Our Environment and Keeping It Clean
"Understand ecosystems, waste segregation (wet vs dry), and reducing pollution."
A Today you'll learn
- Define the environment and recognize its living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components
- Understand types of pollution (air, water, land, noise) and their causes
- Practice waste segregation (biodegradable vs non-biodegradable) and the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)
B Let's understand
Our environment includes everything that surrounds us — air, water, soil, plants, animals, and buildings. A healthy, clean environment is essential for all life on Earth. When harmful chemicals, smoke, and garbage dirty the air, water, or soil, it is called pollution. Vehicles and factory smoke cause air pollution; throwing sewage and plastics into rivers causes water pollution; and dumping garbage on open ground causes land pollution. We can protect our planet by segregating green (wet/biodegradable kitchen waste) and blue (dry/recyclable plastic, glass, paper) bins, and following the 3Rs: Reduce the things we consume, Reuse containers, and Recycle waste materials.
C See it step by step
- Biodegradable: Waste that rots and decomposes naturally in the soil by microorganisms (e.g., fruit peels, leftover food, dry leaves, paper).
- Non-biodegradable: Waste that does not decay naturally and remains in the environment for hundreds of years (e.g., plastic bags, Styrofoam, glass, tin cans).
- Trees absorb harmful carbon dioxide and pollutants from the air.
- They release clean oxygen through photosynthesis.
- Tree roots hold topsoil firmly to prevent soil erosion during heavy rains.
D Your turn
E Ready to practise?
Key idea 1
The environment consists of all living and non-living surroundings.
Pollution is the contamination of air
Pollution is the contamination of air, water, land, and sound by harmful substances.
Key idea 3
Biodegradable waste decomposes naturally; non-biodegradable waste persists for centuries.
Key idea 4
Wet waste belongs in green dustbins; dry recyclable waste belongs in blue dustbins.
The 3Rs — Reduce
The 3Rs — Reduce, Reuse, Recycle — help conserve natural resources and cut down waste.