Environmental Impact Project

PASB Chemistry - Environmental Impact Project – Ms. Ioana Rosu

Scenario: This week there has been international breaking news regarding the critical environmental situation our planet is in. The United Nations have decided to give this issue major priority, as any other economical and political problems can become meaningless if the planet is being destroyed.

Therefore, all governments have been alerted that immediate attention needs to be given to trying to guide all institutions/individuals towards going green and giving major importance to their impact on the environment.

You are an environmental analyst/consultant and your job is to investigate the environmental-related profile of a company/institution (your family’s!), increase environmental awareness and give guidance with ideas and solutions towards going green.

You are to look into the following aspects, considering both short term and/or long term direct and/or indirect environmental impacts of the company/institution:

• A very brief description of what the company/institution does; the name can be kept anonymous
• How is the company/institution impacting the environment
• What has the company already been doing, if anything, to help the environment and diminish its negative environmental impact
• What new ideas and solutions will you give to the company to become (more) environmentally friendly

Note: This project has absolutely no intention of criticism. The information in this project is strictly for school purposes and its aim is to engage students in actively thinking about an issue in their real world that they can connect with. It is a problem based type of learning for students to become better thinkers and make real life connections. There is real hope that students will enjoy this type of activity and get something meaningful out of it.

The project will consist of three parts:

I. An introduction on general environmental issues with focus towards the identified topic related to the company/institution and on what related information is out there in the field (need references)
II. The company analysis (see above the four distinctive points)
III. You own view of the issue, opinion and conclusion. This section also needs to include a brief personal reflection and a few ideas of what you can do as an individual, in your home/community to help with environmental protection

You can think of the following environmental issues, among others:
• Air pollution and acid rain
• Energy use and contamination (oil spills, natural gas lines, etc.)
• Fertilizers and pesticides
• Deforestation
• Global warming and ozone depletion
• Garbage disposal and decomposition (recycling/composting)
• Introduction of genetically modified species
• Transportation (cars and airplanes)
• Water quality (dumping sewage into rivers, lakes, ocean)
• Elimination of wildlife and/or plants (excessive fishing, hunting)
• Unsustainable development


The length of the project is 3 page minimum, 1.5 spaced, but this can become very restricted for some people, depending on how much they get into the topic. However, there is a page limit of 6.

At least three references need to be used and cited in the paper, from literature, preferably magazine and newspapers. Interviews with parents and other staff are extra.

Please read the article “An Ecosystem of One´s Own” posted in your grade folder that will give you ideas and hopefully inspire and motivate you. It´s not completely mandatory to use it as a reference, as it will depend on your topic. You can use the guidelines, questions, and ideas presented in the first handout that I will also post so you have reference to it.

If you are unsure on how to develop your topic and focus, please come talk to me, but always come with some ideas of your own.


The project will be graded on (it is worth 15% of the third quarter grade!):

• Full completion of all required parts of the project
• General information based on research that will introduce the main focus of the project
• Depth (personal engagement), presentation of ideas, making connections
• High degree of organization and clarity (main points are well supported with examples)


There are some sites you might find useful, depending on your topic

http://www.mma.gov.br/sitio/

http://www.greenpeace.org/brasil/

http://www.michelin.com.br/responsabilidadesocial/

http://www.greenpeace.org/brasil/

http://www.rma.org.br/v3/action/template/display.php?style=index

http://www.ecoterrabrasil.com.br/home/

http://www.opiniaoenoticia.com.br/editorias.php?id=27

http://limpec.com.br/

http://www.escoladaamazonia.com.br/

You can email me your project no later than Tuesday, April 7th by 10:00am. If you email me, I will reply that I got it. If you don´t receive a reply, it is your responsibility to make sure I receive your project no later than 2:30pm.

iguanar@hotmail.com

i.rosu@escolapanamericana.com