Resources and Green Living
FoundationSome resources renew and some do not; cut waste at source, use the 4Rs, and live green following our country's conservation examples.
- Resources are renewable or non-renewable — use both wisely.
- Our country is rich but resources per person are few — save and cherish.
- Hong Kong's landfills are filling up; cutting waste at source works best.
文體小知識：說明文有條理地講解知識。這一篇先講地球資源，再談減廢方法和環保行動，層層推進。
§Text Passage
1Our life depends on the Earth's resources: water, electricity, clothing and houses all come from nature. Resources fall into two kinds. Renewable resources refill in a short time, such as water, sunshine, wind and trees; non-renewable resources lessen with every use, such as coal, oil, natural gas and minerals. Telling them apart shows us what to save and what we can use more freely.
2Our country is vast and rich, with wide land, plenty of coal and rare earths, and rivers that feed great farmlands. Yet with so many people, resources per person are not large, and they are unevenly spread — the north is short of water while the south has more. So the country saves resources and builds projects such as the South-to-North Water Diversion, and everyone learns to treasure water and power.
3Hong Kong is small, and the three strategic landfills at Tseung Kwan O, Nim Wan and Ta Kwu Ling are filling up fast, while we throw away huge amounts of waste every day. The best answer is to cut waste at source: before throwing anything away, ask — can I buy less? reuse it? recycle it? Sorting our recycling well also cuts rubbish and lengthens the life of the landfills.
4Remember the 4Rs: Reduce — think before you buy; Reuse — wash and reuse bags and bottles; Recycle — sort paper, metal and plastic for recycling; Replace — choose durable or eco-friendly items instead of disposables. Bringing your own bottle and shopping bag, and giving away old toys and clothes, are actions every pupil can take.
5Our country's green achievements make us proud: Saihanba turned sandy wastes into a sea of forest, and the Three-North Shelterbelt holds back the sand; new energy vehicles and solar power grow fast; giant pandas are protected and their numbers have risen. Protecting the environment is everyone's duty — start green living today for a better tomorrow.
1Summary 重點摘要
Some resources renew and some do not; cut waste at source, use the 4Rs, and live green following our country's conservation examples.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
Materials nature provides, such as water, wood and minerals.
A resource that refills in a short time, such as wind and sunlight.
A resource that runs out once used, such as coal and oil.
A big site where rubbish is buried in the ground.
Cutting waste before it is made, by buying less and reusing.
Turning waste into new products, such as paper made from old paper.
Using less energy, such as switching off lights.
Protecting nature and wildlife so they can last into the future.
Living in ways friendly to the Earth, such as reducing waste and low-carbon travel.
3Step by step Steps
- Step 1: Know the Earth's resourcesThe Earth is like a great warehouse supplying everything we need: water for drinking and washing, soil that grows rice and vegetables, forests that give timber, and coal, oil and minerals buried underground. These resources are not endless — some refill quickly, others took millions of years to form. Learning what resources there are and where they come from is the first step to using them well, and it shows us why waste is wrong. Next time you switch on a light or a tap, think where the resource came from.
- Step 2: Tell renewable from non-renewableRenewable resources refill by themselves in a short time — sunshine, wind, flowing water and growing forests, which solar and wind power rely on. Non-renewable resources such as coal, oil, natural gas and minerals formed from ancient life over hundreds of millions of years; every bit used is gone for good, and one day they will run out. Oil becomes petrol but also plastic and clothing fibres, so using fewer disposable plastics is really saving non-renewable resources too.
- Step 3: Know the country's resources and their sharingChina is vast and rich, yet with so many people its resources per person fall below the world average, and they are unevenly spread: the north has land but little water, the south has water but less land. So the country built the South-to-North Water Diversion to send the Yangtze's water to north China, and develops wind and solar power to rely less on coal. Saving food and cherishing water show basic respect for the country's resources — the Clean Plate campaign says just this. Hong Kong's Dongjiang water also comes from the country, so we must be thankful and careful with every drop.
- Step 4: Face Hong Kong's waste problemHong Kong produces over ten thousand tonnes of municipal solid waste every day, most of it sent to the three strategic landfills at Tseung Kwan O, Nim Wan and Ta Kwu Ling, which are filling up fast. More rubbish means land taken up, and rotting waste gives off greenhouse gases and smells. The most fundamental answer is cutting waste at source — stopping rubbish before it is made, not cleaning it up afterwards. That is why the government promotes sorting, recycling and other waste-reduction measures.
- Step 5: Practise the 4R chantThe 4Rs help us remember how to cut waste. Reduce — think whether you truly need it before buying; Reuse — bring your own bottle, lunch box and shopping bag; Recycle — wash and sort waste paper, metal, plastic and glass bottles and take them to collection points; Replace — swap tissues for handkerchiefs and disposable tableware for durable lunch boxes. The order matters too: first use less, then reuse, and only then recycle.
- Step 6: Learn from the country's conservation achievementsThe country's green achievements are there for all to see: three generations of the Saihanba forest farm turned sand-swept wastes into a vast sea of forest, winning a United Nations Champions of the Earth award; the Three-North Shelterbelt holds back sandstorms like a green Great Wall; new energy vehicles lead the world in output and use; and with protection the giant panda has recovered, moving from endangered to vulnerable. These stories show that with persistence, damaged nature can be repaired.
- Step 7: Take up personal responsibilityProtecting the environment is not just the government's or schools' job — it belongs to everyone. Build habits from today: save power and water, bring your own bags and tableware, pass on clothes and toys to people in need, join beach clean-ups or recycling activities on holidays, and remind your family to join in. One person seems small, but when millions of Hong Kong families act together, the waste and carbon saved are enormous. Green living starts with you.
5Worked example Example
Example: Nga has recorded a family of four's rubbish for one week: more than ten disposable plastic bottles, seven or eight takeaway boxes, dozens of plastic bags, two boxes of old toys and some expired food. Design a waste-reduction plan for Nga's family.
- Sort first: bottles and bags are plastic, the boxes are disposables, the toys can be reused, and the expired food is waste.
- Reduce: use a big bottle at home and carry your own bottle out, and eat in or bring your own box to cut disposables.
- Reuse: take your own shopping bags; give good toys and clothes to charities or classmates.
- Recycle: wash and flatten clean plastic bottles for the recycling bin; sort cardboard and metal too.
- Cut food waste: write a shopping list before buying, buy only what you will eat, and store and finish leftovers quickly.
- Answer: The plan: buy fewer disposables and carry your own bottle and bag (Reduce); donate toys and clothes and reuse bags (Reuse); sort and recycle bottles and cardboard (Recycle); replace disposables with durable items (Replace); and shop by a list to waste less food. Keep it up and the family's rubbish will clearly shrink.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1What kind of resources are coal and oil?
Q2What are the 4Rs?
Q3Where does most Hong Kong rubbish go?
Q4Which national project sends southern water north?
Q5Which protected animal of our country has recovered to vulnerable status?
8Recap Recap
- Resources are renewable or non-renewable — use both wisely.
- Our country is rich but resources per person are few — save and cherish.
- Hong Kong's landfills are filling up; cutting waste at source works best.
- Remember the 4Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Replace.
- Protecting the environment is everyone's duty — start green living today.