The Bournemouth Showcase!

The students’ teams present their project, both as an audio or video pitch and a written report created during the language exchange weeks in Bournemouth.

Contents of the 9 teams’ contributions

1. Is it necessary to kill badgers to stop the spreading of the bovine tuberculosis? ↓
2. Exploring the green garden landscapes ↓
3. Are foxes really a danger? ↓
4. The charity which saves the beauty of England, Northern Ireland and Wales ↓
5. How can the environment be improved? ↓
6. Red Squirrels threatened with extinction ↓
7. The cliffs – a rescue from the flood ↓
8. Golf = Environmental destruction? ↓
9. Chines, a spectacular creation of nature ↓

English for the Environment – the Environment in English!

Learning English and doing project work on environmental topics at the same time? The yearly language exchange weeks for students of the Wetzikon School of Economics and Accounting (wkvw.ch) allow for both. During two weeks, the students of class M16a not only lived with guest parents, but attended BEET language school at Bournemouth to improve their English skills. Two teachers accompanied the class (English and Environment & Technology).

In the afternoons, the students researched various local environment topics in groups of two or three. These topics ranged from species conservation issues (f.ex. viability of red squirrel populations in view of invasive grey squirrels) to animal protection matters (f.ex. proportionality of badger culling to stop bovine tuberculosis) and from local environmental problems (f.ex. environmental soundness of golf courses) to the protection of typical natural habitats in the vicinity (f.ex. protection of the Bournemouth red sandstone cliffs from human impact and erosion).

During the course of their projects, the students of M16a did not only research on site, but also performed a survey among locals and tourists and interviewed an expert as well, so they were forced to use their English skills in a real life context. To summarise their research, the students then wrote a report (writing skills and use of English) and presented their results as well (speaking skills as well as discourse management). In this showcase, M16a students present their projects both as an oral pitch and a written report (media competencies).

Dr. Eva Waiblinger
Teacher “Technology & Environment”,
Zoologist & animal behaviour scientist

1. Is it necessary to kill badgers to stop the spreading of the bovine tuberculosis?   [up ↑]

Listen to the badgers pitch!

Badgers are culled all over England. In 2019 108’000 badgers will be killed by licensed hunters.

A badger in it’s natural habitat (click to enlarge)

But is it really necessary to nearly obliterate a protected species in certain places to stop the spreading of the bovine tuberculosis?

Badgers and bovine tuberculosis report (PDF)
by Mike Burkhalter, Severin Forster, Carlos Martinez

2. Exploring the green garden landscapes  [up ↑]

Listen to the garden pitch!

During our stay in Bournemouth we performed research about the Bournemouth gardens.

Our aim was to find out their main meaning for the residents of the city. We gained some new experiences through exploring three different gardens and having good chats with the visitors in connection with our survey.

Bournemouth gardens report (PDF)
by Marina Häne, Ronny De Conti, Jeannine Fenner

3. Are foxes really a danger?   [up ↑]

Listen to the foxes pitch!

Hi everyone,
We did research and conducted a survey with pedestrians in Bournemouth.

A fox in town-Bournemouth.

David Bowles from the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) which stands in for animal welfare and protection, gave us an interview. We learned a lot of new things through him. For further information please read our article!

Fox hunting report (PDF)
by Joëlle Amedieck, Larissa Fabig, Sarah Marder

4. The charity which saves the beauty of England, Northern Ireland and Wales   [up ↑]

Listen to the charity pitch!

Without National Trust a lot of historical houses or natural reserves wouldn’t exist anymore.

Kingston Lacy

England, Northern Ireland and Wales can be very proud that they have such a great organisation which cares about everything. National Trust could even serve as an example for other countries. However, it is very important to invest in the future so that you can also enjoy these areas with your children and grand-children.

National trust report (PDF)
by Seraina Wernli, Corina Kessler and Eliane Binder

5. How can the environment be improved?   [up ↑]

Listen to the myclimate pitch!

You would like to find out how we can help the environment?

My interview partner Martin Lehmann

This article about the company myclimate presents facts about environmental changes and how the CO2-footprint can be reduced.

On-site-research at myclimate in Zurich

I did a survey and wanted to find out what people know about the environment. The interview and the on-site-research helped me to analyse the topic in detail. Check it out!

Myclimate report (PDF)
by Nico Lehmann

6. Red Squirrels threatened with extinction   [up ↑]

Red squirrels are threatened with extinction because of the grey squirrels transferring a disease.

Red squirrel
Heathlands on Brownsea Island

In addition, the grey squirrels are bigger, stronger and steal the food of the red ones. The organisation National Trust looks after Brownsea Island where only red squirrels live, protected from the gray ones.

Red squirrels report (PDF)
by Michelle Mani, Samantha Rolli, Ramona Schmid 

7. The cliffs – a rescue from the flood  [up ↑]

Hello audience,
we’re going to tell you about the history, geological composition and current protection status of the Red Sandstone Cliffs. What can you do to help protect this unique habitat? Besides it’s a beautiful place for taking a walk, relaxing and enjoying nature!

Cliffs Bournemouth report (PDF)
by Virginia Lipp, Vanesa Kolgecaj and Engjëll Starabanja

8. Golf = Environmental destruction?   [up ↑]

Listen to the Golf pitch!

Have you ever thought about how golf sports affects the environment? Is it dangerous for animals or can a golf ball potentially kill? Then you are at the right place!

This project is interesting for people who play golf as well as for nature lovers. We did research on the environmental aspects of a golf course, conducted an interview on site and gave answers to exciting questions. Are you interested? If yes, feel free to read more!

Golf course report (PDF)
by Dominik Senn, Dario Raffi and Remo Vogelsang

5. Chines, a spectacular creation of nature   [up ↑]

Listen to the chines pitch!

Did you ever experience a chine? It’s a steep-sided coastal river valley in which a river once flowed to the sea trough soft eroding cliffs of sandstone or clay. We received some astonishing facts during a tour around the chines in Bournemouth and took some beautiful pictures.

But how will the chines look in a few years time? Just read our contribution and you will get to know the reason why they are about to vanish.

Chines-Bournemouth-report (PDF)
by Nadine and Selina

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☷ See the project teams here »
☵ Some words about the contributions »

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