Jimmy likes to follow rubbish trucks. His strange habit makes sense when you consider that he's an environmental scientist who studies how to reduce rubbish, including things that fall off rubbish trucks as they drive down the road. What is even more interesting is that one of Jimmy's jobs is defending an industry behind the plastic shopping bag.

Americans use more than 100 billion thin film plastic bags every year. So many and up in tree branches or along highways that a growing number of cities do not allow them in supermarkets. The bags are not allowed in some 90 cities in California, including Los Angeles. Seeing these headwinds, plastic-bag makers are hiring scientists like Jimmy to make the case that their products are not as bad for the planet as most people assume.

Among the bag bakers' arguments: many cities with bans still allow shoppers to buy paper bags, which are easily recycled but require more energy to produce and transport. And while plastic bags may be ugly to look at, they make up a small percentage of all rubbish on the ground today.

The industry has also taken aid at the product that has appeared as its replacement; reusable shopping bags. The stronger are usable bag is, the longer its life and the more plastic-bag use it cancels out. However, long-lasting reusable bags often require more energy to make. One study found that a cotton bag must be used at least 131 times to be better for the earth than plastic.

Environmentalists don't question these points.They hope paper bags will be banned someday, too. They want shoppers to use the same reusable bags for years.

The “Three Rs” of Environmental Protection

Last time you drank a soda in an aluminum can or water in a plastic bottle, what did you do with thecan or bottle when you were finished? Did you know both could be recycled? To recycle something is to make it into something else. Pollution is the introduction of harmful chemicals into the environment that can hurt people and the earth. Pollutants can come from garbage that isn’t recycled. 【小题1】 . These pollutants can make us and animals very sick. It is a big problem in our world today.

Is there something you can do about it? There sure is. 【小题2】 .

First, reduce. Something simple like turning off the lights when you leave a room or turning off the water faucet while you brush your teeth can make a big difference.   【小题3】 , and even using a cloth towel rather than a paper towel when you spill something in the kitchen can help our planet.

When you don’t want a toy you have anymore, don’t just throw it away. Find a friend who might want it. That is reusing. Clothes you have grown out of can be donated for others to wear. A plastic cup you drank out of can be cleaned and used to store small toys in your room.   【小题4】

【小题5】 . Look on the bottom of plastic cups and containers. If you see a recyclable symbol, you can recycle the item. Newspapers, school papers, even glass jars and bottles can be recycled. Most neighborhoods have garbage trucks that just pick up recyclable items. Ask your parents if there is one in your area and use it.

We only have one planet to live on. Be someone who makes an effort to take care of it.

Multiple actions have been taken to fight food waste, but one young man is making a big difference with   technology. Liu Jichen, a student from Tsinghua University, has developed a WeChat mini-program called “Clear Your Plate”.

After a meal, users can open the mini-program and take a picture of their empty plates. Once the image is recognized by the AI, students can collect points and use them to buy gifts or purchase charity meals donated to children in poor areas.

The idea came from Liu’s experience in a canteen where he found that diners finishing their food could get a card and then small gifts with a certain number of cards collected.

“Technological innovation is a good way to reduce food waste and contribute to global food challenges.” Liu thought. With this in mind, he organized a team of 20 members to work on the project in 2017. To solve the AI’s problem of identifying photos of empty plates, the team spent half a year collecting over 100,000 samples in canteens and restaurants. In 2018, the mini-program was officially put into operation on Oct 16, World Food Day.

This year, the one-month campaign has attracted almost 1.6 million participants and collectively reduced food waste by 862 tons and carbon emissions by 3,337 tons.

“There were so many unknowns in research and development. For us, the biggest psychological challenge was whether we were confident enough to complete it,” Liu said. However, they not only achieved their goal, but now, the mini-program has more than 5 million registered users.

Thanks to his actions concerning social issues, Liu Jichen was inducted into the 2020 Class of Young Leaders   for the Sustainable Development Goals in September.