Unit 8:ECR

Read the texts and choose the best answer to each question.

Cardboard Bikes

1 If you were to hear the words cardboard bicycle, you would probably think, Impossible! But Israeli inventor Izhar Gafni thought, No problem!

2 Gafni developed the idea after he learned about a canoe made from cardboard. As a cycling enthusiast and mechanical engineer, Gafni was confident that a cardboard bicycle was possible. But when he shared his idea with other engineers, they doubted his plan.

3 Gafni set to work. He decided to build a cardboard bicycle on his own. The biggest difficulty was creating cardboard that would be strong enough to hold the weight of a person. He discovered the solution to this problem by thinking about Japanese origami. In origami, paper is folded to create different shapes. Gafni realized that these folds made the paper stronger. When he used folded cardboard, he could triple the amount of weight the cardboard could bear. He tested the folded cardboard under cars and cinder blocks to be sure it would work. Next, he created a coating for the bike that would make it weather resistant. Eventually, the bikes were painted with acrylic paints mixed with add-ons that sealed and enhanced them.

4 After developing several prototypes, the bicycle was finished. It weighs only about 30 pounds, yet it can carry up to 350 pounds of weight. The entire bike is made of recycled cardboard, recycled plastic, and recycled car tires. It is both fireproof and waterproof. The production of a cardboard bike costs less than $20!

5 Unfortunately, as with many innovative ideas, it is difficult to secure enough money to get a product in the hands of consumers. Cardboard Technologies, the company that Gafni founded along with his partners, holds the rights to the cardboard bike design. The company has already secured the funding to mass produce the bikes so they can be purchased for only $49.

6 At this time, the future of the cardboard bike is unclear. But what is clear is that Izhar Gafni developed an idea that benefits the environment. Consumers will also benefit from the low cost and from the knowledge that they are doing their part to protect Earth.

Special thanks to cardboardtech.com for providing information and a photograph for the cardboard bike.

Plastic Bottle Village

1 How many plastic bottles do you throw away in one year? An average American uses about 170 plastic water bottles a year! But only about 25% of these bottles are recycled. Unfortunately, America is not the only country with this problem.

2 Robert Bezeau moved from Canada to Panama in 2009. He soon noticed that the beaches were littered with plastic bottles. In 2012, he started a recycling project. He, along with volunteers, collected plastic bottles. In just a year and a half, they had gathered one million plastic bottles.

3 In 2015, Bezeau came up with a plan for these plastic bottles. He developed the idea to construct a Plastic Bottle Village in the jungles of Panama. His plan was to construct a community consisting of 90 to 120 homes made using plastic bottles. The 83-acre community would also consist of gardens, a small boutique, and parks. Bezeau would also like to include an education center so others can be taught how to use discarded plastic.

4 The process for constructing a plastic bottle home is not complex. First, a steel frame with wire mesh is constructed in the shape of the home. The “cages” are then filled with plastic bottles. The number of bottles needed varies based on the size of the home. The first home constructed in 2015 used 10,000 bottles. A two-story home that used 22,000 bottles was completed in 2016. A four-story “castle” was built in July of 2017 using 40,000 bottles. Then, electricity and plumbing are added. The final step is plastering concrete over the wire cages. The plastic bottles are very good insulators. The plastic bottles help keep the home at a comfortable temperature. The frame and the plastic bottles have a certain amount of flexibility, so the homes can even withstand the tremors of earthquakes.

Cages filled with plastic bottles Concrete plastered over wire cages

5 At the close of 2017, an initiative called the Carbon Footprint Sticker was started to collect plastic bottles and to be beneficial for the community. When visitors travel to Bocas del Toro, Panama, they can receive 25 carbon footprint stickers after making a small contribution. When a visitor finishes a beverage, he simply places a sticker on the bottle. Then, a local citizen takes the bottle with a sticker and exchanges it for food at a local supermarket. Each bottle is worth five cents. So, 50 bottles equal $2.50 in food. This may not seem like a lot. But for the poorest people in Panama, the money helps them meet their basic needs.

6 All of this has been the result of Robert Bezeau noticing a problem. He developed an innovative solution to that problem. His solution aids the environment and the local community. And that is a win for everyone. Special thanks to Plastic King Robert Bezeau for providing information and photographs about the Plastic Bottle Village.

Read the articles “Cardboard Bikes and “Plastic Bottle Village.” Based on the information in the selections, write a response to the following:Explain whether cardboard bikes or plastic bottle homes have a greater impact on the environment.Write a well-organized opinion essay that uses specific evidence from the selections to support your answer.Remember to —

• clearly state your claim
• organize your writing
• develop your ideas in detail
• use evidence from both selections in your response
• use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar

Manage your time carefully so that you can —

• review the selections
• plan your response
• write your response
• write your response

Write your response in the box provided.