Protecting the environment
Small changes make a difference – what simple steps can we take to ensure our planet is protected for future generations?
Question
Match up these key German verbs to the English translation
| German | English |
| 1. trennen | A. to buy |
| 2. sparen | B. to travel |
| 3. recyceln | C. to go |
| 4. benutzen | D. to take with |
| 5. kompostieren | E. to save |
| 6. fahren | F. to separate |
| 7. schützen | G.to compost |
| 8. gehen | H. to use |
| 9. mitnehmen | I. to recycle |
| 10. kaufen | J. to protect |
| German | 1. trennen |
|---|---|
| English | A. to buy |
| German | 2. sparen |
|---|---|
| English | B. to travel |
| German | 3. recyceln |
|---|---|
| English | C. to go |
| German | 4. benutzen |
|---|---|
| English | D. to take with |
| German | 5. kompostieren |
|---|---|
| English | E. to save |
| German | 6. fahren |
|---|---|
| English | F. to separate |
| German | 7. schützen |
|---|---|
| English | G.to compost |
| German | 8. gehen |
|---|---|
| English | H. to use |
| German | 9. mitnehmen |
|---|---|
| English | I. to recycle |
| German | 10. kaufen |
|---|---|
| English | J. to protect |
- trennen – F. to separate
- sparen – E. to save
- recyceln – I. to recycle
- benutzen – H. to use
- kompostieren – G. to compost
- fahren – B. to travel
- schützen – J. to protect
- gehen – C. to go
- mitnehmen – D. to take with
- kaufen – A. to buy
Bist du umweltfreundlich? – Are you environmentally friendly?
What simple steps can you take to protect the environment?
Question
Match up the following phrases to the correct pictures.
- Wasser sparen
- zu Fuß gehen
- den Abfall kompostieren
- Spraydosen ohne FCKW benutzen
- Papier recyceln
- eine Öko-Tasche mitnehmen
- Tierarten schützen
- den Müll trennen
- Wasser sparen – H. save water
- zu Fuß gehen – E. travel on foot
- den Abfall kompostieren – B. compost waste
- Spraydosen ohne FCKW benutzen – C. use sprays without CFCs
- Papier recyceln – A. recycle paper
- eine Öko-Tasche mitnehmen – G. take an eco-bag/bag for life
- Tierarten schützen – F. protect species
- den Müll trennen – D. separate rubbish
Using the phrase um…zu… followed by the infinitive is a good way to explain what you need to do 'in order to' protect the environment.
Question
What do these people do in order to protect the environment? Read the sentences and translate them into English.
- Johannes:Um die Umwelt zu schützen, trenne ich den Müll.
- Svenja:Um die Umwelt zu schützen, gehe ich zu Fuß.
- Mesut:Um die Umwelt zu schützen, benutze ich Spraydosen ohne FCKW.
- Melanie:Um die Umwelt zu schützen, kompostiere ich den Abfall.
- Simon:Um die Umwelt zu schützen, fahre ich mit dem Rad.
- Sonja:Um die Umwelt zu schützen, spare ich Wasser.
- Fatimah:Um die Umwelt zu schützen, recycle ich Papier und Altglas.
- Kai:Um die Umwelt zu schützen, schütze ich Tierarten.
- Johannes: In order to protect the environment, I separate the rubbish.
- Svenja: In order to protect the environment, I walk.
- Mesut: In order to protect the environment, I use sprays/aerosols without CFCs.
- Melanie: In order to protect the environment, I compost the waste.
- Simon: In order to protect the environment, I ride a bike/I cycle.
- Sonja: In order to protect the environment, I save water.
- Fatimah: In order to protect the environment, I recycle paper and old glass.
- Kai: In order to protect the environment, I protect animals/species.
Did you know?
In order to encourage recycling, a deposit – ein Pfand – is added to the price of glass and plastic bottles in Germany.
You may see the price of a bottle of water displayed as 1,25 € + 0,15 €. This means you will pay 0,15 € extra for the bottle.
To get their deposit back, people return their empty bottles to a bottle-return machine, which works like the opposite to a vending machine. These machines are found in most supermarkets in Germany.
A machine will add up how much money should be given back, usually in the form of a printed receipt, which can then be used towards the cost of the final shopping bill or exchanged for cash at the checkout.
