{Topics on 04.28} Please Make Sure to Study Hard in Advance & Post a Comment

[TOPIC 01] Five simple ways to make everyday Earth Day In 1969, peace activist John McConnell put forth the name and concept of Earth Day at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Conference in San Francisco. Denis Hayes, who was the national coordinator of the very first Earth Day in 1970, made the event "go international" in 1990. He organized events in 141 nations. Today, 175 countries mark Earth Day on April 22.   By now, we've all been bombarded with talk about climate change, greenhouse gases, and such. Some green advocates have all but shoved jargon-laden tips down our throat. We figured we'd do away with the complicated lingo and present practical moves that you really can do everyday. There's no reason why you can't do at least two or three (or all) of these moves.   It really doesn't take much to start being kinder to the world we live in. For starters, you can do the following:   Eat home-cooked meals or dine in. If you go for take-out or have food delivered that means the restaurant has to provide added packaging for the stuff you buy. That means added garbage. If you don't cook, walking to your chosen food spot and eating there is the best thing to do. Unless, of course, you're OK with bringing your own food containers so the restaurant can place the food your order in them.   Become a locavore. This means you should be more mindful about buying local produce. The less stuff we import, the less energy is used to transport products from one place to another.   Bag it up. When you buy your groceries (or other items), use your backpacks and other large bags to hold the items your purchase. Who cares if people stare at you and wonder why you're carrying a huge empty bag to the counter?   Take a bath using a pail and a dipper. A five-minute shower can use up 20 to 40 gallons of water—and not all of that is maximized. Most of that water is just wasted. Sure, it's not "cool" to use a pail and a dipper—but it's kinder to Mother Earth. For that, we can all afford to be "uncool."   Think secondhand. If you can help it, hold off buying brand new stuff. Need new furniture? Send a shout out to your relatives and friends who may want to unload some of their things. Call it proactive recycling.   1. Are you familiar with "Earth Day"? What do you think about it? 2. How does your country participate in Global "Earth Day" celebration? 3. Are you already doing any of the five simple ways mentioned above? What are those and how have they help you and/or the environment? 4. How important is it to recycle? What are the short-term or long-term benefits of this method? 5. How do you care for the environment?     [TOPIC 02] 10 Things You Should Always Buy Used Secondhand When you tighten your budget, you may realize that you’ve been ignoring secondhand stores and the value of buying certain items used. Thrift shops, garage sales, pawn shops and dollar stores are great sources of savings, because there are some things that you just never need to buy new, not even in good times. Consider these ten items, which are much cheaper secondhand, and you don’t even have to sacrifice quality – or pride.   Designer Labels: Okay, I admit it: I have a thing for quality designer clothes. But on a writer’s salary, I can’t really afford to buy them new. Luckily, there are local stores and online sites where I can find almost-new designer clothes for less than half of what they cost on the original rack. Look for a used designer resell shops in your area, or type the brand you love into the search bars on sites like eBay or Craigslist.   Gold and Other Jewelry: Bad news for people who try to sell jewelry back to a store: They’re never going to get too much money back, even for their most valuable items. Great news for you: Instead of going to the stores, individuals and families are often looking to sell valuable used jewelry on their own, and they can give you a great rate and still get more than they would at a store. Check out the estate sales in your area for the best finds.   Baby Clothes: Every new parent wants to dress their kids in the very best, but kids – particularly infants – grow out of their clothes at a frightening speed. In fact, most parents end up with baby clothes that their kids never even get to wear. That means you can find good-quality, hardly-worn used clothes for your kids for about a quarter of the cost of new ones. Shop in local thrift shops and resell shops or scour garage sales, and you’ll save hundreds every year on the costs of having a baby.   Furniture: Used doesn’t mean ugly or worn out. With how often – and how suddenly – people move or just change their minds after a purchase, secondhand furniture stores and flea markets have plenty of high-quality sofas, tables, desks, and even cheap baby furniture. You can save thousands of dollars. I’ve furnished most of my house with great finds: barely-used items at great savings. I’ve been amazed by how low people go on their price tags for beautiful items.   Cars: This post wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t mention cars. If you’re shopping for a new car, you have a lot to read about the importance and benefits of buying a used car. The bottom line is that when you buy used, you save thousands of dollars in depreciation. Check your local paper, or look on Craigslist for nearby listings. You can talk with a dealer if you know one you trust, but remember, it’s always best to buy from an individual if you’re looking for a great deal.   Sports Equipment: If you’re going skiing for the first time, it simply doesn’t make sense to invest in a new pair of skis. When you or your child is playing a new sport, try used equipment from a used sporting goods store first. From skis and snowboards to tennis rackets and baseball equipment, you can find the right size at the right price. And take it from me, it’s wise to buy those golf clubs used – especially when you’re buying them in a pink carrying bag.   Tools: For tools that don’t have moving parts or electrical wires, you’d do well to buy them secondhand. Let’s face it, a hammer is a hammer, and there’s simply no sense in buying one new for $10 when you can get one for under a buck at a flea market, garage sale, or pawn shop. The same goes for pliers, saws, screwdrivers, and wrenches. Just stop at the simple stuff: If an item has a motor that can wear down, don’t take a secondhand-seller’s word for its quality.   Books and Textbooks: Even if you’re flush with money, you should never waste money on brand-new textbooks. Each semester, college students are forced spend hundreds on required college textbooks, and the resale value of each is 10% of the shelf price, at best. Check with your local bookstore for a used selection or visit Bookbyte, and you could save thousands over the course of a college career.   DVDs and CDS: The way DVDs and CDs are constructed, they can easily last for years. They still scratch, but the days of discs commonly skipping and stopping are behind us. People who get tired of songs or movies start looking for extra cash and sell CDs and DVDs for pennies on the dollar. You can find used DVDs and CDs at your local thrift store or pawn shop, or online at sites like Amazon and CD Exchange. If you’re lucky, you may even have a local used CD store that’s still in business. Be careful when you shop online, because you need to trust your seller. You don’t want to end up with bootlegs or other illegal copies.   Musical Instruments: If your child needs a musical instrument for the school band or if you’ve decided to take up violin music lessons, you can find a top-quality used instrument for a fraction of the cost of a new one. Kids often take on instruments for only a year or two at a time, which means secondhand options abound and you won’t want to invest in something new until you or your child are ready for a serious commitment. Start by searching your local pawn shops and used music stores.   1. How do you think about buying second-hand items? Have you ever bought any used items before? 2. Are there a lot of flea markets, thrift stores and online used item sellers in your country? Is it easy to find second-hand items of good quality? Why or why not? 3. What do you think of the items on the list? Do you agree? Which items do you think would be good to purchase used and which ones are not? Why? 4. How would you feel about selling an item that you have already used? 5. If there were a flea market in TD, what would you like to sell, buy or exchange?