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.

BIODIVERSITY

Fill in words that fit in the text:

It is essential that we do all we can to help protect ____________. Biodiversity is responsible for the ____________ of the air we breathe, and the water we ____________. We rely on biodiversity to provide us with ____________, both animal and vegetable, as many of the plants we eat require animals to ____________ them. We also have biodiversity to thank for fertile ____________ to plant our crops in, the regulation of ____________ on earth, and also as the source of many of our ____________ for healing. In short, biodiversity provides us with everything we need to ____________.

 

 

Solutions: biodiversity, purification, drink, food, pollinate,
soils,
climate,
medicines,
live.

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

AIR

Fill in these adjectives on the blanks:
invisible, diffuse, controllable, ecological, understood, shared, mysterious

Respiration is an ______________ act. We inhale a pint of atmosphere with every breath. And yet, of all the component aspects of our environment, air remains ______________.
Air is the element most ________________, most __________, most _____________, least _____________, least _______________.

This passage is from Sandra Steingraber's book "Living Downstream" (Da Capo Press 2010)

SOLUTIONS: ecological, mysterious, diffuse, shared, invisible, controllable, understood.

UN Secretary General Introduction for the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity

UN Secretary General Welcome Message for the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity from CBD on Vimeo.

Listen to the speech and fill in the blanks:

Our lives depend on biological ____________. Species and eco systems are disappearing at an unsustainable ____________. We humans are the ____________. We start to lose a wider variety of ____________ goods and services that we take for granted. The consequences for economies and people will be ____________, especially for the world poorest people.

In 2002 world leaders agreed to substantially ____________ the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010.

We know already that the biodiversity ____________ will not be met.

We need a new vision and new efforts. To be as usual is not an ____________.

For this year of biodiversity I call on every country and each ____________ on our planet to join together in the global alliance to protect life on Earth.

Biodiversity is life. Biodiversity is ____________ life.

Solutions: diversity, rate, cause, environmental, profound, reduce, target, option, citizen, our.

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.

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 ________ _________.

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.

Greenhouse Effect

INSERT A PREPOSITION:

Not long ago the talking ________ weather was mostly just small talk, but these days it's taking a more serious turn. There's something ______ the air.
You can't see it, most of the time you can't feel it, but air _______ us is changing ____ a quiet, but dramatic way.
The way we live is changing the composition ____ the atmosphere and our climate and local weather pattern are changing ______ it.
We burn fossil fuels to produce energy: coal, oil and natural gas and it's increasing the carbon dioxide _____ the atmosphere.
This process is raising the temperature _____ the planet. We call this warming action greenhouse effect.

SOLUTION: about, in, around, in, of, with, in, of

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).