Earth Hour 2008 - turn off the lights!

It all started last year, when Sydneysiders decided to turn off their lights at exactly 8 pm in the most populous Australian city to raise people's awareness of environmental issues. The initiative was a great success and this year 26 major cities and 300 other towns around the world have embraced the campaign and promised to turn off the lights of their monuments, streets and houses. Read about this year's event in Sydney and click on the videos on the left side to watch the Associated Press news.

Environment game

Do you lead a sustainable life? How can your lifestyle and behaviour as a consumer affect the world around you? Dennis Newson, in Germany, sends us the link to this very interesting questionnaire. Try it and see what you can do to make our planet a better place to live!

Wild Life Pictures

by Felipe C.

Is it possible to see a picture of an animal in its magnificent performances in nature and not to be amazed? I don't think so. Apart from people who aren't keen on animals or some others who are truely afraid of them, there is no one who doesn't feel excited while seeing that kind of photos. A good tip for those who are fans of this subject is the national geographic website . So visit there to have good samples of excitement and art (photography)!

Now you see me, now you don't!

Scientists are still baffled after a whole lake (the size of 10 soccer fields) disappeared in southern Chile in only two months. They are investigating the possibility that one of the several minor earthquakes that often hit the region may have cracked the bottom of the lake, causing the water to be drained. Read about it in this short article published by the Associated Press. What do you think could have happened?

5th June - World Environment Day

World Environment Day is celebrated every year on 5th June. The date was created by the United Nations to help raise awareness to environmental problems around the globe. Here is a link to WED's official website. Click on About WED 2007 and answer:
- When was the first WED celebrated?
- What's the slogan this year?
- What does it focus on?
- Which city is hosting WED 2007?
Now go to Host countries/cities. Which Brazilian city hosted the event? When? What was the theme? (click on Previous themes to find out)

Then, explore the Information material. What kind of information can you find there? Take a look at some of them; for example, "Do's and Don'ts to help the planet" sugests ways of caring for the environment.

And here is a cool video made by Blue Man as part of a campaign in the U.S.

Environment quiz

Are you a global citizen? How much do you know about what is happening around you when it comes to environmental issues? Take this online quiz and find out!

Environment: vocabulary activities

Here are some interesting online activities to revise vocabulary related to the environment.

- Choose the right word for each definition and click out of the answer box to check if your answer is correct.
- Wordsearch: can you find words related to the environment on the grid?

Modbury: the first plastic bag-free town in Europe

Not many people have heard about Modbury. Until now, that is. On Monday, April 30th, this nice little place in southwest England will become the first European town to completely ban the use of plastic bags of any kind.

The town's traders have declared war on plastic bags and decided to move to some more environmentally-friendly materials. They now hope local shoppers will join in and adopt a 'plastic bag-free' attitude.

You can read more about this story in this article published in the Guardian.