Nathan Visser from South Africa likes to have barbecues with his friends. He runs a company called BraaiBaas that makes special aprons and hoodies for barbecues. Nathan prefers to cook with wood instead of charcoal or gas, even though it might not be good for the environment. But now a company called Shisa Eco-briquettes is making a new type of fuel for barbecues. They use shells from macadamia nuts, which are a big crop in South Africa. The new fuel is better for the environment than charcoal and wood. It also makes the food smell better.
Some cooking methods can be bad for the environment and health. The World Health Organization says that 2.4 billion people use stoves that cause pollution. This can be bad for people’s health. Ziwa Hillington from Uganda makes cooking stoves and fuel from things that people would normally throw away. They are cheaper and better for the environment than charcoal. Sylvia Herzog from the Charcoal Project thinks that the market for eco-friendly fuel is still small. But she thinks it could be a good start to using cleaner energy.
Original news source: A nutty solution for cleaner stoves and barbecues (BBC)
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Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– FROM TRASH TO TREASURE
Instructions: Explain to students that some people are creating eco-friendly fuel from things that people would normally throw away. Ask students to brainstorm other ways they could turn trash into treasure. Write their ideas on the whiteboard and discuss as a class.
– BBQ FUEL PROS AND CONS
Instructions: Draw a table to show pros and cons of different types of barbecue fuel. Have students work in pairs or small groups to fill in the table with ideas from the article. Discuss as a class.
– BRAAIBAAS BUSINESS
Instructions: Tell students about Nathan Visser and his company BraaiBaas. Ask them to come up with their own business ideas for a product they could create related to barbecues. They can draw a picture of their product and present it to the class, explaining what it is and why it’s a good idea.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What does Nathan Visser like to do with his friends?
2. What is the name of Nathan’s company?
3. What does Nathan prefer to use when cooking?
4. What is Shisa Eco-briquettes making?
5. What do they use to make the new fuel?
6. Why is the new fuel better for the environment?
7. Who makes cooking stoves and fuel from things that would normally be thrown away?
8. What does Sylvia Herzog think about the market for eco-friendly fuel?
Go to answers ⇩
Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Nathan Visser from (1)________ likes to have barbecues with his friends. He runs a company called BraaiBaas that makes special aprons and hoodies for barbecues. Nathan prefers to cook with (2)________ instead of charcoal or gas, even though it might not be good for the environment. But now a company called Shisa Eco-briquettes is making a new type of fuel for barbecues. They use shells from macadamia nuts, which are a big crop in South Africa. The new fuel is better for the environment than charcoal and wood. It also makes the food smell (3)________.
Some cooking methods can be bad for the environment and health. The World Health Organization says that 2.4 billion people use stoves that cause (4)________. This can be bad for people’s health. Ziwa Hillington from Uganda makes cooking stoves and fuel from things that people would normally throw away. They are cheaper and better for the environment than (5)________. Sylvia Herzog from the Charcoal Project thinks that the market for eco-friendly fuel is still (6)________. But she thinks it could be a good start to using (7)_________ energy.
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Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. Do you like to have barbecues with your friends?
2. What does Nathan Visser do?
3. Does Nathan Visser like to cook with wood or gas?
4. Is the new fuel from Shisa Eco-briquettes better for the environment?
5. Does the new fuel from Shisa Eco-briquettes make food smell better?
6. Can some cooking methods be bad for the environment and health?
7. How many people use stoves that cause pollution according to the World Health Organization?
8. Is pollution bad for people’s health?
9. What does Ziwa Hillington make?
10. Is Ziwa Hillington’s stoves and fuel better for the environment than charcoal?
11. Is the market for eco-friendly fuel big or small according to Sylvia Herzog?
12. Is using cleaner energy important?
13. Have you ever used a cooking stove?
14. Do you know what charcoal is?
15. What can we do to help keep the environment clean?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. barbecues
2. environment
3. pollution
4. stoves
5. eco-friendly
6. fuel
7. charcoal
8. energy
Meanings:
A) Something that is used to make a fire
B) Something that is good for the Earth and doesn’t harm it
C) Dirty air and water that is harmful to people and animals
D) Something used for cooking food that can also cause pollution
E) A cooking method that involves grilling food over an open fire
F) Black pieces of material used for burning and cooking
G) Gasoline or electricity used to power things
H) The conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or works.
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Multiple Choice Questions:
1. What does Nathan Visser like to do with his friends?
(a) play video games
(b) watch movies
(c) have barbecues
(d) go shopping
2. What is the name of Nathan Visser’s company?
(a) BraaiBaas
(b) Shisa Eco-briquettes
(c) Ziwa Hillington
(d) The Charcoal Project
3. What does Nathan Visser prefer to cook with?
(a) electricity
(b) charcoal
(c) gas
(d) wood
4. What is the new fuel made by Shisa Eco-briquettes?
(a) shells from macadamia nuts
(b) wood
(c) coal
(d) plastic
5. Why is the new fuel better for the environment than charcoal and wood?
(a) it is made from plastic
(b) it makes the food taste better
(c) it causes less pollution
(d) it is more expensive
6. What is bad for people’s health according to the World Health Organization?
(a) using stoves that cause pollution
(b) drinking clean water
(c) playing outside
(d) reading books
7. What does Ziwa Hillington make cooking stoves and fuel from?
(a) silver
(b) gold
(c) diamonds
(d) things that people throw away
8. What does Sylvia Herzog think about the market for eco-friendly fuel?
(a) it is very big
(b) it is still small
(c) it doesn’t exist
(d) it is getting smaller
Go to answers ⇩
True or False Questions:
1. Nathan Visser hates to have barbecues with his friends.
2. BraaiBaas makes special aprons and hoodies for barbecues.
3. Nathan prefers to cook with gas instead of charcoal or wood.
4. Shisa Eco-briquettes makes a new type of fuel for barbecues from macadamia nut shells.
5. The new fuel is worse for the environment than charcoal and wood.
6. Cooking with stoves that cause pollution can be bad for people’s health.
7. Ziwa Hillington from Uganda makes cooking stoves and fuel from things that people would normally throw away.
8. Sylvia Herzog thinks that the market for eco-friendly fuel is not small.
Go to answers ⇩
Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
Writing Questions:
Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.
1. What does Nathan like to do with his friends?
2. What is BraaiBaas?
3. What is Shisa Eco-briquettes making?
4. Why is the new fuel better for the environment?
5. Who makes cooking stoves and fuel from things people would normally throw away?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. What does Nathan Visser like to do with his friends?
– Nathan likes to have barbecues with his friends.
2. What is the name of Nathan’s company?
– Nathan’s company is called BraaiBaas.
3. What does Nathan prefer to use when cooking?
– Nathan prefers to cook with wood.
4. What is Shisa Eco-briquettes making?
– Shisa Eco-briquettes is making a new type of fuel for barbecues.
5. What do they use to make the new fuel?
– They use shells from macadamia nuts to make the new fuel.
6. Why is the new fuel better for the environment?
– The new fuel is better for the environment because it causes less pollution.
7. Who makes cooking stoves and fuel from things that would normally be thrown away?
– Ziwa Hillington from Uganda makes cooking stoves and fuel from things that would normally be thrown away.
8. What does Sylvia Herzog think about the market for eco-friendly fuel?
– Sylvia Herzog thinks that the market for eco-friendly fuel is still small, but it could be a good start to using cleaner energy.
Go back to questions ⇧
Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
1. South Africa
2. wood
3. better
4. pollution
5. charcoal
6. small
7. cleaner
Go back to questions ⇧
Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. barbecues
Answer: E) A cooking method that involves grilling food over an open fire
2. environment
Answer: H) The conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or works
3. pollution
Answer: C) Dirty air and water that is harmful to people and animals
4. stoves
Answer: D) Something used for cooking food that can also cause pollution
5. eco-friendly
Answer: B) Something that is good for the Earth and doesn’t harm it
6. fuel
Answer: A) Something that is used to make a fire
7. charcoal
Answer: F) Black pieces of material used for burning and cooking
8. energy
Answer: G) Gasoline or electricity used to power things
Go back to questions ⇧
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. What does Nathan Visser like to do with his friends?
Answer: (c) have barbecues
2. What is the name of Nathan Visser’s company?
Answer: (a) BraaiBaas
3. What does Nathan Visser prefer to cook with?
Answer: (d) wood
4. What is the new fuel made by Shisa Eco-briquettes?
Answer: (a) shells from macadamia nuts
5. Why is the new fuel better for the environment than charcoal and wood?
Answer: (c) it causes less pollution
6. What is bad for people’s health according to the World Health Organization?
Answer: (a) using stoves that cause pollution
7. What does Ziwa Hillington make cooking stoves and fuel from?
Answer: (d) things that people throw away
8. What does Sylvia Herzog think about the market for eco-friendly fuel?
Answer: (b) it is still small
Go back to questions ⇧
True or False Answers:
1. Nathan Visser hates to have barbecues with his friends.
Answer: False
2. BraaiBaas makes special aprons and hoodies for barbecues.
Answer: True
3. Nathan prefers to cook with gas instead of charcoal or wood.
Answer: False
4. Shisa Eco-briquettes makes a new type of fuel for barbecues from macadamia nut shells.
Answer: True
5. The new fuel is worse for the environment than charcoal and wood.
Answer: False
6. Cooking with stoves that cause pollution can be bad for people’s health.
Answer: True
7. Ziwa Hillington from Uganda makes cooking stoves and fuel from things that people would normally throw away.
Answer: True
8. Sylvia Herzog thinks that the market for eco-friendly fuel is not small.
Answer: False
Go back to questions ⇧
