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CONVERSATION WORKSHEET

GREEN LIVING

Part 2: Conversation File

1 Describe what you see in the pictures. How are they related?

2 ECOLOGICAL CHOICES
A Number these items from most important (1) to least important (9). Explain how you made your
decisions. Then put a plus (+) next to the things you actually do. Put a minus (-) on the ones you don't
do.
1 recycling household trash
2 growing your own food
3 walking / cycling instead of driving
4 driving a "green" vehicle
5 using solar energy
6 conserving water and electricity
7 buying organic clothing
8 being vegetarian
9 donating money to green causes
10 not littering the streets

B Make a list of the three choices most people in your class actually do. Are they the most important
things?
___________ _____________ _________________

C If you agree with the prioritized list above, what would you have to change in your present daily
habits in order to live a greener life?

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___________________________________________________________________________________

D Match the words in the columns.

1 reuse

a) plastics

2 recycle

b) food waste

3 compost

c) native species

4 save

d) scrap paper

5 protect

e) energy

6 plant

f) the environment

E Use two of the words above to talk about your green habits.
Example: I save energy by turning off lights but I don't reuse scrap paper I recycle it.
1 _____________________________________________________________________
2 _____________________________________________________________________

G Interview your partner.

1 Are you concerned about environmental issues?
2 What do you do at home to help protect the environment?
3 Do you think personal convenience is more / less important than environmental concerns?
4 Can you name an endangered animal? Is there anything you can do to help save it?
5 Do you think people should be forced to follow green practices, or should it be a personal choice?
6 If money was not an issue, would you buy an electric or hybrid car instead of a traditional one? Why /
not?
7 How do you get to work / school? Do you think your method of travel is environmentally friendly? If not,
how could you improve?
8 What do you think is the greatest threat to the future of the planet global warming, over-population or
the disappearance of plants and animals? Why?

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3a Read these quotes about green living. What do you think about them? Why?
Live simply that others may simply live. ~ Mahatma Gandhi

When we tug at a single thing in nature, we find it is attached to the rest of the
world.
~ John Muir

Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents. It was loaned to you by
your children. ~ Kenyan proverb

I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of
the old ones. ~ John Cage

We are living on this planet as if we had another one to go to.

~Terri Swearington

3b Choose two quotes and explain your ideas briefly.

Expressing your opinion:
I agree // I couldn't agree with you more// That's so true// That's for sure//Absolutely//That's exactly
how I feel// Exactly// I'm afraid I agree with (X)//I have to side with (X) on this one//No doubt about it.
I think. I suppose.. Im fairly certain that.I strongly believe that.
Explaining your reasons
The reason why..., That's why..., For this reason..., Many people think...., Considering...

3c Make your own green living proverb. Share it with the class / your partner.

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4a Read once and answer the questions.

Shifting to "green" habits from good old wasteful American living is not always easy, at least not
in my household. Take composting, for example. We bought a special kitchen bin for storing food
waste until we could take it out to the compost bin. I trained my kids to put all their scraps into
the bin instead of the garbage, and did the same myself. It filled up less quickly than I expected,
so we kept adding more and more, and kept postponing emptying the thing into the compost
bin. You see, the bin that was kindly provided by our local city government is a hideous thing. We
placed it at the end of the back yard, out of sight, but also out of the way if it's raining, snowing,
muddy or too hot. So emptying the food waste became a much worse chore than just taking out
the garbage. The result? A friend stopped by one morning and, as soon as I opened the door,
said, "Did something die in here? It smells terrible!" I admit, I'm not sure how many weeks this
was after we started filling the bin, but it was certainly far too many. I suppose my kids and I had
gotten used to the smell through constant exposure, but as soon as my friend mentioned it I
knew what she meant. Sadly, I still haven't emptied the thing, though it's now outside, a few
steps closer to the composting bin. I guess I'll actually empty it when the neighbors call the police
to report a possible murder on my property.
Answer the questions and record the text (You can use Sound cloud https://soundcloud.com )
1 What was the writer trying to accomplish by composting?
2 What problem(s) did she and her children run into?
3 What advice would you give to the writer to improve her situation?

4b Read again. What do you think these words mean?

1 wasteful:
2 scraps:
3 postponing:
4 hideous:
5 chore:
6 constant:
7 exposure:
3 Express your opinion about the article. Use the expressions in 3b.

Scroll down for the answer key

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Answer Key

Conversation worksheets Green

2D
reuse

scrap paper

recycle

plastics

compost

food waste

save

energy

protect

the environment

plant

native species

4a Reading
1 She was trying to take care of the environment by using a compost bin.
2 The compost started to smell.
3 The writer should empty the compost bin regularly. (other answers can be accepted)

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