Polar Bears in Jeopardy

Global warming is melting the polar ice caps, robbing the bears of the ice floes they need to hunt prey. Forced to fast for longer periods, polar bears will become too thin to reproduce and many scientists predict they could become extinct by the end of this century. At the same time, their natural habitat is under increasing assault from expanded development

TASKS

1. Discuss:

• What are the consequences of global warming on the polar bear?
• The polar bear is the most polluted animal. What do you think, is the reason for that?
• What is the "development" that harms the polar bear habitat?
• If the polar bear went extinct, what would be the consequences?

2.

Rewrite the first two sentences using relative clauses instead of the participles.

HOW MAPLE SYRUP __________ (MAKE)

1. Use passive forms of the verbs in parentheses:

First, a hole __________ (drill) in the trunk of a maple tree.
A spout, called a spile, __________ (hammer) into the hole.
The sap from the tree __________ (collect).
Then the sap __________ (boil) into maple syrup.
The water __________ (evaporate) by boiling for a long time.
The hot syrup __________ (pour) into bottles and __________ (seal).
Maple candy can also __________ (make)
Maple syrup __________ (use) for cooking and baking.


2.
Cut stripes with one sentence on each and have students order them in a paragraph.

Mountain Top Removals in West Virginia

Put the verbs in parentheses into the right form:


Last week, the state of West Virginia announced that it _________ (sue) both the Environmental Protection Agency and the the Army Corps of Engineers over mountain top removal mining regulations. It said they ___________ (be) "unlawful" and "based on inadequate science."

West Virginia's Gov. Joe Manchin accused the government that they purposefully__________ (delay) 23 pending mountain top removal mining permits and ___________ (harm) the state's economy in the process.

Manchin alleged that no specific law or government regulation __________ (keep) the permits from passing.

Solutions: would sue, were, delayed, harmed, had kept

Saving South African Leopards with Fake Fur

(adapted from www.care2.com)

Use the active or passive form of the verbs in parentheses:

 

This is one example of a major conservation blind spot in southern Africa right now: the widespread and rapid loss of leopard populations to an illegal yet culturally entrenched skin trade. The most frightening thing is not the rate at which these magnificent big cats ___________ (hunt), but just how little the public___________ (know) about the trade.

The major demand for skins ___________ (create) by the four million strong religious group known as the Shembe church. The Shembe ___________ (adopt) leopard skins into their ceremonial life from their traditional place in Zulu culture where for hundreds of years the skins ___________ (serve) as a sign of the royal family. Now, what was once the reserve of the elite ___________ (search) after by millions of people, and at a single gathering upward of 600 leopards skins can ___________ (see). In a country highly sensitive about race and culture, stopping a practice like this -- however illegal -- through the use of the law, is almost impossible. It is an accepted norm for too many people.

 

are being hunted, knows, is created, have adopted, served, is sought, be seen

Ocean Storm

Put connectors on the blanks:

(This is a modified passage from Rachel Carson's book "The Sense of Wonder")

One stormy autumn night ________ my nephew was about twenty months old I wrapped him in a blanket ________ carried him down to the beach in the rainy darkness. Out there, just at the edge of where-we-couldn't-see, big waves were thundering in, dimly seen white shapes _________ boomed ________ shouted _______ threw great handfuls of froth at us. Together we laughed for pure joy - he a baby meeting for the first time the wild tumult of Oceanus, I with the salt of half a lifetime of sea love in me. ____ I think we felt the same response to the vast, roaring ocean _______ the wild night around us.

Solutions: when, and, that, and,and, But, and.

Urban Forest

Put the verbs in parentheses either in an active or a passive form:

Toronto is a city of trees. More than three million trees ____________ (dominate) our ravines, ____________ (line) our boulevards and ____________ (beautify) our parks. Millions more trees____________ (locate) on private property.
Trees are the lifelines of our city. Trees____________ (beautify) neighbourhoods. The harsh texture of concrete buildings ____________ (soften) by trees. Trees ____________ (offer) privacy screens and ____________ (protect) people from the sun’s burning rays. Harmful gases and other pollutants____________ (absorb) by trees. Soils __________ (protect) from erosion. Trees ____________ (provide) a natural habitat for birds and wildlife, ____________ (cool) streets and homes in the summer, and ____________ (protect) us from winds in the winter.
Trees are the predominant contributor to Toronto’s image as a “green” and beautiful city.
Toronto’s trees along city streets, in parks, ravines and natural areas, in the front and back yards of homes, and in landscaped open spaces are collectively known as the city’s “urban forest”. It must ____________ (protect) and ____________ (grow) as a natural legacy for future generations to enjoy.

New Ways

Pollution affects everyone. Nobody escapes. The soil must heal. The atmosphere has to improve. Smog must go. The oceans have to be protected. All water needs to be pure. Clean energy sources can and must be found. Biodiversity has to be maintained. Forests will be planted. More forests must be planted. And the trees will smile their oxygen again in the dawn of a brand-new day.

From the book "Global Forest" by Diana Beresford-Kroeger (Viking 2010)


TASK:
Find different words for expressing obligation and necessity. Check your grammar book to find nuances in the meaning.

Eco-Driver

www.ecoDriver.org

 

TASKS

 

1. 1. Which of these features are Fuel Savers or Gas Guzzlers?
   

Conserving Nature for Future Generations

John Riley, NCC's chief science officer

When John Riley was a child,
there was a slogan: "Leave no child inside". He spent a lot of time exploring local wild places. It was popular among friends to know stuff about animals and trees. In his high school years, he hitchhiked to British Columbia and back twice, just for sport. Together with his siblings he took care of a big family garden that supplied food for the family.

Now John is the chief science officer at Nature Conservancy Canada. He takes care of spaces and species for future generations.

He says that Canada is multicultural and it is also multi-ecological. The best part of his job is that he can enjoy this diversity across Canada.

"It is urgent to get the job done, before it is too late – to be able to give such an assurance of successful conservation to our supporters and to the youth who are looking over our shoulders", says John.
"Let's make this a year that counts! For nature, for now, for ever." 

 
 

TASKS

1. Explain the meaning of the following words:

A

slogan

wild

popular

stuff

hitchhike

siblings

youth

 

B

species

multicultural

multi-ecological

diversity

urgent

assurance

conservation

looking over one's shoulder

 

2. Comprehension questions:

1. Who is John Riley?
   

1. What is NCC?
   
2. Why is Canada multi-ecological?
   
3. Why are youth looking over their shoulders?
   

   
    

   
    

3. Discussion questions

1. Which wild places in Canada do you know?
   
2. Check the NCC website and find what places and species they have put on their list.
   
3. Why is nature conservancy important for future generations?
   
4. How would you rank the importance of: individuals, conservancy groups and organizations and government in the role of nature conservation? Explain your point.
   

 

4. GRAMMAR

Use the past form of the verbs in brackets:

Beryl Ivey ______ (be) a passionate advocate for conservation, especially in her native South-western Ontario.

She deeply _______ (love) nature. She _______ (create) conservation areas along the Niagara Escarpment.

She _______ ( live) much of her life in London, Ontario. Her mother _________ (grow up) in England's Lake District and _______ (tell) Beryl stories about it. Mrs. Ivey _________ (pass) this passion down to her own four children.

Their work with the Ivey Foundation supports many causes, including the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

Mrs. Ivey ____________ (pass away) on Christmas Day 2007. In her will, she _______ (make) a $1-million

bequest to NCC.

 

 

1. Order the words in this message:
   

   
    

environment     all     role     to     in     a     our

we         have     preserving        play

 

 

 

1. Supply these synonyms for the words underlined in the text:
   

 

cottage, generosity, researchers, endangered, shore, deciduous, properties, habitat, flora, honour, expeditions, Woods, fauna

Conserving nature for a lifetime and beyond ,

The Bickford Oak Forest (1) is one of the NCC pieces of land (2) that's benefited from Mrs. Ivey's passion and unselfishness (3) and is named in her family's respect (4): the Ivey Research Station at Middle Point Woods on the eastern coast (5) of Pelee Island. This mature, 69-acre (28- hectare) leaf shedding (6) forest growing on sand dunes provides essential home (7) for both rare plants (8)- including the nationally threatened Common Hoptree and Wild Hyacinth – and animals (9) - such as the endangered Smallmouth Salamander. It's also the location of a recently renovated country house,(10)

that can accommodate up to eight researchers on multi-day research and restoration trips (11).

Thanks to the financial contributions of Beryl and Richard Ivey, it will be home base for scientists (12)
to study and protect the ecologically diverse and threatened (13) area for many, many years to come.

Passive Voice

Use the Passive Voice of the verbs in brackets:

1. Millions of plastic bottles __________ (use) worldwide, leaving a heavy footprint on the planet.

2. The PET used for plastic bottles __________ (make) from petroleum.

3. By manufacturing PET plastic water bottles, greenhouse gas emissions four times weight of the bottles _________ (create).

4. In 2007, 130 million beverage bottles __________ (discard) in B.C.

5. Toxic metals and chemicals _________ (contain) in bottled water.

6. By manufacturing the PET, some cancer causing substances ______ (release) into the environment.

7. Our health _________ (affect) by the phthalates in bottled water.

8. By filling and transporting the bottles the total GHG emissions _________ (increase)

9. In making, filling and transporting of an average 500 ml PET bottle 16 – 28% of its volume of crude oil _________ (require)

10. Bottled water that _______ (sell) in Canada comes from both local bottling plants and international sources, including France and Fiji.

11. Bottled water _________ (produce) by some of the biggest companies in the world, including Coca Cola, Nestle and Pepsi.

12. More and more bottling plants _________ (locate) on pristine streams, causing reversals in groundwater flows.

13. About 72% of the bottles _______ (recycle) in B.C., and they mainly end up as carpets, fabrics or similar products that cannot ________(recycle) again.

Source: Toxic Free Canada 2009

Live Green!

Use the correct tense of the verbs in brackets:

1. If residents _____ (be) to eat 50 per cent of their food from a local source, the reduction of emissions _____ (be) similar to the family owning a hybrid.

2. If you ______(think) of installing a hardwood floor, ______ (consider) reclaimed materials or look for new wood products that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Canada.

3. If you ______ (use)use low-flow shower heads, you ______ (use) 70% less water than standard shower.

4. If you ________ (install) new kitchen cabinetry, _______ (avoid) those made with particleboard boxes that may leach harmful gases like urea formaldehyde resin.

5. If you ________ (plan) native flowers, trees and grasses in your garden, you ________ (minimize) the need for pesticides and watering.

6. If you _______ (have) a party, ______ (make) it a charitable affair!

These sentences can also be used for a Find a Partner game, so that they are split in halves and given out to students who have to find their matching half.

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.

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

Emerson on Nature

The Supreme Critic on the errors of the past and the present, and the only prophet of that which must be, is that great nature in which we rest as the earth lies in the soft arms of the atmosphere; that Unity, that Over-Soul within which every man’s particular being is contained and made one with all other; that common heart of which all sincere conversation is the worship, to which all right action is submission; that overpowering reality which confutes our tricks and talents, and constraints everyone to pass for what he is, and to speak from his character and not from his tongue, and which evermore tends to pass into our thought and hand and become wisdom and virtue and power and beauty.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Over-Soul

Green Buildings Toronto

Ravina Project

Fill in the gerunds: using, adding, replacing, becoming, living.



The Ravina project is a fascinating experiment in renewable energy and off-grid ______________. It is an 80-year old building in the east, on the verge of _______________ one of the first homes in Toronto using its own resources.
Several upgrades were made, such as _______________ insulation to the attic and basement and ___________________ the old windows with modern double pane glass. It has a computer-controlled boiler using natural gas and operating at an astounding 95% efficiency.
A 1,500-watt solar array on the roof provides power for the house on a daily basis, charges the storage batteries, and exports excess energy into the grid. _________ this house is an experiment that will test new theories that are very promising.

Green Buildings Toronto

G R E E N
B U I L D I N G S
T O R O N T O





Cecelia Murphy Building

Write words for the numbers in parentheses:

________ (60) solar thermal panels were installed on the roof of ________ (11) Coatsworth Crescent, a ______________________________________ (174) unit
residential building run by Neighbourhood Link Homes. The solar set-up is the largest in Toronto and is expected to generate __________________________________________ _________________________________________ (134,000) kWh of power annually. The solar panels capture the radiant energy of the sun, and use this energy to heat water for showers and sinks in the building. Energy savings are expected to be______________
________________________________ ($ 10,200).

Green Buildings Toronto

G R E E N
B U I L D I N G S
T O R O N T O





Beach Solar Laundromat

Use the Comparative or the Superlative of the adjectives in parentheses:

The Beach Solar Laundromat is located at 2240 Queen Street East, in a 65-year-old building. It houses 21 washers and 14 dryers. The house is far _________________ (efficient) than it was at the time the owner bought it in 2002. After many heating and lighting retrofits, the Laundromat has become one of Toronto’s __________________ (energy efficient) buildings and one of Toronto’s ____________________ (profitable) laundromats.
Eight solar panels on the roof heat water, and the natural gas consumption was reduced by ___________ (much) than 30%. The revenue has grown 200% over 4 years.
A ____________ (high) efficiency lighting system reduced the lighting bill by 72%.
The company was awarded as the _____________ (good) greenhouse gas emission reduction project in Canada in 2004.

Green Buildings Toronto

G R E E N
B U I L D I N G S
T O R O N T O



401 Richmond








Use the correct passive form of the verbs in parentheses:


401 Richmond is a 200,000 ft2 century-old tin factory that _________ (restore) .The building is home to a thriving community of 130 cultural producers and micro-enterprises.
A courtyard, early learning center, café and stunning roof garden __________ (include). Many of the flowers, vines and bushes ___________ (grow) from seeds. The plants and flowers in the roof garden ________ (select) for beauty, aroma and their ability to attract butterflies, ladybugs, birds and other insects. A roof composter _________ (use) to build up the organic matter for supporting new seeds and potted plants. In 2005 another 2,600 ft2 roof garden _______________ (add) to the deck. Two small 100 ft2 rooftops ____________ (install) on two skylights showing that no roof is too small to green.
The reuse of historic buildings is one of the greenest things ____________ (do).