2 . As time goes on, people have come to realize the importance of protecting the environment. But they can’t deal with everything by themselves. Take small steps, and you can make a difference.

●Think Green. Think about the environment as you live your life. If you turn off lights and TV when leaving the room, you’ll save energy. If you take shorter showers, you will save water.

●Shop Green. Shopping is fun, but buying things you don’t need is wasteful and even bad for the earth. Before you buy something, ask yourself how much you will use it, and whenever possible, buy things locally made instead of those shipped from far away.

●Dress Green. What really matters is not the colour. It’s how the clothes were made. So look for products made from environmentally friendly(环保的)materials.

●Study Green. What’s better than learning about the environment? Save it while you learn. It can be as simple as using both sides of a piece of paper before you recycle it.

3 . I don’t think I can recall a time when I wasn’t aware of the beauty of the ocean. Growing up in Australia, I had the good fortune of having the sea at my side. The first time I went to Halfmoon Bay, I suddenly had the feeling of not being able to feel the ground with my feet anymore.

For my 10th birthday, my sister and I were taken out to the Great Barrier Reef. There were fish in different colors, caves and layers of coral (珊瑚). They made such an impression on me. When I learned that only one percent of Australia’s Coral Sea was protected, I was shocked. Australian marine (海洋的) life is particularly important because the reefs (暗礁) have more marine species than any other country on earth. But sadly, only 45% of the world’s reefs are considered healthy.

This statistic (数据) is depressing, so it’s important for us to do everything to protect them. The hope that the Coral Sea remains a complete ecosystem has led me to take action. I’ve become involved with the Protect Our Coral Sea activity, which aims to create the largest marine park in the world. It would serve as a place where the ocean’s species will all have a safe place forever.

Together, Angus and I created a little video and we hope it will inspire people to be part of the movement. Angus also shares many beautiful childhood memories of the ocean as a young boy, who grew up sailing, admiring the beauty of the ocean, and trying to find the secrets of ocean species.

4 . Should We Create More National Parks

Don't you find it worrying that more and more species of animals are in real danger of becoming national parks extinct?     1    And I think the best way to do this is for governments to create more national parks.

    2    If this environment is destroyed-for example, when farmers clear a forest for new fields, or trees are cut down for making money, many animals are unable to survive, and more species are likely to become extinct.

In addition, national parks protect animals from the danger of being hunted. A major reason why many species are endangered is that the animals are killed by hunters. They hunt animals to make money.    3    

On the other hand, some people fight against the creation of national parks because they consider it wrong to interfere with nature. They believe that wild animals are happier living in their natural environment.    4    They also point out that a few species are more likely to produce young animals in the wild than in national parks.

All in all, these disadvantages are far less important than the benefits of national parks, because these parks allow animals to live in a safe environment.     5    

5 . At the age of seven，while his friends were spending their allowance（零花钱） on things like candy and toys，Jose Adolfo Quisocola was busy saving money for basic purchases.To try to get his peers(同龄人)to do the same，the boy from Peru came up with the idea of an eco-bank，the Bartselana Student Bank，which allows kids of all ages to become financially independent while also helping the environment.

Set up in 2012，the bank is the world’s first bank for kids.To become a member，a kid has to bring in at least 5 kilograms of waste and set a savings goal.Once accepted，all bank“partners”are required to deposit at least one additional kilogram of recyclables on a monthly basis and observe other requirements，such as attending financial education and environmental management workshops.“At the beginning，my teachers thought I was crazy and thought that a child could not undertake this type of project，”Jose recalls.“They did not understand that we are not the future of the country but its present.Luckily，I had the support of the school headmaster and an assistant in my class.”

The boy’s efforts paid off，and by 2013，the bank had over 200 members，who brought in one ton of recyclable waste.Today，the eco-bank，which now has the support of several local institutions，boasts ten educational centers.They are designed to teach over 3，000 students，aged 10 to 18，to become financially independent，use their money wisely，and help the environment.

Not surprisingly，Jose’s efforts have earned him several national and international awards.On November 20，2018，Jose won Children’s Climate Prize，which comes with a medal and $ 5，500 in prize money and is given to a child or youth who has accomplished an extraordinary achievement for the climate or environment.

9 . How to be eco-friendly

If you'd love to be more eco-friendly but don't know where to begin, start with a few small changes. . Here are some suggestions for you to live an eco-friendly life

    1    

Turn off lights and unplug power strips (电源插板) that you're not using. This is an easy way to reduce energy use. Since some devices can still use energy even when they're turned off, turn off these power strips at night to completely cut off energy use. If you need to leave your computer or TV on, try setting it to the sleep mode instead of simply leaving it on.

    2    

Reduce your gas consumption and carbon emissions by walking, biking, or taking the bus. Keeping cars off the road in rush hours can also improve the air quality. If you do need to drive somewhere, ask friends if they'd like to carpool(拼车), so fewer cars are on the road.

Cutting back on plastics and waste.

Say no to unnecessary plastic straws(吸管), lids(盖子), and bags and stop using plastic wrap and plastic containers for food storage. Instead, you can use reusable water bottles made of sustainable material like glass, bamboo, and ceramic(陶瓷).

    3    

They add more oxygen to the air, which means less polluted air. If you don't have a green thumb, choose some plants that are rather easy to look after. “Lucky Bamboo” is especially good for that, since it demands nearly no attention. If possible, grow more than one plant.