Read the following quotations (pay attention to their dates as well, they are quite revealing!)
Which one(s) do you like the most? Why? Why do you think the dates (when mentioned) are revealing?
Man shapes himself through decision that shape his environment. – Rene Dubos
Thank God men cannot fly, and lay waste the sky as well as the earth. – Henry David Thoreau
Modern technology
Owes ecology
An apology.
– Alan M. Eddison
We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. – Native American Proverb
We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect. – Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac
And Man created the plastic bag and the tin and aluminum can and the cellophane wrapper and the paper plate, and this was good because Man could then take his automobile and buy all his food in one place and He could save that which was good to eat in the refrigerator and throw away that which had no further use. And soon the earth was covered with plastic bags and aluminum cans and paper plates and disposable bottles and there was nowhere to sit down or walk, and Man shook his head and cried: "Look at this Godawful mess." – Art Buchwald, 1970
The insufferable arrogance of human beings to think that Nature was made solely for their benefit, as if it was conceivable that the sun had been set afire merely to ripen men's apples and head their cabbages. – Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac, États et empires de la lune, 1656
When we heal the earth, we heal ourselves. – David Orr
Will urban sprawl spread so far that most people lose all touch with nature? Will the day come when the only bird a typical American child ever sees is a canary in a pet shop window? When the only wild animal he knows is a rat – glimpsed on a night drive through some city slum? When the only tree he touches is the cleverly fabricated plastic evergreen that shades his gifts on Christmas morning? – Frank N. Ikard, North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference, Houston, March 1968
How long can men thrive between walls of brick, walking on asphalt pavements, breathing the fumes of coal and of oil, growing, working, dying, with hardly a thought of wind, and sky, and fields of grain, seeing only machine-made beauty, the mineral-like quality of life? – Charles A. Lindbergh, Reader's Digest, November 1939
Read the following excerpt and answer the following questions:
What are the lines that make you understand that the white man’s approach to nature is different from the native’s?
What are the lines that somehow anticipate the terrible climatic changes and natural disasters our era is witnessing?
What are the lines that make you understand how little man is compared to nature’s majesty and power?
What is the line that makes you understand that the white man has been blind as to the possible retaliation of nature?
Chief Seattle’s words become very melancholic at a certain point of the passage. When? Why?
His words are deprived of any hatred towards the white man, who deprived his people of their dignity and their living sap. Why? Where do you detect this absence of anger or hatred? What feeling(s) do you think ooze from Chief Seattle’s words?
Excerpts From Chief Seattle's Famous Speech to President Franklin Pierce
In 1854, the United States Government aggressively offered to buy 2 million acres of land occupied by native people in the Northwest. Below is a translation of excerpts from Chief Seattle's (Chief Sealth) reply to President Franklin Pierce in December of that year. His speech has been described as one of the most beautiful and prophetic statements on the environment ever made. Why?
"The Great Chief in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land. The Great Chief also sends us words of friendship and good will. This is kind of him, since we know he has little need of our friendship in return. But we will consider your offer. How can you buy or sell the sky, the warmth of the land? The idea is strange to us. If we do not own the freshness of the air and sparkle of the water, how can you buy them ?Every part of this earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clearing, and every humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people. The sap which courses through the trees carries the memories of the red man. So, when the Great Chief in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land, he asks much of us…"
"This we know: All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself. But we will consider your offer to go to the reservation you have for my people. We will live apart, and in peace…."
"If we agree, it will be to secure the reservation you have promised. There, perhaps, we may live out our brief days as we wish. When the last red man has vanished from the earth, and his memory is only the shadow of a cloud moving across the prairie, these shores and forests will still hold the spirits of my people. For they love this earth as the newborn loves its mother's heartbeat. So, if we sell our land, love it as we've loved it. Care for it as we have cared for it. Hold in your mind the memory of the land as it is when you take it. And preserve it for your children…"
This Eco Glossary may prove to be useful to you, should you want to investigate the environmental issue a bit further.
http://www.childrenoftheearth.org/eco-glossary.htm
Now I would like you to learn a bit more about Severn Suzuki, an environmental activist, scientist and speaker. She was just a young adolescent when she started campaigning for the environment, this means young people can make a difference if they speak out and make the world hear their voices. This post gives you a voice too. Exploit it if you wish.
Environmental activist, scientist and speaker
She Severn Suzuki spoke to the UN at the age of 12. Watch the videoclip from Youtube. I am attaching the file of her speech, so that you can refer to it should you encounter any difficulties.
What are the most “moving” moments in her speech? What do you notice about the listeners’ facial expressions?
Now read what Severn Suzuki wrote after all those years.
In what way do you think her state of mind and her approach to mankind have changed? Do you think her words reveal pessimism for our future? Do you think she has lost faith in the possibilities of a better future for mankind? Support your answers with evidence from the text.
She claims something terrible, that unfortunately I too see in some of my young students: “generation is becoming increasingly disconnected from the natural world”. This explains why every year I try to sensitize my students (YOU!) to a more self-conscious approach to nature. Some of them (YOU) see me as a tedious freak: I am in favour of vegetarianism, I always recycle, I never litter, I use eco-friendly household detergents (they cost more, but they protect you and the environment), I cycle whenever I can, I walk and I recycle whatever I can, though I would love to get better at it, I avoid plastic bags, I am going to stop buying water in plastic bottles, I run my dishwasher and washing machine full load and at night time, I never leave the tap running when I brush my teeth and when I take a shower I save as much water as I can. Am I a freak for this? No, I just love nature and thus I try to respect it. But then at school I see students littering all the time. We have a wonderful park, but they litter Coke cans, water bottles, cigarette butts. The funny part is that there are dustbins everywhere, yet, some do not use them. Why? If you reprimand them, they rarely listen. If you oblige them to clean up, then some of their parents complain, because students should not be forced to clean, there are janitors meant for that. 
What’s happening to parents? Aren’t they able to parent any longer? Of course, this does not involve everybody, but I would like to read your comments about these observations of mine.
Severn Suzuki emphasises the fact that “real environmental change depends on us” and we must act straightaway. Postponing direct action to safeguard our environment is an act of irresponsibility we cannot afford any longer. I am childless and I feel worried more than friends who have three kids. Am I overreacting or are they blind? Isn’t there a way in between? In what way do you think you can reduce your carbon footprint (that is your impact on the environment)?
I hope this first post will help you become more responsible. As Gandhi said many years ago, "We must become the change we want to see."
Young people (YOU) are just incredible in their (YOUR) potentials. You can make a difference. Severn Suzuki decided to travel a long distance to deliver a speech before worldwide leaders. I am asking you to “rap your way” in support of the environment. The following rap uses foul language perhaps to reinforce the idea of anger or to echo most rappers who generally use “abusive” language. Looking forward to listening and watching you rap. (TASK ONE)
Now stretch your imagination and write through the “eyes” of a natural element. Be a wave, an eagle, a stone, a raindrop and let me/us hear your voice. It could be about your daily life, it could be about the changes you have experienced over years or even centuries, it could be about your anger for being neglected, exploited, it could be….. unleash your creativity, I’ve prodded you enough! Mine will follow shortly, do not worry. Your homework is my homework, so I will do this TASK TWO myself, as usual. 
Some of you may have already watched the following video. I find the “poetic” journey of a plastic bag quite pertinent to TASK TWO. It may help you understand what giving voice to voiceless objects or elements mean.
This short film by American director Ramin Bahrani traces the epic, existential journey of a plastic bag searching for its lost maker, the woman who took it home from the store and eventually discarded it. Along the way, it encounters strange creatures, experiences love in the sky, grieves the loss of its beloved maker, and tries to grasp its purpose in the world. In the end, the wayward plastic bag wafts its way to the ocean, into the tides, and out into the Pacific Ocean trash vortex — a promised nirvana where it will settle among its own kind and gradually let the memories of its maker slip away.
Marini Sara
The quotation i like the most is this one
And Man created the plastic bag and the tin and aluminum can and the cellophane wrapper and the paper plate, and this was good because Man could then take his automobile and buy all his food in one place and He could save that which was good to eat in the refrigerator and throw away that which had no further use. And soon the earth was covered with plastic bags and aluminum cans and paper plates and disposable bottles and there was nowhere to sit down or walk, and Man shook his head and cried: "Look at this Godawful mess." – Art Buchwald, 1970
Because i know for sure that the humuan being try always to pass the buck to someone else if there is a bad situation, but when ther's a good one,oh we are the best in the world!!!
About the date i can say that we are always the same people (even before 1970..)
The speech to the president Pierce in 1854 is one of the most beautiful statements on the envioronment maybe because
he tried to explain that the place where we live is what we are, what we (should) take care.But it is a sort of premonition too because he said that "all things are connected" so if we use what we have in a bad manner ( as now) one day that things will come back against us (ozone hole, desertification trouble with the pollution ecc..will be a very big problem for US!!)
Suzuki's speech
I think that she started immediately with the heart of the matter, and this is very important..
I like the moment when she said she is afraid of going out because she wanted to let know how big the problem is.
I like when she talked about the herds of wild animals (and now i'm wondering if my children could see them too), when she said "please stop breaking the problem!" because she knew how much real that situation is.
At last i like the moment when she talked about do something all together because we all together are the cause of what the world has became…
But i think it's important that a 12 years old girl can see this,can speak like this, it's very important because we,young, can cooperate for a change.
Some listener were amazed of the girl's emphasis, other were nodding and understand what she was talking about, other were thinking "what the hell is she doing?she is only a teenager and all this speech will soon be herad all over the world,we have to stop her!!", other were just indifferent and they were thinking that is was a waste of time.
But some cried…
THE YOUNG CAN'T WAIT
Here she continues to affirm that WE can chage the world and we have to!
In my opinion she is not so pessimistic because she hardly hopes for a change and of course she doesn't lost her faith for a better future!!
She change her state of mind in the sens that now she knows how difficult is change (when she was a child she though that if only we want somethings we could do it) and now she think that "we are learning that what we wanted for our future when we were 12 was idealistic and naive."
So now she has more realistic ideas..
I think i can reduce my carbon footprint using energy-saving bulbs, eco products, recycling, don't waste thing and use things till they end (for example cream jar or food)
stretch your imagination and write through the “eyes” of a natural element.
the stream
I am the stream
that once quench your thirst
that watered your beasts.
The stream
where you could srub your clothes
the stream
you have had respect.
I used to run so fast
between pebble and watherfalls
there was life
all around me.
Bird and fish
kept me company.
Now i'm floaning slowly
i'm the carrier of your dirt
plastic, oil and rubbish
they look like jellyfish
but they are not alive.
Bottles and batteries
cans and caps
waving plastig bags
are in my riverbad.
The children no longer
wollow inside of me
'cause you, mothers
say i'm ugly and dirty!
but…
Is really my fault?
I'm too tired to complain
between 150 years
i won't be there
but you will
and i'm just wondering
Will you be angry with your self?
Or will you pass the buck
to someone else?
LAWN
I'm an expanse of lawn.
I hate when you step on me,
when you cut me
with that strange device,
when you rip the flowers that are on me.
Have you ever thought that maybe we were friends?
Don't you care about a lawn relationship?
The only things that I love
is the sun in the early morning
kissing me softly,
the gentle touch of the rain,
the perfumed flowers growing on me.
So please,
let me live in peace
without your disgusting feet
destroying me!
MY RAP
The Earth is hating us
for the greenhouse gas,
so the only thing
is reducing.
Reduce plastic stuff
that pollutes too much,
recycle lots of things
just to live more quietly.
So for you ealth
try not to be so careless.
Perissinotti Elena 2H
(trough the eyes ofa natural element)
“Everyone will die”
I am a sunflower
a poor flower that is no longer able to live …
I'm going to die because of the air and water,
yup, those two things which are essential for me.
The fault is all yours, stupid and selfish people!
You are destroying the essential…
The essential for all living beings,
the essentials for you all!
You do not notice it, but as the time has come for me to die for your mistakes,
will for you too ..
and not so late as you think.
Future generations will die for the problems you are creating …
I waste my last breath, although I know it will be useless,
to tell you to do something
to revive this environment, which like me is going away.
Sara Grande =)
We can make things better
We are preparing for the future which we hope will be ok
We can make things better everyday.
We can make things better and keep this planet green
Let' s do it there is so much to be clear.
We can make things better just give the earth a hand
We can make things better I think we can.
This earth is our home
We should help her.
Everyone together, let' s make the earth free
Everyone together, it's time to make it real.
Corsunov Iulia 2-H
Marini Sara , Ruan Monica , Grande Sara , Perosa Noemi
Fucking fur
hey made
do you really want to live
without paper
without water
without animals
what will happened
what will happened when
your child
asks you
hey daddy
can ou please tell me
what's a tiger?
what's an elephant?
and you will say
sorry darling
i've killed both of them
but look
that's your new fur coat
do you like it??
and she will say yes
yes daddy of course i like it!!!
but she won't be proud of you
because you have killed all her favourite animals
there will be a day
when she came home
and tells you
hey daddy
thank you for your present
nononono
hey daddy thank you to have killed all the tiger and all the elephant just because of this fucking fur
THE TRAVELLING SHAMROCK
Why am I lying here?
Why did they bring me here?
I don't belong to this place
Ireland is my homeland
I want to be free
I want to spread out my leaves
and be stirred by the wind.
If only I could get back home
and hold my friends tight for the last time…
Why did you abuse me?
I am uprooted, rootless
What did you stand to gain by it?
You are the reason for my misery
You don't care about anything
You used me as a stupid ornament
and then threw me away.
Someone picked me up and brought me here.
You have no idea of what I had gone through!
I had been jostled, trampled, crushed
and then replanted in this foreign soil.
My owner thought it would have been the same
but I am an expatriate,
I've lost the touch with the soil
and I am not able to take root here.
The ground is filled with pesticides
The air I breathe is polluted
Poison flows in my veins.
If only I could die in peace
If only humans didn't exist
Imagine what the world would be like!
So, please, take care of the Earth,
take care of yourself.
Save your planet
save yourself
save the shamrocks.
Alessia Bragagnolo 2^H
Ruan Monica 2H
Panda
I’m alone
I’m closed
in a fence
I can no longer jump
where are my friends?
Where is my family?
I was free
In my woods
with my trees
I played
I played …
what sense does it play on your own tape now?
I played
Then slowly they took everything
there was no shadow
there was no grass …
only the ground!
then I saw someone
men, human being
with something in the hands
a shot … and my mom was gone.
then they took me
and they bring me here
other human
that are always watching me
they have something in their hands
that blinds me for a few seconds
they feel sorry for me
why do not they understan that is just their fault
If i’m here??
Trough the eyes of a tree
I am an oak-tree and I live along the edge of a road that two years ago has become one of the busiest province road of Milan.
Some times ago the life for me was simply perfect and happy: in summer my branches were full of birds that come to sing and to do theire ness, in autumn I was happy to see childrens playing with my dried leaves before I fell in my long peacefully winter sleep, and in spring I was excited to wake-up in the good season with the light and the air full of flowers.
But unfortunately these are only memories for me.
Now in all year round there are only cars that shot fast along the road.
When it rains, the water that one time refreshed and thirsted me, now is burning my roots and making dirty my crown because of the gas emitted by cars. In addition to this I feel lonely and sad because my friends birds haven't come back frightened by the noise. Mums don't allow theire childrens to play under my arms because it's no longer a safe place.
And all this is the result of the pollution. The human being is changing the future damaging others.
Pollution
Pollution is a problem we must repair
For everyone who lives here, it is not just fair
I don't mean to sound like a country hick
But seeing all the plants die makes me sick.
Sorry Earth, we are destroying you
We are doing things bad for you.
Trough the eyes of a tree
I am an oak-tree and I live along the edge of a road that two years ago has become one of the busiest province road of Milan. Some times ago the life for me was simply perfect and happy: in summer my branches were full of birds that come to sing and to do theire ness, in autumn I was happy to see childrens playing with my dried leaves before I fell in my long peacefully winter sleep, and in spring I was excited to wake-up in the good season with the light and the air full of flowers. But unfortunately these are only memories for me. Now in all year round there are only cars that shot fast along the road. When it rains, the water that one time refreshed and thirsted me, now is burning my roots and making dirty my crown because of the gas emitted by cars. In addition to this I feel lonely and sad because my friends birds haven't come back frightened by the noise. Mums don't allow theire childrens to play under my arms because it's no longer a safe place. And all this is the result of the pollution. The human being is changing the future damaging others.
Pollution
Pollution is a problem we must repair
For everyone who lives here, it is not just fair
I don't mean to sound like a country hick But seeing all the plants die makes me sick.
Sorry Earth, we are destroying you
We are doing things bad for you.
Del Pup Elisa
ROSSANA SOLARI 2^H
Darkness and then light.
Suddenly the coldness has gone away.
Now the breeze that a moment ago
was frightening freezing
has let me free.
The sunlight is so warm and friendly.
This is the start of a new day,
but it is different from all the other ones.
Today I will start my transformation.
Here I am, the perfect spot.
I'm tired but I've done it.
This branch will be my home, my hold.
Now, I've spinned my cocoon all around me…
It's perfect… I will just close my eyes
and dream what I will be…
Who knows? I saw my friends,
they had wings. Will I have wings?
I hope.
Darkness and then light.
A Ray of Light.
Now the feeling of that frightening freezing
breeze it is like meeting
an old good friend.
But then…
I die.
A Hand has died away my hopes.
Hi, I am an oyster. I live attached to a very dark rock, dark because of the oil. But despite all, my family, all my family was taken away to be sold for a huge price in the fish market. They took away my sister, she was a real pearl, in fact when they opened her they cheered.
Everyday i filter through my shell a lot of polluted water and oil. I can assure you it doesn't taste good. I am alone in this piece of ocean, yes I am well protected but alone. Around the world we begin to be less and less and our cost is increasing. But I am not glad of this. I would like to stop this but afterall I am just an oyster in its shell attached to his black rock and I can't change the world
I always forget to sign my comments, damn.
the last was mine.
Elena Ghersetti
Pezzutti Alessia 2H
RAP
Now, there's climate change
but we could begin to change it
Everything is so polluted
from water to air
Polluted by our carbon footprints,
our way so stupid to produce energies,
we could respect the environment
recycling or using eco-friendly products
Biomaxes and renewable sources
seem a wind blow
'cause they're so far to us
Hey, hey put your hands up for nature
hey, hey put your hands up to respect the environment
hey, hey put your hands up for the progress
Plastic is everywhere in the Ocean too
Paper kills so many trees too
and greenhouse effect hit our Planet too
Today and yesterday are unforgettable
and effects are undeniable
but it's worth cleaning beaches, seas like a stream
for the new generation
hey, hey ( … )
If you're about to throw away
that plastic bag
think of it twice and pick it up!
And think about Mother Nature
and what we've put her through!
The Earth's crying
The Earth's dying
And you're still whining.
Recycling!
Recycling against pollution,
That's the solution!
What's that smell?
Is it hell?
Smog so thick
that sometimes
I can taste it.
The Earth's crying
The Earth's dying
And you're still whining.
Recycling!
Recycling against pollution,
That's the solution!
I pick up the trash and I save the trees,
Don't ask me questions,
just plant your seeds.
CO2
it's something true.
We can't deny
the hole in the sky.
The Earth's crying
The Earth's dying
And you're still whining.
Recycling!
Recycling against pollution,
That's the solution!
And Earth doesn' have nine lives
like cats do!
And Earth doesn't have nine lives
like cats do!
Solari Rossana, Bragagnolo Alessia,
De Piero Lara, Pavan Sara
Pezzutti Alessia 2H
"Hello? Is there anything?I'm here,
I'm underground, I'm a tree-seed.
– Oh, I'm growing up
I can see the sun and the world,
I'm not alone: there are different genre
of anything: flowers, animals …
I really like the world!
– But what is happening?
Why is becoming the Earth a desert?
Hey, don't cut my tree-friends down!
I understand: the human being again.
– Please, save me!
– I'm awake, but where am I?
Oh, fortunately I'm not died,
I'm on a garden, a beautiful garden.
But why isn't there the grass?
Yeah, I'm in a greenhouse,
how hot!
Finally, I understand greenhouse effect.
– A nice family bought me and now,
I'm in a real garden.
– Hey, don't throw it to the ground!
The plastic bag won't die.
You should use your personal own bag!
– I love the rain, but what is it?
It isn't like my "old rain",
it isn't fresh, free and clean.
Oh, I understand: it's acid rain,
human beings again.
– I could go on strike
and I don't produce fresh air.
No, I can't, I'm too old and at the end of the line.
But, I don't want to be burnt,
I don't want polluted and produce carbon dioxine.
I hope for a better world
Bye.
Cherry tree
It is spring, I was looking forward to it!
My arms will not be covered in frost or snow for a lot of time.
Finally, my flowers and my leaves will bloom.
Yes, because you have to konw that I am a cherry tree
I have my years, but for us trees
older we are more beautiful we seem!
I spend my days listening to: the sounds of the wind, the sound of animals
and that of humans…
That’s right… humans are a strange specie. They are all different.
I like when the children approach during the spring
because every time their eyes and their mouth opens wide with admiration .
It also happens with some adults, but not with all.
Some admire me with the same joy of those children,
others continue on their way with bored or inespressive face
but in any case, I’m happy to improve their lives
with the oxygen and fruit that I produce.
My grandfather always complained that my enthusiasm
toward humans, but he has never explained me why.
His last message, carried by the wind, was:
“The day when you will understand will come”.
Pitton Elisa
I am a bird and I can not breathe..
I see the gray sky..
The air is a big black cloud
Please stop!
I can not breathe anymore!
My eyes are blind, my throat is burninig
Please Stop..
I can not breathe!
Moisa Elena Gabriela 2^H
I'M A BUTTERFLY.
WE JUST BREATHING POLLUTED AIR,
MY FRIEND DYING FOR THIS
AND I CAN NOT HELP THEY,
BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE THE STRENGTH
TO FLY…
EVERYDAY I SEE STUPID PEOPLE THAT POLLUTE THE AIR,
AND THEY DO THIS JUST FOR MONEY,BUT THEY DON'T KNOW,
THAT ONE DAY THEY WILL REGRET IT.
PLEASE DON'T POLLUTE THE ENVIRONMENT
BECAUSE IT'S THE ONLY OPTION TO SURVIVAL!!!
Gjoka Antonela 2°H
Nadin Annagiulia cl. 2H
TASK TWO:
Only the space
Only cement, plastic and sadness…all is dead…I’ ve never felt like dying so much…
My happy memories continue pursuing me and my hurt is every day more and more wounded…
Everything began many and many years ago when I was only a little vapor drop come out of the see: I was so excited to see the world! As time goes by I became a beautiful white cloud…and I had the same enthusiasm as at the beginning of my life. I used to travel a lot and I never stopped seeing new things: the Sahara desert; the Niagara waterfalls; the cloud forest…Every day I discovered new hidden corners and I met new people. I learned the meaning of happiness, friendship and love…It was beautiful seeing humans and animals moving along like ants. Children ran on the lawns, played hide and seek between bushes and flew their coloured kites. Animals were in peaceful in their habitat; vegetation was rich and luxuriant: there were plants of every types with different colours and scents. I’m sure it was the Eden; it was too good to be true!
Then things changed…
Humans began clearing forests, building skyscrapers and “filling” every green spot with asphalt. Now what I saw moving along were only cars. Children didn’t go out any more, because they sit on the sofa in front of a bewitched box now. Animals were captured to become laboratory/test animals. They weren’t killed for hunger or survival instinct, they were killed only for fun/amusement. Moreover humans discovered a new material: plastic. This was the weapon which would have killed the world…In a short time the Earth was covered by rubbish. There were more and more factories and the air became polluted. The sun was hidden by a permanent dark smoke. Later the hope began disappearing too, buried by rubbish and darkened by the black mantel…
Now I’m not white any more.
Now I’m not enthusiastic/thrilled any more.
Now I see only the space…
Nadin Annagiulia cl. 2H
Shake it up!
Let’s leave some blue up above us
Let’s leave some green on the ground
It’s only ours to borrow
Let’s save some for tomorrow
Leave it and pass it on down
Shake it up!
Shake it up!
Shake it up!
Shake it up!
We can make the difference: it’s up to you and me
Care for the environment and live in harmony
We can make the difference: just lend a helping hand
We can make the difference, yes we can!
Shake it up!
Shake it up!
Shake it up!
Shake it up!
This earth is our home: we should help our fellow-man
Everyone together…giving all the help we can
We must stop pollution: is the motto we should live
Those of us who have so much: it’s time we learn to live
Shake it up!
Shake it up!
Shake it up!
Shake it up!
From Brazil to Africa, to the islands of the seas
Rainforests will disappear, ‘cause they’re cutting down the trees
And every second another acre’s cut down
It’s up to us to stop the chain-saw and start turning things around
Shake it up!
Shake it up!
Shake it up!
Shake it up!
There’s so much that can be done
with support from everyone
We can save our planet: let’s do it, we know how
And the time to act is now
Shake it up!
Shake it up!
Shake it up!
Shake it up!
I am a leaf. I was born in Spring in a wonderful wood.
My sisters and I were so happy there! I met a lot of creatures, my best friends was a horrific butterfly, in her wings there were all the colours I knew.
Every day the Sun wakes me up. I like the Sun. I have talked a lot with him. I have always thought that he was very lucky: he has seen so many things in his long life! He told me that there are wonders around the world that he is never tired to see. But he also told me that the world wasn't entirely as quiet, as beautiful as our wood. I didn't believed him. He explained me that there were strange creatures who lived in the world who were called humans. They walked on theyr feet and move around noisely, spoiling everything Mother Nature has created. Again, I dind't believed him. How could exist creatures that ruined all that wonderful world?
My life went on and on: my friend the Sun warmed me up every day, the sweet Summer Rain refreshed me and I loved the smell of the dew.
But the weather started to change: it became colder and colder and every day the wind blew stronger. I realised that that was the end of my life. It was so sad… I had spent an whole life hanged there, on my safe brench. If only I have seen more of the world!
With all the strenght that I had I detached myself from the brench and started my journey around the world.
I discovered that beyond the wood there was a huge clearing. On the horizon I could see strange things: now I know they are called building and that they are made out of cement, but at that time the view of those huge monsters scared me to death.
Little by little I understand more adout the world and about those strange humans.
I had to admit that I saw wonderful things, as the Sun has told me, but other things made me sad.
I saw an enormeus patch of plastic in the Pacific Ocean, litres and litres of petroleum running out of a tanker.
I flew to strange city: is name is Chernobyl. There are no animals there and the few trees I have found are sick. They sadly told me that there was a time when they were happy when thw wind blew and caressed them, but now… now this wind is sick.
There was a hospital nearby: I saw chldren in bads with pale, skinny faces and I saw the pain in theyr relatives eyes. It was terrible.
In a moment I realised that that world wasn't the one I had imagined.
Now my journey is come to an and. I only wish I could be a human beings, one of those strange creature who are too ignorant to understand what they are doing, only for teaching them something about nature. But I am only a leaf.
Sara Pavan
Task two
TREE’S THINKING
I am a tree and I am part of a big wood in the mountains . I am proud to be a tree because together with my brothers, I contribute to better the air quality, trapping the smog and producing oxygen . Besides thanks to our strong roots we protect mountain villages, towns and streets by the fall of rocks and by avalanches . Thanks to our crowns we can restrict the soil erosion .
I can see a lot of tourist in the wood around me coming there to enjoy the beauty and the quietness of the place .
I love observing people when they go trekking : they relax , plunge in to the nature and respect it .
Sometimes some children arrive and climb on my branches and I feel happy to hug them in my arms. But sometimes I feel wounded when somebody enjoys engraving one’ s name on my bark .
There is another reason way I think to be important and it is the role that I have in my wood . Animals consider me and brothers their house . For example owls and squirrels sleep in the hollows of my trunk, other creatures like deer and wild boars find a good shelter where hide themselves from hunters in my wood .
A thing that makes me happy is the presence of some people who take care of our health .
However I feel deeply, sad when these people choose to cut down some of us .
I know this is a positive thing in fact in this way it is possible to assure the natural renewal and the balance of the wood – ecosystem . I know that when they cut us down, our life is not truly at the end, but it only changes shape : thanks to our wood human beings can build houses furniture or get paper.
If someone cut me down I’d like to become an exercise book and help children to learn , or it would be fantastic to become a book to spread the knowledge to everybody . But I know that reality is another most of us will become only firewood .
In spite of everything I consider myself very lucky . I have just seen a nearly wood being completely cut down in a few days to build a big hotel .
Finally I have only a question for human beings: “ what will you make when the natural resources will be exhausted because of you ? ”
Coletto Lisa 2H
Task one
IF I WERE….
If I were a delegate
at the next summit date
I ‘d be proud to defend
our planet till the end.
I ‘d scream to every government
that we need a strong solution
to reduce pollution.
If I were a shopping bag
of a shop-alcoholic lady
I ‘d say “it’s fantastic “
Not to be made of plastic.
In my mind I think pollution
Is not a good solution.
If I were a super car
always gliding near and far
I would be a gas electric
and not run on petrol synthetic.
If I were a crafty cat
waiting for the daily food
I’d prefer to eat only rats
Rather than ogm and fats.
In my mind I think pollution
is not a good solution.
If I were an ocean fish
I’d envy a pour goldfish
swimming in its little bowl
instead of floating dead
on the Pacific Vortex.
If I were a bird
flying around the world
I ‘d like to breath pure air
of an earth clean and fair.
At the end of my rap song
I would say to the others
That to find a good solution
We must fight against pollution
Coletto Lisa 2H