演題：３つの「A」で地球を救う
The Three A's to Save Our Planet
Have you recently had any chances to be in an all-natural environment? A chance to get away from the concrete buildings and glaring lights of the city, into the peaceful realm of trees, grass, and the endless blue sky stretching over you?
Sadly, I think the majority of you have not been to a special place like that in a while. In our busy daily lives, we just don't have many chances to escape the city. With the diminishing amount of time we humans in developed countries spend out in the wilderness, we are beginning to forget the respect we need to have for our planet. Our useful technology has created a lifestyle that is amazingly convenient, but also devastating to the environment. Our air conditioners, cars, electricity plants . . . every one of them is contributing to the growing problem of global warming, causing the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere to be higher than at any time during the last 650,000 years. But many of us do not realize how urgent the situation is.
I'm not saying that we aren't aware of global warming. With the media constantly reminding us of carbon dioxide emissions, the morally conscious people are starting to make efforts such as saving electricity. However, the truth is that many people still do not care enough, or rather, know enough, about the environment to take drastic measures to help the cause. I think the only way to encourage everyone to always keep global warming in mind is to make a revolution in their minds, a revolution to help everybody realize what a beautiful place the Earth is, and to make them want to save it by their own hands. This is where education becomes the key point.
With the increasing number of people concentrated in urban areas, less and less children have the chance to immerse themselves in natural environments. I think that the children living in cities need to have more time to feel the power of nature. Love for nature equals love for our planet, and that will eventually propel the children's desire to prevent our planet's destruction. What better way of saving the Earth is there, than teaching the leaders of tomorrow to respect their planet?
To make this possible, I propose a school program that focuses completely on the planet Earth. The program will focus on the Three "A"s: Appreciation, Awareness, and Action. It will start in preschool, where children will go on field trips to nearby forests and rivers. This will foster children's Appreciation towards Mother Nature by allowing them to simply have fun playing outside. Continuing in elementary school, the program will begin to have an academic side, in which the students can attend lessons to understand the causes and effects of global warming. Lastly, in middle and high schools, there may be classes in which students discuss innovative ways to stop climate change. The ultimate goal is for the students to appreciate nature, be aware of global warming, and most importantly, have the will to take action to overcome the crisis.
The program can be initiated in two ways. The first is to speak up to get the actual school program started. It would take hard work and close cooperation, but if enough people join the cause, I have faith that the government will try to include more environmental education in the school curriculums. For example, in Australia, the government is partnering with schools and communities to promote environmental education for sustainability. The program started in 2004, but already, over 2000 schools and 570,000 children have become participants. I hope that Japan can follow the example. Now, the second way is a lot easier. We can get the Three A's Program started by ourselves today. Those of you who are parents, you can take your children camping, and teach them Appreciation towards wildlife. Or, perhaps we students can work on the Awareness part by ourselves, by researching about global warming. And we can all take Action by working with our families to lessen the carbon dioxide emissions in our daily lives.
So, what are we waiting for? Let's start working together to teach the next generation to be good guardians of our planet. I hope the Three A's Program will begin today and eventually spread to every family, school, and region in Japan. Thank you.
