All Inclusive Task 1: Your Eco-Footprint Finding Solutions

Transcription

1 Task 1: Your Eco-Footprint Finding Solutions Every day, millions of Canadians drive their vehicles to work, school, or entertainment venues, which creates greenhouse gases and consumes non-renewable resources. These behaviours, and many other consumption habits, all contribute to our ecological footprint. Many experts believe that we are consuming more resources each year than the Earth can produce. You have been hired by the government to pitch a new program to help people reduce their eco footprint! You will be analyzing the effects of human population growth, personal consumption, and technological development on our ecological footprint. The deforestation resulting from expanding development and demand for wood products causes the destruction of habitats that support biological diversity is one example. The acidification of lakes associated with some industrial processes, which causes a decrease in fish populations, is another example of how we are negatively impacting our environment. In Part 1 of this task you will discover the value of your eco-footprint and assess how Canada compares on the world stage in terms of resource consumption. In Part 2 after researching your own eco-footprint and Canada s place in the environmental spectrum you will create a detailed report for your employer that focuses on CHANGE. This report will provide information on how Canada can inform it s citizens about reducing their own eco-footprint as well as provide the government with suggestions on ways they themselves can help Canada s position on the environmental spectrum. Part 1 My Eco-Footprint Step 1: Getting some background! Visit the Living planet index site cited below. Read through and answer the following questions: a) Overall how is Canada doing? b) How is the world doing? c) How does the Living Planet Index (LPI) help a nation to assess its ecological footprint and sustain its population? Step 2: Crunching the numbers! Visit the My Footprint website cited below. Take the survey to determine the actual size of your personal eco-footprint print out your results at the end of the quiz and include them in your report. a) Were you shocked by the results? b) What did your final number mean? c) How accurate is this survey? d) Account for how you impact the planet. PART 2: Finding Solutions Step 1: More Background research! Due to the rapid increase in the world population one of the main issues that faces developing countries is that of food production. As a starting point you need to assess the effectiveness of some Canadian technologies (i.e. Genetically modified Canola) and projects (Canadian International Development Agency, The Canada-based Micronutrient Initiative, Flour Fortification Initiative) intended to nourish expanding populations. a) Provide a brief summary of the four initiatives mentioned above (include references) b) In your opinion are they working? c) What are the pros and cons of each? Step 2: Facilitating Change Enviro Program Pitch You ve been hired by the government to pitch a new program to help people reduce their eco footprint! You can pick from any issue that deals with resource consumption! Be creative. Every little thing helps!! When designing your program use the GRASP method!

2 Create a poster for display around Canada. The poster should educate citizens about their eco-footprint and the ways that they can reduce it. Prepare an informative folder to share your findings with your colleagues within the government. Your folder should include a research project in which you describe in detail what you have learned about Canada's eco-footprint and your pitch regarding a new program to help reduce it. This pitch could be in the form of a formal report, advertisement, PowerPoint presentation or video submission. When designing your program use the GRASP method outlined below. Make sure to assess the limitations of your program (i.e. Pros and cons). What is the Goal of the program? What is your Role? Who is the target Audience? Who are you trying to help and get involved? Explain the Situation. Use research to show that your program is needed! How will you tackle the Problem? What will your program, actually do? You will be evaluated on how well your poster communicates relevant information to a general audience. You will also be evaluated on the content of your research report, and on the thoroughness of your program. All sources must be referenced in MLA format. References Living Planet website: My Footprint website:

3 Task 2: What s in Your Drinking Water? Pharmaceutical medications are widely used by Canadians. We rely on these drugs to act on our body as needed, and in turn we depend on our body systems to eliminate these drugs once this work is done. Many medications that we consume, such as anti-depressants, birth control pills, and antibiotics, are excreted by our kidneys in urine. Medications excreted in urine are generally those that are water-soluble, or that have been metabolized by the body to become more water-soluble. Pharmaceuticals in the urine and feces are literally flushed away, entering into the sewage system as wastewater. Traces of these medications have been found in drinking water of some areas of North America and Europe As a biology expert, you have been hired by the federal government as a researcher to identify and quantify pharmaceutical wastes in waterways, drinking water and biosolids. In addition the government would like a report on the possible ramifications of these trace amounts of pharmaceutical medications may have on both humans and other organisms. Use print and Internet resources to research trace pharmaceutical medications. o How do biologists quantify trace amounts of pharmaceutical medications? o What types of pharmaceutical wastes are causing the most concern? (Unit 1: Biochemistry) o What are the main concerns to ecology and human safety, including the potential effects of traces of pharmaceuticals in drinking water on species homeostasis & Endocrine system? (Unit 3: Molecular Genetics, Unit 4: Homeostasis; Unit 5: Population Dynamics)? o What guidelines/regulatory standards are currently in place in Canada? o What are some of the strategies being considered and implemented to manage risk associated with pharmaceutical wastes? (Unit 4: Homeostasis; Unit 3: Molecular Genetics; Unit 5: Population Dynamics)? Based on your findings, make several proposals outlining what the government's course of action regarding trace amounts of pharmaceutical medications in our water systems should be. Support your proposals with specific examples from your research. Create press releases for Agriculture and Agri- Food Canada and Health Canada outlining concerns over the potential effects of these trace medications. The releases can be in the form of documents, TV spots, web postings, or 5- minute radio programs. Write a report to the federal government. Your report should include a summary of your findings and proposals regarding what the government should do to inform citizens of this issue as well as any regulations that should be put into place to monitor or prevent it. You will be evaluated on your ability to communicate information about the trace pharmaceuticals and on the content of your publicity releases. You will also be evaluated on your ability to use your research to propose appropriate courses of action regarding the types of pharmaceutical wastes that are causing the most concern. All sources must be referenced in MLA format. Reference Pharmaceutical-Drugs.aspx This article provides some information on the effects of pharmaceutical traces in water has been having on wildlife.

4 Task 3: Minimizing Negative Effects on Human Population Growth on Other Species Unit 5 Project pg. 586 of your textbook The Earth reached a population of over 7 billion people this year (Although this is contested by some countries). With this milestone behind us, scientists and environmentalists are beginning to wonder what impact this level of growth is having on populations of other species? How can human lifestyle changes help minimize the negative effects of this growth on Earth s ecosystems and biodiversity? You have been hired by the local municipal government in correlation with Rosseau Lake College to investigate and report on the impact the human population growth is having on populations of particular species. They have also asked for an idea on some effective and practical actions students and the local community can take to help preserve biodiversity in our area. Use print and Internet resources to research how population dynamics has led to declines in particular species numbers. Some questions to consider: o Is the current rate of human population growth pushing the Earth to it s limit? Can the human population possibly hope to be able to sustain these numbers while still protecting the diversity of species on our planet? o How is the population size of each of your endangered species determined by population biologists? o What are the species biotic potential? Are they r- or K-selected? What are your density-dependent and independent factors for your species, the symbiotic relationships that exist for them, and any adaptations. o How have humans helped and harmed your species? o Be sure to place your species into the correct trophic level and relate this to human food production. o Critically examine the geographic location of your species. Identify any impact the human population growth, urban sprawl and pollution have had. Complete sections Initiate and Plan, Perform and Record and Analyze and Interpret. Summarise your findings in a report for the local government and informative presentation for RLC and the local community. i.e. Complete communicate your findings on pg 587. #6-8 Your presentation can be in a format of your choice video, brochure, poster etc... Be as creative as you would like. You will be evaluated on your ability to communicate your findings and on the content of your final report to the government official. You will also be evaluated on your ability to use your research to propose appropriate suggestions/action plans regarding the protection of the species diversity to RLC and the local community. All sources must be referenced in MLA format. References Earth Overshoot Day, The Footprint Network Census of Canada Key Resources United Nations podcast 7 billion people Earth s running world population meter

5 Task 4: Pesticides and Herbicides The use of pesticides and herbicides by farmers and by city- dwelling homeowners is a hot topic for environmentalists. Some cities are considering bylaws that would prohibit the use of chemical pesticides on lawns. Others have already instituted such bylaws. You have been hired as a consultant to your municipal government to investigate the effects of pesticides and herbicides on the environment and on human health. Use print and Internet resources to investigate various aspects of pesticides and herbicides. The following questions provide some suggestions for areas that you may wish to research. o What effects do various components of pesticides and herbicides have on humans and other organisms (Unit 1: Biochemistry; Unit 2: Metabolic Processes; Unit 4: Homeostasis)? o Do species evolve to become immune to pesticides or herbicides? Discuss the mechanism and implications of evolved immunity (Unit 3: Molecular Genetics). o What effects do pesticides and herbicides have on populations of humans and other organisms (Unit 5: Population Dynamics)? Interview at least two experts in person, by telephone, or by . Your experts should be somehow involved with pesticides or herbicides and must have contrasting opinions on the subject. For example, they may include an environmentalist, a person who works for the Environment Canada or Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, or a person in the lawn-care industry. Analyze your findings and write a position statement in which you explain what steps the municipal government should take regarding the use of pesticides and herbicides. Support your position with plenty of evidence. Prepare a report for the municipal government. This report should help decision-makers determine what steps they should take and whether they should consider implementing new bylaws. You and your team must ensure that the report is supported with appropriate references to research. Present a balanced analysis, representing as many points of view as possible. Incorporate your interviews into your report along with a profile of each person you interviewed. Enliven your report with visual support such as graphs, charts, and photographs. If you wish, you may present your report in the form of a web page. You will be evaluated on the depth of your research and on your ability to analyze what you learned based on your knowledge of biology. You will be evaluated on the readability and visual appeal of your report, as well as on your ability to write well-supported, coherent proposals. All sources must be referenced in MLA format. Reference This pdf document outlines a bylaw proposed by the City of Ottawa to ban pesticides for cosmetic use. You need Acrobat Reader to view this document. This is an article regarding pesticides and health. It also has a few links to further information. This FAQ list posted on the Health Canada website describes pesticides and their health effects. Related links are provided.