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One Bad Apple

Album: Gold Audio 07: On Thin Ice

Episode: 128

Lesson/Theme: Taking care of the environment.

Bible Verse: Genesis 1; 2:15

Characters: Connie, Whit, Tom

Writer: Paul McCusker

Sound Designer: Bob Luttrell

Original Air Date: September 15, 1990

Last Air Date: June 27, 2008

Description:
Something unthinkable is happening at Whit's End. Kids are getting sick from food served there. Whit can't imagine what the cause might be, until he and Connie figure out it was a batch of apples Whit bought from Tom Riley. Tom is having illness problems of his own, though. He thought one of his horses was down with colic, but instead it turns out to be a mild form of insecticide poisoning. When Curt informs Tom that his creek is filled with dead fish, Tom decides to launch a full-scale investigation. He and Curt do some exploring upstream. They come across an empty barrel from Edgebiter Chemical Company lying in the middle of the creek. Further up, they discover the industrial complex that houses the Edgebiter offices. They try to get some information but end up getting the runaround. So Whit joins the investigation. That night, the three of them examine the industrial complex more closely and discover a warehouse with an illegal drainage system that dumps into the creek. But their discovery does them little good-right then, an Edgebiter security guard catches them and takes them inside the offices. There, they confront Mr. Edgebiter himself. Mr. Edgebiter admits that the warehouse has been illegally draining an accidental chemical spill into the creek. But he also points out that Whit, Tom, Curt, and the rest of America are quick to accuse big businesses of polluting the environment, but they hardly live up to their own responsibilities to keep the world clean. None of them recycles or conserves. They simply use things and throw them away. It is a point well taken. Both sides agree to try in the future to take better care of this planet God has loaned to us.

Questions:
Were Whit, Tom, and Curt wrong to walk around Edgebiter after hours? Explain your answer. Do you and your family recycle? Why or why not? Why is it important to take care of our environment? Besides recycling, what else can you do to help?