GoalExplain what green technology is and give one example.
New words
green technology · tools that protect the environment and use resources sensiblysaving resources · using only as much water, power or material as we really needcarbon dioxide · a gas that is released when fuel burns; too much of it in the air adds to global warmingglobal warming · the slow rise of the temperature of the air around the Earth
Explanation
Green technology is also called clean or sustainable technology. It means tools and ideas that protect nature and save resources such as water and power. The word green does not mean a colour here. A green bag is only a bag. A tool is green technology when it helps the environment. A good example is the electric car. A fuel car burns fuel and its exhaust releases harmful gases, among them carbon dioxide. Too much carbon dioxide in the air adds to global warming. An electric car runs on batteries. It has a place to plug in a cable, so the battery is charged from an outside source of electricity. It gives off fewer harmful gases and needs less fuel. In recent years Egypt has shown growing interest in electric cars for these reasons. An electric car is an example of green technology, not something you must buy. Remember this question for the whole lesson: does the tool help us keep a clean environment?
Fuel car
Electric car
It runs on
fuel
batteries
Energy comes from
a tank filled with fuel
an outside source of electricity (charging)
Harmful gases from the exhaust
more
fewer
Worked examples
Omar sees a car parked at a charging point. A cable goes from the power source to the car and fills its battery, like filling a bottle with water from a tap. When the battery is full the car can drive.
fuel burns→carbon dioxide leaves the exhaust→the air warms slowly
Marwan reads that fuel burns inside a car engine. What comes out of the exhaust pipe is a gas, carbon dioxide. When there is too much carbon dioxide in the air, the air around the Earth warms up slowly. This is called global warming.
Farida has a green school bag and a green pencil case. Her brother says, “Your things are green technology!” Farida answers, “No. The colour tells nothing. Green technology means a tool that helps nature.”
Class activity
Fold a page into two columns. Write “Protects nature” over one column and “Harms nature” over the other. Put each tool in the right column: a lamp that runs on sunlight, a car that burns fuel all day, a bin for sorting paper, a tap that drips all night. Then add one idea of your own to the first column and show it to a family member.
Practice
1
Does the word “green” in green technology mean the colour?
No. It means tools that protect the environment and save resources.
2
What does an electric car run on, and how is it charged?
It runs on batteries, which are charged from an outside source of electricity.
3
Which car gives off fewer harmful gases? Say the letter.
B, the electric car.
4
Name the gas from a fuel car’s exhaust that adds to global warming.
