English Listening Practice: Learn Essential Eco Vocabulary
Have you ever wondered how long that plastic bottle you tossed away will stick around? Today's English listening practice might shock you. Join us today and expand your English skills with key words on the environment and sustainability. Discover shocking facts about everyday items and their lasting impact on our planet. So why not improve your English listening skills while learning how to reduce waste in your life.
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✔️ Lesson transcript: https://adeptenglish.com/lessons/english-listening-practice-sustainability-and-waste/
The Earth is what we all have in common.
⭐ Wendell Berry
Enhance your English listening comprehension as you engage with real-world issues, which makes the learning process more meaningful.
By connecting language learning with important global topics, you'll find it easier to remember and use new words, boosting your fluency.
The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.
⭐ Robert Swan
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More About This Lesson
Learn important English words while exploring how everyday items affect the environment. Discover how you can make better choices to reduce waste and help the planet.
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You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you.
⭐ Jane Goodall
In this lesson, you’ll find out how long everyday items like plastic bottles stick around and harm the environment. You’ll learn new English words related to sustainability and waste, helping you speak about these important topics. By understanding these issues, you'll not only improve your English but also make better choices for the environment.
- You expand your vocabulary with terms related to the environment and sustainability.
- You practice listening to natural spoken English on a relevant, real-world topic.
- You learn how to use verbs like "decompose" and "biodegrade" in context.
- You gain exposure to both UK and US English vocabulary differences.
- You develop comprehension skills by following a structured, informative discussion.
- You improve pronunciation by hearing and repeating key environmental terms.
- You learn to use everyday vocabulary in practical, meaningful contexts.
- You boost listening skills through repeated exposure to authentic speech patterns.
- You enhance your understanding of English by learning synonyms and their nuances.
Learning English is not just about memorizing words—it's about connecting language to real-world issues. This lesson helps you talk about topics like plastic waste, the impact of fashion, and electronic waste. These are things that affect our world every day. By learning these words, you’ll be more confident discussing current issues in English, making your language skills more useful and relevant.
The environment is where we all meet; where we all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share.
⭐ Lady Bird Johnson
Join this lesson to expand your English vocabulary, improve your listening skills, and learn how to reduce waste. Follow us for more lessons that help you connect language learning with important global topics.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- What vocabulary will I learn from this lesson? You’ll learn essential English terms related to the environment and sustainability. Words like "decompose," "biodegrade," and "microplastics" are covered. This will help you discuss environmental issues more fluently while expanding your English vocabulary.
- How can this lesson help me speak British English fluently? By focusing on vocabulary related to environmental topics, this lesson helps you understand British English terms and phrases commonly used in discussions about sustainability. It also provides context and examples, aiding in natural, fluent use of these terms in conversation.
- Why is understanding environmental impact important for learning English? Knowing how to discuss environmental issues in English not only improves your vocabulary but also makes you more informed about global challenges. This knowledge helps you engage in more meaningful conversations and understand British English media better.
- How does learning about waste reduction improve my English? Learning about waste reduction introduces you to practical, real-world vocabulary and phrases. This knowledge makes your English learning relevant and engaging, allowing you to use new terms in conversations about sustainability, a topic of global importance.
- What are some practical ways to use this vocabulary in daily life? You can use the vocabulary learned by discussing environmental issues with friends, participating in sustainability-focused forums, or even writing about your efforts to reduce waste. Practising these terms in real-life contexts will reinforce your learning and fluency.
Most Unusual Words:
- Decompose: To break down into smaller parts, often by natural processes.
- Biodegrade: To break down into harmless parts by living organisms like bacteria.
- Landfill: A place where rubbish is buried under the ground.
- Microplastics: Tiny plastic particles that are hard to see and harmful to the environment.
- Durable: Strong and long-lasting, not easily damaged.
- Synthetic: Made by humans, not found in nature, often referring to materials.
- Ingested: Taken into the body by eating or drinking.
- Rubbish Tip: A British term for a landfill, where waste is dumped.
- Carton: A box or container made from thick paper or cardboard, often for drinks.
- Opt: To choose or decide to do something.
Most Frequently Used Words:
| Word | Count |
|---|---|
| Plastic | 22 |
| About | 12 |
| English | 9 |
| Items | 8 |
| Years | 8 |
| Break | 7 |
| Environment | 7 |
| Rubbish | 6 |
| Things | 6 |
| Podcast | 5 |
Listen To The Audio Lesson Now
Transcript: Eco-English Listening Lesson-Shocking Truth Plastic Waste
How would you feel if the plastic bag you used to carry your shopping today lasted 500 years longer than you?!
Hi there. Let’s learn some Eco English today! You might be shocked to learn that the plastic items you use daily could last for centuries, that’s hundreds of years in landfills—long after you're gone. Did you know that a plastic bottle can take 450 years to break down? Even more alarming, plastic bottles can turn into microplastics that end up in our oceans, our food and our bodies? This English lesson will teach you important vocabulary while raising your awareness about the impact of everyday items on your environment. When I was writing podcast 771 on ‘Frugality’, I mentioned the length of time it takes items we have thrown away to decompose. ‘Decompose’, DECOMPOSE in this context, it means ‘to break down’, ‘to disappear’.
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A cross section of ocean water showing plastic bits floating just beneath the surface. Learn key English words for talking about environmental issues.
It might be that coffee cup that you use on the way to work. Or it may be the plastic bag you used for your shopping. If we want to be more conscious of our impact on the environment, how about today some research how long items we throw away ‘last’ in the natural environment. They’re often taken to a rubbish tip - or ‘landfill’, LANDFILL as it is sometimes called? I was quite shocked! And I’m not perfect as far as this is concerned - I too throw away things, having used them once, and things which take a long time to decompose. Especially food packaging - it’s hard to get away from this in countries like the UK. Everything you buy pretty much comes in a plastic package. It’s hard to shop in a way that doesn’t mean this. So I did some research out of interest - and I thought I’d share it with you today. Of course, remember that this podcast is primarily intended as a piece of English language learning - so listen to it a number of times. It will give you some useful everyday life vocabulary and some vocabulary around ‘taking better care of our environment’. Great for IELTS and other English language tests - and it may make you think! Stay with me to discover how long your everyday items last in the environment - it’s quite shocking!
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Did we ever know that carpets are such a problem!
So the online article I read which made me think about rubbish was one in the New York Times about how most old carpets - that’s CARPET, the covering on your floor - how most of them end up in landfill. The figures in the US for this are huge. Every year in the United States around 5 billion pounds of carpet, old carpet goes into landfill, into the rubbish tips. And given that 92-94% of carpeting is plastic, this is not good. It takes 100s of years to decompose or ‘break down’. Carpets made from wool or natural fibre - like the Afghan rug, I was talking about - are much better in terms of breaking down - they’re natural materials. But unless you buy secondhand like I did, the high price is often what prevents people from buying wool carpets. And most synthetic carpet - ‘synthetic’, that’s SYNTHETIC means ‘man-made’. It’s hard-wearing or ‘durable’ and relatively cheap carpet. So no wonder people opt for that - but perhaps without thinking too much about the cost to the environment. There are efforts in the US to set up centres that recycle carpet, but this is not widespread and many people are left with landfill as their only option. It makes sense then to invest in a carpet that’s going to last as long as possible, doesn’t it?
Do you know these Eco English verbs - ‘to decompose’ and ‘to biodegrate’?
But this isn’t just about carpets. My attention was drawn by an article which lists ‘how long it takes common items to break down, to decompose in the environment. And there are a number of surprising statistics that made me think. And it’s not just about decomposition. The verb ‘to decompose’ means ‘to separate into different parts or elements or into simpler compounds’. But just because an item decomposes, it doesn’t mean that the item is gone or is no longer a problem. In the case of plastic bottles, it’s perhaps worse when it’s broken down. It becomes micro-plastic particles that are impossible to collect, especially if they’re in the sea. And these risk being ingested, ‘taken into the bodies’ of fish - or our bodies. Not good! In contrast to the verb ‘to decompose’, the verb to ‘biodegrade’, that’s BIODEGRADE is a similar, but better process. If something ‘biodegrades’, it means it breaks down into harmless parts. And it breaks down with the action of living things like worms or bacteria or microorganisms. So what the item becomes when it biodegrades is harmless to the environment. These are important differences when we’re looking at the impact on the environment of things we buy, use and throw away. Also relevant - how quickly an item decomposes or biodegrades depends on all kinds of things. Like temperature, moisture, whether there’s sunlight on it, what else is in the environment. So the times I’m going to give you are estimates, just to give you an idea.
Five minutes of use, decades as rubbish
The article discusses ‘cigarette buts’ - the word ‘but’ here, BUT means the end of the cigarette, what’s left when someone has finished smoking. You sometimes see cigarette buts dumped in a country lane, beside where someone’s parked their car and just decided to empty an ashtray. The answer here - cigarette buts take 8 months to 10 years to decompose, depending upon conditions. That’s much more variability and much longer than I would’ve expected.
The article goes on - something like a plastic fishing line - such as would be used by anglers or people fishing in rivers or lakes for sport. 600 years for this plastic to break down in the environment. Meanwhile it poses a risk to wildlife - animals can get tangled up in it and die. We really do have to be careful and thoughtful when we leave things lying around for something like 600 years!
Remember the 5p charge for plastic bags in shops that was introduced in the UK? Well, it’s been quite successful. We use far fewer plastic bags now. Most people have replaced supermarket plastic bags with sturdier, more long-lasting reusable plastic bags. I guess they eventually end up in landfill, but they’ve been re-used many times and there’s not as many of them. So this measure has improved things . An ordinary supermarket plastic bag? It can take 10 to 1,000 years to decompose. That’s ridiculous - you use a plastic bag in 2024 just once - and it will still be around as an item of rubbish in 3024? That’s crazy! It makes you think, doesn’t it?
A 200 year legacy from your juice drink?
A favourite campaign has been against plastic drinking straws - that’s STRAWS - what you drink your drink through. Yes, they are only small, but they’re completely unnecessary. And guess how long they exist in the environment after you’ve used them? 200 years. So you have have a drink of fruit juice in 2024 - and the evidence, the straw is still in a rubbish dump in 2,224. Argh!
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And environmental problems that currently there is no way to avoid
Another one? Tyres - that’s TYRES in UK English and TIRES in US English. These are the rubber things that go onto the wheels of your car. All road vehicles need tyres - there’s no getting away from it. And strict rules are in force about when you replace them. But if your old tyres go into landfill, they can take 2,000 to decompose. And they’re another product of the oil industry - so even when we all move to electric cars - we’re still going to need rubber tyres for our cars. Is someone somewhere working on an alternative to rubber tyres? The trouble with movements like Just Stop Oil - has any thought being given to all the other products of the oil and the petrochemical industry that we wholly depend upon and for which we have no alternatives currently?
Did you know a plastic bottle you use today could still exist 450 years from now?
Back to the old favourite plastic bottles. These are a problem, as I said, even when they decompose. And in fact even more so when they decompose because they become microplastics and we can no longer collect them, see them even. And yet plastic bottles are used for water all over the world - and for lots of other food and drink items. Recycling is an answer, but it’s just not always done. Plastic bottles, as I said, take around 450 years to break down. I guess maybe that’s good as it gives us more time to collect them! The good news is that plastic bottles are one of the easiest items to recycle. We just need to have the facilities to do it. And the alternative to plastic bottles? Well glass bottles, of course. Again they’re pretty recyclable - but if they end up in landfill or rubbish tips - they can take….wait for it…. one million years to decompose! That’s another mind-blowing thought. We use a lot of glass in our world. Perhaps more thought should be given to making sure it’s recycled when we’ve finished with it?
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More of these materials, please….
How about some better, more encouraging statistics before we finish? Well, natural materials predictably, although more expensive to buy are better for the environment when we throw them away. Do you know those waxed cartons - that’s CARTONS. What your milk or fruit juice comes in, if it’s not a plastic bottle? Well, surprisingly they take only 3 months to break down. Much better than I thought. Cardboard? That takes only 2 months. And train tickets - I have wondered about those as the ones in the UK at least seem to have some kind of plastic coating. The good news - they take just two weeks to break down, to decompose, in the right conditions!
Let me know what you think of this podcast - and whether it’s possible to recycle items in your country or not.
Goodbye
Enough for now. Have a lovely day. Speak to you again soon. Goodbye.
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