Sids Big OE - Week 7
What a mess! Last week I was checking out the environmental disaster created when the container ship the Rena hit the Astrolabe Reef just off Tauranga. Can you find Tauranga on a map of New Zealand?
I am on my way back to Christchurch but thought I would stop off to see some friends first. It is vital that we protect our marine habitats for the future. Many of my friends here have been hunted to the edge of extinction and their habitats are being destroyed. Have you heard of Marine Conservation Areas?
Week 7 Clues
1. This town in on the east coast of the South Island.
2. If you get on a boat you can get really close to some of the biggest mammals on earth.
3. You can see sea lions sunbathing on rocks as you drive along the coast.
4. The town gets its named from the Māori words for "food" and "crayfish".
Sids Big OE – Week 6
Week 6 Clues
- I am on my way home and I'm looking forward to seeing you all again. I am going to stop off at a place in New Zealand - see if you can use these clues to where I will be this week.
- This city is in the North Island.
- It has been in the news a lot lately because of an environmental disaster on the Astrolabe Reef just off the coast.
- A container ship called the Rena was involved.
- Lots of oil and debris was washed into the ocean and onto the beaches.
Sid's Big OE - Week 5
As you might have worked out, I was in the Pacific Ocean. What an awesome place the ocean is. I was very upset to see the amount of rubbish floating about. Have you heard about the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch? This is where a lot of the plastic and other rubbish that is washed into the ocean ends up. It may take many years for the ocean currents to take it there and some scientists think it could be as big as Texas! It has plastic bags, plastic bottles, nets and all sorts of other rubbish in it. Animals get caught in the drifting nets, or eat some of the plastic thinking it is food. You can help by making sure you don’t drop rubbish on the streets to get washed through the drains into the sea, and always take your rubbish home with you to recycle or reuse. Reducing the amount of plastic you use is also a big help to our environment. You could:
• Use reusable/cloth bags for groceries and shopping.
• Use a drink bottle that can be washed and used lots of times.
• Use biodegradable packaging and avoid polystyrene or plastic. What packaging does your favourite takeaway food use?
Week 5 Clues.
This week I am getting closer to home. Here are my clues for you.
• This country is made up of about 32 coral attols.
• The population is about 113,000
• None of the islands are more than a few metres above sea level.
• Some of the islands are already uninhabitable because of rising sea levels attributed to global warming.
• Their government is looking at buying land in Fiji to shift everyone to safety.
• The country begins with K.
• This is their flag.
Week 4
Did you work out
that I was in Japan? During last year’s earthquake in Japan one of their
nuclear power plants was severely damaged causing radioactive contamination.
Nuclear power is very efficient but has huge costs to the environment when
things go wrong. I think we need to look at more planet friendly options. What
do you know about renewable energy in New Zealand?
At the moment I
am on a yacht. Our oceans are amazing places full of animals, fish and plants
and many people depend on the ocean to feed themselves and their families. But
some areas are being exploited and the fish and animals are endangered. While I
was pondering this problem and what we could do to help, I heard a gentle
tapping on the side of my yacht. It was a turtle asking for help. She had a bit
of plastic tangled around one of her flippers and was wondering if I could help
her get it off. Luckily I could. Then she told me all about the plastic and
other rubbish in our oceans. I need to check out these problems in our oceans
and find out what we can do to help.
This week's clues.
You need to find out the name
of the ocean I am crossing at the moment?
Clue 1. This ocean is
the largest on our planet.
Clue 2. I headed east
from my last destination.
Clue 3. Here are photos
of some endangered friends I have met so far.
Week 3
That was a bit trickier for you! I spent last week in Indonesia. Here is a map to show you where that is.
Why is this happening?
I found out that one of the main reasons forests are being destroyed is to produce palm oil - something that is found in a lot of foods and cosmetics because it is cheap. I think that is wrong because it has a huge cost to our environment.
What can you do to help?
You could boycott (stop buying) products that have palm oil in them. There are plenty of alternatives that are better for our planet. It is also important that you don't buy furniture made from rain forest wood. So before you buy that cake of chocolate make sure it doesn't use palm oil and help save the orangutans.
Where next?
Here are this week's clues in photos. Get mum or dad to help you figure it out.
This country has problems with nuclear contamination from the destruction of power plant after a recent earthquake.
Week 2
Did you work out that I was in Australia? While I was there I learnt about the importance of conserving water. Did you know that you can collect rainwater off the roof of your house to use for watering the vegetable garden? What a good idea. My friend Kanga the Roo also told me I should turn off the tap when I am brushing my teeth so I don't waste water. I will definitely do that from now on.
This week I am in a much different country north of Australia. These are your clues:
1. It is made up of over 17,000 separate islands!
2. Over 237,000,000 people live there.
3. The capital city is Jakarta.
4. One of the main environmental problems is deforestation. This means that my new friend Oscar the Orangutan is losing his habitat.
I am going to find out why they are cutting down all the forests and let you know next week what we could do to help.
Sid
Week 1
Hi Room 19
I got lonely in the classroom by myself and thought I would help you with your Save the World Inquiry. On Easter Sunday I packed my bags, grabbed my passport and headed to the airport to catch the first plane heading out of New Zealand. Here are some clues and a photo of the country I landed in. Keep checking this page for updates and see if you can figure out where I am.
1. This country is a neighbour of New Zealand.
This country has a huge variety of climates - from tropical rainforests to deserts.
One of the main environmental issues for the people who live here is water.
Some places get a lot of floods and but many are suffering from droughts.
I wonder how they could get the water from the places that have too much to the places that need it?
