Earth Day 2021 will mark the 51st anniversary of this holiday. Typically, Earth Day is assigned a different theme or area of focus each year; this year’s theme is “Restore Our Earth.”
Most years, Earth Day events range from river cleanups to removals of invasive plants. With social distancing still in place for many of us this April, Earth Day has gone digital.
The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970, when San Francisco activist John McConnell and Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson separately asked Americans to join in a grassroots demonstration. Dealing with dangerously serious issues concerning toxic drinking water, air pollution, and the effects of pesticides, an impressive 20 million Americans—10% of the population—ventured outdoors and protested together.
President Richard Nixon led the nation in creating the Environmental Protection Agency, which followed with successful laws including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act.
McConnell originally had chosen the spring equinox (March 20, 1970), but Nelson chose April 22, which ended up becoming the official celebration date. (Given that the date of the spring equinox changes over time, it may have made things more complicated to go with the astronomical event rather than just a calendar date.)
Today, not only is Earth Day a day meant to increase awareness of environmental problems, but it is also becoming a popular time for many communities to gather together to clean up litter, plant trees, or simply reflect on the beauty of nature.
source: almanac.com
A következő rövid monológokban a Föld egy-egy fontos része ’beszél hozzánk’. Találjátok ki, melyik monológ, Földünk melyik részéhez tartozik. A monológokat híres színészek olvassák fel, meg is hallgathatjátok őket a csatolt videós listában.
source: NatureIsSpeaking, Conservation International, Youtube
Vocabulary
| to assign | kijelölni |
| invasive plants | behatoló/más növényeket kiiktató növények |
| grassroots | széles néprétegek |
| issues | témák |
| pesticides | rovarirtók |
| to venture | megkockáztatni |
| Endangered Species | veszélyeztetett fajok |
| equinox | nap-éj egyenlőség |
| astronomical | csillagászati |
| communities | közösségek |
| to purify | tisztítani/szűrni |
| carbon | szén |
| to turn your back on sy | figyelmen kívül hagyni valakit |
| resilient | rugalmas/ellenálló |
| to assure | biztosítani valami felől |
| to take for granted | természetesnek venni valamit |
| streams | patakok |
| to wage wars over | háborúkat vívni valamiért |
| source | forrás |
| to crawl | mászni/kúszni |
| to owe | tartozni valakinek |
| to expect sy to do sg | elvárni valakitől, hogy valamit megtegyen |
| to exist | létezni |
| to give a damn | fütyülni rá |
| to wither away | elhervadni |
| to pay attention | figyelni valamire |
| to respect | tisztelni |
| blanket | takaró |
| to wrap around | beborítani |
| congested | zsúfolt |
| delicate | törékeny |
| to push me past the limit | a határaimat messze meghaladóan kihasználni (itt) |
| unpredictable | kiszámíthatatlan |
| to weather | átvészelni |
| to notice | észrevenni |
| to depend on | függeni valamitől |
| nursery | gyerekszoba/óvoda |
| to raise | emelni |
| to barrel through | átszáguldani |
| fortress | erődítmény |
| As a matter of fact, | tulajdonképpen |
| skunks | bűzös borzok |
| all of a sudden | hirtelen |
| all hell broke loose | elszabadult a pokol |
| to act like | úgy cselekedni, mint |
| to lay around | hátra dőlni |
| to figure out | kitalálni |
