Name Period Task 3a: Goods Analysis Waste Audit According to the Annenberg Foundation, the average American generates four pounds of solid trash per day, for a grand total of 1,460 pounds per year. Americans are the number one global trash offenders! Every day, we collectively dispose of approximately 200 million tons of the stuff. Less than one-quarter of it is recycled, leaving the rest for landfills and incinerators. Part of analyzing the Goods component of your ecological footprint is getting a better idea of how much trash you generate. In this task, you will be recording and collecting the amount of waste that you and your family generates over a 24 hour period. Materials recorded should include all waste including any items that may be recycled, composted, or reused in some way. Examples of items to be recorded include mailed letters, junk mail, food wrappers, beverage containers, other product packaging (e.g., shampoo bottles, deodorant containers, toothpaste tubes), newspapers, aluminum foil, plastic and paper grocery bags, pizza boxes, toilet paper, the roll from toilet paper you get the idea. You will keep a running inventory of your solid wastes throughout the day, with a final tally of the number of items recorded by the beginning of the next class. You will be required to also get the mass of all the waste that you record over the 24 hour period. In order to do this, you must either bring in the waste in a bag for getting the mass Some suggestions for gathering data - When you get home, take out the garbage in your home so that each garbage can and recycling bin has nothing in them, so you can record the data for the entirety of the period. - When you are out of the house, have a bag to carry any excess waste that you might have over the day. - Have your data sheet on you so that you can record any waste over the day. Part 1: Gathering Data Use the chart on the next page or bring in waste for 24 hours to record the amount of waste that you and your family produce. 1
Type of waste Description Approximate size (if applicable) Paper/Cardboard Mass (if applicable) Plastic Metal Glass Compost Reused items (reused bottles, bags, etc.) Landfilled garbage (not composted or 2
recycled) Part 2: Calculating the Waste Generated Use the scale provided in the class to get the mass of the waste you generated. If you did not bring in your waste, use the chart and provided materials to weigh out the materials, TAKING CARE TO MULTIPLY OUT THE NUMBERS THAT YOU PUT IN (If you had 3 aluminum cans in your waste, weigh out one and multiply by 3!). Calculate out both the mass and % of total garbage mass, MAKING SURE THAT YOU SHOW YOUR CALCULATION! Material Recycling Total Mass of Paper and Cardboard Total Mass of Plastic Total Mass of Metal Total Mass of Glass Total Mass of All Recycling Total Mass of Compost Total Mass of Reused Items Total Mass of Landfilled Garbage Total Mass of All Waste Mass (lb) % of Total Garbage Mass Calculation % of Total Garbage Mass Not applicable 100 Part 3: Calculations and Questions Show your work and all units to receive full credit. 1. Total mass of solid waste generated in a month (ASSUMING 1 MONTH= 30 DAYS) = 2. Total mass of solid waste generated in 1 year (ASSUMING 1 YEAR=365 DAYS) = 3. Total mass of recyclable materials items generated in a month = 4. Total mass of recyclable materials generated in 1 year = 3
5. Total mass of compostable materials generated in a month = 6. Total mass of compostable materials generated in 1 year = 7. Ratio of trash items to recyclable items for a month = 8. Ratio of trash items to recyclable items for 1 year = 9. Ratio of trash items to compostable items for a month = 10. Ratio of trash items to compostable items for 1 year = 11. Based on your observations of the solid waste material collected by everyone in the class, what type or category of municipal solid waste seems to be the most abundant? 12. Do you feel this two-day waste audit gave an accurate representation of the trash you generate in a year? Explain. 13. If your family completed this same solid waste project, how do you think their inventories would differ, in terms of the type and amounts of materials used in a week or a year? 14. Did you alter your choices about foods eaten and/or items purchased/used during this activity, due to the type or amount of packaging? Describe how your choices were modified during this assignment. 15. From what you observed in this activity, write a 1 paragraph (at least 7-8 sentences) proposal to your family about a recommendation to lower the waste that you produce. 4
Task 3b: Goods Analysis Electricity Audit We will continue to break down our eco footprint into the different components that make it up. The past couple of days focused on waste; today we will be focusing on electricity. In this audit, you will be looking at any appliances and electrical devices that are plugged into a socket at your home (lamp, tv, phone charger, stereo, etc.) and seeing how much power that it pulls from that socket. In order to do this, you need to do a careful inventory of what is plugged in at your house. We will get initial practice with this for homework today. For homework, fill in this chart below with 3 electrical devices that are plugged in at your home. Try to do smaller ones that you can look at the back of. Try to find the power ratings of the appliances. Here is a sample of the label that you can find on most appliances: Look for the wattage on the label. This is the power that the appliance uses if turned on for an hour. In this case, if on for an hour, this uses 2.15 kilowatts, or 2,150 watts. Part 1: Initial power ratings We will try 3 sample appliances tonight, and focus on more later. Make sure to fill out all you can; we will work on the calculations in class tomorrow. Appliance Power rating Approximate number of hours on per day (if on for half hour, write in 0.5 hour, not 30) Number of appliances in house 5
From the lecture/notes, calculate kilowatt-hours for the appliances you found for homework. Make sure to show your work! Appliance Calculations for kilowatt hours Kilowatt hours for ONE APPLIANCE TOTAL # of appliances in house TOTAL kw h for ALL of the specific appliance in house Part 2: Total Electrical Power Audit Once I have checked off the calculations, fill in the first 3 rows with your initial findings. You will continue this work tonight by recording ALL THINGS that are plugged in at your house. THIS ALSO INCLUDES LIGHT FIXTURES! If you cannot find the power ratings of everything, do not worry. There will be time to research power ratings for difficult appliances in class. If you need more room, add another sheet to the chart. Appliance Power Rating Approximate number of hours on per day # of appliance in house Kilowatt hour calculations Total kilowatt hours for specific appliance 6
Appliance Power Rating Approximate number of hours on per day # of appliance in house Kilowatt hour calculations Total kilowatt hours for specific appliance 7
Part 3: Calculations and Questions Show your work and all units to receive full credit. 1. Total amount of kilowatt hours used in 1 day. 2. Total amount of of kilowatt hours generated in a month (ASSUMING 1 MONTH= 30 DAYS) = 3. Total amount of kilowatt hours generated in 1 year (ASSUMING 1 YEAR=365 DAYS) = 4. What 3 appliances used the most power in your electrical audit? 5. Do you think that there is any way to minimize this power usage for these 3 appliances? Why or why not? 8
Task 3c: Mobility Analysis How does your family get around? Do you walk, bike, take the bus, drive your own car, or carpool with others? In this task you ll analyze your family s transportation habits and create an alternative transportation plan for your family. In this audit, you will record the amount of driving that your family does over a 2 day (48 hour) period. A major part of your eco footprint is the way that you and your family choose to use transportation methods. We will be looking at how much gas is used in your family on a daily, monthly, and yearly basis. Part 1: Gathering Information at Home Answer the following questions to help guide your data collection. If you need help, ask your parent/guardian for this information. 1. How many cars are in your household? 2. What is the make/model and year (ie 2003 Honda CR-V) of the car(s)? 3. How many miles are on the odometer (total amount of miles driven in the car s lifetime) for the car(s)? 4. How many flights did your household take this year (if any)? 5. Where were those flights to (if applicable)? Begin filling in the chart on the next page; you should be able to fill in the first rows 9
It is essential that you gather all this information for your household; we will be using this throughout the next 2 days! Questions Car 1 (if applicable) Car 2 (if applicable) Car 3 (if applicable) Vehicle Manufacturer (Honda, Ford, etc.) Vehicle Model (Accord, Focus, etc.) Year Model Initial Odometer reading Odometer reading after 24 hours Total mileage after 24 hours Odometer reading after 48 hours Total mileage after 48 hours Average Miles Per Gallon (MPG)- Use internet sources to find this information Gallons of gas used after 48 hours Gallons gas used in 1 month (assuming 1 month=30 days) Gallons gas used in 1 year Part 2: Flights You should have already gathered information on flights for the year from your household. Use this information to fill in the audit information for other transportation that you and/or your family has taken this year. In class, use computers and google maps to find the distances for the flights that your household takes. Fill in the chart below with the distances (keeping in mind ROUND TRIPS). Some information to help you: 10
- A standard Boeing 747 gets 1 mile per 5 gallons of fuel - A standard Boeing 747 can carry about 500 people (to calculate the miles per gallon per person) Questions TOTAL distance travelled via plane for your household (MAKE SURE TO REMEMBER ROUND TRIPS!) Gallons gas used total Response Gallons gas used per person (assuming a full plane each time) TOTAL GAS USED BY HOUSEHOLD (CAR+PLANE) Part 3: Calculations and Questions Show your work and all units to receive full credit. 1. Total amount of gasoline used in 1 day. 2. Total amount of gasoline in a month (ASSUMING 1 MONTH= 30 DAYS) = 3. Total amount of gasoline used in 1 year (ASSUMING 1 YEAR=365 DAYS) = 4. Where do you think the most driving is done during the day in your household? Why do you think this? 5. What are ways to minimize the gasoline usage of your household, judging from where most of the driving is done? 11
Task 3d: Water Audit By now you ve become very familiar with auditing different aspects of your ecological footprint. Today, we will be looking at the final aspect of your footprint; water usage. We often forget about the amount of water that we use in a day, though it is one of our most precious resources. You will track the amount of water used by your household over a 24 hour period. To do this, first brainstorm all the places that you use water in your house. Write them below: Water usage in your home brainstorm: As you discuss the different places for water use, make sure to write in any that you did not think about! You will be tracking this once you get home. In the chart below, fill in the first part of each section (# of daily flushes, average length of shower, showers per day, etc.). Your teacher will give you the average numbers for each section, so you can calculate the total gallons used per day. Make sure to be as accurate as possible with your estimates! Questions Data Total gallons used (fill in for each section for the total gallons per day question to add up everything later!) Toilet # of daily flushes Avg. Gallons per flush Total gallons per day (toilet) Shower Average length of shower # of showers per day Avg. Gallons per minute (shower) Total gallons per day (shower) Baths # of baths per day Average gallons per bath Total gallons per day (bath) 12
Faucets # of MINUTES faucet is on (including brushing teeth, washing hands, food prep, cleaning, etc.) Average gallons per minute Total gallons per day (faucets) Dishwasher # of loads per day Average gallons per load Total gallons per day (dishwasher) Washing clothes/ Washer # of loads per day (if once every 5 days, put in 0.20 loads per day, once every 2 days, 0.50 loads per day, etc.) Average gallons per load Total gallons per day (washer) Washing car/watering lawn (anything using a garden hose) # of minutes water runs Average gallons per minute Total gallons per day (garden hose) Total number of gallons used in a day= Part 2: Calculations and Questions Show your work and all units to receive full credit. 1. Total amount of water in a month (ASSUMING 1 MONTH= 30 DAYS) = 2. Total amount of water used in 1 year (ASSUMING 1 YEAR=365 DAYS) = 3. Looking at your chart, where are the top 3 places where water is used the most? Why do you think that these are the highest water usage areas? 4. What are ways to minimize the water usage of your household for those 3 areas where water is used the most? 13
Name Period Task 3a: Goods Analysis Waste Audit According to the Annenberg Foundation, the average American generates four pounds of solid trash per day, for a grand total of 1,460 pounds per year. Americans are the number one global trash offenders! Every day, we collectively dispose of approximately 200 million tons of the stuff. Less than one-quarter of it is recycled, leaving the rest for landfills and incinerators. Part of analyzing the Goods component of your ecological footprint is getting a better idea of how much trash you generate. In this task, you will be recording and collecting the amount of waste that you and your family generates over a 24 hour period. Materials recorded should include all waste including any items that may be recycled, composted, or reused in some way. Examples of items to be recorded include mailed letters, junk mail, food wrappers, beverage containers, other product packaging (e.g., shampoo bottles, deodorant containers, toothpaste tubes), newspapers, aluminum foil, plastic and paper grocery bags, pizza boxes, toilet paper, the roll from toilet paper you get the idea. You will keep a running inventory of your solid wastes throughout the day, with a final tally of the number of items recorded by the beginning of the next class. You will be required to also get the mass of all the waste that you record over the 24 hour period. In order to do this, you must either bring in the waste in a bag for getting the mass Some suggestions for gathering data - When you get home, take out the garbage in your home so that each garbage can and recycling bin has nothing in them, so you can record the data for the entirety of the period. - When you are out of the house, have a bag to carry any excess waste that you might have over the day. - Have your data sheet on you so that you can record any waste over the day. Part 1: Gathering Data Use the chart on the next page or bring in waste for 24 hours to record the amount of waste that you and your family produce. 1
Type of waste Description Approximate size (if applicable) Paper/Cardboard Mass (if applicable) Plastic Metal Glass Compost Reused items (reused bottles, bags, etc.) Landfilled garbage (not composted or 2
recycled) Part 2: Calculating the Waste Generated Use the scale provided in the class to get the mass of the waste you generated. If you did not bring in your waste, use the chart and provided materials to weigh out the materials, TAKING CARE TO MULTIPLY OUT THE NUMBERS THAT YOU PUT IN (If you had 3 aluminum cans in your waste, weigh out one and multiply by 3!). Calculate out both the mass and % of total garbage mass, MAKING SURE THAT YOU SHOW YOUR CALCULATION! Material Recycling Total Mass of Paper and Cardboard Total Mass of Plastic Total Mass of Metal Total Mass of Glass Total Mass of All Recycling Total Mass of Compost Total Mass of Reused Items Total Mass of Landfilled Garbage Total Mass of All Waste Mass (lb) % of Total Garbage Mass Calculation % of Total Garbage Mass Not applicable 100 Part 3: Calculations and Questions Show your work and all units to receive full credit. 1. Total mass of solid waste generated in a month (ASSUMING 1 MONTH= 30 DAYS) = 2. Total mass of solid waste generated in 1 year (ASSUMING 1 YEAR=365 DAYS) = 3. Total mass of recyclable materials items generated in a month = 4. Total mass of recyclable materials generated in 1 year = 3
5. Total mass of compostable materials generated in a month = 6. Total mass of compostable materials generated in 1 year = 7. Ratio of trash items to recyclable items for a month = 8. Ratio of trash items to recyclable items for 1 year = 9. Ratio of trash items to compostable items for a month = 10. Ratio of trash items to compostable items for 1 year = 11. Based on your observations of the solid waste material collected by everyone in the class, what type or category of municipal solid waste seems to be the most abundant? 12. Do you feel this two-day waste audit gave an accurate representation of the trash you generate in a year? Explain. 13. If your family completed this same solid waste project, how do you think their inventories would differ, in terms of the type and amounts of materials used in a week or a year? 14. Did you alter your choices about foods eaten and/or items purchased/used during this activity, due to the type or amount of packaging? Describe how your choices were modified during this assignment. 15. From what you observed in this activity, write a 1 paragraph (at least 7-8 sentences) proposal to your family about a recommendation to lower the waste that you produce. 4
Task 3b: Goods Analysis Electricity Audit We will continue to break down our eco footprint into the different components that make it up. The past couple of days focused on waste; today we will be focusing on electricity. In this audit, you will be looking at any appliances and electrical devices that are plugged into a socket at your home (lamp, tv, phone charger, stereo, etc.) and seeing how much power that it pulls from that socket. In order to do this, you need to do a careful inventory of what is plugged in at your house. We will get initial practice with this for homework today. For homework, fill in this chart below with 3 electrical devices that are plugged in at your home. Try to do smaller ones that you can look at the back of. Try to find the power ratings of the appliances. Here is a sample of the label that you can find on most appliances: Look for the wattage on the label. This is the power that the appliance uses if turned on for an hour. In this case, if on for an hour, this uses 2.15 kilowatts, or 2,150 watts. Part 1: Initial power ratings We will try 3 sample appliances tonight, and focus on more later. Make sure to fill out all you can; we will work on the calculations in class tomorrow. Appliance Power rating Approximate number of hours on per day (if on for half hour, write in 0.5 hour, not 30) Number of appliances in house 5
From the lecture/notes, calculate kilowatt-hours for the appliances you found for homework. Make sure to show your work! Appliance Calculations for kilowatt hours Kilowatt hours for ONE APPLIANCE TOTAL # of appliances in house TOTAL kw h for ALL of the specific appliance in house Part 2: Total Electrical Power Audit Once I have checked off the calculations, fill in the first 3 rows with your initial findings. You will continue this work tonight by recording ALL THINGS that are plugged in at your house. THIS ALSO INCLUDES LIGHT FIXTURES! If you cannot find the power ratings of everything, do not worry. There will be time to research power ratings for difficult appliances in class. If you need more room, add another sheet to the chart. Appliance Power Rating Approximate number of hours on per day # of appliance in house Kilowatt hour calculations Total kilowatt hours for specific appliance 6
Appliance Power Rating Approximate number of hours on per day # of appliance in house Kilowatt hour calculations Total kilowatt hours for specific appliance 7
Part 3: Calculations and Questions Show your work and all units to receive full credit. 1. Total amount of kilowatt hours used in 1 day. 2. Total amount of of kilowatt hours generated in a month (ASSUMING 1 MONTH= 30 DAYS) = 3. Total amount of kilowatt hours generated in 1 year (ASSUMING 1 YEAR=365 DAYS) = 4. What 3 appliances used the most power in your electrical audit? 5. Do you think that there is any way to minimize this power usage for these 3 appliances? Why or why not? 8
Task 3c: Mobility Analysis How does your family get around? Do you walk, bike, take the bus, drive your own car, or carpool with others? In this task you ll analyze your family s transportation habits and create an alternative transportation plan for your family. In this audit, you will record the amount of driving that your family does over a 2 day (48 hour) period. A major part of your eco footprint is the way that you and your family choose to use transportation methods. We will be looking at how much gas is used in your family on a daily, monthly, and yearly basis. Part 1: Gathering Information at Home Answer the following questions to help guide your data collection. If you need help, ask your parent/guardian for this information. 1. How many cars are in your household? 2. What is the make/model and year (ie 2003 Honda CR-V) of the car(s)? 3. How many miles are on the odometer (total amount of miles driven in the car s lifetime) for the car(s)? 4. How many flights did your household take this year (if any)? 5. Where were those flights to (if applicable)? Begin filling in the chart on the next page; you should be able to fill in the first rows 9
It is essential that you gather all this information for your household; we will be using this throughout the next 2 days! Questions Car 1 (if applicable) Car 2 (if applicable) Car 3 (if applicable) Vehicle Manufacturer (Honda, Ford, etc.) Vehicle Model (Accord, Focus, etc.) Year Model Initial Odometer reading Odometer reading after 24 hours Total mileage after 24 hours Odometer reading after 48 hours Total mileage after 48 hours Average Miles Per Gallon (MPG)- Use internet sources to find this information Gallons of gas used after 48 hours Gallons gas used in 1 month (assuming 1 month=30 days) Gallons gas used in 1 year Part 2: Flights You should have already gathered information on flights for the year from your household. Use this information to fill in the audit information for other transportation that you and/or your family has taken this year. In class, use computers and google maps to find the distances for the flights that your household takes. Fill in the chart below with the distances (keeping in mind ROUND TRIPS). Some information to help you: 10
- A standard Boeing 747 gets 1 mile per 5 gallons of fuel - A standard Boeing 747 can carry about 500 people (to calculate the miles per gallon per person) Questions TOTAL distance travelled via plane for your household (MAKE SURE TO REMEMBER ROUND TRIPS!) Gallons gas used total Response Gallons gas used per person (assuming a full plane each time) TOTAL GAS USED BY HOUSEHOLD (CAR+PLANE) Part 3: Calculations and Questions Show your work and all units to receive full credit. 1. Total amount of gasoline used in 1 day. 2. Total amount of gasoline in a month (ASSUMING 1 MONTH= 30 DAYS) = 3. Total amount of gasoline used in 1 year (ASSUMING 1 YEAR=365 DAYS) = 4. Where do you think the most driving is done during the day in your household? Why do you think this? 5. What are ways to minimize the gasoline usage of your household, judging from where most of the driving is done? 11
Task 3d: Water Audit By now you ve become very familiar with auditing different aspects of your ecological footprint. Today, we will be looking at the final aspect of your footprint; water usage. We often forget about the amount of water that we use in a day, though it is one of our most precious resources. You will track the amount of water used by your household over a 24 hour period. To do this, first brainstorm all the places that you use water in your house. Write them below: Water usage in your home brainstorm: As you discuss the different places for water use, make sure to write in any that you did not think about! You will be tracking this once you get home. In the chart below, fill in the first part of each section (# of daily flushes, average length of shower, showers per day, etc.). Your teacher will give you the average numbers for each section, so you can calculate the total gallons used per day. Make sure to be as accurate as possible with your estimates! Questions Data Total gallons used (fill in for each section for the total gallons per day question to add up everything later!) Toilet # of daily flushes Avg. Gallons per flush Total gallons per day (toilet) Shower Average length of shower # of showers per day Avg. Gallons per minute (shower) Total gallons per day (shower) Baths # of baths per day Average gallons per bath Total gallons per day (bath) 12
Faucets # of MINUTES faucet is on (including brushing teeth, washing hands, food prep, cleaning, etc.) Average gallons per minute Total gallons per day (faucets) Dishwasher # of loads per day Average gallons per load Total gallons per day (dishwasher) Washing clothes/ Washer # of loads per day (if once every 5 days, put in 0.20 loads per day, once every 2 days, 0.50 loads per day, etc.) Average gallons per load Total gallons per day (washer) Washing car/watering lawn (anything using a garden hose) # of minutes water runs Average gallons per minute Total gallons per day (garden hose) Total number of gallons used in a day= Part 2: Calculations and Questions Show your work and all units to receive full credit. 1. Total amount of water in a month (ASSUMING 1 MONTH= 30 DAYS) = 2. Total amount of water used in 1 year (ASSUMING 1 YEAR=365 DAYS) = 3. Looking at your chart, where are the top 3 places where water is used the most? Why do you think that these are the highest water usage areas? 4. What are ways to minimize the water usage of your household for those 3 areas where water is used the most? 13
Name Period Task 3a: Goods Analysis Waste Audit According to the Annenberg Foundation, the average American generates four pounds of solid trash per day, for a grand total of 1,460 pounds per year. Americans are the number one global trash offenders! Every day, we collectively dispose of approximately 200 million tons of the stuff. Less than one-quarter of it is recycled, leaving the rest for landfills and incinerators. Part of analyzing the Goods component of your ecological footprint is getting a better idea of how much trash you generate. In this task, you will be recording and collecting the amount of waste that you and your family generates over a 24 hour period. Materials recorded should include all waste including any items that may be recycled, composted, or reused in some way. Examples of items to be recorded include mailed letters, junk mail, food wrappers, beverage containers, other product packaging (e.g., shampoo bottles, deodorant containers, toothpaste tubes), newspapers, aluminum foil, plastic and paper grocery bags, pizza boxes, toilet paper, the roll from toilet paper you get the idea. You will keep a running inventory of your solid wastes throughout the day, with a final tally of the number of items recorded by the beginning of the next class. You will be required to also get the mass of all the waste that you record over the 24 hour period. In order to do this, you must either bring in the waste in a bag for getting the mass Some suggestions for gathering data - When you get home, take out the garbage in your home so that each garbage can and recycling bin has nothing in them, so you can record the data for the entirety of the period. - When you are out of the house, have a bag to carry any excess waste that you might have over the day. - Have your data sheet on you so that you can record any waste over the day. Part 1: Gathering Data Use the chart on the next page or bring in waste for 24 hours to record the amount of waste that you and your family produce. 1
Type of waste Description Approximate size (if applicable) Paper/Cardboard Mass (if applicable) Plastic Metal Glass Compost Reused items (reused bottles, bags, etc.) Landfilled garbage (not composted or 2
recycled) Part 2: Calculating the Waste Generated Use the scale provided in the class to get the mass of the waste you generated. If you did not bring in your waste, use the chart and provided materials to weigh out the materials, TAKING CARE TO MULTIPLY OUT THE NUMBERS THAT YOU PUT IN (If you had 3 aluminum cans in your waste, weigh out one and multiply by 3!). Calculate out both the mass and % of total garbage mass, MAKING SURE THAT YOU SHOW YOUR CALCULATION! Material Recycling Total Mass of Paper and Cardboard Total Mass of Plastic Total Mass of Metal Total Mass of Glass Total Mass of All Recycling Total Mass of Compost Total Mass of Reused Items Total Mass of Landfilled Garbage Total Mass of All Waste Mass (lb) % of Total Garbage Mass Calculation % of Total Garbage Mass Not applicable 100 Part 3: Calculations and Questions Show your work and all units to receive full credit. 1. Total mass of solid waste generated in a month (ASSUMING 1 MONTH= 30 DAYS) = 2. Total mass of solid waste generated in 1 year (ASSUMING 1 YEAR=365 DAYS) = 3. Total mass of recyclable materials items generated in a month = 4. Total mass of recyclable materials generated in 1 year = 3
5. Total mass of compostable materials generated in a month = 6. Total mass of compostable materials generated in 1 year = 7. Ratio of trash items to recyclable items for a month = 8. Ratio of trash items to recyclable items for 1 year = 9. Ratio of trash items to compostable items for a month = 10. Ratio of trash items to compostable items for 1 year = 11. Based on your observations of the solid waste material collected by everyone in the class, what type or category of municipal solid waste seems to be the most abundant? 12. Do you feel this two-day waste audit gave an accurate representation of the trash you generate in a year? Explain. 13. If your family completed this same solid waste project, how do you think their inventories would differ, in terms of the type and amounts of materials used in a week or a year? 14. Did you alter your choices about foods eaten and/or items purchased/used during this activity, due to the type or amount of packaging? Describe how your choices were modified during this assignment. 15. From what you observed in this activity, write a 1 paragraph (at least 7-8 sentences) proposal to your family about a recommendation to lower the waste that you produce. 4
Task 3b: Goods Analysis Electricity Audit We will continue to break down our eco footprint into the different components that make it up. The past couple of days focused on waste; today we will be focusing on electricity. In this audit, you will be looking at any appliances and electrical devices that are plugged into a socket at your home (lamp, tv, phone charger, stereo, etc.) and seeing how much power that it pulls from that socket. In order to do this, you need to do a careful inventory of what is plugged in at your house. We will get initial practice with this for homework today. For homework, fill in this chart below with 3 electrical devices that are plugged in at your home. Try to do smaller ones that you can look at the back of. Try to find the power ratings of the appliances. Here is a sample of the label that you can find on most appliances: Look for the wattage on the label. This is the power that the appliance uses if turned on for an hour. In this case, if on for an hour, this uses 2.15 kilowatts, or 2,150 watts. Part 1: Initial power ratings We will try 3 sample appliances tonight, and focus on more later. Make sure to fill out all you can; we will work on the calculations in class tomorrow. Appliance Power rating Approximate number of hours on per day (if on for half hour, write in 0.5 hour, not 30) Number of appliances in house 5
From the lecture/notes, calculate kilowatt-hours for the appliances you found for homework. Make sure to show your work! Appliance Calculations for kilowatt hours Kilowatt hours for ONE APPLIANCE TOTAL # of appliances in house TOTAL kw h for ALL of the specific appliance in house Part 2: Total Electrical Power Audit Once I have checked off the calculations, fill in the first 3 rows with your initial findings. You will continue this work tonight by recording ALL THINGS that are plugged in at your house. THIS ALSO INCLUDES LIGHT FIXTURES! If you cannot find the power ratings of everything, do not worry. There will be time to research power ratings for difficult appliances in class. If you need more room, add another sheet to the chart. Appliance Power Rating Approximate number of hours on per day # of appliance in house Kilowatt hour calculations Total kilowatt hours for specific appliance 6
Appliance Power Rating Approximate number of hours on per day # of appliance in house Kilowatt hour calculations Total kilowatt hours for specific appliance 7
Part 3: Calculations and Questions Show your work and all units to receive full credit. 1. Total amount of kilowatt hours used in 1 day. 2. Total amount of of kilowatt hours generated in a month (ASSUMING 1 MONTH= 30 DAYS) = 3. Total amount of kilowatt hours generated in 1 year (ASSUMING 1 YEAR=365 DAYS) = 4. What 3 appliances used the most power in your electrical audit? 5. Do you think that there is any way to minimize this power usage for these 3 appliances? Why or why not? 8
Task 3c: Mobility Analysis How does your family get around? Do you walk, bike, take the bus, drive your own car, or carpool with others? In this task you ll analyze your family s transportation habits and create an alternative transportation plan for your family. In this audit, you will record the amount of driving that your family does over a 2 day (48 hour) period. A major part of your eco footprint is the way that you and your family choose to use transportation methods. We will be looking at how much gas is used in your family on a daily, monthly, and yearly basis. Part 1: Gathering Information at Home Answer the following questions to help guide your data collection. If you need help, ask your parent/guardian for this information. 1. How many cars are in your household? 2. What is the make/model and year (ie 2003 Honda CR-V) of the car(s)? 3. How many miles are on the odometer (total amount of miles driven in the car s lifetime) for the car(s)? 4. How many flights did your household take this year (if any)? 5. Where were those flights to (if applicable)? Begin filling in the chart on the next page; you should be able to fill in the first rows 9
It is essential that you gather all this information for your household; we will be using this throughout the next 2 days! Questions Car 1 (if applicable) Car 2 (if applicable) Car 3 (if applicable) Vehicle Manufacturer (Honda, Ford, etc.) Vehicle Model (Accord, Focus, etc.) Year Model Initial Odometer reading Odometer reading after 24 hours Total mileage after 24 hours Odometer reading after 48 hours Total mileage after 48 hours Average Miles Per Gallon (MPG)- Use internet sources to find this information Gallons of gas used after 48 hours Gallons gas used in 1 month (assuming 1 month=30 days) Gallons gas used in 1 year Part 2: Flights You should have already gathered information on flights for the year from your household. Use this information to fill in the audit information for other transportation that you and/or your family has taken this year. In class, use computers and google maps to find the distances for the flights that your household takes. Fill in the chart below with the distances (keeping in mind ROUND TRIPS). Some information to help you: 10
- A standard Boeing 747 gets 1 mile per 5 gallons of fuel - A standard Boeing 747 can carry about 500 people (to calculate the miles per gallon per person) Questions TOTAL distance travelled via plane for your household (MAKE SURE TO REMEMBER ROUND TRIPS!) Gallons gas used total Response Gallons gas used per person (assuming a full plane each time) TOTAL GAS USED BY HOUSEHOLD (CAR+PLANE) Part 3: Calculations and Questions Show your work and all units to receive full credit. 1. Total amount of gasoline used in 1 day. 2. Total amount of gasoline in a month (ASSUMING 1 MONTH= 30 DAYS) = 3. Total amount of gasoline used in 1 year (ASSUMING 1 YEAR=365 DAYS) = 4. Where do you think the most driving is done during the day in your household? Why do you think this? 5. What are ways to minimize the gasoline usage of your household, judging from where most of the driving is done? 11
Task 3d: Water Audit By now you ve become very familiar with auditing different aspects of your ecological footprint. Today, we will be looking at the final aspect of your footprint; water usage. We often forget about the amount of water that we use in a day, though it is one of our most precious resources. You will track the amount of water used by your household over a 24 hour period. To do this, first brainstorm all the places that you use water in your house. Write them below: Water usage in your home brainstorm: As you discuss the different places for water use, make sure to write in any that you did not think about! You will be tracking this once you get home. In the chart below, fill in the first part of each section (# of daily flushes, average length of shower, showers per day, etc.). Your teacher will give you the average numbers for each section, so you can calculate the total gallons used per day. Make sure to be as accurate as possible with your estimates! Questions Data Total gallons used (fill in for each section for the total gallons per day question to add up everything later!) Toilet # of daily flushes Avg. Gallons per flush Total gallons per day (toilet) Shower Average length of shower # of showers per day Avg. Gallons per minute (shower) Total gallons per day (shower) Baths # of baths per day Average gallons per bath Total gallons per day (bath) 12
Faucets # of MINUTES faucet is on (including brushing teeth, washing hands, food prep, cleaning, etc.) Average gallons per minute Total gallons per day (faucets) Dishwasher # of loads per day Average gallons per load Total gallons per day (dishwasher) Washing clothes/ Washer # of loads per day (if once every 5 days, put in 0.20 loads per day, once every 2 days, 0.50 loads per day, etc.) Average gallons per load Total gallons per day (washer) Washing car/watering lawn (anything using a garden hose) # of minutes water runs Average gallons per minute Total gallons per day (garden hose) Total number of gallons used in a day= Part 2: Calculations and Questions Show your work and all units to receive full credit. 1. Total amount of water in a month (ASSUMING 1 MONTH= 30 DAYS) = 2. Total amount of water used in 1 year (ASSUMING 1 YEAR=365 DAYS) = 3. Looking at your chart, where are the top 3 places where water is used the most? Why do you think that these are the highest water usage areas? 4. What are ways to minimize the water usage of your household for those 3 areas where water is used the most? 13