Think about what you like to wear on the weekend. There's a good chance that you like to put on a pair of blue jeans. At any moment, about half of the world's population is wearing jeans. But according to a new study, our love for jeans may be bad for Earth. Denim (牛仔布)might be putting some sea animals in danger.
Every time we wash our jeans, tiny bits of denim will flow out of our washing machines, down into the world's rivers, lakes and oceans.
You might wonder: Isn't denim made of cotton, a natural material? How can it become a danger to nature? Well, in the process of making jeans, denim is treated with many types of man-made chemicals. Some improve its durability (耐用性)and feel; others give jeans their blue color.
Scientists studied the Great Lakes in America and the Arctic Ocean in northern Canada. They found denim waste in all of the samples (样本)they had collected. It is feared that the harmful chemicals in denim have spread far and wide. Scientists aren't yet sure how these chemicals might harm animals.
In the study, the scientists also washed jeans to see how many bits of denim each pair would drop per wash. The answer was frightening: About 50,000. Not all of them make their way into the environment. Wastewater treatment plants hold back 83 to 99 percent of them. This may sound pretty good, However, one percent of 50,000 bits are still 500 per wash. Now think about the number of jeans around the world and the times each of them gets washed. As a result, a large amount of denim waste still gets into the environment.
Does this mean we shouldn't wear jeans? Probably not "We need to buy fewer jeans and only wash them when we truly need to do it," says Sam Athey, one of the scientists. "You don't need to wash your jeans after having worn them only a couple of times."
①To save the materials and make more money.
②To improve denim's durability and feel.
③To make jeans blue.
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Here at Nature Loving Kids, we know how much you want to make a positive(积极的) difference to our world! So, read on to find out how to protect our earth…
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Save energy and water! – On a fine and clear day, hang things outside to dry! This saves energy that would have been used on the dryer(烘干机). – If you can, try cycling, walking, or using public transport to get out and about, instead of using the car. – Turn the taps(水龙头)off while brushing your teeth, and take short showers of four minutes or less! |
Be an advocate(倡导者)! – Share your knowledge with others, and help them become eco-heroes too! It takes lots of people working together to make changes happen – so share, share, share! |
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Reduce, reuse, recycle! – Before you throw something away, stop and think about what else it could be used for! |
Be friendly to wildlife! – Make your garden wildlife-friendly! You could build a bee hotel, or even create a pool. – If you own a cat that goes outdoors, put a bell around its neck so that vulnerable wildlife can hear it coming and make their escape! |
What else can you do to make the world better?
Now, get out there and save the world – you can do it!
One day, Anna Du was walking along Castle Island's beach. She found there were lots of plastic pieces in the sea and some were too small to pick up. She began to think about how to solve the problem.
First, she did a survey. The result showed there were already 150 million tons of plastic in the sea, and every year there would be another 8 million tons. She realized something must be done. So she decided to invent a robot that could work under water. She tried again and again. At last her ROV came out. It could move through water and pick up plastic pieces, especially the tiny ones.
With this ROV, Anna Du took part in the Broadcom Masters competition which is one of the top STEM competitions. It's for young students around the world. This year, more than 5, 000 students were interested in the competition, but only a few got the chance. Anna Du's ROV caught a lot of attention. It had a camera with three different kinds of lights which could find plastic pieces easily. Dana Yoerger, an expert, said, "The ROV is nicely done for a 12-year-old girl. It's very clever."
In fact, Anna Du is always learning to solve the world problems and her parents are always supporting her. At the age of five, she began to go to workshops to learn engineering skills. When she was asked about the future plan, she said, "I want to be an engineer because I like building things. I think many world problems can be solved with new inventions. Right now, I'm just caring about plastic problems because there is still a long way to go. "
a. Anna Du invented her ROV.
b. Anna Du walked along Castle Island's beach.
c. Anna Du began to learn engineering skills in workshops.
d. Anna Du took part in the Broadcom Masters competition.
