Atmostschools,"goinggreen"meansgeneratinglesstrashormakinganattempttorecycle.ButatNewYork'sRiverdaleCountrySchool,itmeansbeingencouragedtorunandevenjumpinthehallway.That'sbecausetheschoolwasthefirs
At most schools,"going green"means generating less trash or making an attempt to recycle.But at New York's Riverdale Country School,it means being encouraged to run and even jump in the hallway.That's because the school was the first to install ( 安装 ) the specially-designed Pavegen floor tiles (地砖) in America.
The tiles use kinetic energy (动能) expanded by the kids and transform it into electricity that can be used to power classroom lights,science projects and charge electronic devices.The first US installation of Pavegen tiles near the school's student center is thanks to 14-year-old Zach Halem,who managed to convince the officials to purchase them.
Besides providing fun green energy,the tiles also serve as a learning tool.Every time a student steps on one,a brightly-lit LED board provides instant feedback (反馈信息) on how much energy was generated.Depending on the force,every step results in between one to seven watts-enough power to light an LED street lamp for about 30seconds.
Made largely from rubber and other recycled materials the tiles are invented by the 26-year-old British industrial designer Laurence Kembell-Cook.While new to the US,they have been installed in numerous places in Europe,ranging from a London underground station to a marathon track in Paris.However,it was not until Pavegen started getting popular in London schools that Laurence realized that his invention not only saved energy,but was also fun!
Though the young inventor will not give too many details about the technology behind this green tile,he says that it is very different from other kinetic energy harvesting systems.
Whatever the secret,let's hope more US schools decide to install these fun tiles.In fact,why stop at schools?These tiles could be installed everywhere,from sidewalks to homes.Then we could all be"green"and have fun!Who knew that was even possible?
13.What can we learn from the first paragraph?___