EQ

1)  best, most effective

2)  A possible answer is to inform people about common misconceptions on Sustainable Living.  Also, show people easy and cheap ways to help offset their use of limited resources.

3)My most important source so far has been the article from this site:

http://www.theecologist.org/trial_investigations/268287/10_reasons_why_organic_can_feed_the_world.html

The reason why, is that this article explains the misconceptions behind organic food and the impact that it has on the world.  The yields of organic farms are actually larger and use less energy than conventional farms.  Also, this can reduce a person's carbon footprint dramatically if the food is local as well as being cheaper if the people get it directly from the farmer.

Idea Approval

1) I would like to create a working alternative energy source such as a small, homemade wind turbine that can be used at my house for a fraction of our energy consumption.  I would also like to work for a community garden.

2) It will be worthwhile because the experiences will teach me how to install and maintain sustainable technology as well as helping me learn about better agricultural techniques.

3) If I get the experience, then I can better understand what I want to teach people.  Also, this can help me find small, easy steps that regular people can take to gradually improve their lifestyles.

Second Interview Questions

1)  What is the thing that makes you most qualified to practice sustainable living?

2)  What is the best advice you can give someone on how to get started on converting their house to a more sustainable lifestyle?

3)  What is the best sustainable energy source for a house?

4)  What is the best incentive for a person to live sustainably?

5)  What is the most rewarding experience you have gotten from sustainable living?

My Essential Question:  What is the best way to convince and teach people to adopt a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle?

Interview Reflection #1

I learned what it was like to put yourself full-on into a life of sustainable living and the work behind it.  Sustainable living is doable, but in order to start, it can take a lot of hard work.  It was a real challenge that took months to achieve in order for Mr. Harned and his family to build his own home out of the stuff they grew from their property.  Also, in order to live like this, his family has made a lot of sacrifices.  They rarely travel and also, they can only use as much power as their solar panels can provide.

Five-Minute Presentation Reflection

1: I took a highly creative approach to the construction of my visual aid.  Rather than just putting pictures and labels on my poster, I decided to design a crossword-style vocabulary board in the shape of a house with symbols of different aspects of my topic on it. 

2: The most challenging thing to do was plan my lesson so that it would fit in five minutes without being too short.  I had the material, but I was afraid it would be too much.  This is why I tried to condense it into a few vocab words to quiz the class on and inform them about.

Presentation Rough Draft

Objective: Students will learn simple steps to adopting a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle and the effects it will have on the environment.

Procedure:

1. Intro: I say my name, topic, objective, and quiz on how much the class knows about sustainable living
2. I tell the class what sustainable living is and some of the challenges I've overcome so far in the project
3. I tell about some conservation and pollution issues
4. I tell them a few solutions to the problems and what each thing can do to benefit the planet
5. Quick quiz on what they've learned so far
6. I answer their questions and close the presentation with my goal

Check for Understanding: I will quiz the class after the lecture using the LIA technique in order to make sure they remember and understand the information.

Career

Exit Interview

I-Search

Independent Study 1

Independent Study 2

Interview 1 Prep

I plan on interviewing a local organic farmer named Jason Harned for my first interview.  I need to interview him because he is an alumni from Cal Poly Pomona who actually practices environmentally friendly sustainable living.  He built his own house out of hay and mud from his property and mounted solar panels on the roof.  He also grows his own organic food.  I will ask about how he sustains his farm without making a significant environmental impact.  Another question I need to ask will be what steps I can take to be more environmentally friendly.

Math

Product

Project Choice

Hi!  My topic for Senior Project is Environmentally Friendly Sustainable Living.  I chose this because for years I have heard of and read about all of the things that people do that hurt the environment and their consequences.  I feel that since we are the next generation to go out into the world and make an impact, I might as well encourage others to help clean up the mess left behind by older generations.  I am aware of the dire consequences that will befall the planet if we don't break our bad habits and I do not wish for them to fall on the heads of innocent animals and future generations of people.  I hope to accomplish gaining a better understanding of what to do in order to avoid doing more damage to the environment.  In addition, help other people (e.g. my classmates) learn how to take little steps in reducing our pollutant output.  Also, I hope that with this experience, I will be able to pursue a successful career in Environmental Engineering in the future.  With that job, I intend to improve environmentally friendly methods of water treatment and pollution prevention.  Also, I want to do field work in order to analyze other ways to remedy pollution issues.

Research Semester 2

Science Fair

Service Learning