Explore writing 1: A blog post on alternative lifestyles You have read the article ‘Unplugging from the grid’ (see above) and decide to write a blog post about it. In your blog post, you should: ■■ briefly summarise the article ■■ describe similar initiatives in Austria ■■ assess the likelihood of you opting for an off-grid lifestyle Give your blog post a title. Write around 250 words. 30 Explore listening: Meat consumption and the environment You are going to listen to an interview about the effect of meat consumption on the environment. First you will have 45 seconds to study the task below, then you will hear the recording twice. While listening, choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D) for questions 1–5. Put a cross ( ) in the correct box. The first one (0) has been done for you. After the second listening, you will have 45 seconds to check your answers. 31 z2c9ai 34 home about blog Feeds: posts comments Unplugging from the grid “I haven’t paid an electricity bill since 1970,” says Richard Perez with noticeable glee. He can afford to be smug. He lives “off-grid” – unconnected to the power grid and the water, gas and sewerage supplies that most of us rely on. He generates his own electricity, sources his own water and manages his own waste disposal – and prefers it that way. “There are times when the grid blacks out,” he says. “I like the security of having my own electricity company.” Perez is not alone. Once the preserve of mavericks, hippies and survivalists, there are now approximately 200,000 off-grid households in the US, a figure that Perez says has been increasing by a third every year for the past decade. For people who live off-grid, self-sufficiency means guilt-free energy consumption and peace of mind. “It feels brilliant to use clean, free energy that’s not from fossil fuels,” says Suzanne Galant, a writer who lives off-grid in rural Wales. “And if something goes wrong, we can fix it ourselves.” Now even urbanites are seeing the appeal of generating some if not all of their own power needs. So is energy freedom an eco pipe-dream or the ultimate good life? Well, there’s only one way to find out: begin to explore the possibilities of solar, wind or hydro-power. But unless you live on a sunny, south-facing hillside with access to a nearby river or stream, that might prove prohibitively expensive! There is no doubt that being off-grid has its problems, and it is not always the cheapest way to get your energy. Even so, pioneers like Perez have proved that it can be done, and without giving up a 21st-century lifestyle: “I’ve got five computers, two laser scanners, two fridge-freezers, a microwave, a convection oven, vacuum cleaners – you name it,” says Perez. “There’s an external beam antenna on the roof for the phone and a satellite dish for an internet connection. I’ve got 70 kWh in batteries that could last me five days. I have too much electricity.” Too much electricity and no more bills. That’s got to be worth aiming for. 105 Language skills Extras Explore 8 Saving the world Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODE3MDE=