

My friend Rick Jones is on a Greenpeace ship to stop the Japanese whalers. the Japanese whalers ship has caught on fire and the Japanese whalers may have to take the help that Greenpeace is offering to tow the Japanese. My friend Rick is on a very exciting adventure!!! Here is Rick. And here is his blog!

2007-02-11T13:51:00.000-08:00

Look at how much sea ice has melted since 1979.

The picture at right is the sea ice now.

The picture below it is the sea ice in 1979.

Guess what that means? Global warming is melting ice.

Right now, the government is trying to decide whether to protect polar bears. You can help by letting them know that they should list polar bears as an endangered species! You can write an email message to Polar_Bear_Finding@fws.gov before April 9 to say "Protect the Polar Bear!"

2007-02-10T12:42:00.000-08:00

Save the Arctic! Hello My name is Mollie I'm 8 and I'm in third grade, and I'm here to talk about the Arctic and the Polar Bears. Because of GLOBAL WARMING all the ice in the Arctic is melting. We all know that Polar Bears can swim, but they can't swim forever. Soon the Polar bears will become extinct and the food chain will be thrown off. Besides even if there is enough ice for the Polar Bears to walk on, who said the would be thick enough to hold the Polar Bears. Remember this is all happening because of GLOBAL WARMING. And not only Polar Bears are suffering because of GLOBAL WARMING. The seals could go extinct to. Even though we think of seals as under water animals, but only fish can have babies underwater, and a seal is not a fish. So if there is no ice for the seals to have there babies and rest then the seals will go extinct.

Thank You for reading
Sincerely Mollie