Marisa Diamond, a fifth grader at Petaluma’s Grant Elementary, was tasked with writing a business letter for an assignment in Julia Mengna’s fifth grade class. Diamond chose to write to the Press Democrat regarding her concerns about global warming.

“Basically global warming is going on right now and we need to keep recycling and stuff,” she told me this week. “I recycle. I plant flowers and plants with my mom. I like drawing and I draw lots of flowers and bugs.”

Here is her letter:

“Dear Editor:

As a fifth grade student attending Grant Elementary I’ve come up with a few ideas to keep our planet green. First we could start a Go Green Club. Then they could meet a couple times a week, clean and hang flyers to give the community tops (sic) on how to stay green and save our beloved ocean along with our furry friends (Penguins, Polar Bears, seals and all the others). There has been some incidences in the past like penguins suffocating from plastic holders from the canned beverages we drink, or the ice collapsing on animals. The ice is melting because we’re not paying enough attention to all the waste that’s not disposed of properly. So pay attention to what’s going into the ocean, lakes, rivers, and ponds.

Friends can also try to cut down pollution. Sell compost bins to use up all the left over fruits and vegetables and make more fresh soil from plants and animals plus other insect species that are struggling in their habitats. Then plant more trees, plants and flowers. We need more volunteers that can help us pitch in. So much construction kills the earth especially with al the toxic chemicals. Please help our EARTH!!!

Sincerely,

Marisa Diamond”

Grant Elementary

Fifth grade