1 . Damon Carson must have one of the most interesting inboxes in the world. On any given day, in his office in Denver in the western US state of Colorado, he will field numerous inquiries from people looking to unload things. We’re not talking about someone trying to dispense with an old refrigerator or some out-of-fashion clothing, but companies.

Picture large companies looking to unload massive amounts of waste that would otherwise go to the landfill.

For example, Carson got a request from a battery company to deal with 22 tonnes of barium sulfate (硫酸钡) used in lead-acid batteries. A load of plastic garbage cans from a discount store were just waiting for him to repurpose them. And a recreation company wanted to know if Carson was interested in 360 kilograms of blue ropes, which they no longer needed to make the handles on coolers.

“They don’t want to just throw the waste away,” he explains. “Nor should they. Because it has value.” He is a matchmaker of the never-ending waste stream, trying not to pair people with people, but things with people. For nearly a decade, his company, Repurposed Materials, has been involved in this business. He’s not looking to recycle the things he gets-breaking them down to make something new-but rather finding a second life for cast-off goods in their original forms.

Once working in construction, Carson was familiar with an almost everyday phenomenon. “You’d open up one of these big construction dumpsters (大垃圾桶) and things would start falling out,” he says. He would find perfectly good windows still covered with plastic from the factory. “You can’t wrap your mind around how wasteful America is until you run a waste company,” he says. He began thinking about creating a sort of secondhand hardware store that would sell unwanted materials and keep them out of the waste stream. Then, in 2010, a business was born.

2 . Damon Carson calls himself a matchmaker (媒人) of the never-ending waste of American society, trying not to pair people with people, but things with people.

In the late 1990s, Carson was on break from business school in Vail, Colorado, when he discovered the vast world of waste. He began thinking about creating a secondhand store that would sell old materials and keep them out of being wasted. As a result, in 2010, his company, Repurposed Materials appeared.

For nearly ten years, his company, Repurposed Materials, has not been looking to recycle the waste he gets — breaking it down to make something new — but rather finding new homes for thrown-away goods in their original forms.

Carson, a husband and father of three adult children, is far from wasteful. Frugal is how he describes himself. The clothes he’s wearing all came from a charity shop; his truck was bought with 290, 000 kilometers driven.

“Why break something down, why melt something down, if it still has value?” he asks. An old oil-field pipe might be melted down and turned into a car bumper, but it still takes an amount of power to finish the complete change. Why not leave it as a steel pipe? Why not turn it into a fence post on a farm? The only cost is transport.

American industrial facilities create and throw about 7.6 billion tons of unwanted industrial materials every year. For the moment, Carson’s unique business finds new lives for millions of kilograms of industrial waste every year.

When garden designer Jane Gates moved to the Sussex countryside in 2015, she fell in love with a traditional black barn conversion(改建的房屋), and set about creating a droughts-resistant garden around it.     1    she didn’t know was just how quickly her garden would become relevant to today’s changing climate.

Over the years, Gates       2    (experiment) with plants that suit this dry and hot place and made some interesting     3    (discover). Surprisingly, some plants, known for loving water, have proved    4    (adapt) to drought. Others have struggled. However, many plants specifically     5    (choose) for drought tolerance have enjoyed the heat.

Gates’ garden is a big gravel(砾石)one.       6    occasion she stands by the floor-to-ceiling windows and enjoys the scene. Gravel     7    (use)as a layer(层)for the plants to grow through, joining the paths with the planting. The feeling is of a relaxing, natural-looking space, with the light colour of the gravel    8    (compare) beautifully with the black of the barn. Gates recommends gravel as a cover on the top for    9    reason that it locks water in the soil below in summer, while keeping it away from plants in winter, which can damage them. This helps some plants do a bit    10    (well) in adapting to climate extremes.

5 . Windows open? Fans on? Ready for another water break? For schools across Greater Toronto, the extremely hot temperatures provided some lessons in how to beat the heat—or at least attempt to—without air conditioning. It wasn’t easy. With some classroom temperatures getting close to 40℃—one teacher even handed out temperature meters to see how hot it got—both students and educators were red-faced and bathed with sweat all day.

The extreme weather had some parents wondering if their children should be spending most of the day inside hot schools, and a few chose to keep them home. Very few schools across Greater Toronto are air-conditioned. There are no rules or requirements that schools shut down as the temperature rises.

At Bowmore public school, near Coxwell Ave. and Gerrard St. E, teachers arrive at 7 am and open all the doors and windows to circulate fresh air. The windows at the school, replaced in stages over the past few years, swing in at the top, and out at the bottom to provide better air flow.

“Is it hot? Yes. Is it something that makes us feel uncomfortable? Yes,” said Headmaster Lilian Hanson. Despite that, she said she’d never advocate for air conditioners in schools, which are expensive and would consume the city’s electric power. She’d rather see more gardens, more trees—more natural solutions, more sustainable choices.

“We are teaching kids to make good choices,” she said. “Social responsibility is the key.” Students from kindergarten to Grade 8 seek pleasant places under trees and in the outdoor peaceful garden during the break time between classes and after school as the trees there provide much-needed shade. Teachers also take classes with students out there during the day. And kids do get the message about staying cool. Students are reminded to dress in cool clothing. When Hanson arrived at work in a dark-colored dress, a student asked her: “What were you thinking wearing a black dress on a day like today?”

6 . Europeans got more of their electricity from renewable sources than fossil fuels for the first time last year, according to an annual report from Ember and Agora Energiewende.

The report, which has been tracking European Union’s power sector since 2015, found that renewables delivered 38% of electricity last year, compared to 37% delivered by fossil fuels.

The shift comes as other sources, such as wind and solar power, have risen in the European Union. Both sources have nearly doubled since 2015, and as of last year accounted for one-fifth of electricity generation in EU countries, the report found. It’s also the reason why coal power declined 20% last year, making up only 13% of electricity generated in Europe.

“Rapid growth in wind and solar has forced coal into decline, but this is just the beginning,” said Dave Jones, senior electricity analyst for Ember and lead author on the report, in a statement. “Europe is relying on wind and solar to ensure not only coal is phased out by 2030, but also to phase out gas generation, replace closing nuclear power plants, and to meet rising electricity demand from electric cars and heat pumps.”

Last year’s COVID-19 lockdown measures resulted in less demand for electricity across the globe. European demand decreased by 4% in 2020, according to the report, which said COVID trends had no effect on the growth of renewable energy sources. Since 2015, Europe’s electricity emissions recorded a historic decline, becoming 29% cleaner, the report noted.

The milestone follows commitments from EU leaders last month to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 55% from 1990 levels by 2030. In the United States, their counterparts (同身份的人) successfully developed renewable energy to overtake coal consumption in recent years. Last May, renewable energy sources were consumed more than coal for the first time since 1885.

“Post-pandemic economic recovery must not slow down climate action,” said Patrick Graichen, director of Agora Energiewende, in a statement. “We therefore need strong climate policies — such as in the Green Deal — to ensure steady progress.”

8 . Wetlands, making up about 6% of Earth’s land surface, are found on every continent except for Antarctica.     1    .

Protecting against floods. Wetlands play a crucial role in protecting against floods. The plants and soil in wetlands act as natural sponges (海绵), storing excess water during heavy rainfall or storms.     2    .

Purifying (净化) water. Wetlands have exceptional abilities to purify water. Acting as natural filters, the plants, soil and micro creatures in wetlands remove sediments, excess nutrients and pollutants from water sources.     3    . And the water can be suitable for various uses such as drinking, irrigation and supporting aquatic life. Wetlands are particularly effective in removing harmful chemicals, heavy metals and excessive nitrogen and phosphorus (磷), which can otherwise cause water pollution.

    4    . Wetlands are incredibly productive ecosystems, providing habitats for a diverse range of plant and animal species. The complex and dynamic wetland environments support a lot of amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, reptiles and invertebrates. Many of these species are dependent on wetlands for survival, using them as breeding grounds, feeding areas and nurseries. Wetlands also serve as important stopover sites for migratory birds, offering them crucial resting and feeding areas during their long journeys.

Fighting climate change. Aside from these vital functions, wetlands also play a significant role in fighting climate change.     5    . They act as carbon (碳) sinks, absorbing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, thus mitigating the greenhouse effect and reducing the impacts of climate change. Moreover, wetlands help regulate local and regional climates by influencing the temperature, humidity and rainfall patterns. 1hey act as natural cooling systems, reducing heat island effects and moderating the local temperature.

However, the world’s wetlands are being lost at an alarming rate. Restoration and conservation projects offer hope that these ecosystems can be saved.

9 . Diving made my world bigger.     1     It took me three years and three tries to get certified, but I’m glad I persisted.

Learning to dive is a lot like learning to drive a car: You study the theory, practice with an instructor, and become qualified. From there, proficiency (熟练) depends on how often you dive, further training, and your own self-reliance. Regardless of your goals, diving is more accessible and wondrous than I ever imagined.     2    

But not everyone wants to or can dive, and that’s fair enough. Whether you’re a snorkeler (潜水员), surfer, or sailor or you simply enjoy dipping your toes into the sea while on holiday, you can still be aware of the life unfolding under that glittering blue cover and help protect it.

    3     Experts urge that at least 30 percent be protected to safeguard marine ecosystems, which in turn will help protect our health and well-being. The ocean supplies more than half our oxygen, absorbs carbon dioxide, regulates our climate, and supports much of the world’s economy. We need it a lot more than it needs us.

Take Florida, for example, it’s bordered by North America’s only living coral barrier reef (礁石) and the third largest in the world.     4     It is also essential to its economy, generating an estimated $1.1 billion annually in tourism. The reef protects the coastline, too, since healthy coral reefs absorb 97 percent of a wave’s energy.

A study has found that 70 percent of Florida’s coral reefs are experiencing a net loss of reef habitat. Exactly facing these concerns is what I mean by seeing the sea — the good, the bad, the important.     5     We can use it to inform our choices, from traveling more carefully, to examining how we run our businesses. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. The ocean is a remarkable teacher, and it’s never too late to start learning.