Personal Change Project

This world can benefit from some personal changes, and you are the one to tell us about it.  This project will be done individually, and is due on the day your come back from break. It will be your goal to tell us, as a class, about a change that you believe benefits the world,and why you believe it matters.  You must talk, include a digital artifact,and write a reflection after your presentation.  This will take the place of a semester individual test.

Possible topics (yours must be approved individually by your teacher)

• Bamboo as a building material
• LED vs. incandescent lighting
• European rail systems vs. US highways
• Needs vs. Wants in a Society
• Macromansions vs. Microhousing (400 sq ft or less)
• Microloans for Women
• Wind power in Iowa pros and cons
• Grow/plan your own garden
• Reducing a carbon footprint
• Seedsavers repository
• International Potato Center
• Off-the-grid lifestyles
• Meatless Mondays/Buy Fresh, Buy Local
• Farming with minimal chemicals
• Avoiding Banana Republics
• Childbearing in an Overpopulated World
• Eliminating Poverty Traps
• Should Wolves and Mountain Lions be brought back to Iowa?
• Carbon Sequestration
• Superinsulation
• Building Solar Houses in Iowa
• Oglalla Aquifer worries
• Extreme snowstorms:  evidence of global warming?
• Homemade vs. store-purchased shampoos, soaps, and detergents
• How long should you keep a vehicle?
• Should you replace your water-guzzling household items?
• Recycled paper products:   genuine change or consumer scam?
• Can vertical integration of livestock be sustainable?
• Adding swamps/marshes to our sewage systems
• Choosing new appliances
• Can regular maintenance of a car save fuel?
• Can I build in a sustainable manner?