Eradajere Oleita thinks she may have a partial solution for two of the country’s persistent problems: garbage and poverty. It’s called the Chip Bag Project. The 26-year-old student and environmentalist from Detroit is asking a favor of local snack lovers: Rather than throw your empty chip bags into the trash, donate them so she can turn them into sleeping bags for the homeless.
Chip eaters drop off their empty bags from Doritos, Lay’s, and other favorites at two locations in Detroit: a print shop and a clothing store, where Oleita and her volunteer helpers collect them. After they clean the chip bags in soapy hot water, they slice them open, lay them flat, and iron them together. They use liners (活衬里) from old coats to line the insides.
It takes about four hours to sew a sleeping bag, and each takes around 150 to 300 chip bags, depending on whether they’re single-serve or family size. The result is a sleeping bag that is “waterproof, lightweight, and portable,” Oleita told the Detroit News.
Since its start in 2020, the Chip Bag Project has collected more than 800,000 chip bags and it created 110 sleeping bags last December.
Sure, it would be simpler to raise the money to buy new sleeping bags. But that’s only half the goal for Oleita — whose family moved to the United States from Nigeria a decade ago with the hope of attaining a better life — and her fellow volunteers. “We are devoted to making an impact not only socially, but environmentally,” she says.
And, of course, there’s the symbolism of saving bags that would otherwise land in the trash and using them to help the homeless. It’s a powerful reminder that environmental injustice and poverty are often closely related. As Oleita told hourdetroit.com: “I think it’s time to show connections between all of these issues.”
12. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?
A.The final goal of Chip Bag Project. | B.The basic rules of Chip Bag Project. |
C.The main work of Chip Bag Project. | D.The significance of Chip Bag Project. |
13. What do we know about the sleeping bag made by Chip Bag Project?
A.Its size is adjustable. | B.It is easy to carry around. |
C.It has the function of heating. | D.It is only made of old coats. |
14. Which of the following statements does Oleita probably agree with?
A.Making sleeping bags is easier than buying new ones. |
B.Poverty and environmental problems go hand in hand. |
C.Making sleeping bags is the best way to help the homeless. |
D.Environmental problems have little impact on the homeless. |
15. Which of the following best describes Oleita?
A.Caring and creative. | B.Brave and optimistic. | C.Honest and determined. | D.Talented and easy-going. |