Being aware of the harm we are causing to our planet is the first step towards switching to a more sustainable lifestyle. Every day, the media outlets report on the ever-growing plastic pollution accumulating in oceans worldwide, and the tremendous impact it has on the environment and even on our own health. Farming has been proven to have a huge carbon footprint because of the large amounts of energy it consumes. Similarly, livestock breeding for human consumption emits vast amounts of gases that contribute to global warming. So, what can we as individuals do to stop harming the environment? Zero Waste can be the answer.

GOING ZERO WASTE

The Zero Waste movement is based on five actions called the “5 Rs”. 1) Refuse the things you don’t need. 2) Reduce consumption and purchasing, and try to just buy stuff that is really indispensable since we already own enough things and huge amounts of them.3) Reuse, and try to repair, as many things as possible, so don’t buy disposable objects, and try to give a second life to the ones you already have – this is also called ‘upcycling’. 4) Recycle everything you can.5) Rot, meaning ‘recycle’ all organic materials, turning them into compost you can use as fertiliser.

CONSCIOUS LIFESTYLE

In many cities around the world, local groups have formed to follow the Zero Waste philosophy. Their common mission is to promote sustainability by organizing talks and meet-ups to share insights and educate the community. A Zero Waste Week takes place every year in many countries all over the world. In the UK, for example, it takes place in the first week of September.

LESS PLASTIC

Avoiding plastic is the first step to help mitigate many environmental issues. How can you do it? You can start with simple actions like refusing straws for drinks, because they pollute the oceans. You can also carry a cloth bag when you go to the supermarket in order to avoid consuming plastic shopping bags. Note that in Norway every citizen uses only two plastic bags per year on average! You can use a glass bottle and refill it with tap water instead of plastic single-use bottles. With a zero waste approach you do not only reduce trash but also save money. The future depends on you, don’t waste it!  

ZERO WAST

E

EIGHT STEPS TO ZERO WASTE

Here are a few more little measures you can take if you want to be part of the solution:

1. Use public transportation instead of a private car; it has a lower environmental impact.2. Buy things in local, second-hand and/or fair-trade shops.3. Try not to eat meat every day and avoid plastic packaging for your food.4. Do your laundry when the washing machine is full.5. Unplug your devices, such as mobile chargers, when not using them. They consume energy even when not in use.6. If you use air conditioning, the temperature should not be lower than 24ºC.7. Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth or shaving.8. If you go on a trip, empty and turn off your fridge to reduce energy consumption.

1. Before you start. Answer the questions with a partner.

1. Have you heard of the Zero Waste movement?2. Do you think it’s possible to produce no waste at all? Why (not)?3. What advice do you think the article will give to people who want to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle?

2. Listen/Read and answer. Read these statements. Then listen (without reading) and complete them.

1. The article mentions the problem of plastic pollution in ________ all over the world.

2. Farming consumes large amounts of ________.

3. The suggestions that the Zero Waste movement gives people are called the ________ Rs.

4. A Zero Waste ________ takes place in many countries every year.

5. The article says the first step towards improving the environment is avoiding ________.

6. By following the Zero Waste philosophy, it’s possible to reduce waste and also _______ ________.

3. Read and answer. Read the article and answer the questions.

1. Why does farming and livestock breeding cause global warming?

2. What changes should people make in their shopping habits?

3. What should people do with organic waste?

4. What examples does the article give of ways to reduce the consumption of plastic?

5. What changes should people make to the way they eat?

6. What advice is given about using electronic devices and home appliances?

EXERCISES

d) Di scuss Complete these sentences with words from the glossary. (You may have to adapt the expression in some way; e.g. change the verb tense.)

1. We never buy bottled water. We think _______ _______ is just as good.

2. Many people aren’t ________ of the impact their lifestyle is having on the climate.

3. Dentists advise people to ________ their teeth after every meal.

4. There’s no Internet connection. Has somebody ________ the Wi-Fi router?

5. My phone calls cost a lot less now because I’ve ________ to different network.

6. The ________ that Internet trolls are doing on social media is enormous.

e) Ready for the B1 PRELIMINARY English Test? (Paper 1, Reading: Part 5). Choose the correct word in brackets for each space.

It is calculated that the 1_________ (medium/average/usual/middle) American produces about two kilos of rubbish a day. For the supporters of the Zero Waste Movement, it is not enough to simply reduce this production. They 2_________ (aim/would/will/prove) to eliminate it completely.

There are 3_________ (several/much/plenty/lots) Zero Waste blogs that show their followers how to do this. One of these 4_________ (owns/reports/follows/belongs) to Bea Johnson, a French woman 5_________ (live/lives/living/lived) in California, who was named “The Priestess of Waste-Free Living” 6________ (from/to/by/of) the New York Times.

Bea Johnson was the first person 7_________ (who/that/for/to) promote the zero-waste lifestyle through her book, Zero Waste Home, and her blog, which 8_________ (is/has/was/did) become enormously popular. She 9_________ (complains/advises/tells/claims) that the waste she and her family produce yearly would easily 10_________ (fit/be/stay/come) into a one-litre jar.

DISCUSS!

Do you use public transport to travel to school? (If not, why not?) Do you sometimes buy things you don’t really need? (What, for example?) Do you use any disposable things? (Paper napkins, paper handkerchiefs,

plastic cups, etc.) Do you ever buy second-hand clothes? Why (not)? Are there any shops in your area that sell food without packaging? Is there anything more you and your family could do to reduce waste? If

so, what?

Answers

B – Listen and answer

1. oceans 2. energy 3. 5 4. Week 5. plastic 6. save money

C – Read and answer

1. Because farming consumes a lot of energy, so it has a huge carbon footprint and also livestock breeding emits vast amounts of gases. 2. They should only buy things that are really necessary. They shouldn’t buy disposable objects. They should shop in second-hand and fair-trade shops. 3. They should turn it into compost that they can use as fertiliser. 4. Refusing straws, using cloth shopping bags, using glass bottles and buying food without plastic packaging. 5. They should eat less meat. 6. They should be unplugged when not in use. Air conditioners should not be set at lower than 24°C. Fridges should be emptied and unplugged when you go away on a trip.

D – Learn it! Use it!

1. tap water 2. aware 3. brush 4. unplugged 5. switched 6. harm

E – Ready for the B1 PRELIMINARY English Test?

1. average 2. aim 3. several 4. belongs 5. living 6. by 7. to 8. has 9. claims 10. fit

How much rubbish do you throw away each day? Lauren Singer studied environmental science and decided to change her lifestyle to try and produce less waste. She's now known as 'zero waste girl'!

Do the preparation task first. Then watch the video and do the exercise.

1. Preparation. Match the vocabulary with the correct definition and write a–j next to the numbers 1–10.

1........a hypocrite2........organic. 3........NYU4........to eliminate5........a vegan6........garbage cans (American English) 7........trash (American English) 8........compostable9........values10........to buy in bulk

a.rubbish (British English)b. New York Universityc.someone who pretends to have qualities, beliefs or feelings that they do not really haved.to buy something in large quantitiese.a person's judgement of what is important in lifef.to remove or take away somethingg.a person who does not eat or use animal productsh.rubbish bins (British English)i.grown or made without any artificial chemicalsj.something that will break down naturally and easily and can go back into the earth –similar to 'biodegradable

VIDEO LESSON

2. Check your understanding: multiple choice. Circle the best answer to these questions.

1. How many pounds of rubbish a day does the average American produce?a. 2.5 pounds (1.1kilos)b. 3.4 pounds (1.5kilos)c. 4.3 pounds (2.0kilos)

2. How many jars of rubbish did Lauren produce in two years?a. 1b. 2c. 3

3. When did Lauren get the idea to become zero waste?a.When she was a senior at YNU.b. When she was a postgraduate at NYU.c. When she was a senior at NYU.

4. Why did Lauren decide to change her lifestyle?a.Because she felt like a hypocrite and wanted to live by her values.b. Because she’s allergic to plastic.c. Because she wanted to become a famous vlogger.

5. By composting and buying in bulk, what percentage of her waste has she eliminated?a.80 per centb. 88 per centc. 90 per cent

6. What does Lauren use instead of a sponge?a. A compostable dish brushb. A compostable toothbrushc. A compostable hairbrush

7. What ingredients does she use to make toothpaste?a.Organic olive oil, baking soda and organic spearmint oilb. Organic coconut oil, baking soda and organic peppermint oilc. Organic corn oil, baking soda and organic peppermint oil

8. Why does Lauren suggest you should check out your garbage can or rubbish bin?a.To see what food you are wasting.b. To decide what products you can make yourself.c. To see all the things you throw away so you can work out how to reduce waste.

Presenter: The average American produces 4.3lbs (four point three pounds)

of trash a day. That’s almost sixteen hundred pounds a year but if we took some simple steps we could go off the

TRANSCRIPT

trash grid and minimise thousands of pounds of waste into just a single jar!

Going off Grid

Lauren Singer: So, this is my trash jar.

Presenter: Two years of trash in this tiny little jar.

Lauren: Yep!

Presenter: That’s crazy. I mean I probably produce twenty times this much in a day.

Lauren: Yep. This is everything basically that I couldn’t compost or couldn’t recycle or couldn’t figure out what to do with.

Presenter: Where did you get this idea to become zero waste?

Lauren: Erm, it kind of all started when I was a senior and in NYU and I was starting environmental studies. And one day after class I went home to make dinner and I opened my fridge and I saw that everything in there was packaged in plastic and I felt such a hypocrite. We’re supposed to be saving the planet and here you are making all of this trash. I feel like it’s really important to live your values and my values are having a really low environmental impact. I have to live like I want that. And so that’s why I’ve decided to change my lifestyle.

Presenter: What was the easiest part about reducing your waste?

Lauren: I think it was just like seeing that I didn’t have to do that much to produce very little waste and by composting and buying in bulk I essentially eliminated eighty per cent of my waste. Buying package-free means needing to have containers to buy things that you can’t hold with your hands. For

instance I buy bulk olive oil, I bring a mason jar to fill it up. I’ll pick up some beer from a local shop that sells it in growlers that are actually reusable so

that’s like a totally waste-free way to drink.

Presenter: I imagine you get asked a lot of questions about ‘how do you do this?’ I’m curious about a few things …

Lauren: OK.

Presenter: I’m going to throw out a few things too.

Lauren: Sure!

Presenter: Plastic toothbrushes?

Lauren: I use a compostable bamboo toothbrush.

Presenter: Sponges?

Lauren: I use a compostable dish brush.

Presenter: Paper towels?

Lauren: Cotton napkins.

Presenter: Plastic cookware?

Lauren: Wooden or stainless steel utensils.

Presenter: Cotton balls?

Lauren: Reusable cotton rounds.

Presenter: Drier sheets?

Lauren: Drier balls that I make myself.

Presenter: What about shampoo?

Lauren: Bulk castrol soap.

Presenter: Make-up?

Lauren: Organic vegan make-up in recyclable packaging.

Presenter: Feminine products?

Lauren: Menstrual cup.

Presenter: Gift wrap?

Lauren: Why?

Presenter: OK, so you are going to teach me how to make toothpaste.

Lauren: Yes!

Presenter: What do I do?

Lauren: So we are going to mix two tablespoons of organic coconut oil and then a tablespoon of baking soda and then about twenty drops of the organic peppermint oil.

Presenter: So this is how you make your toothpaste?

Lauren: Ah hem!

Presenter: Let me see your teeth! They look very nice!

Lauren: Eh yeah!

Presenter: What does your dentist think about this?

Lauren: They haven’t gotten mad at me yet so ...!

Presenter: Ha ha!

Lauren: So, I’ll just take this spoon and scoop it onto my toothbrush.

Presenter: Hee hee. It’s not bad, actually it’s kinda salty!

Lauren: Yeah! That’s the baking soda.

Presenter: Yeah, my teeth really do feel cleaner … so …

Lauren: Yeah …

Presenter: … thank you. So do you have any garbage cans in your home here?

Lauren: No, I don’t have any garbage cans in my home.

Presenter: Because you don’t have any garbage?

Lauren: Exactly!

Presenter: It really does compel me to want to try to reduce my waste so what tips would you give me or somebody else that wants to do that as well?

Lauren: Yeah, I would suggest, you know, look in your garbage can and see what your garbage is and until you do that you don’t really know what you’re reducing, right? Step 2. Using a reusable bag instead of plastic or paper bag. Just like, easy one-time changes and then the last one would be to actually make your products yourself. So learn how to make toothpaste, learn how to make deodorant. It’s a really fun thing to do.

Presenter: What is your ultimate goal?

Lauren: Before I lived my lifestyle I wonder why is there all this trash, and why is that OK and we have to find the solutions before it gets out of control. I’ve never told anyone, 'Oh you should live this lifestyle' or 'You have to live this way'. Erm, I kind of live my lifestyle and put it out there and see what happens.

Answers:

Preparation: 1.c 2.i 3.b 4.f 5.g 6.h 7.a 8.j 9.e 10. d

Check your understanding: multiple choice: 1.c 2.a 3.c 4.a 5.a 6.a 7.b 8.c