| |
||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Math: Ms. Charles
Overview
This was undertaken as a cross-disciplinary or cross curriculum project to make our students aware of how we, the populace of this planet, have contributed to the continuous demise of our planet and consider what changes we can make in our own lives to reduce our contribution to global warming. We hope that just making students aware will help give them the initiative to spread these changes to their homes and families, who will in turn take this important message to their places of work in larger society. Eventually, the hope is that a snowball effect will ensue to create conscious communities, and eventually - a conscious world.
From the mathematical perspective, the students gathered statistical data on the consumption of meat and the increase in temperature over a period of time, since the focus is on how meat consumption contributes to global warming. Students compared the data using a scatter plot to determine whether there is a positive correlation between the increase in the consumption of meat and the increase in temperature on our planet. Since this was, in fact, determined, the students should explain how this will affect their lives in the future and should furthermore explore and explain what measures should be undertaken at this point to preserve our planet so that our descendants can enjoy and appreciate it.
Inspired by the idea of saving our planet Earth, students also investigated what some of the greenhouse gases that affect the purity of our lives are. They discovered that carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane, two prominent greenhouse gases, are responsible for trapping the heat on the Earth’s surface and thus, are warming our planet unnecessarily. Against this background, the students produced maps and graphs to determine the trend in time from about 1940 to approximately 2010, indicating what can take place if people’s attitudes and actions related to the environment do not change. It was surprising to discover that the U.S.A. ranks number one in the production of CO2, and each American carries the burden of 5.61 metric tons of carbon dioxide as a deficit. This means that up to this point, each American has the burden of cleaning up 5.6 metric tons of CO2, even newborns who are just entering the world. Two main sources of CO2 and methane gases are the rearing and producing of meat.
One student examined how our community of Brooklyn will be further affected by global warming. He determined that with the constant melting of glaciers in the Artic and Antarctic regions due to the abnormal warming, the oceans and seas will further erode the land. Since Brooklyn is a community that lies close to the Atlantic Ocean, high schools in the lower elevation sections of Brooklyn might be affected by serious hurricanes or even by sea level rise.
From the investigations conducted by the students, it is the consensus that global warming has an adverse effect on our way of life and the quality of life for future generations. Now, what can be done by us to help reduce this large carbon footprint each of us has contributed toward the destruction of our planet? I would like the students to make suggestions on what small adjustments can be made to help save our planet, Earth.
|
|
|
|
|
|