Sponsored by The Hamilton International School
Our world is changing rapidly. Over the years, human beings have mistreated our planet. Plastic is polluting our oceans, greenhouse gases, and global warming are melting polar ice caps, and more animals are becoming extinct every year. If we don’t do something about this now, there will be no Earth for future generations.
Qatar is carrying out wonderful work to help our planet—you should be very proud to call this country your home. We have the second-highest amount of green buildings in the Middle East and North Africa region, there is a big focus on water conservation, and Qatar also supports other countries with their efforts to help the environment.
Did you know?
- If every household replaced one roll of regular toilet paper with one recycled post-consumer waste roll, 424,000 trees would be saved
- If every house went meat- and cheese-free for just one day per week, it would be the equivalent of taking your car off the road
- for five weeks—or reducing everyone’s daily showers by three minutes
- 17 billion plastic carrier bags are given away by supermarkets every year—that’s 290 bags per person!
- On average a family throws away 40kg of plastic each year which could be recycled
What can you do?
- Swap plastic water bottles for reusable bottles. Drinking a bottle of water is one of the best things you can do for your health, but to keep the environment as healthy as you are, ditch the disposable bottles and pick a reusable one
- Ditch the straws. Plastic straws can take up to 200 years to decompose after you throw them away. Help the environment out by only using reusable straws. Or even better, just drink out of a cup
- Turn off water when brushing your teeth. While you’re brushing your pearly whites, don’t forget to turn off the tap. You can save close to 3,000 gallons of water a year with this one tiny change!
These are just three ways you can help our planet. How many more ways can you find?
Fun Activity
Design a tower made out of plastic and non-recyclable materials. Take a photo and share it with your classmates highlighting to them the problem we face with plastics in oceans and waterways.
Brain Teasers
- Deforestation is the logging or burning of trees in forested areas. Each year about 13 million hectares of the world’s forests are lost due to deforestation. How many hectares will be lost in nine years?
- What word describes the place, people, things and nature that surround any living organism?
IAN RINALDI IS THE HEAD OF ELEMENTARY AT THE HAMILTON INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL. HE IS DEEPLY PASSIONATE ABOUT MAKING A DIFFERENCE TO CHILDREN’S LIVES. HE BELIEVES LEARNING SHOULD BE CHALLENGING, PERSONALISED, AND FUN. IAN WANTS CHILDREN AT HAMILTON TO LOVE COMING TO SCHOOL, ENJOY LEARNING WITH ITS AMAZING TEACHERS, AND EXPERIENCE THE SCHOOL’S WORLD-CLASS FACILITIES.
