INDIRECT SPEECH

Mayor Miller on Toronto's Efforts
Insert missing links in these complex sentences:

Mayor David Miller said the international community is cool to Canada, _____ he said he was feeling love for Toronto at the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit, _______ he attended as co-chair of the C40 group of urban mayors.
The C40 group's goals were modest ______ Miller said they're moving to complete them, ________ signing a carbon funding pact _________ will allow municipalities _____ access green funding for projects ________ reduce their carbon footprint.
"Our goal here is two things: ______ to demonstrate _______ the cities are acting _____ national governments can act, and ________ to ask national governments to engage in this and resource cities."
Miller said in general, the conference has confirmed for him _______ Toronto is on the right track environmentally, __________ he noted _______ Copenhagen is much more bicycle friendly than Toronto _______ he was impressed with the larger reliance on wind power.
When asked _______ he would like to see more windmills in Toronto, Miller replied ______ the Island airport would be a good spot.

Answers: but, where/which, and, particularly, that, to, that, first, how, so, secondly, that, although, that, and, where, that.

Indirect Speech

Inuit Want Share of Global Fund
Turn the indirect speech into direct:
The head of Canada's main Inuit organization says her people deserve a share of any global fund created to help people adapt to a warming planet.
Mary Simon, in Canada's delegation to the Copenhagen climate conference, says money should be made available to populations at risk in both developing and developed countries.

Indirect Speech

Secretary General Optimistic about Deal
Turn indirect sentences from this text into direct, and direct into indirect:

UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, predicted yesterday that a robust agreement to combat climate change will be reached in Copenhagen and implemented immediately.
"From all corners of the globe we see unprecedented momentum for a deal", the UN chief told reporters. 'I'm encouraged and optimistic."
Ban said for the Copenhagen conference to be a success, the agreement must include ambitious reductions in carbon emissions by developed countries as well as ambitious actions by poorer developing countries to curb emissions.
Rich nations must also provide financial support and to help developing countries, he said.

Composting

Composting is an important way to recycle and can be done at home. It is an easy way to reduce the amount of household garbage by about one third. As well, it produces a valuable soil amendment for use in gardening and landscaping.

What's In the Mix?
Most household organic waste can be composted at home. For backyard or home composting to work best, it is important to use selected material including:
From the Garden...
Leaves (chopped - to speed their breakdown)
Grass (not wet)
Plants & Weeds (without ripe seeds)
Old potting soil
Soft plant stems

From the Kitchen..
Fruit scraps
Vegetable trimmings
Egg shells (crushed)
Tea bags
Coffee grounds with filters
Shredded paper

DO NOT include...

Meat, fish and bones
Plastics
Metals
Fats and oils
Dairy products
Pet waste
Cheese, meat or other sauces

Green Consumer

Is it possible for well-intentioned consumers to see through all the greenwashing and really find environmentally sound products? Yes, but it’s not easy. And as I found out, it’s the most difficult when you are shopping at retail stores, since you’re at the mercy of labels and sales clerks.

Shopping online, however, makes it easier to find legitimate green products. There are a variety of Web sites that provide tips and vet green products for you, such as greenyour.com and ecomall.com. There are also sites like greenerchoices.org that provide more information about green labeling and evaluate the certifications found on many types of organic and other environmental goods.

GREEN PRODUCERS

Avalon Orchards
Avalon Orchards, located in Innisfil, Ontario, was established in 1988 with the objective of producing organically grown apples.
Apple growing in Ontario is challenged by diseases, such as apple scab and pests like codling moth.
Varieties that demonstrated high resistance to those were selected to be grown organically.
Approximately 10,000 trees, including Nova Scotia MacINtosh,Nova Scotia Spy, Redfree, Freedom, Prima and Liberty are grown in the orchard..
These varieties have been developed using traditional techniques of cross breeding, and not through genetic modification.
Kaolin clay is used for pest control.
This clay is diluted with water and sprayed on the fruit.
It is the same clay that is used in toothpaste.
By picking time it is normally washed off by the rain.

TASK: Turn the passive forms in each sentence into active.



Circle Sun Farm

In 1999 Circle Sun Farm was revitalized as an organic dairy farm. Now they raise organic beef for ground beef. In addition, they mix their free-range pastured pork with the beef and their own herbs and garlic to make fine organic sausages. They also raise rare breeds and a variety of poultry, all without using any pesticides, chemical fertilizers, growth hormones or antibiotics.
They care about the land and betterment of the surrounding community.

TASKS:
1. Give your opinion:
a. What is the difference between free-range farm animals and enclosed stock?
b. How does the use of chemicals affect human health?
c. How is the organic farming better for the land and the community?
d. Do you see organic farming thrive in the future?

2. Explain the meaning of these words: revitalize, dairy farm, rare breeds, poultry, pesticides, fertilizers, growth hormones, antibiotics, betterment, community.

TWO GREEN COMPANIES

1. BIOBAGS

BioBag Canada sells Canada’s leading brand of fully certified 100% biodegradable and compostable bags.
BioBags are supplied to over 3,000 communities worldwide.
BioBags are an effective environmentally friendly alternative to paper and polyethylene bags.
BioBags can be reused, composted or incinerated.
BioBags are made from material containing cornstarch, vegetable oil and compostable polyester.
BioBags will completely compost within 10 to 45 days in a controlled composting facility depending on soil conditions, temperature etc.
Analyses have shown that BioBags have a more positive impact on the environment through reduced levels of greenhouse gas emissions and lower acid precipitation than paper and polyethylene bags..
BioBags are also available for pet waste disposal, and films for organic farms and gardens to inhibit weeds.

TRUE OR FALSE:
1. BioBags are a better alternative than paper or plastic bags.
2. They cannot fully decompose in the landfill.
3. They contain polyester.
4. They are made of corn.
5. You can put them in a green bin.
6. They are not good for the soil.
7. Burning plastic bags causes acid rains.
8. BioBags are recyclable.
9. BioBags are exported from Canada.

Answers: 1.T, 2.F, 3.T, 4.T, 5.T, 6.F, 7.T, 8.F, 9.T.

2. ECOVER

Ecover started 25 years ago as a small soap company in Belgium.
Since then it has developed into an international leader in the production of environmentally sustainable laundry, dishwashing and general household cleaning products.
Ecover’s mission is to provide an alternative solution to conventional cleaning products by using safe ingredients at a minimum cost to the environment.
It has developed a full line of plant-based cleaners and detergents.
Ecover’s factory features a grass roof for insulation, wood from sustainable forests and bricks from coal mine waste.
The facility is 99% emission free.

TRUE OR FALSE:
1. Ecover is a factory in Belgium.
2. It is 25 years old.
3. They produce cleaning products.
4. Those products are safe for the environment.
5. They are very low priced.
6. They are made with coal.
7. The factory is environmentally friendly.
8. They do not have any gas emissions at all.

Answers: 1.F, 2.T, 3.T, 4.T, 5.F, 6.F, 7.T, 8.F.

Food Miles

Circle the number you think is correct:

1. The average Canadian meal travels about: 10,000 - 2,500 - 1,000 km from farm to plate.
2. But when you buy food grown in the Ontario Greenbelt, the distance drops to: 250 - 1,000 - 2,500 km.
3. Farms use only 5% - 10% - 15% of the total fossil fuels used by the food industry; the rest goes to transportation, packaging and marketing.

ANSWERS: 2,500; 250; 10%.


Insert the following words in the text:

footprint, climate change, fruits, vegetables, meats,planet, produce, smog

Not only does shopping local mean you enjoy fresher and tastier _________, ____________ and ____________, but you're contributing to a healthier ____________. By shopping for Greenbelt grown _____________ and meat, you help reduce ____________ and lessen your carbon ________________ and emissions that cause ________ _________.

Facts on Endangered Breeds of Livestock and Poultry

Sources: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), "The Chance to Survive" L. Alderson (www.rarebreedscanada.org)
About one third of the world's domestic animal breeds are now at risk of becoming extinct.

About 40 breeds of domestic animals contribute to 30-40% of the total value of food and agriculture production.

In 80% of the world's rural areas, the locally adapted breeds are superior to common modern breeds.

In North America, about 41 breeds are seen to be at risk.

Breeds can be lost when too much political and economic emphasis is given to one breed to the exclusion of others.

Sustainable, well managed use of animals in their environment will likely be the most cost-effective way of maintaining breeds for the future.

The Charolais was a rare breed 150 years ago; it is now a beef breed of international importance.

CHANGING THE FOOD SYSTEM IS JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED

BY Wayne Roberts

The most authoritative grouping of medical experts in the world released Policy and Action for Cancer Prevention, which identifies cancer as an environmental disease that can only be prevented by political and economic initiatives treating the “causes of causes” of a disease that kills 11 million people a year.

The World Health Organization gives the report published by the World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research the same stature as the international panel on climate change, which settled the key scientific debates around global warming and moved the policy agenda toward corrective actions.


The report focuses on diet and fitness, and delivers a one-two punch to the food and auto industry.


The first punch comes in the opening line: “Cancer is a largely preventable disease.” Overwhelming evidence blames a third of cancers on cigarette smoking, the report says. Equally overwhelming evidence puts the combination of poor diet and insufficient exercise a close second. Without even counting the cancers caused by polluting carcinogens, these conclusive findings reframe cancer as an “environmental disease” -- in medical terms, one that comes from the environment external to the patient’s body and genes.


Punch two comes from the doctors’ orders that cancer must be treated by the political equivalent of chemotherapy: what it calls “the classic public health approach.” The public health measures that are usually credited with the major gains in the quality and length of life in industrialized countries over the last hundred years rarely cured the immediate causes of the “big killer” infectious and contagious diseases. Instead, they treated the first causes, such as overcrowded tenements and factory sweatshops, disease-festering water supplies and open sewers.


The standard “check-up and a check” recommended by mid-1900s cancer societies get short shrift, dismissed as “primary prevention” limited to early detection by primary physicians. The new science puts primary emphasis on what is called “primordial prevention,” directed at the deeper forces behind cancer.


During the era when “classic public health” was in its prime, substandard water suppliers were brought up to standard by public utilities that went to the enormous expense of cleaning and sterilizing water and delivering it virtually free to all residents. The analogy between what public authorities did and do for water treatment and what they should do for diet and exercise is repeated several times in the report. If people have a right to health, then government has a duty to provide the infrastructure, laws and regulations to protect health, the clear logic goes. The government doesn’t stop with information on the importance of drinking clean water; nor does it cut back because bottled water is available as an option. Neither factor absolves the state “from the obligation to ensure the provision of a safe supply of water.” Nor does anyone accuse governments of acting like a nanny state when water regulators insist on high standards.


Perhaps the very success of the classic public health movement and its first cousins in progressive social movements – women’s suffrage, abolition of child labor and workplace safety laws were standard accompaniments of public health campaigns of those days – led to the undoing of the classic heritage for a period of time.

When safer and better food, water, air and work led to longer and healthier lives for the entire population, the old-time (in the industrialized world) infectious and contagious diseases were largely marginalized. The new source of threats came from chronic diseases, such as heart disease and cancer.

Many of these new big killers – they’re still common causes of death in the poor countries of the Global South, where the majority of the world’s people live – were classified as “diseases of affluence.” This framing of chronic disease implied that more willpower and moral strength was needed to counter the by-products of progress and affluence -- too much salt, fat, sugar and starch and too little exercise. Governments had little role to play in this framing of chronic diseases, except to encourage individuals to opt for healthier lifestyles and nudge companies to voluntarily cut back on some harmful ingredients.


Only tobacco and alcohol addiction escaped this framing of health issues, probably because they cause problems for innocent others, through second-hand tobacco smoke, drunken driving and the like. They’ve been regulated with more or less classic methods, such as policies that reduce usage by raising prices and limiting availability and access. Aside from old-style safety measures, food and fitness matters have largely escaped such forceful government regulation and have almost totally escaped “classic” public health tools such as public infrastructure that ensures availability and access of high-quality options.

The report from the World Cancer Research Fund earns its place in public health history by arguing for forceful government actions that get to the causes of the causes – ending agricultural subsidies that make “junk foods” cheaper than unsubsidized healthier foods, for example, or undoing trade laws that prevent countries from restricting junkfood imports, or limiting unfettered access to children by junkfood advertisers or making healthful foods more available to people on low incomes. Getting to the causes of causes also requires infrastructure that overcome the carcinogenic infrastructure of suburbia with street designs that make walking or biking more pleasant, efficient and safer than driving a car.

The report also calls for treating farming practices from a classic public health perspective. “Air, soil and water need to be regarded as public goods, and their preservation and protection as essential to the health, welfare and survival of the human species and the living and natural world,” it says, meaning that agriculture departments beholden to interest groups no longer have the last say in regulating fundamental building blocks of life and health.

As might be expected by anyone following health advice over the last 50 years, the World Cancer Research Fund report comes out four-square in favor of breastfeeding and staying fit and trim, but against excess salt, fat, red meat, booze, sugar and processed meats.

“The supply and demand mechanism has not got it right,” Dr. Marmot says in his introduction to the report, a statement that may seem as obvious as recommendations to exercise more and eat less fat and sugar. But by identifying curative, restorative and preventative powers higher than individual lifestyles and self-regulated market choices, the report opens the door wide to entirely new ways of thinking about public choices that can prevent one of the most-feared diseases in modern history.
Read this report, and call me in the morning.
(Adapted from Now Magazine, March 5-11, 2009; Wayne Roberts is the author of The No-Nonsense Guide to World Food.)

Glossary of Environmental terminology

http://www.epa.gov/superfund/students/clas_act/haz-ed/dglossary.htm
http://esl-green.blogspot.com

Toxic Trespass

Toxic Trespass
Order this compelling DVD together with a guide full of groundbreaking information, become a part of the Women's Healthy Environment Network!

Earth Week in ESL Centres

We spent Friday doing an activity around the colourful and informative Toronto Star GTA section chart about recycling in last week's paper (Tuesday, I think?). The students really got into it and it was an excellent language/awareness-raising activity. They had to ask and answer questions about what you are supposed to do with different items - compost, recycle or put in the garbage. I looked around and noticed that so many students now use plastic water bottles and that the old Chinese glass jar tea holders were fast disappearing. When I mentioned this, they said it wasn't convenient (new word this week!) because the glass breaks! Then I told them about the new island that was discovered in the Pacific and they eagerly wanted to know what country it belonged to. I said China was part owner, along with many other countries. The awareness raising continues! Anne

Here is what happened in my Literacy class last Friday. I was preparing my students for the 20 Minute Toronto Make-over, and I was explaining that many people from offices and children from schools all over the city were going to join in the clean up. Then one of my senior students commented: "Government help." It was an epiphany to me, comparable to your child's first word. I myself hadn't perceived it as a government business, but more as a citizen engagement, but thanks to my student I got to see the event from his perspective: it did come from the mayor - the event designation and time, organizing and advertizing of course, and he put it in those two words so well. This inspired me so much that during the next session, which happened to be in the computer lab, I seated them around my computer and we wrote a mail to cleanandbeautiful@toronto.ca (shown in the second slide of my presentation) thanking the city for organizing this event. My students felt very important and capable of writing to the government!
I can't wait for Wednesday to show them the reply from the City that came the very same day.
Such real life situations that often come unexpectedly are the most motivating in the process of language acquisition. I wish you a lot of joy and fun in creating them. Radmila

Let's Defeat Litter - Google Docs

Let's Defeat Litter - Google Docs

Facebook | Teach Green

Facebook | Teach Green

Facebook | David Suzuki's Notes

Facebook | David Suzuki's Notes

Some Facts Related to the Meat Consumption

With the obvious exception of humans, it's odd to think that any animal could seriously damage the environment. Beef cows, however, are giving it a go, and apparently they've been successful. Conservationists now refer to the animals as "hoofed locusts," and not only because they trample, pollute, and destroy all land they graze. Studies also show that cows play significant roles in deforestation, soil erosion, water scarcity, global warming, depletion of fossil fuels, and loss of biodiversity. Odd as it may sound, the environmental impact of the cow is perhaps even more calamitous than the automobile.

Of course, the problem is not really with the cows, but with eating them. Every time you swallow a piece of beef, you consume both food and natural resources twice. The same land, labor, water, and fuel used to raise, slaughter, package, and transport livestock is also needed to grow and harvest feed grain. And this double use of resources leads to a seemly preposterous statistic: while the average vegetarian consumes between 300 and 400 pounds of grain per year, the average meat-eater consumes over 2000. Of course, eighty percent of the meat eater's total is first digested by cows, pigs, and chickens. Needless to say, this process is both and extravagant and inefficient.

Given the above, anyone environmentally conscious enough to recycle should also consider reducing his or her meat consumption. Doing so is arguably more beneficial to the environment, and, in many ways, easier. While it's no picnic sorting and recycling trash, not eating beef requires little or no work at all. You only have to pick something else on the menu.

Finally, here's a modest proposal. Why not cut beef production in half and convert the cattle ranches of America's tornado alley into wind farms? Given the growing scarcity of fossil fuels, surely the plan holds enough economic potential to offset resulting job losses in the cattle industry. Until that happens, though, here are a few facts to consider about the environmental impact of the beef industry.

* Nearly half of the total amount of water used annually in the U.S. goes to grow feed and provide drinking water for cattle and livestock.

* In the US, 33% of all raw material consumption is used solely in the production of meat, egg, and dairy products.

* The annual beef consumption of an average American family of four requires more than 260 gallons of fuel. The result is 2.5 tons of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, or about as much as the average car over a six month period.

* According to some estimates, supplying the entire world with a western, meat-centered diet would deplete the planet's oil reserves within ten years.

* Cattle produce nearly 1 billion tons of organic waste each year. The average beef cow produces more than 47 pounds of manure every 24 hours.

* From 1995 to 1997, more than forty animal waste spills killed some 10.6 million fish.

* 85% of topsoil loss in the US is the result of livestock production, with each pound of steak resulting in 35 pounds of eroded US topsoil.

* 260 million acres of US forests have been cleared for cropland to produce grain for livestock.

* From 1960-1985 40% of the Central American rainforests were destroyed to create gazing land for cattle.

* According to the US General Accounting Office, more plant species in the United States have been eliminated or threatened by livestock grazing than by any other cause.

* In an effort to combat "nuisance" animals preying on livestock, in 1989 the US Department of Agriculture killed 86,502 coyotes, 7,158 foxes, 1,220 bobcats, 236 black bears, and 80 wolves. Four hundred pet dogs were inadvertently killed in the process.

* Cows produce significant amounts of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, three gases largely responsible for global warming. Through daily belching and flatulence, cows emit over twelve percent of the total methane released into the atmosphere per year.

Saving Birds

LETTERS FROM READERS…
(Abridged letter to On the Bay, holiday edition 2008, by George K. Peck, Research Associate, Ornithology, Royal Ontario Museum)

The nesting bird colonies on Nottawasaga Island are of a far greater importance than saving a now obsolete, manmade Lighthouse.
There are more than a dozen nesting bird species on the island, of which seven are in colonies. Among the latter is our province’s largest and most northerly colony of Great Egrets, now increased to 135 nesting pairs, from its appearance on the island in 1985. This magnificent all-white heron and the other island nesting birds have been monitored and an annual census is done annually by the Canadian Wildlife Service and myself. The island has been posted to keep visitors away during the nesting season.
If it is necessary and financially possible to repair the damaged Lighthouse, I would strongly suggest the importance of making those repairs outside the birds’ nesting season (the beginning of April to the end of July). Any work done within that period would seriously jeopardize the bird colonies, which should be regarded as a precious part of our heritage.

TASKS:
1. Reading comprehension questions (for higher levels):
Who is the author of this letter? Which Bay does the magazine relate to? What article in a previous issue does the author respond to? What point does he make?
Why does Mr.Peck think that birds are more important?
Name some of the birds in Ontario. Which of them exist in your country?
What does the writer mean by “a precious part of our heritage”? Can you think of anything else as a Canadian heritage?
What do you know about bird watching / bird counting?
In your opinion, should engineers, builders, city developers and other experts consult with biologists? Why or why not?
[Learn more: Janine Buyens: Biomimicry, see our book list]

2. Check the meaning of these words: nesting birds, bird colony, bird watching, bird census, ornithology. Find more words related to the birds.

3. TRUE / FALSE (for lower lvels)
1. Nottawasaga Island is a home to many birds.
2. There is a lighthouse on the island.
3. The lighthouse is not in use.
4. All the birds on the island are egrets.
5. The Great Egret is a white heron.
6. There are more than 12 bird species on the island.
7. There are 270 Great Egrets on the island.
8. People can not come to the island.

Find the words in the text that give answers to these statements.


4. Match the words on the left with the explanation on the right:

Obsolete - not in use any more
Colony - group
Appearance - show up
Magnificent - beautiful
Census - counting population
Jeopardize - endanger
Annual - yearly
Precious - dear
Heritage - part of the culture
Monitor - watch

5. Use the words above in these sentences:

The lighthouse on Nottawasaga Island is ________.
__________ies of birds live on the island now.
The first ________________ of Great Egret on the island was in 1985.
That _____________ bird is a part of Canadian _____________.
The island is ______________ because many species of birds live there.
The birds have been ______________ed.
An ____________ ___________ is taken to count the birds on the island.
Building works on the island during the nesting season can ______________ the birds.

6. Divide the class in two teams: those who are in favour of repairing the lighthouse and those who oppose it. Debate it.

Write a letter back to Mr. Peck defending the lighthouse restoration.
.
Write a post that the Canadian Wildlife Service would put on the island. Write more posts for the places you know need protection.

Write a letter to a newspaper suggesting a repair of some site that you would like to protect.

Write a letter to the Canadian Wildlife Service offering your help as a volunteer. Mention at least three reasons why you would qualify.

MUSCLE POWER

1. Did you ever spend time on a treadmill or exercise bike and speculate about how all that energy could power more than your bike?

Could you imagine what else you could power while working out?
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2. A new book by Tamara Dean, called The Human-Powered Home (New Society Publishers, 2008) is a compendium of household devices gathered from a unique collection of experts on human power.

What household devices use pedal-power? Could some others use it too?
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3. Most of us are familiar with hand-cranked juicers and grain or coffee mills, treadle sewing machines and push lawn mowers (which are becoming popular again).
But what about a pedal-powered television or computer?

What do you think would be advantages and shortbacks of such devices? Would they be more or less expensive than the existing ones?

TEACHING SUGGESTIONS:
1. For this reading / discussion task students should fold the paper after each paragraph, without reading the next. Pairs discuss each question after the paragraph and report to the class.

2. Try to change the interrogative sentences in the text into affirmative so that the meaning is not changed.

3. Try to change all the questions in the text into statements without changing the message

Alternatives That Will Clean

Fill in: will clean, will remove, will take out or will make:

Salt _____ _______ wine or fruit stains.
Club soda _______ ______ lighter coloured stains.
Baking soda and cornstarch _______ _______ good deodorizers.
A paste of baking soda, salt and water ________ ________ your oven.
One part water to one part vinegar in a spray bottle _______ ________ most areas of your home.
Vinegar _____ ________ toilet bowl stains.


Learn more:
Green Clean: The Environmentally Sound Guide to Cleaning Your Home by Linda Mason Hunter, Mikki Halpin (Melcher Media,2005)
The Naturally Clean Home: 101 Safe and Easy Herbal Formulas for Non-Toxic Cleansers by Karyn Siegel-Maier (Storey Publishing,1999)
Clean and Green: The Complete Guide to Non-Toxic and Environmentally Safe Housekeeping by Annie Berthold-Bond (Ceres Press, 1994)
You Tube, search for Lindsay Coulter (demos how you can make your own candles, cleaning material etc.)

Source: Natural Life Magazine, January/February 2009