Environmental Actions and Choices

Установите соответствие между текстами A–G и заголовками 1–8. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании один заголовок лишний.

A. What you eat matters: nearly a quarter of all greenhouse gases come from agriculture, and most of those are from meat and dairy. Cutting out meat is an easy way to reduce your carbon footprint, and you’ll save money too. A meat-free diet has been recommended as the “single-biggest way” an individual can reduce their impact on the planet. Meat and dairy consumption result in excessive land use, industrial emissions, water use and deforestation. However, make sure you get all the necessary nutrients with other food.

B. Whatever you choose to eat, try to shop locally and seasonally. You will most likely avoid the plastic packaging you find in supermarkets, and these products will have a lower carbon footprint. If you have the space – even just a windowsill will do – try growing some of your own herbs or vegetables; it’s amazing what you can get from just a window box planter. You can also reduce food waste by planning meals in advance, eating leftovers and sharing meals with friends. Reusing food waste as compost is also an eco-friendly action.

C. This year scientists devised a planetary health diet, presenting a way to address the environmental impact of our food choices. It recommends that the global average consumption of red meat should be cut by half, while vegetables, fruit, pulses and nuts should double. The growing global call for organisations to take seriously their responsibilities for halting climate change is impossible to ignore. Universities are now reacting to this: Goldsmiths has scrapped the sale of all beef products from its campus as it seeks to become carbon neutral by 2025.

D. Forget fast fashion: keeping your clothes for as long as possible has much more than just monetary value. In the UK, clothing has the fourth-largest environmental impact after housing, transport and food. We throw away more than half of our fast-fashion items within less than a year. So recycle your clothes or mend them. If you don’t have those skills, see if there’s a sewing society you could join, or head to a repair shop. Try clothes swaps with friends, and instead of buying new items, head to a charity or second-hand shop.

E. When you start living alone, you do your own decorating, washing, cooking and cleaning. There are simple ways you can change your habits to live more sustainably. Wash your clothes at a lower temperature, and opt for a bamboo toothbrush or more eco-friendly sanitary products. When shopping, see if there’s a zero-waste shop nearby – Sheffield students’ union has opened a store selling dried food, household products, toiletries and kitchenware all free from plastic packaging. Just turn up with your own container.

F. Of course, the easiest way to make a difference is to cut out flying. A return trip from Manchester to Berlin produces about 214 kg of CO$ _2$; there are countries where the average person produces less carbon dioxide in a year. If you are planning a weekend away with new friends, try and travel by train or bus instead, and it’s even funnier when you have a company! Cut out just one five-hour flight and your carbon footprint will be a ton lighter. Opt for a hiking trip to a nearby lake or valley. You will get more exercise and fresh air, too!

G. Individual actions matter, as they demonstrate commitment and provide an alternative way to live. But campaigning and activism are important too. University campuses can be the perfect place for this: 91% of students are now concerned about climate change, according to a survey from the NUS. If you don’t know where or how to start, see if there are any societies at your university. Students of the fossil free campaign, for example, have brought on huge changes by calling on their institutions to use less fossil fuel.