carbon footprint

how much carbon dioxide is produced because of a person's activities or lifestyle

EXAMPLE: I reduced my carbon footprint by buying an electric car and by putting solar panels on my house. These things do not create carbon dioxide.

convert

(verb) to change the appearance, form, or purpose of something

EXAMPLE: When you recycle a plastic bottle, it can be converted into carpeting or into fabric for clothes.

disposable container

a bottle or box that is used once and is thrown away

EXAMPLE: I love ordering take-out food, but I don't like the way the food comes in disposable containers. I hate all that trash!

natural resource

a material that exists in nature and can be used by people

EXAMPLE: Water, wood, and coal are examples of natural resources, which people can use.

significant

important or noticeable

EXAMPLE: A significant drawback of driving a gas-powered vehicle is the production of carbon dioxide.

conserve

(verb) to not waste something

EXAMPLE: Let's conserve energy! Turn off lights when you leave the room and turn the thermostat down to 65 degrees when you go to bed.

dump

(verb) to put something down or drop it in a careless way

EXAMPLE: The factory did something horrific. It dumped toxic chemicals in the river. This killed thousands of fish!

environmentally friendly

good for the environment

EXAMPLE: An environmentally friendly thing to do is riding a bike instead of driving.

excuse

(verb) to forgive someone or something

EXAMPLE: My neighbor said something really rude to me. Later she excused her behavior by telling me she had had a headache. I don't think that reason is good enough. She owes me an apology.

facility

a building where a particular activity happens

EXAMPLE: The recycling facility is where they recycle plastic, glass, and paper.

guilt

a feeling you have because you did something wrong

EXAMPLE: The man often felt guilt when he spent money on cigarettes.

incinerator

a device for burning things that are no longer wanted

EXAMPLE: Before recycling became popular, trash was often burned in an incinerator.

landfill

the place where trash is buried in the ground

EXAMPLE: After they pick up the trash at my home, they take it to the landfill.

material

a physical substance that things can be made from

EXAMPLE: Wood is an example of a building material. Fabric is material we use to sew clothes. Oil is the raw material we use to make plastic.

planet

an extremely large, round mass that moves in a circular path around the sun

EXAMPLE: Earth, Venus, and Jupiter are examples of planets.

recycle (verb)

recycling (noun)

to collect and sort trash so it can be used again

EXAMPLE: On their walk at the park, the boys collected trash. They were able to recycle the plastic and glass bottles. The rest had to be thrown in the trash.

reuse

(verb) to use something again

EXAMPLE: We reuse our grocery bags.

sort

(verb) to separate things into groups

EXAMPLE: Please sort this silverware. Put the spoons in one pile, the forks in another pile, and the knives in a third pile.

tap water

water that comes from a faucet

EXAMPLE: We can reduce our carbon footprint by drinking tap water instead of bottled water. In the United States, tap water is clean and safe to drink.

overconsumption

using too much

EXAMPLE: Dining at a buffet restaurant can lead to overconsumption. You can take as much food as you want!