VOA标准英语2014--“enviropreneur”—变废为宝,拯救环境

 

Enviropreneur Seeks to Save the Environment, Empower Community “enviropreneur”—变废为宝,拯救环境

NAIROBI—

Lorna Rutto, a former banker, is now an ‘enviropreneur’ - turning plastic waste into furniture and fences. Rutto discusses the challenges faced in Africa with raw materials and the environment.

Thirty-year old Nicodemus Muli is in the final stages of making a recycled plastic post. Three years ago Muli joined Ecopost, an environmental company that recycles plastic waste into useable products.

“I like working in Ecopost plastic processing because it helps me to bring up my family. And on top of that it helps us clean up the environment and to make posts, which are less harmful to the environment,” Muli stated.

Before the plastic becomes poles it goes through a series of steps. The plastic is first shredded¹ into tiny bits in an industrial shredder. Muli then mixes the shredded plastic in a trough ... where it is heated to compact the shredded bits. Finally the plastic mold is dipped in water to cool.

Ecopost began in 2009 and since then the company says it has preserved more than 350 acres of forests by selling 30,000 plastic posts. The plant, located in Babadogo on the outskirts² of Nairobi produces 110 posts daily. A post costs approximately seven dollars.

A report released last July by the United Nations Environment Programme states that reducing, recycling and redesigning products that use plastics can bring multiple green economy benefits. Environmentalist Roland Simiyu spoke³ to VOA about the benefits of recycling and its effect on the environment.

“Recycling reduces the amount of waste discarded, it creates job opportunities and it also reduces the amount of energy consumption. //  Now for future sustainability of environment it means people have to check their habit of consuming goods and services,” Simiyu said.

In 2009, Lorna Rutto pooled around $4,000 from her savings⁴, family and friends to begin EcoPost. Since then the enviropreneur has created more than 550 direct and indirect job opportunities.

“ ... Especially for the youth and women groups who are marginalized. How we do it is we work with them by cleaning, collecting and sorting plastic waste which they bring into the factory for processing, then we manufacture it into various aesthetic⁵ durable⁶ fencing poles, sign posts and building and construction materials,” explained Rutto.

Two weeks ago EcoPost commissioned a new plant, which when fully⁷ operational will produce five hundred plastic posts a day, bringing closer to reality Rutto’s dream of a green Africa free from poverty.

1 shredded   

shred的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Serve the fish on a bed of shredded lettuce. 先铺一层碎生菜叶，再把鱼放上，就可以上桌了。
• I think Mapo beancurd and shredded meat in chilli sauce are quite special. 我觉得麻婆豆腐和鱼香肉丝味道不错。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

5 aesthetic   

adj.美学的，审美的，有美感

参考例句：

• My aesthetic standards are quite different from his.我的审美标准与他的大不相同。
• The professor advanced a new aesthetic theory.那位教授提出了新的美学理论。

6 durable   

adj.持久的，耐久的

参考例句：

• This raincoat is made of very durable material.这件雨衣是用非常耐用的料子做的。
• They frequently require more major durable purchases.他们经常需要购买耐用消费品。

7 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。