New York Science Grade 6

Unit 4: Interdependence

Model

Project Type: Model

Introduction:
Did you know that the U.S. demand for petroleum is currently at 20 million barrels per day? Petroleum products are important for fueling machines, heating homes, and manufacturing plastics. However, using them can cause problems such as pollution and the depletion of resources.

Task:
Design a personal conservation project. Your project will be a two-week plan in which you will conserve one or more resources. This plan does not have to focus solely on petroleum products. Examples of personal conservation include composting refuse, using less water per day, reducing electricity use, and starting a recycling program in your school cafeteria. As you are creating your own plan, think about the 3 R’s of conservation – reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Time:
1 class period to research and design the conservation plan, 2 weeks outside class to implement plan, 1-2 class periods for presentations

Possible Resources:
http://www.moea.state.mn.us/reduce/index.cfm
http://www.csgnetwork.com/waterusagecalc.html
http://www.sfr.cas.psu.edu/water/Water%20Audit%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf
http://www.catskillcenter.org/programs/csp/H20/Lesson3/house3.htm
http://clayelectric.com/electricitybrochure.pdf
http://www.clpud.org/rtchoice.html
http://www.ergon.com.au/energyed/activities/energy_audit2.asp?nf=true&platform=
http://www.earth911.org/master.asp?s=about&a=contact/startrecycle.asp
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/2003news/11-comp.htm
http://www.energy.iastate.edu/news/pr/pr-setbacktherm.html

Product:
Present your conservation project to your class. Include an explanation of your original plan, how you implemented the plan, and the results you achieved.