#ClimateActionELT: Car-sharing, Its Benefits on Our Climate

This decade, are we winning or losing in this climate battle?

Our environment is being massively polluted!

"Car emissions are a major source of pollution. Cars and trucks emit twenty of all greenhouse gases emitted in the United States, which is the second largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world."--Justin Avellar

I see car-sharing as a potential and sustainable solution to this problem.

The terms "Car-sharing" and "Car-sharing services" were new to me until I was preparing a lesson using the British Council TeachingEnglish lesson plan for Climate Action. (See the link below this post)

To me, the term looked insightful and thought it worth talking about it in class.

This compound noun word "car-sharing" which is pronounced as /ˈkɑː(r) ˌʃeərɪŋ/ means an arrangement in which a group of people travel together in one car to work or school (Macmillan Dictionary).

#step1

Ask your students about how they come to school daily: "by cars, public buses, taxes, bicycles and school buses" are common examples you may get from them.

Car-sharing is climate-friendly but not yet popular in most cities because everyone is yet to know the "eco-economic" benefits. Too many cars pollute the environment and contribute to climate change.

What are the eco-economic benefits?

When I say "eco-economic", I mean the advantage of car-sharing to our economic conditions and ecosystem. The transport fare is cheaper and environmentally sustainable.

#step2

Hear from your students about the advantage of sharing a car with others as they come to school or while . Note down their responses:

1. Car-sharing is cheaper as reduces costs expended on fueling personal cars to school and work.

2. Car-sharing is environmentally friendly: It reduces pollution. The smoke from vehicles can lead to environmental pollution. With car-sharing, the number of cars on the road gets reduced.

3. Car-sharing reduces traffic congestion: Students would complain about traffic congestion as a cause of their late coming to school. When everyone is taking their cars out it makes the road clogged.

4. Meet new people: I have met new friends and come across opportunities through car-sharing.

5. Finally, car-sharing is more convenient as it will reduce the stress of driving to school yourself.

Those are my perceived benefits of " car-sharing", your students may come up with more windfalls from this sustainable innovation especially as regards our environment and the climate.

See links to details about this lesson plan on the British Council Teaching English Website: 

https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/family-footprint 

#ClimateActionElt