Ann Martin: Baby-Sitters Club 057

BSC057 - Dawn Saves the Planet - Martin, Ann M.

Chapter 1.

"Do you think kids can save the planet?" That was the question my science teacher Mrs. Gonzalez asked my class at Stoneybrook Middle School today. Most of the class just sat there like lumps staring at her.

But not me. I raised my hand and practically shouted, "Yes, of course!" I'm Dawn Schafer. I'm thirteen years old and have been known to be pretty outspoken when it comes to environmental issues or organic food. My friends in the BSC (Baby-sitters Club) say I'm a health food nut, just because I don't eat junk food and red meat. (The sight of a hot dog makes me want to gag!) But my mom and I have always eaten healthy things like raw vegetables, tofu, and brown rice. We feel better because of our diet.

Mary Anne, my, stepsister, is the complete opposite of me. She's not a junk-food addict, but she does like cookies and candy and hamburgers and French fries, and so does her dad, Richard. Which makes meals at our house pretty crazy.

Guess what. I'm not from around here. I was born in California. So how did I get to Stoneybrook, Connecticut? Well, you see my mom was born here but years ago she moved to California, where she met and married my dad. Unfortunately, things didn't work out between them. When they got divorced, she brought me and my brother Jeff back to Stoneybrook.

At first, I didn't like Stoneybrook very much, but things really changed after I met Mary Anne. We became instant best friends, even though we're as different as night and day. She's short, with brown eyes and brown hair. I'm tall with white-blonde hair that comes down to my waist, plus I've got blue eyes.

Mary Anne is sort of preppie when it comes to clothes. She wears pleated wool skirts and neat white blouses, stuff like that, while I have my own style of dress that my friends in the BSC call California Casual.

Speaking of the BSC, right after I met Mary Anne, she introduced me to her friends in the Baby-sitters Club. They asked me to join and now the BSC is one of the most important things in my life.

Now here's the really weird part: Mary Anne and I discovered that our parents had been in love when they were in high school (we found it out by reading their yearbooks). But they ended up marrying other people. Mary Anne's morn died when she was really little and her dad, Richard, had to raise her all by himself. He was pretty strict for most of those years, but now all that has changed.

Anyway, once Mary Anne and I discovered that our parents had been high school sweethearts, we decided to get them back together. And we did! Isn't that cool?

Then our parents got married (after dating forever) and now Mary Anne is not only my best friend, but my stepsister, too. Unfortunately, my brother Jeff got homesick and moved back to be with my father in California. I miss him a lot, but he's much happier with his friends and the warmer weather. It can get super cold here! Especially in the drafty old farmhouse we live in. It's over two hundred years old and even has a secret passage leading from the barn to my room. I'm not sure, but I think it could be haunted.

Things were really crazy at our house after our parents got together. Mary Anne and I discovered that even though we liked each other a lot, we have very different habits. For instance, I have to listen to music when I study. Mary Anne needs complete silence. And like I said before, I'm totally into health food. Mary Anne could take it or leave it. Plus, I'm outgoing and a little impulsive. Mary Anne is on the shy side.

Then there're our parents, who are also complete and total opposites. My mom is the ultimate slob. Washing dishes or cleaning the house are about the last things she wants to do, whereas Mary Anne's dad is Mr. Organized-Neat Freak. Everything in his life is labeled, including the socks in his dresser. (I may be exaggerating just a little bit.) Even though Mary Anne and I are really different in many ways, there are a lot of things we agree on. Like helping the environment. I know if Mary Anne had been in Mrs. Gonzalez's class, she would have raised her hand and said, "I agree with Dawn. We can save the planet if we all pull together." Anyway, after I made my announcement in class, Mrs. Gonzalez folded her hands in front of her and smiled at me. "Dawn is right. You can help save this planet, even if you are young. And a good place to start is in your home, or school, or town." Mrs. Gonzalez, who is very cool and has long dark hair that she wears in a thick braid down the center of her back, pointed to the posters she had thumbtacked over the blackboard.

"I've listed things that are going wrong with the environment at this very moment. Dawn, would you read them out loud?" All of the kids in the room turned to look at me, and Alan Gray, possibly the most disgusting, immature boy in the eighth grade, crossed his eyes. I tried to ignore him and read the headings to the rest of the class. "Acid Rain and Air Pollution." "Invisible gases are released by cars that burn gasoline, and power plants that burn coal," Mrs. Gonzalez explained. "These gases can mix with water and make it highly acidic. When these gases get into rain and snow clouds, the acid falls back to the earth, destroying trees and polluting the water in our lakes and rivers. Air pollution also makes it difficult for us to breathe." "Vanishing Animal Life," I continued reading.

"As more and more people are born," Mrs. Gonzalez said, moving down the center aisle of the class, "more and more forests are cut down to make room for them. The areas where wild animals can live are replaced by homes and stores, and the animals become extinct." I wrinkled my nose as I read the next heading. "Too Much Garbage." "When people throw things away, the garbage gets buried in the ground or thrown in the ocean." Mrs. Gonzalez stopped by my desk and crossed her arms. "Pretty soon there won't be any more room for our garbage. So what can we do about it?" Once again I raised my hand. "Recycle." "That's right." Mrs. Gonzalez patted me on the shoulder and this time Alan stuck his tongue out at me. Sometimes I can't believe how immature he acts.

"Recycling means reusing paper and glass and aluminum over and over again." Mrs. Gonzalez returned to the front of the class and tapped the last poster. "And the final heading is what?" "Water Pollution," I read.

Mrs. Gonzalez nodded. "Every living creature depends on water to survive. But our oceans and rivers are polluted by garbage, and much of the water we drink is being wasted. We need to keep it clean." Then she pointed to another poster. This one was completely blank.

"Class, your assignment for this grade period is to pick one of these topics and design a project that can help to save our planet. We'll list them on this poster." Everyone began to talk at once, announcing which category they were going to choose. A couple of groans came from the back of the class but most of the students sounded pretty excited about our new project.

The noise was so loud that Mrs. Gonzalez had to shout to make her last announcement heard. "You have one week to come up with an idea for your project and hand in a brief description of what you plan to do." The bell rang and she called, "See you tomorrow!" I gathered my books, keeping an eye on the posters at the front of the room. My brain was already clicking away. I spent the next hour thinking about ecology. (It's a good thing I was not called on in social studies, because my mind was not on the French Revolution.) With so many possibilities to choose from, I realized it was going to be hard to pick just one project.

I decided to discuss the assignment with my friends at lunch. Claudia Kishi and Kristy Thomas were already seated at our regular table when I reached the cafeteria.

It's not hard to spot Claud. She dresses in ultra bright colors that look great with her jet black hair. She likes to wear outrageous earrings and hair ornaments that she makes herself. Claud is Japanese-American and has beautiful dark almond-shaped eyes and perfect skin, which is amazing to me because she's an absolute junk food addict. I'm not kidding. She adores Ring Dings, candy kisses, and Mallomars. Her idea of a good lunch is a chocolate bar with peanuts and a can of fruit punch.