NYC WASTE OF NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES
Frances Schiro
Ditmas IS 62
Introduction
“The global environment crisis is, as we say in Tennessee, real as rain, and I cannot stand the thought of leaving my children with a degraded earth and a diminished future.”
― Al Gore
Reference:
http://www.no-burn.org/downloads/Incinerator_Myths_vs_Facts%20Feb2012.pdf
You don’t have to be a major in environmental studies to understand the concept of sustainability. Everything we do is affecting the environment in a negative way.
Consumption has become a major problem. According to the Lipstick Theory, although the economy is plummeting Americans continue to spend money on nonessential items. Every product affects the environment, starting at the consumption and ending at the disposal.
Americans need to stop consuming so much! Kill two birds with one stone; save yourself some money and help the environment. Stop spending money on nonessential things; stick to the essentials.
Our biggest problem today is the rapid use of natural resources. We are using these nonrenewable resources at a rate they can’t be replenished. A student at Lasell College estimated that the world will run out of oil by the year 2030! Then what will we do?
The easiest way to decrease the use of oil is to stop driving so much. Public transportation is a good alternative. For those who live outside of the city car pool. If your destination is nearby, ride your bike or walk. Poverty rates are extremely high, but we continue to waste. There are people worldwide struggling from food and water shortages. Didn’t your mother ever tell you “Don’t take more than you can eat?”
Stop wasting your food. Don’t fill your plate with more than you can eat. Be cautious of your water usage. Try to take shorter showers. Don’t leave the faucet running while brushing your teeth.
Don’t forget the importance of recycling. Recently many water companies, including Poland Springs, reduced the percent of plastic used in their water bottles. Recycle all your water bottles, papers, plastics, and aluminum items. Lasell College, along with many other colleges, participates in Recycle Mania. Recycling bins are easily accessible around campus.
There are many simple steps and adjustments you can make in your everyday life to become more sustainable. Think about your children or your grandchildren. If we abuse our nonrenewable resources, they will eventually deplete all together.
Task
Students will familiarize themselves with topics in renewable energy by engaging in an introductory class discussion, reading and discussing recommended reading passages. There will be presentations on assigned topics.
Day 1 – Identify & describe learned materials
Day 2 – Vocabulary & development
Day 3 – Reading for meaning – use of graphic organizer (distributed in class) – application of learned knowledge in verbal & graphical format
PROCESS
Class will be broken into groups of five. Each group will create an informational display (bulletin board, banner, poster, etc.) and illustrating the concepts they learned in this unit of study.
GUIDING QUESTIONS:
- What are some of today’s new sources of energy?
- What are some examples of fossil fuels? Do we have a lot of them? Do they create pollution?
- What does “sustainability” mean?
- What will happen if we keep using non-renewable energy?
Steps for PPA (Public Policy Analyst):
Define Problem: https://flippedtips.com/plegal/tips/worksheet1.html
Gather Evidence: https://flippedtips.com/plegal/tips/worksheet2.html
Identify Causes: https://flippedtips.com/plegal/tips/worksheet3.html
Evaluate a Policy: https://flippedtips.com/plegal/tips/worksheet4.html
Develop Solutions: https://flippedtips.com/plegal/tips/worksheet5.html
Select Best Solution: https://flippedtips.com/plegal/tips/worksheet6.html
Evaluation
|
CATEGORY |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
Graphics - Originality |
Several of the graphics used on the poster reflect a exceptional degree of student creativity in their creation and/or display & |
One or two of the graphics used on the poster reflect student creativity in their creation and/or display. |
The graphics are made by the student, but are based on the designs or ideas of others. |
No graphics made by the student are included. |
|
Grammar |
There are no grammatical mistakes on the poster. |
There is 1 grammatical mistake on the poster. |
There are 2 grammatical mistakes on the poster. |
There are more than 2 grammatical mistakes on the poster. |
|
Required Elements |
The poster includes all required elements as well as additional information and show proficient knowledge of the PPA process |
All required elements are included on the poster and show fairly proficient knowledge of the PPA process. |
All but 1 of the required elements is included on the poster. Shows limited knowledge of the PPA process. |
Several required elements were missing and show no gained knowledge of the PPA process. |
|
Knowledge Gained |
Student can accurately answer all questions related to facts in the poster and processes used to create the poster. |
Student can accurately answer most questions related to facts in the poster and processes used to create the poster. |
Student can accurately answer about 75% of questions related to facts in the poster and processes used to create the poster. |
Student appears to have insufficient knowledge about the facts or processes used in the poster. |
Conclusion
Great Job! Now you are experts on how to save our environment! From plants, to animals, to humans, we all rely on each other. So take care of our Earth, it’s the only one we have! Now go out and spread the word on saving our Earth!
Common Core Standards
STANDARD 7
Interdisciplinary
Problem Solving
Key Idea 2:
Solving interdisciplinary problems involves a variety of skills and strategies, including effective work habits; gathering and processing information; generating and analyzing ideas; realizing ideas; making connections among the common themes of mathematics, science, and technology; and presenting results.
2.1 Students participate in an extended, culminating mathematics, science, and technology project. The project would require students to:
• Working Effectively: Contributing to the work of a brainstorming group, laboratory partnership, cooperative learning group, or project team; planning procedures; identify and managing responsibilities of team members; and staying on task, whether working alone or as part of a group.
• Gathering and Processing Information: Accessing information from printed media, electronic data bases, and community resources and using the information
to develop a definition of the problem and to research possible solutions.
• Generating and Analyzing Ideas: Developing ideas for proposed solutions,
investigating ideas, collecting data, and showing relationships and patterns in the data.
• Common Themes: Observing examples of common unifying themes, applying them to the problem, and using them to better understand the dimensions of the
problem.
• Realizing Ideas: Constructing components or models, arriving at a solution, and evaluating the result.
• Presenting Results: Using a variety of media to present the solution and to communicate the results.
ELA Standard 5:
Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole
Resources:
http://science.kqed.org/quest/2014/02/13/nonrenewable-and-renewable-energy-resources/
