- The following program
is a PBS Wisconsin original pro
duction.
- Sarah: Hey, everyone.
Welcome to Get Up and Go!
I'm Sarah Jacobs.
- Angela: And I'm Angela Fitzger
ald.
Thank you so much for joining us
.
- Sarah: And, of course, we reall
y wish
we could be together in person.
But you know what?
we still have lots of music and
fun to share with you!
- Angela: And we'll see so man
y of our old friends.
- Sarah: Wait, friends? Like who
?
Oh, wait a sec!
Steve, over here! Is that Steve?
Yeah!
- Angela: It is. - Sarah: Hi, Ste
ve.
- Steve: Sarah and Angela! Is t
hat you?
- Sarah: Yeah.
- Mr. Steve: Oh, it's so nice to se
e you!
Wait a second!
Is Get Up and GO right now?
- Angela: It's right now, Steve.
- Oh, no, I'm on East Coast time
.
I'm an hour behind.
Oh, I'm so embarrassed.
I gotta get my guitar.
I don't know where it is.
I'm sorry, I'll be right back.
- Angela: It's okay.
Besides Steve, we'll also check
out and see
what Molly of Denali and Let's
Go, Luna are doing.
And we also might see some of o
ur other friends, as well.
- Sarah: You know what?
I see Daniel Tiger!
Hi, Daniel.
We hope you're staying safe and h
ealthy.
- Angela: Can you share a song
with us later?
Awesome!
- Steve: Hey, speaking of songs,
I found my guitar!
Whew! [laughs]
Now I know that we can't share
our music in person this year,
but I'm still so excited to pl
ay.
And I hope you all are ready to
sing and dance along
cause we're going to need your h
elp.
It's going to be a ton of fun, Wisc
onsin!
- Sarah: Yeah, and you know wha
t?
Speaking of a ton of fun, it is
a beautiful day outside
and I don't know about you guys,
but I don't really wanna spend
it
sitting at a computer all day.
So, I think I'm gonna go check ou
t this really cool park
in Monona.
- Angela: I'm gonna do the same
thing, Sarah,
and I'm gonna head over to a t
o a park in Madison.
- Awesome! - It's time toGet
Up and Go!
♪ ♪
- Funding forGet Up and Go!
is provided by
UnityPoint Health Meriter,
the Timothy William Trout Educat
ion Fund,
a gift of Monroe and Sandra Trout,
the Focus Fund for Education,
and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.
- Hey, everyone!
I'm Angela Fitzgerald,
host of PBS Wisconsin's Wiscon
sin Life.
I, along with Sarah Jacobs, will
be your host today.
I'm in beautiful Vilas Park in
Madison.
There have been a lot of chang
es lately
that could be hard to deal wit
h at times.
But one person who can put things
into perspective,
along with a little song, is Steve
,
who shares a story about a litt
le tadpole
going through some changes of it
s own.
- Hello! I'm Tony and I'm a poll
ywog
and I love burritos!
Just kidding! I eat algae.
And this is a story about me.
♪ ["Metamorphosis"] ♪
♪ He was just a pollywog ♪
♪ Living in a little bog ♪
♪ Spending his days swimming a
way ♪
♪ Between the lily pad and log
♪
♪ But when he woke up that day
♪
♪ He felt a little strange ♪
♪ He'd grown before, but this
was something more ♪
♪ Suddenly, he felt like he was.
.. ♪
♪ Changing ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ And he'd never be the same ♪
♪ No ♪
♪ This was a metamorphosis ♪
- Pollywog: ♪I'm okay with this♪
♪ My biologist says ♪
- Steve & Pollywog: ♪ It's ju
st a natural process of change ♪
♪ ♪
♪ It seemed like out of nowhere
♪
♪ Arms and legs were appearing ♪
♪ Slowly, but surely it was b
ecoming clear ♪
♪ His gills and tail would disa
ppear ♪
♪ And now, some folks might c
omplain ♪
♪ About a midlife crisis ♪
♪ But if they think that is stra
nge ♪
♪ Well, then, they should try
this ♪
♪ He was changing ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ And he'd never be the same ♪
♪ No ♪
♪ This was a metamorphosis ♪
- Pollywog: ♪ I'm okay with t
his ♪
♪ My biologist says ♪
- Steve & Pollywog: ♪ It's ju
st a natural process of change ♪
♪ Have you ever talked to butte
rflies? ♪
- Pollywog: ♪ Oh, yeah ♪
- ♪ Their transformation can be a
mazing ♪
♪ But also pretty perplexing ♪
♪ They curl up into a chrysalis
one night ♪
♪ And wake up with a brand new
set of eyes and legs ♪
♪ And ♪
♪ Wings ♪
Imagine that.
That's pretty cool!
And for those of you out there
who might find yourselves in sit
uations
where change is all around you,
I have some advice.
Got this advice from a couple
of butterflies
and a toad.
♪ They said it's important to
try and keep your head ♪
♪ Even when it is difficult to h
old on to your tail ♪
♪ And if you're feeling overwh
elmed ♪
♪ And you think that it's diffi
cult to adapt ♪
♪ Remember that there is a part
of you ♪
♪ A part of you that knows rig
ht from wrong ♪
♪ That's the part to listen to ♪
♪ And the good news is that n
o matter what happens ♪
That part will always remain,
which is a comforting thought, do
n't you think?
♪ Especially with all of this
♪
♪ Changing ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ We may never be the same ♪
♪ No ♪
♪ This is a metamorphosis ♪
♪ We're okay with this ♪
♪ And ecologists say ♪
♪ It's just a natural ♪
♪ Process ♪
♪ Of change ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
- Pollywog: ♪ Doobie, doobie, d
oobie, dooo ♪
[Ribbit]
Wait, I'm a frog!
- Sarah: Thanks, Steve!
I'm Sarah Jacobs at Winnequah Par
k in Monona.
By observing social distancing,
the outdoors can be a fabulous
place to hang out.
You'd be surprised how many co
ol things you can still do,
even when you're not together.
Our own Miss Mouna
has an engineering project to s
how you
that anyone can do at home.
- Mouna: Hello, friends!
Hope you're having fun so far!
I'm Miss Mouna, and today,
we're gonna do a fun engineering de
sign challenge
and you can do it right from wh
ere you are, along with me.
Sound like a plan?
Engineers are people
who design and build things to
solve a problem.
Today, we're gonna use things
that you have around your house
to build a bridge.
And I've invited my friends, Se
rena and Thaeden
along to help us out.
Do you know what the bridge is?
A bridge is a structure
that connects one place to anoth
er place.
Sometimes it's a long road that
cars can drive across
and sometimes it's a small bridge
made out of wood.
We're gonna build a tiny bridge
that connects two things
you can find in your home.
Let's see what Serena and Thaed
en brought.
- Serena: I'm gonna be using the
kebob sticks.
I'm gonna be using straws.
I'm gonna be using toothpicks.
I'm gonna be using playdough.
I'm gonna be using cans.
- Thaeden: I'm gonna use this Leg
o block, my Beyblade,
the launcher,
and these train tracks,
wood train tracks
that I have for my trains.
- It's important for engineers
to make plans
before they build anything.
So let's take a look at the pla
ne
Serena and Thaeden made for th
eir bridges.
- Serena: This is my drawing of th
e bridge.
For these, I drawed cans.
And for the across lines,
I drawed the sticks and the st
raws.
And for the cross ones,
I drew the toothpicks.
And over here, and over here,
and over here, and over here,
I drawed playdough to make it sti
ck.
- Thaeden: So, these are the,
these are the 10,
these are groups of 10 and ther
e--
there's a lot of blocks
and then, I put the thing over
and then, I'm gonna
and I'm gonna try to find some
thing
to make a single down so the Beybla
de can hit the ground.
- Mouna: Now, it's your turn.
What materials do you have at h
ome
that you can build a bridge wit
h?
Look around, make your plan, an
d start building.
We'll check back in in a littl
e bit
to see how Serena and Thaeden ar
e doing.
- I hope you're out exploring th
e outdoors this summer
and trying some of your favorit
e foods and games.
My favorite: It's both in one.
[snaps pea pod] Whoo! Sugar snap
peas!
They're super fun and so tasty t
o eat!
And sometimes, when we're tryin
g a new food
or maybe going to a new place,
you might feel a little nervous
Daniel Tiger shows us
that change can be okay.
- Daniel Tiger: ♪ Things may
change ♪
♪ And that's okay ♪
♪ Today we can do things a differ
ent way ♪
♪ Every morning, I eat the same
food ♪
♪ But this time I'll try somethi
ng new ♪
♪ Things may change and that's o
kay ♪
♪ Today we can do things a differ
ent way ♪
♪ We read the same book every
night ♪
♪ But we might read a different
one ♪
♪ And that's alright ♪
♪ Things may change and that's o
kay ♪
♪ Today we can do things a differ
ent way ♪
♪ There isn't any more of my
favorite snack ♪
♪ But I can find a way ♪
♪ To make things okay ♪
♪ Things may change and that's o
kay ♪
♪ Today we can do things a differ
ent way ♪
♪ Things may change and that's o
kay ♪
♪ And tomorrow is a brand new
day ♪
- Angela: Thanks, Daniel Tiger!
One way to make friends is to
bond over a common love.
We met a group of kids
who bonded over their common l
ove of drumming.
Here's their story,
which is part of ourWisconsin
Lifeseries on PBS, Wisconsin.
[tap, tap, tap-tap-tap-tap]
[rhythmic drumming]
- My name is Joey B. Banks and
I am the founder and director
of the Black Star Drumline.
[drumming]
When I started the drumline in 2
008,
it was really taking a set of
drums that were donated to me
to go to a Boys and Girls Club an
d start this drumline concept.
[drumming]
Another name for a drumline is
a battery, a battery of drums.
[drumming]
We have four sections.
We have a snare drum section.
We have a tenor drum section.
Multi drums, kids play six drum
s.
We have a bass drum section an
d a cymbal section.
[drumming]
We're like a hip-hop drumline.
Come on, y'all. Y'all know it
now.
Here we go, say it with me.
Black Star Drumline!
[rhythmic drumming]
So it's a pretty unique arts edu
cation experience
as well as a unique performanc
e experience.
[drumming]
You've got six kids come out t
here and
they all look like a team and th
ey're like exactly synched up.
And they're all just lined up p
erfectly.
Then they're dancing together
and there's stick work and they
're doing visuals.
You know, I mean, it's entertain
ment.
[rhythmic drumming]
It's a great group of kids.
It's a close-knit family group.
We're really, all really pretty
close.
They're going to be friends fo
r life.
[rhythmic drumming]
- Sarah: That music made me wa
nt to
tap my toes and dance.
I know someone else
who can get us moving and danci
ng.
Here's Steve with a song that he
calls
"Follow that Fish."
♪ [Mr. Steve "Follow that Fis
h"] ♪
♪ I'll tell you a story if you a
re inclined to believe ♪
♪ An old fishing tale and how
it happened to me ♪
♪ I was out walking one mornin
g ♪
♪ When the sun was new ♪
♪ I went down to the water an
d looked out over the blue ♪
♪ When a little silver tuna po
pped her head out of the sea♪
♪ She looked around and then sh
e stared right at me ♪
♪ Sing a little fishy if you kno
w what I mean ♪
But it got even stranger than tha
t...
You know why?
♪ 'Cause that fish leaned left ♪
♪ So I leaned left ♪
♪ She leaned right ♪
♪ I did that too ♪
♪ And then she did a little boo
gie ♪
♪ And so I did a little boogie
♪
♪ And before I knew it ♪
♪ I was in a game of Follow that
Fish ♪
♪ Lucky I brought my swimming su
it ♪
You guys want to play? Great!
All you need to do is follow th
at fish.
Just sing what she sings
and do what she does.
Ready?
♪ She went... ♪
♪ Swim, swim, swim ♪
(♪ Swim, swim, swim ♪)
♪ High then low ♪
(♪ High then low ♪)
♪ Wave your fin ♪
(♪ Wave your fin ♪)
♪ Say, ready, here we go ♪
(♪ Ready, here we go ♪)
♪ Can you move? ♪ (♪ I can mov
e ♪)
♪ Can you spin? ♪ (♪ I can spi
n ♪)
♪ Can you wink? ♪ (♪ I can win
k ♪)
♪ Can you grin? ♪ (♪ I can gri
n ♪)
♪ Can you do the shimmy? ♪
(♪ Shimmy ♪)
♪ Let's go [inaudible] ♪
♪ Can you hop, hop, hop? ♪
Try it!
(♪ Hop, hop, hop ♪)
♪ And then she stopped ♪
(♪ Then she stopped ♪)
♪ Right there in the middle of
the sea ♪
♪ ♪
Whoo!
That's a lot of work.
♪ Now I don't know about you
but that kind of stuff ♪
♪ Doesn't usually happen to me
♪
♪ Playing follow the fish with a
little tuna ♪
♪ In the middle of the sea ♪
♪ No, but I'm a very strong sw
immer ♪
♪ Lucky for me ♪
And so I said, hey there, fishy,
is that the best you got?
She said...
- Fishy: No you didn't!
- And then, she gave me a challe
nge.
You guys ready?
♪ She went... ♪
♪ Swim, swim, swim ♪
(♪ Swim, swim, swim ♪)
♪ High then low ♪
(♪ High then low ♪)
♪ Wave your fin ♪
(♪ Wave your fin ♪)
♪ Say, ready, here we go ♪
(♪ Ready, here we go ♪)
♪ Can you move? ♪ (♪ I can mov
e ♪)
♪ Can you spin? ♪ (♪ I can spi
n ♪)
♪ Can you wink? ♪ (♪ I can win
k ♪)
♪ Can you grin? ♪ (♪ I can gri
n ♪)
♪ Can you do the shimmy? (♪ Y
eah ♪)
♪ Let's [inaudible] ♪ (♪ No
♪)
♪ Can you hop, hop, hop? ♪
(♪ Yeah, hop, hop, hop ♪)
♪ And then she stopped ♪
(♪ Then she stopped ♪)
♪ Right there in the middle of
the sea ♪
♪ ♪
We both caught our breaths!
♪ And so I said, hey there, fis
hy ♪
♪ You can't outsmart me ♪
♪ I'm the best follow the fish
player ♪
♪ You've ever seen ♪
She said
♪ Hold on there, aqua boy ♪
♪ You are pretty good ♪
♪ But I got some tricks up my
sleeve ♪
♪ Let's see if one last time
if you can really ♪
♪ Follow me ♪
- Is this going to be hard core?
- Oh, yeah.
- You ready for hard core?
Here we go!
♪ She went... ♪
♪ Swim, swim, swim ♪
(♪ Swim, swim, swim ♪)
♪ High then low ♪
(♪ High then low ♪)
♪ Wave your fin ♪
(♪ Wave your fin ♪)
♪ Say, ready, here we go ♪
(♪ Ready, here we go ♪) ♪
She went... ♪
♪ Swim, swim, swim ♪ (♪ Swi
m, swim, swim ♪)
♪ Back to the shore ♪
(♪ Back to the shore ♪)
♪ Hopped out of the water ♪
(♪ Hopped out of the water ♪)
♪ Hailed a taxi ♪
(♪ Hailed a taxi ♪)
♪ Open the door ♪
(♪ Open the door ♪)
♪ Drove to the airport ♪
(♪ Drove to the airport ♪)
♪ Hopped on a plane ♪
(♪ Hopped on a plane ♪)
♪ Flew to Tahiti ♪
(♪ Flew to Tahiti ♪)
♪ And back again ♪
(♪ And back again ♪)
♪ Going on a skateboard ♪
(♪ Going on a skateboard ♪)
♪ Back to the bay ♪
(♪ Back to the bay ♪)
♪ Right where we started ♪
(♪ Right where we started ♪)
♪ And guess who was with every
single step of the way ♪
- Who was with you?
- You, and you guys!
- You guys, too!
You wanna know why?
♪ 'Cause we can move ♪
♪ And we can spin ♪
♪ And we can wink ♪
♪ And we can grin ♪
♪ We can do the shimmy ♪
♪ Fast as we can ♪
♪ We can hop, hop, hop? ♪
♪ Hop, hop, hop ♪
♪ And then we stop ♪
♪ Then we'll stop ♪
♪ Right here at the end ♪
- Bye, bye!
- Nice job, fishy.
Thanks, good work!
- Angela: Thanks, Steve!
Let's check in with Miss Mouna
to see how her project is comin
g together.
- Mouna: Welcome back to our en
gineering design challenge.
Our engineers, Serena and Thaede
n, have been working hard
building their bridges.
A big part of being an engineer
is solving problems.
Serena and Thaeden need to solve
the problem
of strongly connecting two items
together to make their bridge.
Do you remember the problem Mo
lly of Denali
wanted to solve?
She wanted to help a new kid in
her town,
Trini, feel comfortable and at
home.
Molly solved the problem by
learning more about her and foun
d a way to connect with her.
Let's see how Serena and Thaede
n are doing
solving their problem.
How's your bridge coming along,
Serena?
- Serena: Because the sticks cam
e off,
I'm gonna use playdough so I ca
n stick them onto the can.
- Mouna: It looks great so far.
How about you, Thaeden?
- Thaeden: So, the gaps are ac
tually pretend water
and then, there's a high bridge
that's over it.
And then...
And then, I'm putting pieces on it
so it can fit.
And then, I'm only gonna use...
I am just gonna make a gap.
- Mouna: it looks like you're bot
h doing
such a great job problem solving.
I can't wait to see them when you
both done.
I hope the bridges you're makin
g at home
are coming along, as well.
We'll check back in soon to see
our engineers' finished bridges.
- Sarah: Thanks, Luna, Carmen,
and friends.
It's amazing how much you can
do by yourself.
Think of how much more you can
do
with a friend or your whole ne
ighborhood.
Steve has a song he'd like to sha
re
called "Together".
- Steve: Hey, everybody!
I got to tell you, Chris and I wi
sh so badly
that we could be out there in W
isconsin,
in Madison and Appleton, forGe
t Up and Go!day.
I miss seeing you.
We wanna send this song out to
you guys.
This is called "Together",
and it's dedicated to all of our
friends out in Wisconsin
and we cannot wait until the ne
xt time
that we are all together,
sharing music together.
♪ ♪
♪ We know that one heart can ch
ange the world ♪
♪ But it takes two hearts to get
along ♪
♪ We know that one voice can sing
melody ♪
♪ But it takes two to harmoni
ze a song ♪
♪ So, tell you what, me out t
o you ♪
♪ Together ♪
♪ Didn't have me and you ♪
♪ Together ♪
♪ You can count on me ♪
♪ I will count on you ♪
♪ Looking out for each other ♪
♪ That's something we can do ♪
♪ Do, do we, doo, do, do, doo, d
oo ♪
♪ What makes an action a forc
e for good? ♪
♪ What makes a few blocks a neighb
orhood? ♪
♪ What does it take to make a pl
ace ♪
♪ A community? ♪
♪ When the child in each of us ♪
♪ Is free to grow into the pe
rson we are meant to be ♪
♪ It takes kindness ♪
♪ It takes caring ♪
♪ It takes action ♪
♪ And it might take time ♪
♪ It takes some effort to see
outside your own situation ♪
♪ Sometimes, well, it takes s
ome of your trust ♪
♪ And it takes some of mine ♪
♪ So, tell you what, me out t
o you ♪
♪ Together ♪
♪ Didn't have me and you ♪
♪ Together ♪
♪ You can count on me ♪
♪ I will count on you ♪
♪ Looking out for each other ♪
♪ That's something we can do ♪
♪ Do, do we, doo, do, do, doo, d
oo ♪
♪ ♪
♪ I look around and I see person
next to person ♪
♪ Some I know, some I've neve
r met before ♪
♪ But inside of each of us ♪
♪ There is a heart ♪
♪ Inviting us to open up the door
and trust love ♪
♪ Trust love ♪
♪ Oh, tell me what can we not
do ♪
♪ Together, working hand in ha
nd ♪
♪ Me and you ♪
♪ Together, you can count on m
e ♪
♪ And I will count on you ♪
♪ Looking out for each other ♪
♪ That's something we can do ♪
♪ Do, do we, doo, do, do, doo, d
oo ♪
♪ Do, do we, doo, doo ♪
- Angela: Thanks, Steve!
Learning a new activity or sport
can be a lot of fun,
but there are times
when it takes a little practice
to catch on.
Daniel Tiger knows how it feels
.
- Daniel Tiger: Here it comes!
Grrr! I missed again.
- That's okay, Daniel.
- How would you feel if you can
't catch a ball?
I feel sad.
- Are you okay, Little D?
- What's wrong, toots?
- I'm no good at this game.
I can't catch the ball.
- You know what?
When I first started playing base
ball,
I couldn't catch the ball either
.
- Really? - Really.
But I kept trying and I got bett
er and better
and you can, too.
- ♪ Keep trying, you'll get be
tter ♪
- ♪ Keep trying, you'll get bet
ter ♪
But I am trying.
- You are trying and you know w
hat else will help?
- What? - The hug trick.
- The hug trick? - Yup.
First, you watch the ball.
Then, you give it a big hug.
Oooo-ooo-ooo!
- Big hug! [boy laughs]
- Now, I think you're ready.
- Yep, I'm ready to try again.
Yeah, throw the ball, big brot
her!
- Ready, and...
a duck says quack, quack, quac
k.
- Quack, quack, quack.
- Okay, I'm watching, I'm watchi
ng, I'm watch--
Uh, huh, whoops!
Grrr, I dropped it.
- Oh, you almost got it, Daniel.
You're so close.
You watched the ball,
and now, you just need to remem
ber
to give it a big hug.
♪ Keep trying, you'll get bet
ter ♪
- Friends: ♪ Keep trying, you'
ll get better ♪
- Okay, I can do it.
I just have to keep trying.
- Sarah: Besides catching a ball,
another thing you can catch is
[inhales, exhales]
your breath.
Chad from the Center for Healthy
Minds
shows us how an easy exercise
can help us feel better right
away.
♪ ♪
- Hi, I'm Chad.
Join me for a moment
to do a practice called slow mo c
atch.
You know how after a great catc
h
in a football or a softball ga
me,
it's often shown in slow motion o
n TV.
The player is focused, aware,
and ready to catch the ball.
In this practice, instead of cat
ching the ball,
we'll be catching the end of our
breath.
When you breathe in, hands open
.
When you breathe out, hands cl
ose.
Breathing in, hands open.
Breathing out, catching the end o
f your breath.
In, open, out, catching the end o
f your breath.
In, open, out, close.
In, open, out, catching the end o
f your breath.
Notice, how are things for you
now
after doing this brief practic
e?
Is your body calm?
What thoughts are you thinking?
Can you think of a time
when you could do this practice
during your day?
Keep trying this at home
and we'll see you next time wh
en weGet Up and Go!
♪ ♪
- Angela: Let's check in one last
time with Miss Mouna.
- Mouna: Hello again, friends.
Serena and Thaeden have been wo
rking really hard
building their bridges
and I'm really excited for you
to see what they look like.
Let's check in first with Seren
a.
Serena, tell us about your bri
dge.
- Serena: I made the straws for
the railings
so the cars don't fall off.
Making it for a sturdy
on the top can stay strong.
- It looks really great, Serena!
Let's check in with Thaeden to
see how his bridge looks.
How did your bridge turn out,
Thaeden?
- I had to make it shorter so i
t's easier
and I had to,
and I had to use less ones,
and I'm gonna add one more.
- Wonderful job, Thaeden!
You and Serena have been excellen
t engineers
and problem solvers today.
I hope everyone had fun buildi
ng bridges with us today.
Having amazing problem solvers
like you in our world
is really important for our fu
ture.
So, keep building,
keep solving problems together
when things get rough,
and enjoy the rest of the show.
See you next time, engineers.
- Sarah: Thanks, Miss Mouna!
Did you ever see a problem and
wish you could solve it?
Well, that's what Milly Zantow did
.
She saw all of the garbage that
people were throwing away
and wanted to stop it and help
clean up the planet.
How did she do it?
Well, here's her Wisconsin Biog
raphy.
- Have you ever flipped over a pl
astic bottle
and seen a triangle with a num
ber on the bottom?
That little number is a clue to
the story of Milly Zantow,
a Wisconsinite
whose ingenuity and activism
changed recycling all over the w
orld.
When Milly heard that the land
fill in Sauk County
was going to close early, she was
worried.
It was only five years old, an
d it was already almost full!
Even worse, toxic chemicals from
the garbage
were leaking into the ground.
What's more, another landfill
might not be ready for years!
Where would all the garbage go?
[garbage falling]
And why were people making so
much trash in the first place?
So, Milly went to the landfill
and started investigating.
She noticed the trucks coming and
going,
dumping lots of things, but most
ly, she noticed plastic.
Plastic, plastic, plastic!
Milly knew a bit about plastic-
-
how more and more things were being
made with it,
and how much of it was being us
ed for packaging--
stuff that people were using jus
t once,
then throwing away!
She also knew that plastic woul
d not decompose
for a long, long time.
Hundreds of years!
Something needed to change. [tho
ught bubbles]
Milly had grown up on a farm du
ring the Great Depression.
Her family made good use of every
thing they had,
and when something was used up or
worn out, they repurposed it.
She was as thrifty as they came,
and all this waste didn't make se
nse to her.
She knew some things were alrea
dy being recycled.
Why not plastics?
Milly went to the county board
and told them
they should recycle the plastic
waste going into the landfill,
but they said they couldn't
because they didn't know how.
She thought back to the plastic i
tems
she saw being dumped into the l
andfill.
Many of them were milk jugs.
So, she called up a Milwaukee
milk company with a question:
[phone rings "brrng, brrng"]
- Milly Zantow: "What happens if th
ere's a defect in a milk jug?"
- Manufacturer: "Well...
we just melt down the jug and bl
ow it again."
- Milly also went to local plast
ics companies
and asked if they could use rec
ycled plastic
to make their products.
They told her it wasn't that e
asy.
There were many different types
of plastic
mixed together in the garbage,
but those different types
couldn't be melted together to
make something new.
The plastic waste needed to be
sorted, cleaned, and ground up
for companies to be able to us
e it.
And who was going to do that?
Milly knew what she had to do:
save the landfills from overflowi
ng
and save the earth by recycling
plastic.
She went to the nearby universi
ty to learn how to
do tests to tell the different
types of plastic apart:
Scratch tests! [scratching]
- Milly: Oh!
- Float tests! [splash] - Mill
y: Ah-ha!
- Burn tests! [plastic burns a
nd sizzles]
- Milly: Oh!
- Smoke tests! [smoke poof soun
d]
- Milly: Ohhhh...
- Milly also knew that
she would need a way to grind a
ll that plastic,
so it could be used. - Milly: Hmm
m...
She needed a BIG grinder, an exp
ensive grinder,
and more than that... [cash re
gister cha-chings]
she needed help.
She turned to her friend, Jenny
Ehl.
- Jenny Ehl: "Where are we going
to get $5,000?"
- Milly Zantow: "Well... what abo
ut our life insurance?"
- Milly and Jenny cashed in their
policies,
hopped in a truck, and drove to
Chicago.
♪ [optimistic folk rock] ♪ [t
ruck horn beeps "ahoogah"]
They hauled their grinder back to
Wisconsin
and got to work.
They started E-Z Recycling
in 1979.
Their business was all about
making change in their communi
ty--
getting people to join them in
a recycling revolution!
Even the students from nearby sc
hools
helped by collecting plastic it
ems to be recycled!
Word kept spreading
and soon spilled over into oth
er communities.
[bubbles popping] The recycling re
volution was growing!
But the work was hard,
and much more than they could do
themselves.
They knew they needed a better s
olution
to make recycling something ever
yone could do.
The main thing was all that tes
ting.
What if there was a way to tel
l the plastics apart
without all that extra work?
They put their heads together
and came up with a brilliant but
simple idea:
[popping sounds] a number for eac
h of the different types of plastic!
Manufacturers could stamp this n
umber into the plastic
so that anyone anywhere
could sort and recycle!
It took years of work for it t
o catch on,
but they didn't give up.
Even after the numbering system
started to get used around the w
orld,
Milly knew there was still more t
o do.
It wasn't just about adding a n
umber to a bottle.
It was about changing people's
beliefs and actions,
and showing them how recycling
would help people and the enviro
nment!
She helped with the writing of
Wisconsin's recycling law
and she kept talking with people
about the importance of recycli
ng
everywhere she went.
By seeing a problem in her commu
nity,
and rallying people around her to
find solutions at every turn,
Milly changed Wisconsin, and the
world.
Milly's story is just the start!
There is still too much waste
and not enough reusing and recy
cling,
which means there are new opport
unities for innovators
just like you
to help make the world better f
or everyone!
What do you notice in your comm
unity?
What willyoudo?
[wink]
- Sarah: Well, that does it for
us.
We want to thank our sponsors.
- Angela: A big thank you
to Steve, Christopher, and Daniel
Tiger.
And thank you for joining us!
Stay healthy and safe.
- Sarah: Remember to social dist
ance, wash your hands often,
get outside as much as you can
,
and, of course, remember to...
- Angela and Sarah: Get Up a
nd Go!
♪ Jump up, jump up and down ♪
♪ Oh, yeah, that's the way ♪
♪ Now spin around ♪
♪ Back the other way ♪
♪ Yeah, that's what we do onGe
t Up and Go!Day ♪
♪ So here we go my friends ♪
♪ We'll be moving, Madison ♪
♪ Up and down Wisconsin and back
again ♪
♪ We're on our way ♪
♪ It'sGet Up and Go!Day ♪
- Funding forGet Up and Go!
is provided by
UnityPoint Health Meriter,
the Timothy William Trout Educat
ion Fund,
a gift of Monroe and Sandra Trout,
the Focus Fund for Education,
and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.