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Tolerance High School - April 2012 Character Education Newsletters Broward County Air Quality Program Tolerance is the ability to recognize and respect the differences, values, and beliefs of other people. Just in time for Earth Day, your students can learn about tolerance as it relates to environmental issues. Through participation in local Earth Day activities and research, students will be able to educate themselves about environmental issues affecting our county, state, and country. Go Green This April 2012 issue is the last for the current school year. We sincerely hope you enjoyed the activities and announcements found in the newsletters throughout the school year. Please take our short survey on the FCAT Warm-up Character Education Newsletters. We value your opinion and look forward to hearing from you. The link to take the survey is www.surveymonkey.com/s/9CHXMQ6. Enjoy the rest of the school year and have a safe summer! NatureScape Broward Energy/Electricity Audit Climate Change Broward County Kids Corner Upcoming Events EARTH DAY! @Broward Environment Activity The Energy/Electricity Audit takes place four times in a school year: September, December, February and June. This activity can be done as a class activity and then move into a school wide activity. Energy Lighting Audit Checklist The scores are out of five and depend on the extent to which the item is done throughout the building: Point Scale 5= Throughout School 4= Over ¾ of School 3 = ½ of School 2 = ¼ of School 1= We are now aware of this (Total Possible Points = 85) Does your school: Take advantage of all natural light to save energy? Use compact fluorescent bulbs instead of standard incandescent “screw-in” bulbs? Use high efficiency fluorescent lamps and electronic ballasts? Use high intensity discharge lights (e.g., high pressure sodium) in outdoor areas? Replace incandescent bulbs in exit signs with a light-emitting diode (LED) or compact fluorescent replacement kit? Use time clocks, occupancy sensors, and dimming controls to reduce lighting energy? Use a Building Automation System (BAS)? Use lighting only when needed? Ensure custodial staff turns off lights after cleaning? Ensure teachers, custodians and students turn off lights when they are last out of a room? Post “lights out” posters or reminders in the building? Use lighting after hours & weekend only in occupied areas? Turn off lighting for display purposes (e.g., trophy cases, etc.) at night & during summer? Turn off all computers when not in use? Post” Computer Off “reminders in the classrooms? Equip all vending machines with energy misers? Ensure there are no desk lamps in use? * A school can get points only for one of these two entries. Energy Heating and Cooling Audit Checklist Score one point for each checkmark (Total Possible Points = 24) Does your school: Set heating thermostat set points to maintain 70°F or lower? Set air conditioning (A/C) for 73°F-75°F and shut it down during unoccupied hours? Operate your building systems (e.g., boilers, fans, and pumps) efficiently and optimize efficiency through regular inspections and preventative maintenance? Use gas as the main heating fuel? Control heating/cooling from the central computer and match the occupancy schedule? Use time clocks and sensor controls to reduce heating/cooling energy? Use a Building Automation System (BAS)? Keep doors/windows closed during heating and cooling season? Close doors/windows when A/C is on in air-conditioned spaces? Make effective use of the free cooling available in the early morning hours? Run the exhaust systems only when needed? Turn on heating and cooling for after-hours & weekends only in occupied areas? Inspect and clean coils on regularly scheduled basis? Leave standby pumps in the off position? Test boilers periodically for performance/efficiency? Ensure return air grilles are inspected & not blocked by books, cabinets, etc.? Ensure pneumatic controls air compressor & dryer are clean & in good working order? Clean and replace all air filters on a regularly scheduled basis? Ensure there are no fans or portable electric space heaters being used by occupants? Insulate steam and hot water piping? (Pipes are warm/hot to touch.) @Broward Environment’s Channel Use curtains and blinds effectively in heating and cooling seasons? Ensure all doors close tightly and have a good weather seal that keeps out drafts and hot air? Ensure there is adequate weather stripping around windows/ doors? (Reduce air leak.) Seal all penetrations in floors & exterior walls? Follow Up: Have the class/students that completed the energy/electricity audit write a report based on their finding and present it to the school’s administration. Source: www.earthcarecanada.com/earthcare_program/Lessons/Energy_Audit.pdf World Summit on Climate Change This activity is for student to work in small groups where they will research the impacts of climate change on a particular designated country, and they will predict future impacts for this country. They will interact by simulating an international summit on climate change (taking place 20 years from now). The country representatives will attempt to reach an international agreement on how to reduce GHGs. Goal: To help students understand the impact of the western world’s GHG emissions on developing nations and the importance of being a global citizen. Time: 2–3 hours Setting: Classroom Materials: Copies of the student handout and backgrounders Handouts: Teacher Handout: Reflecting on the Summit www.climatechangenorth.ca/sectionLP/LP_35_H_MS_summit_SH.html#TH01 Student Handout: An International Agreement on Climate Change – Is it possible? www.climatechangenorth.ca/section-LP/LP_35_H_MS_summit_SH.html#SH01 Skills: Research, critical thinking, small group work, predicting, developing an argument, presenting Background Learning: Teachers and students should be familiar with the basic science of climate change. High school students should read: Climate Change: What’s the Big Deal? www.climatechangenorth.ca/section-BG/BG_HS_01_O_E.html Global Impacts of Climate Change www.climatechangenorth.ca/section-BG/BG_HS_12_O_E.html During the lesson, students may also read: Climate Change Agreements…and Disagreements www.climatechangenorth.ca/section-BG/BG_HS_16_O_E.html Introduction to Lesson Plan: This lesson involves students in three phases of activity: researching and preparing as a group to present at a simulated climate change conference; presenting and discussing at the simulated conference; and reflecting on what the experience has taught them. Ideally, the activity should be spread over three classroom periods, although you may need to scale back, depending on time availability. Period 1 – Group research and preparation Period 2 – The international summit Period 3 – Debriefing & reflection For Period 1, it would be useful for students to have computer access. Alternatively, you could assign some of the initial gathering of research as homework. Activity: 1. If the students are not already familiar with the basics of climate change and its impacts, spend some time on the basics, and also on the impacts as outlined in Global Impacts of Climate Change. 2. Introduce the plan of the conference to the students. Divide the class into groups (not more than five students per group) and assign each group a country. Some countries that would be interesting to include are: o Bangladesh o Canada o India o United States o Indonesia o Kuwait o Tanzania o China o Venezuela 3. Preparation: Distribute the Student Handout: An International Agreement on Climate Change – Is it possible? Read through the handout with the students, clarifying what they need to do to prepare for the summit. Allow time for student research and preparation. Tell the students that Global Impacts of Climate Change is also a good resource for this activity, and make copies available. As you move around the classroom, encourage the students to take strong positions that will result in lively debate and discussion. (Note: This research phase could be expanded to include preparation of an informational display on their country, including pictures, country information, key points, etc.) 4. The Summit: Arrange the classroom so that the speakers are arranged in a large circle, with their support groups clustered behind them. Encourage students to stay in-role. (They may even want to wear clothing representative of the country.) You, as the teacher, are the summit chair, moderating the summit. The summit progresses through these stages: o Presentation of Opening Position Statements – The conference chair welcomes participants, and gives the speaker for each country two to four minutes to introduce their country, give some key facts relating to climate change impacts in their country in 2025, and state what they hope to gain from the summit meeting. Don’t move on to general discussion until each person has been heard. Encourage the countries to listen carefully to each other’s position. During the next phase of the summit, they may want to team up with other countries that are taking similar positions. o Negotiation Break – The chair calls a five-minute break, to allow the country teams to negotiate with other countries to enhance their position. o Working Towards a Solution – The chair facilitates a discussion as countries try to come to an agreement on how to slow the progress of climate change. The speaker is the only one who can speak for the country, but other group members may pass notes or whisper suggestions. The class may not reach an agreement. (In fact, it may not be realistic for them to reach agreement.) The most important thing is that differing views are presented, and that the students realize how citizens from other nations regard the issue of climate change. 5. Debrief: Using the Teacher Handout: Reflecting on the Summit, lead a class discussion to explore what students experienced and learned from the summit. 6. Ask students to distill the key thoughts and ideas learned from their research and participation in the summit into 200-800 word report. (This may be composed by the whole class, or assigned for homework.) Evaluate students on: Participation in the summit Country opening positions, statements and arguments Reflective essays Enrichment Ideas: Predicting Two Futures - Students write worst-case and best-case scenarios; set in any country they choose. The worst-case scenario presents a vision of a world where little or no climate change action has been taken: temperatures are hot, there is more precipitation, species are extinct, etc. The best-case scenario presents a community using alternative energies, major efficiencies, and new solutions. Sources: www.climatechangenorth.ca/section-LP/LP_35_H_MS_summit.html An experiment was conducted in a lab to determine the effects of dioxin, a toxic chemical that causes damage to living organisms. A different concentration of dioxin was added to each of ten tanks that contained identical samples of aquatic plants in water. After a month, observations were recorded, the plants were discarded, and the solution from each tank was poured down the laboratory sink. What is the best way to improve this experiment in order to minimize the effects of dioxin on the environment? A. use animals rather than plants B. use a single concentration of dioxin C. review the results with another scientist D. discard the materials at a hazardous-waste site Answer: D Please Take Our Survey Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and provide your candid feedback to help the Broward County Air Quality Program assess your educational needs. To thank you for your time, all responses received by Wednesday, May 23, 2012 will be entered into a drawing. Each of three winners will receive one of these great environmental prizes including: "365 Ways to Live Green" by Diane Gow McDilda, the Ventura County Film "AIR" or a deluxe 18oz stainless steel water bottle. The link to take the survey is www.surveymonkey.com/s/9CHXMQ6. Enjoy the rest of the school year and have a safe summer! Spread the Word!!! Subscribe to our FREE electronic Character Education Science FCAT Warm-up Newsletters Today! The monthly edition of this newsletter is distributed only through a FREE electronic e-mail subscriber list. E-mail the Broward County Pollution Prevention, Remediation & Air Quality Division at [email protected] to receive this valuable curriculum resource. The newsletters are also available on our Environmental Kids Club web site at www.broward.org/kids. Archived copies of the newsletter are also available through the School Board’s BEEP system.