The Real Change is Inside of You: 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 MONDAY.  It is worth 90 points--50 points for your research and 3 minute presentation, 20 points for the reflection, and 20 points for the class reflection . 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
• Sustainable Wind and Solar
• Battery problems
• Should Wolves and Mountain Lions be brought back to Iowa?
• Carbon Sequestration
• Superinsulation
• Building Solar Houses in Iowa
• Oglalla Aquifer worries
• The air we breathe
• Acid precipitation
• How much clothing do you need and how often should you replace it?
• 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 using Energy Star
• Can regular maintenance of a car save fuel?
• Can I build in a sustainable manner?
• Finding hope in the challenges
• Cleaning our water
• Stopping malaria and guinea worm
• Increased prices vs. environmental sustainability

Project:

10 points--3 minute presentation to the class

20 points--quality of information presented to the class

10 points--resources used to gather information

10 points--quality of presentation

Personal Reflection on Project (individually filled out)

Environmental Science Question Review (individually filled out)