introduction

the environmental program: Πρόγραμμα που εγκρίθηκε από την Περιβαλλοντική Εκπαίδευση ΔΠΕ Αχαΐας: The 4Rs

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A. Πρώτη δραστηριότητα: Πίνακας KWL

• KWL chart the 4Rs

A. Read the following article (source: Eco-Schools Northern Ireland)

There are three great ways YOU can eliminate waste and protect your environment! Waste, and how we choose to handle it, affects our world’s environment - that’s YOUR environment, everything that surrounds you including the air, water, land, plants, and man-made things. The waste we create has to be carefully controlled to be sure that it does not harm both our health and also the environment.

What exactly is “waste ”?
Simply speaking, waste is anything discarded, rejected, abandoned, or otherwise released into the environment in a manner (or quantity) that could have an impact on that environment.
How can you help?
You can help by learning about and PRACTISING the three R’s of waste management: Reduce, reuse, and recycle! Practising all three of these activities every day is not only important for a healthy environment, but it can also be fun.

Reduce
Reduce/Reduction: to make something smaller or use less, resulting in a smaller amount of waste. “Source reduction” is reducing waste before you purchase it, or by purchasing products that are not wasteful in their packaging or use. A key part of waste “reduction” is “conservation” - using natural resources wisely, and using less than usual in order avoid waste. You can practice reduction by selecting products that do not have to be added to landfills or the waste stream in general. How can you reduce?
• Buy products with little or minimal packaging
• Try to avoid single serve containers
• Instead buy large recyclable bottles
• Reuse water bottles each time you go to the gym etc
• Buy in bulk and then divide the goods into smaller portions
• Buy concentrates rather than diluted products
• Refuse store bags, take your own
• Say No to Junk mail contact the Mail Preferencing service to have Junk mail stopped
• Grow your own fruit and vegetables

Reuse
You can “reuse” materials in their original form instead of throwing them away, or pass those materials on to others who could use them too! Remember, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure! Here are some examples of how to reuse ...
• Take along washable cups or travel mugs instead of disposables; a lot of restaurants and stores will be glad to fill or refill your own mug
• When you do use disposables like plastic cups, plates, utensils, and plastic food storage bags, don’t throw them away! Wash and reuse them!
• If you are replacing household items donate the old items to charity shops so that someone else may get use from them
• Use cloth gift bags and stop ripping the paper off gifts! If you remove the wrapping paper carefully, you can use it again!
• Use washable table napkins instead of paper napkins
• Buy washable cotton nappies instead of single use ones

Recycle
Recycling occurs when you save and take reusable materials to places where they can be remade into either the same product or new products, rather than to just toss them away. Making new items from recycled ones also takes fewer energy and other resources than making products from brand new materials. Your recycling mission is not impossible! In fact, it is very simple: Don’t throw away anything that can be recycled! These are some things that can be recycled:
• Acid Batteries                     • Aluminium Cans                     • Building Materials
• Cardboard                           • Chemicals                             • Electronic equipment
• Glass (particularly bottles and jars)                                  • Lead
• Magazines                           • Metal                                   • Newspapers
• Oil                                       • Paint                                    • Paper
• Plastic Bags                         • Plastic Bottles                     • Steel Cans
• Tyres                                  • Writing/Copy Paper             • Garden Waste
Some of the items listed above will require special handling procedures and special recycling places just ask your local recycling office or council representative.

B. Vocabulary

• eliminate - (μειώνω) εξαλείφω
• waste - απόβλητα, απορρίματα, σκουπίδια
• protect - προστατεύω
• to handle - χειρίζομαι
• man-made - κατασκευασμένο από άνθρωπο (ανθρόπινο)
• harm - βλάπτω
• simply speaking - απλά μιλώντας
• discard - πετάω, απορρίπτω
• reject - απορρίπτω
• abandoned - εγκαταλείπω
• released - (απ)ελευθερώνω, αφήνω
• otherwise - ειδάλλως, διαφορετικά
• in a manner - με τρόπο
• quantity - ποσότητα
• impact επίδραση, αντίκτυπος
• reduce - μειώνω
• purchase - αγοράζω
• amount (of) - ποσό
• conservation - διατήρηση, προστασία, συντήρηση
• devide - διαιρώ
• smaller portions - μικρότερα κομμάτια, τμήματα
• reuse - επαναχρησιμοποιώ
• recycle - ανακυκλώνω
• in bulk - χύμα (χωρίς συσκευασία
• etc. (et cetera) – κλπ (και λοιπά)
• single-serve - μιας μερίδας
• disposable - αναλώσιμα, μιας χρήσης
• utensils - μαχαιροπίρουνα
• rip - σκίζω, κομματιάζω
• toss away - discard - πετάω
• mission - αποστολή
• impossible - απίθανος/ανέφικτος, -η, -ο/
• favoured - προτιμώμενες