4 . Rainwater in cities causes more troubles than wet feet. It carries away waste from rooftops and streets as it washes through cities. European scientists are now trying to work out how to deal with flooding rainwater.

In the city of Wetteren, Belgium, researchers are experimenting with seashells. Millions of shells from the nearby North Sea are used to collect and treat rainwater from a shopping-mall roof and a parking lot. The shells are laid below a surface drain (下水道) through which dirty water is carried away. With a 70% empty space that allows them to store rainwater, they’re also a natural cleaning station, which is then used to water community gardens.

The experiment is part of a project called StopUP whose goal is to prevent rainwater from carrying pollutants into lakes and rivers. The project’s focus is to make sure that such wastewater, which can include everything from plastics to heavy metals, gets treated.

Thomas Jeffery, head of the College of Environmental Engineering in Germany, said a big knowledge gap can exist between the popular perception of rainwater and its true content. “Rainwater seems to be very clean, but when it washes the streets and roofs, it becomes full of dust and other harmful pollutants,” said Thomas.

In Europe, 38% of surface waterbodies have different forms of pollutants, which run deep in the ground and damage soils, plants and animals, according to Julie Rosalie, director of the European Environment Agency. Human health depends on clean water for drinking, bathing and cooking, and now we arc at risk because plants and animals are affected by chemicals in rivers, lakes and coastal waters.

“StopUP technologies and methods could provide tools to reduce rainwater pollution.” Rosalie said. “It has a positive effect on the quality of our common environment.”

5 . The holiday season is a time for celebrating with friends and family, when people give gifts or decorate their homes. Unfortunately, this can all lead to a lot of waste. However, there are ways to reduce the amount of waste you create.

Gift bags or wrap that can be reused are recommended on the list. You can reuse them the next time you give a gift. You can also wrap gifts in old maps, pages from magazines, and art paper. The person receiving the gift could use the wrap for something else. The Chinese traditional cloth-wrapper is popular wrapping cloth, which is pretty and strong. It can be used for other things, like a colorful scarf or tablecloth, rather than just thrown away.

For many people, sending holiday cards is a tradition. Now people are increasingly accepting electronic holiday cards. “There are so many digital options now, and people get just as much joy out of it,” some people said. These cards offer a range of benefits. With the increasing popularity, electronic cards have become a preferred choice.

For decorating the home, real trees have become first option rather than plastic ones. Some trees are grown for the purpose of being cut, and new ones are typically replanted every year. So, the cycle continues. Buying local trees means that it doesn’t use much fuel. After the holidays, trees are picked and processed into usable products, like small wood pieces for the garden. What’s more, you can’t beat the smell of a fresh-cut tree.

6 . When most kids go to the beach, they’re too focused on making sandcastles and splashing around to notice litter, but several years ago, for 7-year-old Cash Daniels, noticing a plastic straw sparked a lifelong passion for saving the planet.

Cash, who is now known as the “conservation kid”, has always loved nature. He grew up fishing along the Chattanooga River, after all! But once he learned that 80 percent of all trash from land and rivers ends up in the ocean, he couldn’t sit back.

He started with cleanups along the river, something that quickly went from a family affair to a community effort with volunteers and neighbors. In 2019, Cash, together with a Canadian conservationist, Ella Galaski-Rossen, started a nonprofit called the Cleanup Kids. Despite living in different countries, they managed to create educational videos on their YouTube channel. “We hope to be a really big nonprofit that eliminates plastic in the U. S. and Canada,” Cash said. “We want to inform kids and adults in the landlocked states on how their actions are connected to the water and the ocean,” Cash said.

Cash was selected as one of America’s top 10 youth volunteers of 2021 by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. He also earned the title of National Honoree, where he received a$5,000 grant to go to a nonprofit of his choice, and he became the first person to win the Youth Conservationist Award two years in a row from the Tennessee Wildlife Federation.

“I want to travel the world, teach others, and help them feel connected to the ocean. Because if you are connected to the ocean-if you love it and what lives in it—you’ll want to protect it,” he said. “This is my fun, and it becomes more fun with every new discovery.”

8 . An earthquake is literally an earth-shattering experience! There you are enjoying an afternoon nap, having a cup of coffee in the morning, or even sleeping on a cold winter night when — WHAM! —the entire crockery (陶器) shelf collapses, and all the plates and cups break into pieces. A painting on the wall nearly knocks you down as it falls.

What should one do in an earthquake? The prime-time (黄金时间的) news gives no warning, nor is there a time of year, like the monsoon (季风) season,when an earthquake always occurs. Unlike a tornado or hurricane, there is no known way of predicting an earthquake.

Though about 500,000 earthquakes occur each year, only 100 of them cause damage! However, an earthquake can strike any time of the day or night, so it needs to be prepared for when you have the misfortune of being caught in the middle of one.

If you’ re indoors, stay indoors, unless you’re on the ground floor, where you can easily run outside. The best thing to do if you’ re indoors is to hide under a strong piece of furniture like a bed or desk. Do not head for the stairway if you’ re living on an upper storey, because stairways can collapse.

If you’ re driving, get out of traffic and stop on a wide and open road. Do not stop on a bridge, or in another case, under one. Stay inside your car until the shaking stops. Before you restart driving, look out for fissures (裂缝), breaks in the road, and bumps or cracks. Inside your home, be careful not to turn on the gas until you’ re sure the cylinder (气罐) is safe, and there is no leak.     

Avoid using your telephone unless there’ s an emergency. You could be occupying lines that are needed by other people. Lastly, if you’re not trapped or seriously hurt, do not expect fire fighters, army or police to help you. They may be busy rescuing people in greater need than you!