Novice
What are the three R’s used to minimize waste?
The three R's are Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
What is the definition of anthropogenic activities?
Anthropogenic activities are activities caused or influenced by people or humans.
What are some items that can be recycled in the household?
Plastic bottles, food cans, paper, glass bottles, Aluminium cans
Besides light and water pollution, what are 3 other types of pollution caused by human activities that impact the environment?
The three other types of pollution include land, air, and noise.
What can be done with old food scraps to minimize waste?
Composting is a great way to put your food scraps to good use!
The seeds, pits, and cuttings of lettuce, ginger, avocado, celery, green onions, and more can even be regrown!
How does Light pollution negatively impact the environment?
Confuse animal navigation, alter competitive interactions, change predator-prey relations, and cause physiological harm. For humans, loss of sleep, increased stress, and alterations to circadian rhythms result in altered hormone production.
What are the harmful effects of noise pollution on the environment?
Noise pollution can cause various physical and behavioral issues in animals and increase their stress. Hearing loss, tinnitus, hypersensitivity to sound, cardiovascular disease; sleep disturbances; stress; mental health, and cognition problems in humans
How does air pollution negatively impact the environment?
Air pollution harms both health and the environment. It reduces visibility, blocks sunlight, causes acid rain, and damages forests, wildlife, and agriculture. Additionally, greenhouse gas pollution drives climate change, impacting the entire planet.
How does land pollution negatively impact the environment?
Contaminated soils can leach toxic chemicals into nearby ground or surface waters, where these materials can be taken up by plants and animals, contaminating human drinking water supply. Garbage can clog drains resulting in flooding.
How does water pollution negatively impact the environment?
Water pollution harms the environment by contaminating rivers, lakes, and oceans, making them unsafe for humans and wildlife. It disrupts ecosystems, kills marine life, reduces clean drinking water, and damages agriculture.
Provide three examples of how human actions harm the environment.
Deforestation
Air pollution
Water pollution
Land pollution from garbage
E-waste that releases harmful chemicals into the soil
Define what is an environmental issue.
Environmental issues are the challenges and problems facing Earth and its natural systems. These issues are complex and interconnected, from climate change and pollution to overpopulation and energy use.
What is deforestation, and how does it impact the environment?
Deforestation is the clearing or thinning of forests by humans. Deforestation represents one of the largest issues in global land use. Losing trees and other vegetation can cause climate change, desertification, soil erosion, fewer crops, flooding, and increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
What is electronic waste or E-waste and how does it negatively impact the environment?
Electronic waste describes discarded electrical or electronic devices. E-waste releases toxic pollutants, contaminating the air, soil, dust, and water at recycling sites and in neighboring communities. Burning or heating is considered one of the most hazardous activities due to the toxic fumes created.
What is a microclimate/urban heat island effect
An urban heat island (UHI) is an urban area or metropolitan area that is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas due to human activities.
Heat islands are urbanized areas that experience higher temperatures than outlying areas.
Structures such as buildings, roads, and other infrastructure absorb and re-emit the sun's heat more than natural landscapes such as forests and water bodies.
What are three effective methods to reduce the risk of flooding?
How can the environmental issues be reduced?
Planting of trees, Reforestation, picking up garbage, cleaning drains, beach clean-ups, use of biodegradable products, Environmental friendly products, reduce, reuse, recycle
What is soil erosion, and how is it impacted or accelerated by human activities?
Soil erosion is the wearing away of the upper layer of soil. Deforestation, habitat loss, and agricultural activities. Removing trees and plants, plowing fields, and overgrazing by livestock disrupt roots that stabilize sediment and soil. These human activities can increase erosion rates 10 to 100 times that of natural processes.
What is the difference between permeable and impermeable surfaces?
Permeable surfaces (also known as porous or pervious surfaces) allow water to percolate into the soil to filter out pollutants and recharge the water table. Impermeable/impervious surfaces are solid surfaces that don't allow water to penetrate, forcing it to run off.
What is rainwater harvesting?
Rainwater harvesting is the collection and storage of rain, rather than allowing it to run off. Rainwater is collected from a roof-like surface and redirected to a tank, cistern, deep pit, aquifer, or reservoir with percolation so that it seeps down and restores the groundwater
Exotic or new species to an area that can easily adapt, grow, and outcompete native species is known as this.
What is an invasive species?
Determine what can be done to spread the word about mitigating these environmental issues.
Posters
Laws
Educating the public
YouTube video, use of social media platforms for posts and stories
What can be done to reduce emissions from vehicles?
Carpooling, using public transportation, Hybrid vehicles, or electric vehicles
Is it important to have more green spaces (grass/lawn, trees, plants) than paved surfaces, and why?
It is more important to have green spaces than paved surfaces as green spaces reduce temperature by absorbing and storing less heat, preventing soil erosion and flooding.
What is Renewable Energy and what are examples of renewable forms of energy?
Renewable energy is energy derived from natural sources that are replenished at a higher rate than they are consumed. Examples of renewable energy sources include wind power, solar power, bioenergy (organic matter burned as a fuel), and hydroelectric, including tidal energy.