Rob Greenfield: The Mountain-Cleaning Mountaineer - A Story of Environmentalism

Rob Greenfield: The Mountain-Cleaning Mountaineer

Why Does Rob Collect Rubbish?

1. Personal Benefits: Rob benefits from collecting rubbish in several ways. It's a healthy hobby that keeps him active and provides a sense of purpose. The act of cleaning up his environment brings him satisfaction.

2. Everest Expedition: Rob's dedication to cleaning up mountains garnered significant publicity, which ultimately enabled him to embark on an expedition to Mount Everest in 2006.

Fact or Fiction: Analyzing Rob's Actions

Let's examine some statements about Rob and determine their validity based on the provided text:

Statements and Justification:

1. Statement: Rob climbs mountains because it's challenging.
   Answer: False. The text states that Rob climbs mountains specifically to collect rubbish (line 2).
2. Statement: Rob used to complain about the rubbish in his hometown.
   Answer: False. Instead of complaining, Rob took proactive measures and began picking up the rubbish himself (line 4).
3. Statement: Cans and bottles take the same amount of time to degrade.
   Answer: False. The text highlights that bottles are worse for the environment because glass takes a significantly longer time to degrade – a million years (line 11).
4. Statement: Rob wants more people to understand the litter problem.
   Answer: True. Rob's actions are driven by a desire to raise awareness about the pervasive issue of litter and its impact on the environment (lines 17-18).

Vocabulary Exploration

• Synonym for BIG: Large (line 5)
• Opposite of FILLED: Emptied
• Word meaning "bring back to an original state": Restore (line 13)
• Noun with the same root as COLLECT: Collection

Sentence Transformations and Questions

1. Passive Voice:
   Original: Rob finds all kinds of rubbish on mountains in the UK.
   Passive: All kinds of rubbish is found by Rob on mountains in the UK.
2. Joining Sentences with Relative Pronoun:
   Original: In 2006, Rob climbed Mt Everest. He collected rubbish from the base camp there.
   Combined: In 2006, Rob climbed Mt Everest, where he collected rubbish from the base camp.
3. Sentence Rewriting:
   Original: Many mountaineers climb mountains because the mountains present a challenge.
   Rewritten: The mountains present a challenge, so/therefore many mountaineers climb them.
4. Question for Underlined Word:
   Sentence: In a two-day visit, Rob filled six bin bags with rubbish.
   Question: How many bin bags did Rob fill with rubbish in a two-day visit?