Up in the Air

Summer vacation is coming up. Good times for airline companies.
Travelling by plane has never been more popular. But flying contributes to climate change.
Now what?

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• a significant number - very many; so many that it really makes a difference
• carbon footprint - a measurement of the amount of carbon dioxide that your activities produce
• fuel - a material (such as coal, oil, or gas) that is burned to produce heat or power
• via another airport - by departing from another airport
• to offset - to cancel or reduce the effect of something
• online calculators - websites that do the math for you
• to tackle a problem - to deal with a problem
• to reduce the impact of flying - to make the (negative) effect of flying smaller

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. When you think of flying, what is the best thing you can do to help our climate?


2. Laura Foster explains what you can do to reduce the carbon footprint of your flight.
   How many things does she name?


3. Name three or more of these things you could do yourself.


4. How does “Offset your flight” work?


5. Do all these things really reduce the impact of flying on climate change?

The Thing About Biodiversity

Hundreds of thousands of different species of animals and plants are facing extinction. The United Nations says that this is all because of human activity: all sorts of things we humans are doing.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• biodiversity - the existence of many different kinds of plants and animals in a particular area or in the world generally
• variety of all life - all the many different sorts of life on earth
• immense - very large
• secure - safe
• towering forests - forest with very tall trees
• pollinator - something, such as an insect, that carries pollen from one plant or part of a plant to another
• to keep in supply - to store something; to make sure there is enough of something
• coral reefs - larger areas of coral that can be found in warmer parts of the ocean
• mangrove swamps - an area of very wet, soft land where mangroves (tropical trees) grow
• to drop - to go down in number, to become less
• catastrophic - as bad as a big catastrophe or disaster

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. Complete the statement: The more biodiversity the more .......


2. Why do we humans need forests?


3. Why do we humans need pollinators, soil organisms and plankton?


4. Why do we humans need strange plants deep in jungles?


5. What is happening with biodiversity? It is:
   a. dropping,
   b. increasing,
   c. staying the same everywhere.

Nature's Vanishing Trick

Biodiversity refers to all the different kinds of living organisms (animals and plants) in a place on earth. The UN just published a study warning that biodiversity is in decline (aan het afnemen). Teenager Lily Macfarlane made a short video to try and explain why the loss of biodiversity, extinction and vanishing species really matter.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• tansy beetle - groot goudhaantje (een keversoort)
• banks of a river - the higher ground along the edge of a river
• far from it - almost the opposite is true
• species - a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants
• extinction - a situation in which something no longer exists
• abroad - in foreign countries
• Shifting Baseline Syndrome - het syndroom van de verschuivende ijkpunten: For example, winters used to be much colder in the Netherlands. This has been changing for years, so we start to forget the colder winters and use the higher temperatures as the new normal. Result: the baseline has shifted from colder to warmer temperatures.
• decline - a change to a lower number or amount
• bleak - not hopeful or encouraging
• enriched - better, more beautiful, of a higher quality
• reversed - turned around

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. How many species in Britain are currently in decline?


2. Name two or more animals that are threatened to disappear.


3. Is the decline of biodiversty irreversible (onomkeerbaar)?

Extra questions for more advanced listeners:

1. Explain what Lily means with the expression “the vanishing trick”.


2. Why should you care about the disappearance of a beetle or a bird?

House on Fire

Last week, world leaders and business chiefs met in Davos to talk about global issues and solutions. 16-year-old Greta Thunberg from Sweden was there too. She presented her point of view on climate action.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• lack of effective change - not enough action to make real changes
• price tag - the amount of money that something costs
• to acknowledge - to admit; to say that you accept or do not deny the truth or existence of something
• broad public awareness - the situation that many people know that something exists or is happening
• homo sapiens - the human race; all human beings
• to gain notoriety - to become well-known for things you do or say
• mature - having the mental and emotional qualities of an adult and acting like that
• to uphold an agreement - to give support to an agreement and stick to it
• to adhere to environmental regulations - to act in the way that is required by the rules for making and keeping the world healthy
• unspoken sufferings - physical or mental pain which is understood without being directly said aloud

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. What does Greta mean when she suggests that ‘the house is on fire’?


2. What does Greta want of the world leaders?


3. Greta says: ‘Their financial success has come with an unthinkable price tag.’ What is this ‘price tag’ she is talking about?


4. According to Greta, is it too late to do anything? Explain your answer.


5. Does Greta think it will be an easy task to solve the climate crisis? Explain your answer.

- Watch Greta’s full speech here.
- Also listen to Greta’s message to Davos before leaving by train from Stockholm to Switzerland.
- Children all over the world are concerned about climate change. Check out this earlier video with students in Australia.

Extra speaking assignment
Greta Thunberg started the climate strike movement, young people skipping school to draw attention to the issue of climate change.
1. How do you feel about going on a school strike because of climate change?
2. Split the class in two.
3. One side thinks of arguments for striking, the other against striking.
4. Have a class discussion.

Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish!

The organisation Ocean Cleanup has launched its first giant tube to collect rubbish in the Pacific Ocean.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• water current - a continuous movement of water or air in the same direction
• in a V-shape - in the shape of the letter V
• to capture - to catch
• to funnel - to put something through a narrow opening
• discard - to throw away
• to tweak - to change something a little bit in order to make it better
• to let loose - to allow (someone or something) to move or go freely

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. When did Boyan Slat get his idea for finding ways to help reduce the (plastic) rubbish in the ocean?


2. Name one big difference between paper or cardboard and plastic.


3. How many pieces of plastic are floating around in the ocean according to scientists?


4. Describe how Boyan’s invention works.


5. How many “giant snakes” is Boyan’s organisation Ocean Cleanup planning to use to collect rubbish by 2020?

Earth Day

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22. All over the world events are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• thrive - grow to be strong and healthy
• falter - stop being strong or successful
• for eons - for a very long period of time
• soil - the top layer of earth in which plants grow
• regard - think of something in a special way
• disregard - ignore something or treat them as unimportant
• be prepared to do something - be ready to do something

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. According to Nature, what's the big difference between her and the people living on earth?


2. Nature says: "Your future depends on me." Whose future is she talking about?


3. Nature says: "Your actions will determine your fate." Explain what this means.

Extra listening assignments

Watch the video about Hannah Testa:

1. What is Hannah's goal?
2. According to Hannah, what simple steps can you take?
3. Hannah says: "The earth is what we all have in common." Explain what this means.

Or check out an earlier Earth Day video assignment here!

Up, Up and Away

Have you ever let a balloon fly away?
What do you think happens to balloons that fly away?
Before you watch the video, answer the second question in writing or tell your classmates what you think.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• drift - move slowly, pushed by currents of water, air, etc.
• helium-filled - filled with helium gas, the the second lightest chemical element (He)
• rubbish - garbage, trash
• wildlife - animals living and plants growing in their natural environment
• harmful - causing damage or harm
• ban - forbid people from using
• alternative - something that can be chosen instead of something else; a choice or option
• bubbles - very light balls of air inside a thin layer of soap
• flags - pieces of cloth used as decoration, a signal or to attract attention
• banners - large strips of cloth with a design, picture, or writing on it
• kites - toys made of a frame covered with cloth, paper, or plastic and flown in the air at the end of a long string
• bunting - strips of paper or cloth used as decoration
• degrade - break down into simple substances or parts; decompose

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. Where do escaped ballons often end up?


2. Are helium-filled balloons banned in Australia?


3. Name three things you can use at parties instead of balloons.

Self-driving Cars

Varden Labs’ motto is: “Making Vehicles Drive Themselves”. 20-year-old Brandon Moak works at Varden Labs. Last month, he tested their new technology on the campus of Sacramento State University.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• vehicle - a machine that is used to carry people or goods from one place to another
• autonomous - not controlled by others or by outside forces; independent
• fully autonomous - completely independent
• cautious - very careful about avoiding danger or risk
• towards - in the direction of something or someone
• goal - something that you are trying to do or achieve

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. How can students make use of the self-driving vehicle?


2. On the top of the roof is a LIDAR. What is it and what does it do?


3. Why did Brandon drive around campus with the vehicle the night before?


4. Brandons says: “We’re in a high traffic environment right now.” What does this mean?


5. What is Varden Labs’ goal according to Brandon?


6. Would you like a ride in a self-driving vehicle?

Extra listening assignment
Watch students take a test ride here.
1. How do the students respond to self-driving vehicle?
2. What change with regards to LIDAR was important for Varden Labs?

Extra reading assignment
Read the background article here.
1. Underline the words you do not know.
2. Look them up in the dictionary.

Plastic Packaging

Last Saturday it was Landelijke Opschoondag in the Netherlands. A clean environment is something people all around the world find increasingly important. The Australian kids in the video are actually doing something about it.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• unwrap - to remove the covering that is around something
• outraged - very angry
• backlash - a strong public reaction against something
• convenience - the quality of being easy or useful for someone
• reckon- to think something
• excess - more than is needed
• wrapper - a thin piece of paper, plastic, etc., that covers something to protect it
• landfill - an area where waste is buried under the ground

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. “All that waste can really start to add up.“ What does this sentence mean?


2. How much packaging does the average Australian throw away in one year?


3. What is “natural packaging” or “natural wrapping”?


4. Why were people outraged when they saw a photo from the US of a mandarin?


5. What is “nude food”?


6. And what is “the nude food challenge”?


7. Name several ways how the kids in the video are reducing the amount of packaging they take to school.


8. What happens to rubbish that doesn't get put in the bin?

Earth Day

Earth Day is an annual event, celebrated on April 22. On this day events are held worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection. Vlogger Becca made an Earth Day video.

Some words to help you understand the video better:
pledge - to formally promise to give or do something
a huge impact - a powerful or major influence or effect
cumulative actions - all the actions that came before added together

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. In which way have billions of people contributed to Earth Day in past years?
   


2. What is Becca planning to do to contribute to Earth Day?
   


3. Becca gives several examples how people can “act green”. Name them.
   


4. Respond to Becca’s challenge.
   


5. Why should we help make the earth a greener place according to Becca?

Some links for further reading:

• Earth Day Network
• Billions acts of Green Campaign
• Canada's One Million Acts of Green Campaign
• Earth Hour
• Footprint Calculator