All people do not act, look, or think the same, but we all have one thing in common: we all live on the same Earth. To quote former French President Francois Hollande, “We have a single mission: to protect and hand over the planet to the next generation.” As a member of the next generation, it is important to do my part now to protect and keep the Earth healthy for the generations to come. There are so many things we do to hurt the Earth. We drive too much. We litter. We don't recycle. We use too much electricity. We use too much water. The list goes on and on. Many businesses do not use eco-friendly materials. So many restaurants use Styrofoam that is non-biodegradable and often ends up in oceans. So don’t use Styrofoam; use a recyclable box. It’s as easy as that. Some of our favorite drink companies use a lot of plastic, which often doesn't get recycled and ends up in oceans. There are better alternatives to plastic, like glass. Glass is recyclable, and most likely won’t end up in oceans as long as we do our part and recycle it. Because of pollution and global warming, so many people and animals are getting sick or even dying. Think about all the polar bears, penguins, and all the other Arctic animals that are dying because they can’t live in warm weather. Ice caps are melting, and all the snow is melting, and these animals can no longer survive where they are, and there is no other place for them to go. More people are having health issues like asthma, heart disease and respiratory diseases because of pollution. Air pollution is also affecting pregnant women and their babies. It can cause premature birth and low birth weight, among other health issues. Why should you care about the Earth? Well, because without a healthy planet, humans, animals, plants, and everything in between have nowhere to live and nothing to survive on. To be honest, I never really thought about how I was affecting the Earth by leaving my light on or the water on when brushing my teeth, but now I realize that I am causing harm to our planet, and I pledge today that I will do all that I can to save our Earth because there is no replacement planet for us. So how can we all work harder to keep the Earth healthy? We can do simple things like carry around gloves, and if you see trash on the ground, pick it up, throw it away, or recycle it. Be intentional about recycling. Compost - it saves water, recycles organic resources, and saves landfill space. Turn off your lights; unplug your chargers when not using them. It really will help save energy. If you can, walk or ride a bike to your friend’s house instead of making your parents drive you there. Or carpool to the football games on Friday nights to help reduce the use of gas. Adults, teachers and parents - try to carpool to work or explore alternative types of cars. Help save our planet. Don’t just do it for me; do it for all of us. (Applause)