Grade 8 Environmental Experience

Reducing our ecological footprint

www.royalsaskmuseum.ca/gallery/life_sciences/footprint_mx_2005.swf

 

Russel (Advisor: D. Howard~ M343; Project Supervisor: D. Bouchard-Ulusoy)

 

“Some houses and building techniques produce smaller impacts than others on resources”.

8- Topic: Greening building techniques

Questions:

1.      What makes eco-friendly?

2.      What is organic architecture?

3.      What are reclaimed and renewable building materials?

4.      What are passive building systems?

5.      What is the purpose of the “Green Lab” project issued by the Urban Ecology Centre of Montreal?

6.      What is a LEED building? What buildings in Montreal adhere to LEED standards?

7.      What makes the Mountain Equipment Co-op building in Montreal green?

8.      What are R-2000 homes?

9.      What is the Benny Square project in Montreal?

10.  What are the highest ranking greenest cities and why?

11.  What energy-efficient measures were undertaken for the building of the Bill Durnham Arena?

 

 

            Activity:

A. Survey LCC and identify specific areas that have been engineered to reduce energy consumption (see Mme Simard-Laurin or Mr. Karassaferreian for information/interviews).

NOTE: STUDENTS WILL BE SUPERVISED BY MME. BOUCHARD-USULOY FOR THIS ACTIVITY

 

 

9- Topic: CO sinks and CO2 Caps

YOU WILL MEET WITH MR. MATHESON FOR THIS ACTIVITY IN THE AFTERNOON.

            Questions:

1.      What is a CO sink?

2.      How much carbon can an average mature tree in NDG standing 15 to 30 metres high absorb in a year. What is the average lifespan of such a tree and how much can it absorb in its lifetime? What types of trees are best at absorbing ?

3.      Identify some of the major forests of the world. What percentage of forest has our planet suffered over the past 25 years and how does this contribute to climate change?

4.      What is the Kyoto protocol?

5.      What are the advantages and disadvantages of sinks?

6.      What are the major forest regions in the surrounding area of Montreal?

7.      What is a carbon credit and how do governments use them to limit pollution?

8.      What is behind the notion of a carbon tax and how would this reduce  emissions?

           

Activities:

A: Each team of 2 students should choose a given street block within NDG and count the number of trees from end to end on each side of the road. Students should also count how many cars travel this stretch of road within a 15 minute period. Using this data, and knowledge obtained on the Internet regarding how much carbon mature trees are capable of absorbing, students should try to calculate whether a street contributes or actually absorbs more .Teams should compare notes and identify which streets are green and those that are not (e.g., Monkland versus Hingston, etc). YOU WILL MEET WITH MR. MATHESON FOR THIS ACTIVITY IN THE AFTERNOON.

 

 

“Our footprints grow the more we travel, especially when we travel by car”.

12- Topic: Traffic, Idling & Travel

            Questions:

  1. Why are there anti-idling campaigns?
  2. What is the law in Montreal on anti-idling?
  3. How does traffic cause air-pollution? Noise-pollution?
  4. What measures has Montreal taken to reduce traffic?
  5. How  does the global airline industry emit per year?
  6. How much  does an average person emit when they travel by air, from Montreal to each of any three cities in the world (e.g., Montreal to London, Montreal to Shanghai, etc.)
  7. What are the 10 most polluted cities in the world and what can they do to overcome such a situation?

 

 

            Activity:

B: Randomly Survey 10 students on their vacation trips and provide and estimate of their CO emissions as well as that of their family as a whole.

 

NOTE: STUDENTS WILL BE SUPERVISED BY MME. BOUCHARD-USULOY FOR THIS ACTIVITY

 

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