Mapping Our Stuff: Where Does it Come From and How Much Energy Did it Take to Produce it?

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1 AK Mapping Our Stuff: Where Does it Come From and How Much Energy Did it Take to Produce it? Target grades: 9-12 AK GLEs: Science [9/] SA1.1 [9] SA2.1 Reading [9/10] History AH. PPE 1 Set up time: 30 minutes Class time: One to three class periods depending on depth of investigation. Overview: Students will make a list of items they consume in a day. Each student will select one item and then develop a concept map for that item, showing the resources needed to fabricate and transport the item. Objectives: Students will create a concept map to explore what factors influence the size of an ecological footprint for a specific item, understand the interconnection between individual lifestyle choices and the ramifications on the environment and society, and identify ways that negative effects from their consumption of material goods can be minimized. Materials: Computer with Internet access Ecological Footprint Perspective student worksheet Background: Most of us rely daily on material goods to make our lives easier - our computers, TVs, cars, and our household appliances. All of this stuff requires raw material resources and uses a significant amount of energy in both production processes and in the process of transporting it to Alaska. However, tracing the path of raw materials from their source to the factories where items were manufactured, and on to their final destination as a finished product, is quite complicated. Such a calculation of energy would likely take us well outside the borders of the United States as we followed the object from its source to our home or school, and, while fascinating, would likely take more time than we have planned for this lesson. To gain a better understanding of our rates of consumption and the amount of resources needed to support our lifestyles, we use a term called ecological footprint. An ecological footprint measures how much land, water, and resources are required to support the lifestyle and consumption of an individual or population. The more resourceintensive the lifestyle, the bigger the ecological footprint. By estimating our footprint we can assess how much impact we have on the earth s resources and ecosystems, gain a better understanding of a product or activity s true cost, and discover ways we can change our lifestyles to lessen the impact.

2 2 In addition to measuring our ecological footprint, we can gain a better understanding of our consumption and energy use by mapping where specific items originate. For example, take a cup of coffee, which is a staple to many Americans. You may have bought a cup of coffee at the local coffee shop, but that coffee traveled thousands of miles and required a significant amount of energy to make it into your cup. First, the beans were grown in Central America, likely using pesticides and fertilizers from Europe or the United States. Then, unless your coffee comes from a local roaster, the beans were roasted somewhere in the Lower 48 before being barged, flown, or trucked to Alaska. Of course, if you take sugar in your coffee, it probably came from Florida and was transported separately to Alaska. If your coffee came in a to-go cup, that cup was likely made with paper from trees grown in Canada and was lined with plastic made from oil drilled in Canada or the Middle East. When you consider these factors, that coffee you re drinking on a cold Alaska day required quite a bit of energy to get into that cup, and it has probably affected the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of people from Guatemala to First Nation s people living in Canada. Another example of how small choices affect our ecological footprint is the difference in ecological impacts between carrying around a reusable water bottle or buying bottled water. A 2009 article by Stefano Botto describes how bottled water has a ecological footprint 300 times larger than tap water. Consumption of bottled water has increase dramatically in the last 30 years. The bottling process requires the production of plastic bottles from petroleum, plus it requires energy to transport the bottles of water from where they are made to where they are consumed. Finally, after the water is consumed, the bottle must be recycled or disposed. In calculating impacts of our consumption, it is important to remember that there are significant environmental and social impacts associated with the extraction, transportation, and use of resources and energy. Environmental impacts include land degradation, intensive water usage, the use of non-renewable resources, and the use of toxic chemicals and pesticides. Social impacts address whether there are safe labor conditions and fair wages for workers in other countries. Environmental and social impacts are termed external costs or externalities because they are born by society at large and not the individuals consuming. Although most food we consume and products we buy come from the Lower 48 or overseas, Alaskans once got everything we needed locally from the land. Clothing was made from animal hides and skin, and food was hunted and gathered. Many Alaskans still use traditional subsistence practices and rely on Alaska s wild food resources. Vocabulary List: concept map - a diagram to organize information and show relationships between components of a system. consumerism - a preoccupation with and an inclination towards the buying of consumer goods.

3 3 ecological footprint - the total impact on the environment (sometimes quantified as a plot of land) by an individual or an entity due to their consumption and waste disposal choices. ecosystem - an community of living things interacting with each other and their physical environment. energy - the ability of a system to do work; this might refer to either potential or kinetic energy. Potential energy (stored energy) includes chemical, mechanical, nuclear, and gravitational energy. Kinetic energy (motion energy) includes radiant, thermal, motion, sound, and electrical energy. external cost (externality) - the part of a product s life-cycle cost that is not paid for by either the producer or the consumer, and instead is imposed on society (or a subset of society). Examples of external costs include the cost of cleaning up pollution or increased health care costs from second-hand smoke. life-cycle cost - sometimes referred to as true cost, this is the total cost of owning an item, which includes the costs associated with acquiring, operating, maintaining, and disposing of the item. lifestyle - the habits, attitudes, and manner in which a person, group, or society lives. Gear Up: Ask students if they know what an ecological footprint is. Discuss the term ecological footprint using the information provided in the background section. Ask the students to investigate items around them (i.e. coats, backpacks, hats) and check the Made in tags to see where they are made. Discuss how most of the items that we depend on to meet our daily needs are not made in Alaska and require significant amounts of resources and energy to be produced and transported to Alaska for our use. Activity: Ask the students to make a list of all the items they consume and use in a day, including personal hygiene products (i.e. shampoo, soap, and toothpaste), food, clothing, appliances, etc. Have the students choose one of these items and create a concept map of all of the resources and energy inputs that went into producing and transporting it. As a class, create an example of a concept map using coffee or bottled water to explore what it is made of, where the resources came from, where it was transported from, environmental impacts, and social impacts. Students should be creative with this exercise since there are many ways to create a concept map or diagram to show the resources and energy used to make and transport an item. Some useful website the students might want to review are: (Note: This is not a politically neutral website, so review it prior to using it in your classroom.)

4 4 Extension: 1. Have students go to and calculate their individual ecological footprint. 2. Have students compare the item that they mapped with an item that is harvested or produced locally or somewhere else in Alaska. Have the students discuss the varying impact levels from manufacturing and transporting items on a global versus a local scale. 3. Have the students read the book The Toaster Project: Or a Heroic Attempt to Build a Simple Electric Appliance from Scratch by Thomas Thwaites and write a book report, or have them write a fictional story about what they think their experience would be like to build a similar type appliance from scratch. 4. Have students compare their ecological footprint with ecological footprints from people in different places around the world. This could stimulate a discussion on social responsibility in the world community. Additional Resources: Good Guide This website rates products and companies on their health, environmental and social performance. The Story of Stuff Project This website has short videos describing the environmental impacts of consummerism. NOTE: This is not a politically neutral website, so review it prior to using it in your classroom. The Energy Footprint of Bottled Water An online article by Andrea Thompson that provides statistics about bottled water consumption and its impact on the environment. Does One Way of Life Have to Die so Another Can Live? A report on Subsistence and the Conservation of the Yupik Life-style. Available online from the Alaska Native Knowledge Network.

5 5 Facing the Future A non-profit organization that provides curriculum on global issues. (Mapping the Impact lesson) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Waste Education Materials includes basic facts about waste, composting and recycling, and curriculum and activities links. Connecticut Energy Education This website provides education materials and activities focused on the concept of the Ecological Footprint. Thwaites, Thomas The Toaster Project: Or a Heroic Attempt to Build a Simple Electric Appliance from Scratch. Princeton Architectural Press (New York). 192 pages. Interview with author available at Alaska Grade Level Expectations addressed: Science Performance Standards [9] SA1.1 asking questions, predicting, observing, describing, measuring, classifying, making generalizations, inferring, and communicating. [9] SA2.1 formulating conclusions that are logical and supported by evidence. [10] SA1.1 asking questions, predicting, observing, describing, measuring, classifying, making generalizations, analyzing data, developing models, inferring, and communicating. Reading Performance Standards [9] Explaining connections among main ideas/concepts (text to self, text to text, text to world). [10] Explaining connections among main ideas/concepts (text to self, text to text, text to world). Alaska General Content Standard addressed Skills for a Healthy Lifestyle SHL. D 1 & 2 1) make responsible decisions as a member of a family or community; 2) take responsible actions to create safe and healthy environments.

6 6 Technology T. A 1-3 1) use a computer to enter and retrieve information; 2) use technological tools for learning, communications, and productivity; 3) use local and worldwide networks. T. B 1 & 2 1) identify and locate information sources using technology; 2) choose sources of information from a variety of media. T. C 1 & 2 1) use technology to observe, analyze, interpret, and draw conclusions; 2) solve problems both individually and with others. T. E 6-8 6) evaluate ways that technology impacts culture and the environment; 7) integrate the use of technology into daily living; and 8) recognize the implications of emerging technologies. Library/Information Literacy L/IL B 5 5) organize and use information to create a product. Cultural Standards CS B 2-4 2) make effective use of the knowledge, skills, and ways of knowing from their own cultural traditions to learn about the larger world in which they live; 3) make appropriate choices regarding the long-term consequences of their actions; and 4) identify appropriate forms of technology and anticipate the consequences of their use for improving the quality of life in the community. Acknowledgment: This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy under Award Number DE-EE Disclaimer: This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof.