帮助拯救地球

Star Scout1 Grant Shepard from Troop 16 in Oak Park ,Ill., wants to make a difference in this world―and does. To help his community, he says, “I base my ecological2 work in three areas: air, land and water.”

For air, he has saved almost six tons of carbon dioxide3 from being emitted4 into the atmosphere. How? Grant calculates5 that he’s biked more than 11,000 miles in his lifetime, averaging 1,500miles a year. And a car emits about one pound each mile it’s driven.

For water, Grant has worked more than three years with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. “I monitor6 and determine7 local stream quality,” he explains.

And for land, Grant helps a local ecology group restore a 200-acre local oak savanna8. He cuts out nonnative plants, burns brush and plants native seeds.

Grant’s volunteer work has made national news. He won the Time Magazine For Kids Hometown Heroes Award and was a runner-up9 for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Youth Award.

“I just want to make a difference,” Grant says. “If other Scouts see what I do and use it as an example, then that’s making a difference, too.”

格兰特・谢泼德是来自伊利诺伊州奥克帕克第16童子军团的童子军杰出少年，他想为这个世界做点与众不同的事情――他做到了。为了帮助自己所在的社区，他说：“我把生态学的研究工作集中在三个方面：空气、土壤和水。”

说到空气，他个人就已经避免了近6吨的二氧化碳废气排放，这是怎么回事呢？格兰特算了一下，他有生以来已经骑自行车跑了1.1万多英里的路程，平均每年1500英里。而一辆汽车每行驶一英里就会排放出约一英磅的二氧化碳。

那么水呢，格兰特已经为伊利诺伊州自然资源部工作三年多了。他解释道：“我监测并测定当地小溪中的水质。”

至于土壤，格兰特帮助一个当地生态小组恢复了一片200英亩的橡树稀树草原。他砍伐外来植物，烧掉杂灌木并播下本地植物的种子。

格兰特的志愿工作成了全国性的新闻。他获得了《时代周刊》杂志儿童版评选的家乡杰出人物奖，还是环保局颁发的环保青年奖得主。

“我只是想做点与众不同的事情，”格兰特说，“如果其他的童子军成员看到我所做的事情并把它视为榜样的话，那么这就算与众不同了。”

注解

1 scout n. [美]童子军

2 ecologica anj . 生态学的，生态的

3 carbon dioxide n. [化]二氧化碳

4 emit vt. 发出，散发（光、热、声、气味等）

5 calculate vt. 计算，核算

6 monitor vt. 监测，检测

7 determine vt. 查明，测定

8 savanna n. =savannah 稀树草原

9 runner-up n. 亚军，冠军以下的优胜者