Business and the environment is a trending topic today. We need to be able to discuss it and related subjects such as global warming, pollution, our impacts on the environment, as well as solutions and new technologies such as green energies and electric cars. It is also important to be able to formulate and communicate your own personal opinion on the subject.
Important questions we need to be able to answer:
- What are our personal impacts on the environment?
- What actions can we take to lower our negative impact?
- How are companies and their activities impacting the environment?
- What actions should they take to lower their negative impact?
- Can companies put the environment before profits?
- Is the environmental sector a profitable sector?
- Should every future product and service be designed to have little to no negative environmental impact? Is this realistic?
- If you could choose one environmental improvement to make in your life, regardless of the price, what would it be? Why? (example: purchase an electric car and install solar panels on the garage roof to charge its battery)
These are important questions to consider and be able to discuss in both personal and professional situations.
Listening Comprehension: Welcome to the Edge, quite possibly the greenest and most connected office building in the world.
- Would you like to work in a building like the Edge? Why?
- Do buildings need to be this high-tech?
- Will all buildings in the future work like this?
Vocabulary: The Environment
Please learn the following vocabulary words related to the theme of the environment.
- To affect
- To be aware
- Balance
- Biodegradable
- Biodiversity
- Carbon
- Climate
- To combat
- Contaminated
- To destroy
- Emissions
- Energy (clean energy, green energy, alternative energy)
- Fertilizer
- Global warming
- Greenhouse effect
- To pollute / Pollution
- Renewable
- Recycle
- Reuse
- Toxic
Reading Comprehension: The Volkswagen Diesel Scandal
Read the following article and answer the questions proposed by the chatbot. Your responses are due by Friday, December 14 and will be graded.