A popular animated movie offers parents an entertaining, family-friendly means of discussing environmental issues with young ones.

The "Ice Age: The Meltdown" DVD can help families examine the effects of global warming-as it concerns the characters in the film, as well as our planet's population today.

Environmental Tips

By maintaining a positive attitude, kids can have fun even as they work to protect the environment. Here are some simple ideas for youngsters who want to "think green":

• Recycle. While the notion of reusing materials is something that all children can appreciate, recycling does a lot more than just reduce waste. Since new containers and materials don't need to be made, energy is saved and industrial pollution is reduced. Consider that recycled glass generates 20 percent less air pollution and 50 percent less water pollution than new glass. And recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees and 7,000 gallons of water.

• Spread the word. Make sure people in your neighborhood know you care about the environment. Contact a local grocery store and ask to borrow a bunch of large paper bags. Have students at your school (or members of your enviro club, youth group or scout troop) decorate the bags with messages about protecting the environment. Then return the bags to the store, where they can be used to pack up customers' purchases.

Animated Concerns

Distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, "Ice Age: The Meltdown" offers mammoth-sized laughs as well as an environmental message. For this prehistoric sequel, the action heats up-and so does the temperature-as a quartet of comical creatures tries to escape the valley to avoid a flood of trouble.

In addition to returning voice actors Ray Romano, Denis Leary and John Leguizamo, the film sports such all-star talent as Queen Latifah, Seann William Scott and Josh Peck. The DVD is loaded with bonus features of mammoth proportions, including an exclusively produced, never-before-seen animated short following the comical misadventures of the lovable, nut-obsessed character Scrat.

With its dazzling animation, unforgettable characters and playful music, "Ice Age: The Meltdown" is laugh-out-loud fun-with an environmental message-for the whole family.

The mammoth-sized laughs found in an entertaining film can help deliver an important message about the environment.