Ann Martin - Baby-Sitters Club 057

I guess my friends must have discussed who could take the job but I wasn't listening. I was too busy thinking about Stoneybrook's recycling problem and how I was going to fix it. Then I guess someone asked me a question because the next thing I knew, Stacey was waving her hand in front of my face.

"Earth to Dawn!" she said. "Are you in there?" "What?" I blinked several times.

"I can take the job," Kristy said, "but if you want it, that's okay with me." "What job?" I asked.

Claud, who was busy passing her bag of candy around the room, announced, "Dawn's got her mind on other things. Like permanent garbage." "Sorry, Kristy," I said as everyone laughed at Claud's joke. "I wasn't paying attention. You take the job." The phone rang two more times and Mal and Mary Anne each agreed to take an afternoon job. Then the room became quiet. I thought if I didn't speak up then, I'd never get to explain my idea.

"I have a very important announcement, everyone. I made a few calls today and discovered that Stoneybrook doesn't have a recycling program. They have that one bin by the courthouse, where people can bring their cans and bottles, but that's it. So I've decided to do something about it." Kristy turned to Stacey. "Is this part of your science project?" Stacey shrugged. "I don't think so. We're teaching that class." "This is completely separate from our class assignment," I explained. "This is my own project. I want SMS to become a true recycling collection spot." "For what?" Jessi asked.

"Everything!" I could feel my voice growing louder with excitement as I said, "Do you realize how many items can be recycled? Newspapers, computer papers, plastic bottles, glass bottles, jars, aluminum foil." I pointed to Claud's wastebasket, where an empty Coke can lay. "That can. You could redeem it and get a nickel." "Oops!" Claud giggled. "I guess I was just being lazy." "Do you realize we use over 65 billion aluminum cans a year?" I said. "And if everyone threw theirs away, like Claudia, that would be a monstrous amount of unnecessary garbage." "Boy," Kristy said to Stacey under her breath. "Dawn's really serious." "You're right," I said, folding my arms across my chest. "This is very important to me, and it should be to all of you." "It is," Mary Anne said gently. "I guess we're just not as upset about it as you are." "Well, you should be." I pointed to Mary Anne's record book. "Look at the amount of paper you waste by writing on just one side of each sheet. Did you know that each of us uses five hundred and eighty pounds of paper a year? And it takes fifteen years for a tree to grow big enough to be made into paper. We're wasting a lot of time and trees." Mary Anne stared down at the club record book, her cheeks a deep red. "Next time I promise to write on both sides of the paper, Dawn." I realized I had embarrassed her and I felt bad about it. "Thanks, Mary Anne," I said, with an encouraging smile. "It means a lot to me. And next time we have to buy more paper for the club, I'd like to propose that we make sure it's recycled paper." Kristy shrugged. "That's all right with me." She looked around the room at the rest of the club. "Any objections?" Everyone shook their heads.

The next fifteen minutes were filled with phone calls, so we couldn't talk about my project anymore. Just before the meeting ended, Claud announced, "I want everyone to come into the kitchen and see the new jewelry I've made. There's something for each of you. And," she raised one finger, "Dawn will be glad to hear that my jewelry is completely biodegradable." Everyone giggled but me. I knew that I was starting to sound like a grumpy old teacher, lecturing everyone, but I couldn't help it. If I couldn't convince the BSC of the importance of protecting our planet, how was I going to convince the town of Stoneybrook?

Chapter 7.

It was Saturday morning and Jessi and Mal had been asked to sit for the Pike kids. Vanessa and Nicky are the only ones in my Save the Planet class but I guess they were so excited about ecology that they made everyone else in their family excited about it, too. I wish I could have been there to see them in action. I know I would have been very proud.

Anyway, Jessi arrived at the Pikes' house at ten o'clock on the nose and rang the bell. After several minutes, she heard a thundering of footsteps on the stairs. The door flew open and Mallory shouted, "Vanessa and Nicky are in the dining room. Watch them, will you?" Then she disappeared from sight.

"Mal?" Jessi called, stepping into the foyer. "Where are you?" "I'm being held captive by the Green Patrol," a muffled voice yelled from the living room.

Jessi stuck her head around a corner and found the triplets, Adam, Byron, and Jordan pinning Mallory's hands behind her back. Each boy wore a green baseball cap, with the bill turned backwards.

"The Green Patrol. What's that?" Jessi asked.

Jordan put his hands on his hips and stood with his feet apart. "We're here to guard against household waste." Byron pointed to Mallory. "She was caught drinking water out of a paper cup." Mal looked at me and shrugged. "At least it wasn't Styrofoam." "But why use paper that you throw away when you can reuse a glass?" Adam demanded.

"She was also caught using paper towels in the kitchen," Jordan added. "She should have dried her hands on a cloth towel." Mal rolled her eyes at Jessi, then turned back to her brothers. "I promise I'll never do it again." "You better not," Byron warned. "But just to make sure, you have to go to Green school." "No, not Green school!" Mal groaned. "Not again." "What's that?" Jessi whispered.

Mal gestured with her head to a blackboard that had been set up on the other side of the living room. Standing in front of it was the youngest Pike, five-year-old Claire. Beside her stood Margo, the seven-year-old, her arms folded sternly across her chest.

"Bring Mallory here!" Claire ordered. "She has to read the rules." Jessi followed Mal and the triplets over to the blackboard. "I didn't know everyone in your family was taking Dawn and Stacey's class." "They're not," Mal murmured out of the side of her mouth. "But Vanessa and Nicky told them about it and they got so excited they formed the Green Patrol. They've been acting like this ever since last night." "What do your parents think?" Jessi asked.

"They think it's cute," Mallory replied. "But they haven't been arrested by the Green Patrol yet, and forced to go to Green school. This is my third trip through." "Okay, Mal," Margo commanded, "read the blackboard." Mal sighed and began to read off each handprinted line.

"I promise never to use plastic bags at the grocery store.

"I promise to use dishcloths instead of paper towels.

"I promise to carry my lunch in a lunch box, not a paper sack.

"I promise to recycle all cans and bottles whenever I can." While Mallory spoke, Jessi checked on Vanessa and Nicky, who were sitting at the dining room table, hard at work on the Save the Planet assignments Dawn had given them. Each one wore the Kids Care badge.

"Help, Jessi!" Nicky called out the moment he saw her come into the room. "I don't know what to say in my letter." "Who are you writing?" Jessi asked, peering over his shoulder. A yellow tablet was in front of him and a thick pencil was clutched in his hand.

Nicky raised his eyebrows and said, "The President." "The President?" Jessi repeated. "You mean, of the United States?" "Uh-huh." "It's part of our assignment in Dawn and Stacey's class," Vanessa explained as she pulled an envelope out of an open box of pink stationery by her elbow. "We're supposed to write the world leaders and tell them how much we care about our planet." She pointed to several addressed envelopes piled neatly on the table. "I've already finished four letters." "Do you mind if I read one?" Jessi asked.

"Here's my latest. It's supposed to go to Europe." Vanessa handed her the slip of pink paper. "Now I'm going to write Japan." Jessi took the letter and read it aloud.