englishpod_0222dg

Elementary ‐Global View ‐ Carbon Footprint
(C0222)
A: So what’s your guys’ take on all this global warming
hysteria in the media?
B: It’s pretty serious, man. There have been tons of
scientific studies and the scientific community says that
the earth is heating up. We need to make some drastic
changes to our lifestyle if we want to preserve our planet.
A: I don’t know. It sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo
if you ask me. ”Save the earth!” The earth will save itself.
It’s survived worst disasters in the past. I mean, honestly,
we live in the boonies. There’s no way anyone here is ever
going to walk or bike to work, especially in the winter.
And we have no bus system. My house is forty years old
and it would take a lot of money to get it refitted to
be ”green” and ”energy-efficient”.
C: Well I don’t really know if I believe in global warming
either, or whether or not it was our doing or a natural
change the earth is going through, but you have to admit
that we’re living pretty irresponsibly here in the west.
A: I guess...
C: I think the issue at hand is sustainability. We’ve only
got this one earth we can live on, and our resources are
quickly disappearing because of our own carelessness and
our inability to think of anyone but ourselves and anything
but the present.
B: So, like I was saying, we need to change the way we
live. We need to reduce our carbon footprint.
C: But it doesn’t have to be that drastic. Hybrid vehicles
and solar panels are too expensive to be feasible right now.
63
And we don’t have to be hippies living off the land and
buying everything organic either, though it helps.
B: I car pool to work everyday with some buddies of mine.
I have a rain barrel outside my house I use to water my
plants and my lawn in the summer, and I make sure I
always bring reusable bags with me when I get my
groceries. And we just started using bio-degradable plastic
made from corn oil for take-out orders at my family’s
restaurant. Remember the three R’s? Reduce. Reuse.
Recycle.
C: Exactly, it’s just small simple changes, like buying
energy-saving light bulbs, starting a compost bin,
recycling bottles and papers, using reusable water bottles,
stop using disposable cups and cutlery.
A: Like the ones we’re drinking out of?
B: Yeah.