U6_Track1&2
So why don't you get
1 : Gena. Oh my gosh are you okay you look completely
frozen.
2 : Oh yeah I'm pretty cold. I probably shouldn't have
ridden my bike. Here
1 : you came by bike no wonder you're cold. I mean it is
late December and the weather forecast did say it might
snow this evening. Why don't you go back to driving like
you used to?
2 : Well you know me riding my bike is better for the
environment and it's better for my body and my wallet. So
I really want to keep riding my bike. I do wish I could get
something like a pod ride though that would make things
more comfortable in bad weather and in the winter. A
what ride?
2 : A pod ride. It's a kind of bicycle that looks like a tiny
car. It's really innovative. It was invented by a swedish man
named Michael shellman at least I think that's how his
name is pronounced. He's an engineer. Anyway
2 : one of my coworkers sent me a link to some videos
and articles about it and now I want to get one.
1 : Really I'm not sure why having a bicycle that looks like
a car would help you for that matter. I'm not even sure
how a bicycle can look like a car.
2 : Well it has four wheels for one thing but they're set
pretty close together so that you can ride it in bike lanes
or on roads which is pretty practical. And it has a body
made of I think some type of fabric material that
completely encloses the rider. So once you're sitting
inside.
2 : You're protected from the weather. What's more it has
a built in heater too. Both of those things would have
been helpful on my ride here today. The seat is supposed
to be really comfortable too much more like a car seat
than a normal bike.
2 : Oh and it also has a small electric motor so if there's a
really steep hill to climb I can just switch on the motor
and take things easy. That would definitely make my daily
commute less tiring.
1 : Sounds interesting but would it be safe?
2 : Yeah apparently the designer has included plenty of
safety features. When you're riding it you're sitting in the
same position and at about the same height as a driver in
a small car so the visibility is supposed to be good.
2 : And because the bike frame is fully covered and has
lights, others on the road will be able to see me more
easily too. The four wheels make it more stable than a
regular bike, especially on bumpy trails and when you go
around corners. So yeah, I'd say it's pretty safe.
2 : There's one minor thing though apparently it's not
great when there's a lot of snow on the ground but I
don't use my bike on days like that anyway so I don't see
that as a major issue.
1 : Ha it does sound interesting.
one gina
2 : Well I tried googling to see if there were any bike
stores nearby that sell it but nothing came up. There is a
website but it just says that the pod ride is coming soon.
1 : Well, sites like that usually let you sign up to be on
their mailing list so you can know when the product's
released. Oh, and you should follow the inventor. On
social media you might hear something that way, too.
2 : Good ideas. Thanks maggie. I'll do that.
1 : No problem but I don't think you should ride your bike
home after dinner Dan and I will take you in the car. I
think there's space for your bike in the trunk. Anyway let's
go to the kitchen and see what dan's cooking.
2 : Hmm it smells amazing.
U6_Track4
1 : Listen again to part of the conversation
2 : A pod ride it's a kind of bicycle that looks like a tiny
car.
It's really innovative. It was invented by a swedish man
named Michael shellman at least I think that's how his
name is pronounced. He's an engineer. Anyway,
2 : One of my coworkers sent me a link to some videos
and articles about it and now I want to get one.
3 : Really I'm not sure why having a bicycle that looks like
a car would help you for that matter I'm not even sure
how a bicycle can look like a car.
1 : What does maggie imply when she says this.
3 : For that matter I'm not even sure how a bicycle can
look like a car.
U7_Track1
1 : Good evening. Welcome to the monthly meeting of
the west bridge environmental society. I'm delighted to
welcome Adam fincher as our guest tonight. Adam's in
this country to promote his new book recycling turned
upside down and we're extremely lucky that he has
agreed to speak to us on this topic. I'm sure his passion
and energy will give you all renewed motivation. He has
to leave early though. So in a change to our usual format
he'll deliver the talk first and we'll take care of other
business later. Anyway enough for me. The stage is yours.
Adam
2 : Thank you. It's very nice to be here and see such a
large audience especially one with so many young people
that gives me optimism for the future and makes me feel
that we're going to be able to fix the environmental crisis
if we all work together. Anyway as Janet said today I'm
going to be sharing some ideas from my new book called
recycling turned upside down which is available for me
after my talk or in bookstores and online. One of the key
points that I make in my book is that we all could do
more in terms of recycling. It's easy to rely on the
government to manage recycling or to expect that pair for the next few years. And when I do shop for
companies will do the right thing. And sure it's possible clothes, I could precycle by choosing items that are very
that governments or businesses will step up but possible good quality because these items would last for a long
isn't good enough. The only person you can definitely rely time before I need to recycle them. Another way to pre
on to protect the environment is yourself. Before I explain cycle is to buy something that you can share with others.
how you can do that more effectively, I need to define For example, a book if there's a book I want to read, I find
some terms. We all know what recycling means right? It's out which of my friends are also interested and we agree
converting things that have been thrown away into a to buy just one copy and share. So that's precycling and
product or material that can be reused. In other words you can read more about it in my book. Okay sure thanks.
instead of just getting rid of something because it's no Okay now let me inspire you, I hope, with some exciting
longer useful, we turn it into something else that is useful. examples of upcycling.
But if we're going to recycle more effectively we need to
understand two new terms, down cycling and up cycling
and how they differ. In my book I define downcycling as
changing something through the process of recycling into
a product that is less valuable in some way than the
original item or material. Well let me give you an example.
Take a typical plastic water bottle the kind that we use U7_Track3
once and then toss out. When thousands of such bottles
are recycled, they are typically melted down to form a 1 : Listen again to part of the talk.
plastic that is a hybrid or mix of lower quality than the
2 : Thank you. It's very nice to be here and see such a
original plastic. This is downcycling because the material
large audience, especially one with so many young people
the recycled plastic I mean is lower quality than the
that gives me optimism for the future and makes me feel
original material and so has less value. I'm sure I don't
that we're going to be able to fix the environmental crisis
need to spell this out but most of what we think of as
if we all work together. Anyway as Janet said today, I'm
traditional recycling is in fact downcycling. In contrast
going to be sharing some ideas from my new book called
there's upcycling which we can understand most easily as
recycling turned upside down which is available for me
being the opposite of downcycling.
after my talk or in bookstores and online.
2 : Instead of recycling something in a way that makes it
1 : Why does the speaker say this
less valuable we reuse it in such a way that we create
more value from. Again an example take those plastic 2 : which is available from me after my talk or in
water bottles. Instead of melting them down to produce bookstores and online.
low quality plastic. Why not turn them into something
practical such as pots for house plants or turn them into
something attractive like a work of art. Before I give you
more examples of how to use upcycling to protect our
planet I want to clarify something from what I've said so
far. You might be thinking that I prefer up cycling to
downcycling and you'd be right but please don't think
that this means downcycling is of no benefit. In fact
downcycling has many benefits for the environment. For
one thing it allows us to use materials again and again
which means we use fewer resources and raw materials
we use less energy we produce less pollution and so on.
And for another thing downcycled materials can be
reused in ways that make them useful or that add value.
For example, the low quality plastic from recycled water
bottles can be turned into park benches which are
certainly useful items. Before I go on does anybody have
any questions? Yes

3 : Ecuse me Adam but will you be talking about

precycling at all this evening?

2 : Precycling is the it's something I cover in my book but

I won't be talking about it tonight. Actually looking
around the room I can see some surprised faces. So let
me explain it briefly. For those of you who don't know
some people use the term precycling when they talk
about making the decision not to buy something that will
have to be recycled. So for example the simplest act of
precycling is not buying something that you really don't
need f meI already have four or five pairs of jeans in my
closet so I could probably precycle by not buying another
U7_Track4

1 : Listen again to part of the talk

2 : this is downcycling because the material, the recycled

plastic, I mean, is lower quality than the original material
and so has less value. I'm sure I don't need to spell this
out but most of what we think of as traditional recycling
is, in fact, downcycling.

1 : Why does the speaker say this?

2 : I'm sure I don't need to spell this out.