环球英语 — 633：Old to New, Bad to Good
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Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Joshua Leo.
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And I'm Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live.
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If you saw an old empty prison what would you think? Would you think of pain and crime? Or could you see art and education?
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Would you look at a large landfill full of hills of waste and see something positive?
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Could you see beauty in a uranium mine where chemicals for atomic bombs were collected?
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Do you think gun factories can change into something beautiful?
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Today’s Spotlight is on groups of people taking old, bad spaces and making them into something good.
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Our first story comes from Lorton, Virginia in the United States. For over a hundred years, there was a prison in Lorton, the Lorton Workhouse. In the 1970’s and 80’s it held some of the most dangerous criminals in the area. But in 2002, the prisoners were moved. The building was left empty. The city was not sure what to do with the building. But one group saw that the old prison could be something great.
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The Lorton Arts Foundation wanted to reuse this historical building instead of letting it be destroyed. They decided to change the prison into a place for arts education. The city let the group buy the building and start work. They changed the small prison cells into art studio rooms. The Lorton Workhouse Arts Center is now a place where people can come to learn and celebrate art together.
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But the Lorton Workhouse Arts Center is not the only place where a community made a change for the better. People in a small mountain valley in Bulgaria also made a change. The town of Kazanlak was home to gun factories for many years. These gun factories made AK–47’s, the Kalashnikov guns found in conflicts everywhere in the world. But guns are becoming a less common product these days. Instead the town is turning back to a much older industry: growing roses. The products made from these flowers are now sold all around the world.
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In the spring, workers harvest the rose flowers and collect them. The roses are boiled for hours in large containers. Oil separates from the flowers. Workers then collect the oil. Many companies around the world buy this oil. They use the oil in beauty products and good–smelling perfumes. The old business of guns is slowly being replaced by sweet smelling flowers.
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In Ohio, in the United States, plants are also replacing memories of war. Near the city of Cincinnati, there is an old mine. Starting in 1951, uranium metal was taken from this mine. Uranium metal is used to create nuclear energy and nuclear bombs. The uranium was used in bombs for the Cold War with Russia. When the Cold War ended in 1989, the mine closed.
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But when the mine closed, dangerous toxic waste remained. It created radioactive pollution, which was a health risk for the people in the area. The government removed over one million tonnes of waste from the area.
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But the community did not just want to clean up the mine area. The people who lived near the mine wanted to completely change it. They wanted to make it beautiful. The cleaning process cost over four hundred million dollars. Most of the money went to removing the dangerous waste. But part of it went to returning the mine to a more natural state.
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The government helped in this work. And so did local people. Local people helped to plant native plants such as grasses and trees. After much work, the cleanup was finished in 2007. Today, the area is called the Fernland Preserve. It is a beautiful natural area. It is home to one of Ohio’s largest man–made wetlands. It is full of large lakes, forests, and fields. Animals travel to, live, and raise their young in the preserve. Visitors to the preserve can enjoy nature. They can also learn about the history of the area. An old mining building is now a center for education about uranium mining. The preserve also hopes to lead as an example to other communities looking for ways to close their mines.
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Turning waste into a positive natural area is not only happening in Ohio. It is also happening in Mexico City.
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Food prices have been rising all around the world. The people in busy Mexico City were feeling the pain of these high prices. So community members started looking for a solution to their problem. People started to plant vegetable gardens on their own property, like small farms.
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Soon the city government heard of these gardens. City officials thought this was a good idea. They started to help and encourage more people to start gardens in their communities. Today, through the City Community Garden Program, the government supplies people with the materials and knowledge to make a garden. The community members provide the work.
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One of the first gardens in the community of Iztalpalapa was a waste dump. Hills of food containers and bad–smelling waste used to fill this area. But today lines of vegetables grow tall. Even people without much experience are involved. Marta Aguirre works in the garden. Before, she had never put her hands in the soil to plant a seed. But now she is growing her own food.
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The City Community Garden Program wants to expand the garden experience to other areas of the city. They want to help schools and even prisons to grow their own food. The group wants to encourage all people in the city. They do not just have to buy food. They can also grow food for themselves and other people.
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People all around the world are changing the things around them for the better. Prisons have become art schools. Waste areas have become vegetable gardens. People have looked past the bad to see the good. They have seen that with some work, almost anything can be made positive. Are there things in your life that seem hopeless? You may be able to do something to make them hopeful.
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