A QUIZ TO CELEBRATE EARTH DAY
Every so often it is a good idea to check and see if we have absorbed a few basic environmental concepts and have developed personal everyday actions that fit the concepts. Ready for the challenge? Here are seven simple questions to help you do this self-check. Answer most of them correctly and you will have the satisfaction of making the world a healthier, greener place through your actions. Even if you get just a few questions correct, keep on learning. The answers are found at the end of the quiz. Good luck!
Environmental Quiz
1. Recycle is one of four action words used to describe Earth Steward actions. What are the other three and which one should be listed first in importance?
2. Plastic waste is a big problem for the environment. Name three personal actions you can take to reduce plastic waste.
3. Conserving water is important. Name three “in your home” actions and two “out of the home” actions to conserve water.
4. Food waste is a big problem in our country. Name three ways your household actions will reduce food waste.
5. Can you name three pollinators and three actions to protect or provide for them.
6. Why are gases like carbon dioxide and methene called greenhouse gases and what do they have to do with global warming?
7. Name at least three actions you can take to reduce your carbon footprint. For extra credit can you name an Episcopal website that helps you keep track of your reductions in your carbon footprint?
Answers to the quiz
1. These action words are Reduce, Repurpose, Repair and Recycle. The first in the list is always Reduce because reducing your consumption helps lower emissions the most. Increased emissions fuel climate change.
2. There are several answers here—reducing single plastic bag use, saying no to plastic straws, using storage containers rather than plastic, using a permanent water bottle instead of plastic, buying clothes that do not contain plastic, etc.
3. There are many ways to conserve water in the home—turning off water when brushing teeth or shaving, fixing leaks promptly, keeping water in the fridge instead of running it to get cold, running full dish and clothes washers, taking short showers, eating less meat. Outside the home actions could be using a soaker hose, watering plants early in the day, washing the car at a carwash, using a rain-barrel to collect water for gardens, planting native plants, etc.
4. There are many ways to save on food waste—use a shopping list and meal plan, store food properly, plan meals for the leftovers, invite guests to eat leftovers from a major event like thanksgiving, freeze leftovers for another time. Consider composting scraps.
5. Pollinators are important for our diversity of plant life and for our food supply. Bees, butterflies, wasps, flies, beetles, birds, reptiles and others are pollinators. To protect them, plant native plants, do not use pesticide, provide habitat, water and food sources for pollinators, delay early mowing, vote for green spaces, open prairies patches and parks and donate to organizations that protect pollinators.
6. Greenhouse gases can be protective as they hold in the warmth of the sunlight that is reflected from the surface of the earth, However, humans have been filling the atmosphere with tons and tons of these gases from burning fossil fuels and other sources—so much that the amount of warmth trapped is increasing rapidly. This extra warmth is called global warming and it is causing our climate to change—more severe storms, more floods, droughts, wildfires, glacier melting, etc.
7. There are many ways individuals can do their part in reducing carbon footprints. Here is a partial list: reduce consumption (see question number one), use LED light bulbs, increase home insulation, seal cracks and do weatherstripping, reduce excess use of gas and electricity through turning down heat, reducing settings for air-conditioning units, dress for the conditions, eat less meat, drive less and walk more, vote for politicians who understand environmental issues and will be open to green energy technology. Go to the Episcopal carbon tracker at www.sustainislandhome.org to track your progress in reducing emissions.
Earth Steward Action: Please print out the questions and post the quiz on your refrigerator. Challenge friends and neighbors and discuss possible answers.
Sources: Previous Test Tidbit articles, https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/climate-solutions/reduce-greenhouse-gases
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/greenhouse-effect/
https://www.usda.gov/pollinators
