Three sixteen-year-olds from India have won this year's Earth Prize. This award is the world's largest environmental sustainability competition for teenagers. Teens can win by developing innovative solutions to global eco-challenges. The three Indian teenagers won by inventing a biodegradable powder made from old tamarind seeds. A tamarind is a tropical fruit that is used in sauces and desserts. The powder attracts microplastics when it is put in water. The microplastics stick together and form a mass that we can see. The mass of microplastics and powder can then be removed from the water with a magnet. The powder is a simple, cheap way to make water safer to drink in rural areas.
The three teenagers called their invention 'Plas-Stick'. They were extremely happy to win an award for it. They said: "Being named the global winners of the Earth Prize is incredibly special for all of us, especially as the first team from India to receive it." They added: "Tiny bits of plastic hide in our drinking water, but they're too small to see. We made a special powder from thrown-away tamarind seeds that acts like a magnet for these tiny plastics." Their website outlines another benefit. It said: "The collected plastic is safely turned into small useful items… so it can't return to nature. This simple method helps protect people, animals, and our planet from invisible plastic pollution."
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Talk about these words from the article.
sixteen-year-olds / award / sustainability / teenagers / biodegradable / microplastics / invention / extremely happy / drinking water / tamarind / return to nature / planet
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Discussion
1) What do you think about what you read?
2) What do you think of the name 'Plas-Stick'?
3) Would you use this new invention?
4) What can we use instead of plastic?
5) What other types of pollution are you worried about?
6) What will the world be like if we use even more plastic?
7) What can we do to protect our planet from invisible pollution?
8) What questions would you like to ask the teenage prizewinners?
