Hard-Boiled Egg
By Chloe V., Benicia, CA

Last night I lay in bed listening to the crickets outside the screen door. They chirped in unison, like one giant cricket hidden somewhere in the reeds. It occurred to me that they have achieved a perfection we humans have never attained. We sing – each in a different key. We interrupt each other – our voices interject our own views and opinions. Despite our attempts to achieve harmony with inventions like metronomes, pitch pipes, and so forth, we fail.

Unlike crickets, humans have grown apart, our natural instincts completely forgotten. We often label this condition uniqueness, a pretty word for a sad thing. We are so intent on individuality that we neglect to maintain and nurture relationships with one another. If everyone continues to grow apart, forgetting their connections to the world and each other, could this become a thing to fear?

Step Outside
By Cliff M., Cohasset, MA

We weren't sure what to do. The Xbox had grown boring, and TV re-runs did not look promising either. After 20 minutes of sitting and thinking, my friend and I finally came up with a solution.

We gathered some equipment and loaded everything into his old canoe. Then we went out back to dig up worms. As we looked around the compost pile and in his woods, our excitement about the day began to grow. Why had we not thought of this before? We put our worms in the canoe and began our trek, carrying the boat down the road. When we reached the edge of the reservoir, we shoved off.

Inspiration From Sea Turtles
By Carmel A., Grand Junction, CO

Can you imagine if only one in a thousand human babies survived? The population would be very small and we would probably be an endangered species. Luckily, this isn't the case for us, but for endangered sea turtles it is a reality. Some of the older turtles, which are 140 to 160 year old, can lay hundreds of eggs every time they go ashore. However, only one or two of these eggs survive. Some turtles have been known to live more than 250 years, but because of poachers few actually survive that long. The cycle of life for the turtle is hard, and the beginning is a very rare thing to witness. I had the amazing opportunity to see these humongous creatures lay their eggs one hot night in Costa Rica.

A few summers ago, I was living in San Jose, Costa Rica, and one weekend my dad and I went to Turtoquero. The first day in this island town, we went on a rainforest tour. On this walk, we saw amazing animals like the loud howler monkey, the mystical white-faced monkey, a deadly poisonous snake, and several terrifying spiders. We had heard that at this time of the year, the sea turtles would come on shore and lay their eggs. This is a very rare opportunity, so my dad quickly got two tickets for a midnight beach tour.

Paper or Plastic?
By Sophia A., Medford, NJ

An estimated 100,000 marine animals perished last year as a result of litter in our oceans. Our demand for convenience and general lack of concern for our world's plight are disturbing and destructive. With space in landfills rapidly diminishing and oceans continually being clogged with endless amounts of garbage, it is obvious we need to do something.

Did you know that the problem is so acute off the coast of Africa that an industry exists in which natives harvest plastic bags and weave them into hats and shawls? They collect an average of 30,000 bags a month. The enormous environmental fingerprint left by our natural resource consumption could be significantly reduced if we would simply reuse.

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