APES FINAL PROJECT (Rubric to follow)

The purpose of the project is to allow you to reflect the large variety of topics covered in class this year. What follows are a variety of topics and formats (suggestions...nothing more) for your final project. We will have class time to work on these projects, which will count as your final exam grade. The due date for the project for all students is Friday, May 18th. All projects must be done INDIVIDUALLY and are DUE on the aforementioned date (even if you are not there that day!). There are NO EXCEPTIONS and NO LATE PROJECTS will be accepted!

PROJECTS SUSPECTED OF PLAGIARISM WILL RECEIVE ZERO CREDIT AND WILL NOT BE GIVEN A CHANCE FOR REDEMPTION.

POSSIBLE PROJECT TOPICS If you have an idea for a project that is not listed below, let me know and we can work out the details.

Board Game Construct a board game that illustrates, teaches, or helps to review a particular topic we have covered in class. Include info cards, game pieces, rules, etc. for at least 4 people to play at a time.

Children’s Book Write and construct a book for children aged kindergarten to fifth grade. The book should be designed to teach them about an environmental science topic in very simple terms. Therefore, you need to recall or research information and then transfer it into simpler terms for a child. You may draw your own illustrations or you can use pictures from the internet or clipart. Your book must have at least 15 facts pertaining to the topic that you have selected.

Photograph Portfolio Assemble a portfolio that summarizes your experiences in APES. The portfolio must consist of 10 images (you must have at least one map and one diagram). The images may be your own work (photograph or drawing) or copied from somewhere else. Each image must be accompanied by a written explanation that is at least one LARGE paragraph. Explain why you chose each image and what significance it holds for you and your experience in this class or for the environment in general.

Green Community A greater and greater emphasis has been put on “green” technologies and sustainable living, however, few communities implement more than a few of these practices. Your task is to design a hypothetical “green” community that has a low ecological footprint by minimizing its inputs (energy, water, food) and it outputs (waste, air pollution, water pollution). Construct a map of your community that includes a legend to explain all of the symbols. Your community must deal with each of the following issues: Energy source(s) Waste Disposal Commercial

Residential Industry Recreation

Methods of transportation Agriculture

For each issue you must provide a paragraph explaining the sustainable approach you chose and why you placed or designed each feature the way you did.

Green Home Design a “green” house or Eco-Home. It could be new construction or how to modify an existing structure. Research different aspects of construction and choose “green” options for methods, materials, etc. You must draw or design a floor plan and have a poster or paper listing and describing the following: House design Insulation

Energy source Lighting

Windows Appliances Landscaping

Public Service Announcement (PSA) As we have discussed, a big part of Environmental Science is educating the public on the issues. Create two public service announcements (PSA’s) that are designed to make people aware of an environmental problem and provide them with actions they can take to help minimize or fix the problem. Your PSA’s could be designed for radio (create an audio file), print (make a magazine ad), or for television (make a video). If you choose an audio or video PSA, you will need to provide a cited copy of your script.

Environmental Problem Solving When facing complicated environmental issues that impact multiple groups of people, many factors must be considered before taking action. The systematic way to analyze and solve such issues involves the use of a decision making model that has four main steps. 1) Gather information – research the topic and fully explore both sides. 2) Consider the values – what are the values that affect the environmental decision? Look at aesthetics, economics, ethical/moral, recreational, social/cultural values that might affect the decision making process. 3) Explore the consequences – this is as simple as listing the pros and cons of each side. 4) Make a decision. This is by far the most difficult step. Choose a complicated or controversial environmental dilemma and follow this model to reach a decision. Possible topics: China’s Three Gorges Dam Animal rights vs. the fur industry Genetically modified foods Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR): To drill or not to drill? Should we try to save endangered species – is it really worth it? Storage of nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain The Northern Spotted Owl vs. the logging industry

Environmental Audit Conduct an environmental audit of some aspect of GHS. Determine what can be changed to make it more energy efficient. What can be done to reduce that amount of waste generated? What about recycling? Water conservation? What’s currently being done and what needs to be done to make the school more environmentally friendly and efficient? Create a report of your own design that could be presented to the administration.

Environmental Case Study Sadly, there have been many environmental catastrophes that have taken place across the globe. The important thing about these tragedies is that we learn as much as we can about why they occurred so that we can prevent similar events from happening in the future. Choose an event and thoroughly address the situation including these questions: What happened/What went wrong? What did we learn? How can it be prevented in the future? Possible topics: Chernobyl Bhopal Aral Sea Exxon Valdez Love Canal Cuyahoga River DDT The whaling industry Three Mile Island Shark finning Dust Bowl (1930’s) Summitville mine Hypoxia in Gulf of Mexico Lake Erie (cultural eutrophication)

Research Paper The paper should be 3- 5 pages long, Times New Roman 12 point font, and double-spaced. Cite all your sources. Possible topics: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. is 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24.

Renewable Energy: is it a realistic feasible alternative? Urban Sprawl: Problems, costs, and solutions. The Mirrar Clan and the confrontation re: the Jabiluka uranium mine. The effects of climate change on the Monteverde Cloud Forest. China's one child policy. Recycling: Does it really help? How? What still needs to be done? How does the U.S. compare worldwide? Electricity: It brought society out of the dark. History and environmental impact, future alternatives – what the best way to go? Invasive species in Connecticut: Environmental Impact, solutions and restoration costs. Endangered Species Act. How do you get on the list ? How is it enforced? How successful is it? Land preservation acts, green space, open space – their value and costs, what are some successful plans that have already been implemented? The state of Connecticut has a "bottle bill"? Should the federal government adopt one? Why have attempts to expand Connecticut's bottle bill failed in the past? What do future prospects hold? Investigate "green consumerism", or how consumers can have an effect on product manufacturers by their buying habits. Is there enough of a preference for ecologically 'friendly' products? In the western US, the major environmental problem is water. Discuss this problem that sets farmers, ranchers, developers, and environmentalists at odds. Possible transgenic maize in Oaxaca, Mexico. Cause for concern? What will life be like when there are 11 billion people? Discuss a futuristic view of life styles and personal freedom compared to today's world. Rising sea levels and the potential problem of vast numbers of environmental refugees. Some parts of Antarctica are already badly polluted. How? Why? Who owns Antarctica? Future political confrontations? Sweden's search for and commitment to finding alternative energy. The first Earth Day was in the 70's — why did it happen? Is the thought still alive, or was it a passing fad? What has changed since then? Mercury (or lead or cadmium) in the environment. Sources? Quantities? Remediation? Are you a travel & tourism enthusiast ? Write about ecotourism—nature tours, African 'safaris', swimming with dolphins, etc. Are these things beneficial to host countries and to the animals? Zoos — are they becoming the last refuge for our endangered species? Discuss conservation measures and captive breeding programs. Mass transit is a way to save energy and reduce pollution ~ why do so few cities use it ? America's love affair with the car — how it effects our energy and resource supply, and the environment. How would things change if the rest of the world had as many cars as Americans?

25. Extinction is nothing new. Did primitive humans cause the extinctions of large animals like mammoths, mastodons, saber-toothed tigers, etc.? 26. Iceland's move towards a hydrogen-based economy. 27. Compare some of the more prominent nature writers like Emerson, Muir, Thoreau, John Borroughs, Aldo Leopold, EdwinWayTeale, Edward Abbey, etc. Or read several writings by the same author and discuss his/her philosophy of the natural world. 28. The ten food plants that stand between us and world starvation. 29. Must business & environment always be at odds? Can environmentalism be good business? 30. Invasive organisms in Connecticut. Give a survey overview of representative plants, and animals, (invertebrates & vertebrates) found in CT. How did they get here? Where did they come from? Remediation, if any. ............... or any other very cool topic of your choosing approved, in advance, by me.