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“When Bear Country's cubs learn pollution's a fact, they help grownups learn to clean up their act.”
Opening quote

The Berenstain Bears Don't Pollute (Anymore) is a book in the Berenstain Bears series. It was first published on September 3, 1991.

This book was later adapted into a season 2 episode of The Berenstain Bears.

Summary[]

While Brother is working on a school report about endangered species, he and Sister learn from their parents about an article that Professor Actual Factual posted in the Bear Country newspaper about the overall condition of the environment. The cubs go to the museum to talk to Professor Actual Factual about what they can do to help clean it up.

Plot[]

Papa enters the living room reading an article that Professor Actual Factual posted in the Evening News. He announces to Mama, Brother, and Sister that Bear Country is in serious trouble. When they ask, Papa responds that Actual Factual is making a fuss about the pollution, thinking that things such as candy wrappers and drinking cups on the road is not "the end of the world."

He takes his family outside and shows them that Bear Country is in "good shape", including the forests, lakes, streams, and the sunset. Brother tells him that according to his science book, the colors in the sky are caused by chemicals that are not supposed to be there. Angered, Papa orders his cubs to go back into the house and do their homework. Inside, Sister finished her homework, but Brother had trouble because Teacher Bob asked him to do a report on endangered species, and the books he checked out at the school library weren't very helpful to him.

The next day, Brother decided to go to the Bear Country Museum to talk with Professor Actual Factual for help with his report on endangered species, and Sister went with him. Professor Actual Factual was glum and worried, but felt a little happy to see the cubs. When Brother tells him about the purpose of his report, Professor Actual Factual suggests that he should do his endangered species on the bears themselves, adding that clean air, pure water, and good soil are important, but if they don't do anything to stop the pollution, they'll become endangered species.

When Professor Actual Factual mentions his article in the Evening News, Sister says that the point was hard to get across to grownups, but not to the cubs as they and their friends will live on a "messed-up polluted earth" when they grow up. Brother then invites Professor Actual Factual to Bear Country school where he can explain about the effects of pollution to the cubs. He agrees, then goes to call Teacher Bob to arrange a visit. As they went to the Actual-Factualmobile, Professor Actual Factual explains to Brother and Sister about the three important words: ecology, conservation, and recycle. Ecology describes how animals, plants, and the earth work together. Conservation, where one doesn't want all of the valuable things (water, oil, wood, and metal) of the earth. And recycle, where one finds ways to reuse valuable things repeatedly.

Professor Actual Factual takes the cubs on a tour around Bear Country to show them the effects of pollution. They first stopped at Grizzly Gus's Garage, where they saw a stream of oil leaking from a car into a nearby river, getting some of it on a duck and killing some of the fish. Their second stop was an old box factory, where they saw two large chimneys puffing black smoke into the air. They then went scuba-diving in Great Bear Lake, where they saw empty soda cans, rusted bedsprings, and a fish tangled into a plastic soda-can holder, to which they cut it loose. They then drove through a forest where many trees had been cut down and not many new ones had been planted to replace them.

At Bear Country School, the cubs come up with ideas to help rid of pollution. One of them suggests a recycling program, and Tim Honeypot, the son of Mayor Honeypot, said he would talk to his dad about it. Brother suddenly remembered Grizzly Gus's Garage and said that it should be illegal to spill oil into streams and kill fish. Babs Bruno, the daughter of the chief of police, said she'll talk to him about making that a law. Too-Tall says that his uncle owns the Super-Duper Market and suggests that he should put a bag-return plan for reusing bags, and if some people don't cooperate, Too-Tall and his gang could lean on him. Teacher Bob appreciates Too-Tall's idea, but not the leaning.

Cousin Freddy came up with the best idea: Starting a club called the Earthsavers Club to stop pollution. They'll make posters and bumper stickers, and host cleanups, marches, and parades. At the Bear Family house that evening, Brother and Sister tell Mama and Papa about the Earthsavers Club and their plans to stop pollution. Papa agrees to the idea, but says that it's hard enough to cut down trees without having to plant them as well. Mama remarks that the cubs are right and adds that the forest is a living thing. In bed that night, Papa had a dream where he was walking into a forest to cut some wood. Suddenly, the trees came to life with the branches acting as their arms and them chasing Papa on their roots. He runs away screaming, causing him to wake up in a cold sweat.

The next day, the Earthsavers Club got off to a strong start, as Mayor Honeypot declared a special holiday called "Earthsavers Day", in which a parade was held. Brother, Sister, and Professor Actual Factual marched ahead with many other cubs and grownups behind them. Papa held up a sign that says "A good woodsbear plants a tree for every single one he cuts, no ifs, no ands, no maybes, or buts!" without a mention of the word "Piffle."

Cast[]

Gallery[]

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