(NAPSI)—Americans create mountains of trash—literally! Layer upon layer of trash is covered with dirt in our landfills, creating mounds that rise as high as 500 feet. Moreover, 200 million tons of garbage are added annually, potentially negatively impacting surrounding communities. Our attitudes and actions toward waste must change.

Schools can play an important role in instilling positive environmental behaviors. The recent Every Student Succeeds Act supports opportunities for educators to provide students with well-rounded environmental education. Hands-on learning experiences teach young people about the environment while encouraging positive behaviors to protect and sustain it.

An evidence-based program like the free Think Earth Environmental Curriculum makes it easy for teachers and parents to teach children to conserve natural resources, reduce waste and minimize pollution. Each free instructional unit, available for kindergarten through grade 3, can be downloaded from www.thinkearth.org. Included are lesson plans, posters, stories, videos and songs. The award-winning curriculum is aligned to Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards.

By providing environmental education at an early age, we can create generations of citizens whose behaviors will improve the health of our neighborhoods and planet.

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Note to Editors: While this article can be of interest to your readers, particularly teachers, at any time, a week or two before Earth Day, April 22, 2016 may be a particularly good time to run it.