WebQuest by: P. Carter

Truman High School

Pollution levels in NYC are affected by the amount of wastes generated

I can remember, as a child driving by a large smelly mound on my way to City Island with my family. Seagulls flew overhead by the thousands. “What is that, Dad?” “A landfill of garbage,” he replied. Then he explained how all of the garbage NYC gets dumped there. “How high will they make the mound?” I asked; and “What will they do when it is full?” “Start another,” he said. I began to imagine smelly mounds popping up all over the city.

Well, twenty years later and we do not have smelly mounds all over the place. But the garbage had to be sent somewhere and we are facing a difficult question as to where to put all of the garbage generated by an increasing urban population. In realizing the need to solve a garbage problem, public policies which include recycling, have been created. Despite these solutions, New York City still has staggering amounts of ever- increasing waste.

You have just been hired as the Coordinator of the Bronx Environmental Protection Agency. It is your job to help educate the public. In order to do so you will have to do some investigating on your own. You will look at many aspects of waste and waste disposal. You will investigate current Public Policies of recycling and waste removal that NYC has initiated. To do so you will work in groups to complete the six step Public Policy approach. www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/welcome.html

1. Define and describe the problem:

2. Gather evidence related to this problem

3. Identify the causes for the problem.

4. Describe the current policies for this problem

5. Develop your own solutions or policies for this problem (Find convincing information that could educate and motivate the public to recycle.)

6. Decide on the best policy for this problem

Learning Advice: To understand this process, go to the TIPS Public Policy Analyst Web Page http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/welcome.html

After completion, you will be required to do one of the following three assignments:

1. Debate

2. Infomercial

3. Skit

Students will work in groups of four. The class will work on this project for several class sessions. The groups will:

1. Completing the Public Policy worksheets from the TIPS website.
2. Students will use the website provided in resources and are encouraged to find some of their own websites that are helpful in their decision making process.
3. Students will gather information that will help them complete their assignment.
4. Students will organize and prepare their presentations for the class.

Helpful websites:

http://nycwasteless.com/gov-bus/citysense/

http://johnmccrory.com/bags/links.html

http://www.brooklyn-usa.org/Brooklynwebsites/Gov&City%20links.htm

http://www.greenmap.com/modern/recycre.html

http://www.nycooperative.com/laws.html

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/students/ask_reporters/cushman.html

http://www.consumersunion.org/other/trash/trash2.htm

http://www.madisoncounty.org/waste/pr42899.html

http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/physio/schools/318/landfill.html

http://www.nyccompost.org/science/science2.html

http://www.eieio.org/landfills/landfill%20home.html

http://www.ilsr.org/recycling/NYC/NYCmain.html

http://www.bergen.com/news/haulan200109101.htm

http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/dos/html/bw_recy/3body.html#top

http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/dos/home.html

http://www.gothamgazette.com/iotw/solidwaste/

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/snapshot/teacher/20000324.html

http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/om/html/97/sp388-97.html

http://www.eieio.org/landfills/editorals/1298jimsharp.htm

http://www.pacedining.com/html/Recycling.htm#mug

https://www.google.com/search?q=pictures+of+landfills+NYC&safe=active

http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/dos/html/fklf/fklf_11.html">New http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/robfriedman/Suesarti.htm
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/robfriedman/homepage.htm#free
http://www.geocities.com/chesler.geo/riverbay/location.html">David
http://www.cbcny.org/DOS2.pdf">http://www.cbcny.org/DOS2.pdf</A>

After you have completed the six step Public Policy you must decide to do one of the following assignments:

Ø Debate

Ø Infomercial

Ø Skit

1. A debate, in which each side will argue for or against the public policy of recycling-looking at the necessity of recycling in NYC vs. the

inconvenience of the policy. The students participating in this activity will sit on panels and given the introduction, they will either defend the worthiness of recycling or they will defend the right that individuals should have the right to choose to recycle or not to recycle.

2. An infomercial, in which the group will, based on the statistics and information found on the websites, put together a motivating proposition, using visuals, which will either convince the general public to recycle as public policy already states, or create a new, or altered public policy that they feel will be easier to motivate. The students participating in this group should use graphs, pictures, overhead projections, slides, etc., to make an exciting, enticing, and convincing argument.

3. A 15 minute skit that the group will put together based on the laws governing the public policy of recycling in NYC. This skit should educate New Yorkers on the importance of recycling…showing cause and effect of the recycling in NYC. These students will create and act out a skit that will describe the problem and show how this group thinks that the problem of recycling in NYC should be handled. In the skit they must include a lesson to be learned by the audience, what could happen if the policies are not followed and what might happen if the policies are followed.

You will be evaluated based on how well you and your group perform.

There will be a: Self Assessment for a possible 20 points

Group Assessment (average score) for a possible 30 points

Teacher Assessment of Group for a possible 50 points

Grades will be based on the TOTAL Points achieved.

85-100 points will earn an A

70-84 points will earn a B

55-69 points will earn a C

40-54 points will earn a D

You will receive an F if your total points are less than 39.

Your name:_______________________________ Names of other group members:

______________________________

______________________________

______________________________

Key to Ratings:

Beginning = Does not really do these things

Developing = Does very little

Skilled = Is mostly on task as required

Exemplary = Is always on task and of great value to the group

Possible 20 points: Each student rates him/herself for a Self Assessment

Self Assessment:
	Beginning 3 points	Developing 5 points	Skilled 7 points	Exemplary 10 points	Score
1. Find & share information
2.Makes fair contributions to the group effort

Possible 30 points: Students rate other group members for a Group Assessment

Group Assessment for_________________________________
	Beginning 3 points	Developing 5 points	Skilled 7 points	Exemplary 10 points	Score
1. Shared equally in process
2. Shared equally in production
3. Cooperative with other group members

Group Assessment for_________________________________
	Beginning 3 points	Developing 5 points	Skilled 7 points	Exemplary 10 points	Score
1. Shared equally in process
2. Shared equally in production
3. Cooperative with other group members

Group Assessment for_________________________________
	Beginning 3 points	Developing 5 points	Skilled 7 points	Exemplary 10 points	Score
1. Shared equally in process
2. Shared equally in production
3. Cooperative with other group members

Possible 50 points: Assessment is made of the group dynamics for a Teacher Assessment

Group members:__________________________ Project:__________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________
	Beginning 3 points	Developing 5 points	Skilled 7 points	Exemplary 10 points	Score
1. Amount of information
2. Organization
3. Utilization of sources
4. Persuasive presentation
5. Collaboration of the group

After completion of this WebQuest you will hopefully understand the current NYC garbage problem and the current policies related to it. In addition, you will have created your own solutions, acquired new computer skills and used the Internet to research information.

Performance Standards in this WebQuest:

E1c Reads, understands and produces written and oral work.

E3b The student participates in group meetings.

E3c The student prepares and delivers an individual presentation.

E4b The student analyzes and revises the work to make it suitable for the audience.

S3e The student practices natural resource management.

S5f Students work individually and in teams to collect and share information and ideas.

S7b The student argues from evidence.

S7e Students communicates in a form suited for the audience.

A2a Student makes an oral presentation of project plan.

A2c Student develops a multi-media presentation.

NYCWasteLe$$ Government is a New York City Department of Sanitation

(DOS) project designed to provide waste prevention and enhanced recycling technical assistance to Mayoral Agencies. Within this site, learn about the waste prevention and recycling programs initiated by City Agencies, read about successful waste prevention projects, and consider how these waste prevention and recycling programs can improve the environmental performance of your agency, organization or business.

http://nycwasteless.com/gov-bus/citysense/

Big Apple Garbage Sentinel

Big Apple Garbage Sentinel was published from January 1999 to March 2000. This site is a web archive, frozen after its last update in September of 1999. I am sorry that newsletters after that time could not be added.--John McCrory
Editor and Publisher

http://johnmccrory.com/bags/links.html

Borough President Howard Golden presents Brooklyn Website Links

Here is a listing of Brooklyn-related websites arranged in categories. Some topics may be listed more than once. If you can’t find what you are looking for you can use About.com’s search engine at http://www.about.com. If you have a website you’d like to add please E-mail us at, brooklyn-usa@brooklynpubliclibrary.org

A reference guide to Books and Articles about recycling:

Some articles and books are printed on the Internet but many can be found in the reference section of your Public Library. http://www.greenmap.com/modern/recycre.html

New York Cooperative

The Largest Internet Reference for Co-op Managers. Every law, regulation and code from one source. http://www.nycooperative.com/index.html

John H. Cushman Jr.
Washington Correspondent Covering the Environment

A web page dedicated to answering questions on the environment. http://www.nytimes.com/learning/students/ask_reporters/cushman.html

Taking Out the Trash:
A New Direction for New York City's Waste by Barbara Warren, M.S.
News about Fresh Kills has almost never been good. In fact, Fresh Kills has been an environmental disaster. For over 50 years, the massive dumping into tidal wetlands has left over 100 million tons of garbage rotting in place, generating harmful leachate into soil and water and producing hazardous air emissions.
http://www.consumersunion.org/other/trash/trash2.htm

HEADLINE: NYC TRASH THREATENS MADISON COUNTY

"Finding a place to landfill 13,000 tons a day of residential waste is an enormous undertaking," said Larry Carpenter, Chairman of the County Board of Supervisors. "It's a huge problem for New York City and it could be a huge problem for landfills in Upstate New York too.

http://www.madisoncounty.org/waste/pr42899.html

Does Wastes Break Down In A Landfill?

Photo: Dated evidence that demonstrates how long some things remain.

http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/physio/schools/318/landfill.html

Compost science 2: the decomposition project

In some situations, such as human-engineered landfills, decomposition can create serious problems. When buried, organic materials are cut off from air and decompose very slowly—even newspapers from 40 years ago can still be found relatively intact in landfills.

http://www.nyccompost.org/science/science2.html

Landfills:

Pictures, fact sheets, and general information about landfills

http://www.eieio.org/landfills/landfill%20home.html

N.Y.C. dumps problem on N.J.

By ALEX NUSSBAUM, Staff Writer
Since New York City closed its massive Staten Island landfill in the spring, a tidal wave of foreign trash has taken its toll on New Jersey's highways. Its next victim may be your wallet.

http://www.bergen.com/news/haulan200109101.htm

"Mommy, Daddy, Take My Hand" --A Tribute to a Forgotten Park

by Susan Friedman

My family and I came to the Bronx often to visit. On the day its doors opened on June 19, 1960, Freedomland became the high point of my childhood. After we parked the car in the lot, we walked to the stand to buy our tickets. Our first stop was Little Old New York. This was New York as it looked in the late 1800's. Horseless carriages and surreys filled the streets. People in period costumes mingled with people of today. A German "oompah" band played while several shops down the street, someone was robbing the bank.

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/robfriedman/Suesarti.htm

RATIONAL ASSESMENT OF LANDFILL DANGERS BASED ON COMMON SENSE, NOT INDUSTRY SPIN

Franklin might tell current New York City Mayor Rudy Guiliani to go fly a kite in a thunderstorm. After all; New Jersey Governor Christie Todd Whitman recently told the Mayor to "drop dead" when NYC announced a plan to surreptitiously locate garbage transfer stations on the Jersey shore.

http://www.eieio.org/landfills/editorals/1298jimsharp.htm

Note to the student: As you can see there are many more links in this webquest for you to use as you see fit. Feel free to continue the annotation of the links, if you find that it helps to organize your thoughts. Feel free to find your own links that will enhance your final project. Good searching…