1. Strand 2
Chapter 24
Sustainable and responsible living

2. Sustainable and responsible living
What you will learn
The need to live sustainable and responsible lives
How to manage household waste responsibly
How to distinguish between organic and inorganic waste and what waste hierarchy means
What is meant by recycling, waste that can be recycled and the advantages of recycling
How to be more energy efficient and to conserve water
The ways consumers can contribute to sustainable and responsible living
Organisations involved in raising awareness about sustainability

3. Sustainable and responsible living
Key skills

4. Sustainable and responsible living
Keywords

5. Sustainable and responsible living
Let’s get ready!
What type of household waste can be recycled?
What are the advantages of recycling waste?
What can be done with food waste?
How can energy be saved in the home?
How can you conserve water in the home?

6. Sustainable and responsible living
Aims
To reduce our carbon footprint.
To conserve natural resources such as _________________________.

7. Sustainable and responsible living
Explain the following environmental terms
Carbon footprint
Pollution
Greenhouse gases
Global warming
Ozone layer

8. Sustainable and responsible living
Living sustainably
Living sustainability involves:
Managing waste
Being energy efficient
Conserving water
Being informed about the environment

9. Sustainable and responsible living
The waste we create
The amount of waste we create is increasing because:
We are buying more products
There is more choice of goods
More products have short life spans – e.g. ______________
More disposable products – e.g. _______________
People replace devices more often – e.g. __________________
See Think-Pair-Share page 274

10. Sustainable and responsible living
Waste management
Organic waste
Inorganic waste
Organic waste is biodegradable which means ______________________________.
Inorganic waste is not biodegradable which means
______________________________.
List some examples of organic waste.
____________________________
List some examples of inorganic waste.

11. Sustainable and responsible living
The waste hierarchy

12. Sustainable and responsible living
To prevent waste…
Buy what you need.
Maintain, repair or reuse items.
Compost organic waste.
Avoid over packaged goods.
Use a lunchbox instead of plastic bags.

13. Sustainable and responsible living
Recycling
Recycling means changing _____________ into ____________ material.
WEEE stands for W___________ E___________ and E ____________ E_____________.
What does WEEE mean?

14. Sustainable and responsible living
Recycling different types of household waste
Black bin
Green bin
Brown bin
Recycling centre
General rubbish
Tin cans
Plastic bottles
Vegetable peelings
Tea leaves
Glass jars
Clothes
Batteries
Where would you dispose of the following?
Animal waste
Cardboard boxes
Mobile phones
Newspapers
Old laptops

15. Sustainable and responsible living
Advantages of recycling
Reduces the use of raw materials, such as metal
Lowers cost
Reduces the amount of waste going to landfill
Reduces litter and pollution problems
Creates jobs

16. Sustainable and responsible living
BER
BER stands for: B______________ E_______________ R___________.
Houses are rated on a scale from ____ to _____ depending on their energy efficiency.
All houses for sale must have a _________ ____________.

17. Sustainable and responsible living
Saving energy
List some ways you can save energy in your home.
_____________________________________________________
See Group work page 277

18. Sustainable and responsible living
CFLs
CFLs = C___________ F ___________ L ___________
CFLs are energy saving light bulbs.
They save ___________, last ____________ and use less_________.

19. Sustainable and responsible living
Conserving water
List some ways you can conserve water.
_____________________________________________________

20. Sustainable and responsible living
Sustainable practices when shopping
Avoid buying over packaged products.
Buy fruit and vegetables that are in season and grown locally.
Organically produced food has a less negative impact on the environment.
Choose biodegradable detergents and packaging.
Buy ozone-friendly or environmentally friendly products.
Use reusable shopping bags.
Reduce car trips to the shops by bulk buying.
Look out for the EU Ecolabel (found on environmentally friendly products).
Choose energy-efficient electrical appliances.

21. Sustainable and responsible living
Sustainable practices at home
List some ways of being more sustainable at home.
_____________________________________________________

22. Sustainable and responsible living
Sustainable practices in your locality
List some ways of being more sustainable in your locality.
_____________________________________________________

23. Sustainable and responsible living
Remember the four Rs…
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
Repair

24. Sustainable and responsible living
Green-Schools Ireland
Run by An Taisce and the local authorities
Schools take part through seven themes
Green flag awarded when each theme is completed
Find the seven Green-School themes in your textbook.
Discuss: Is the Green-Schools programme a good idea?

25. Sustainable and responsible living
Rapid recap
Describe what is meant by ‘sustainable living’.
Distinguish between organic and inorganic waste.
Explain why waste is a growing problem.
What are the preferred ways of dealing with household waste?
What are the benefits of recycling?
What is meant by BER?
Give some ways of conserving energy.
How may water be conserved in the home?
What is the value of the Green-Schools programme for students?
Name any one organisation concerned with environmental issues.

26. Sustainable and responsible living
Learning checklist

27. Sustainable and responsible living
Tic-Tac-Toe
Design a waste management system for the home (waste, recycling and compost)
Research the different types of insulation that can be used in the home. Report back to the class via a two-minute video, A4 poster or three slide PowerPoint
Investigate the WEEE recycling programme. Write a half page report about it
Keep a diary for a day of what food you throw out and how much water you use. Can you make one improvement that will make you more sustainable?
Define sustainability
Complete a revision mind map on sustainability
Create a model of the working principal of the refrigerator
Compete in the Connect 4 Challenge
Design a poster to encourage people to compost and or recycle