Assignment $1$: Waste Tracking Challenge

Due week $3-$ Worth $10\%$ of your grade

We use throw away packaging every day, but have you thought about how much?

This research mission invites you to monitor and record all plastics, packaging, and

waste that you buy and throw away in one week through your groceries, snacks and

take$-$away food. Keep track on what kind of plastics packaging you are getting,

especially the smaller formats, and how much of it is actually reused or collected for

recycling where you live. For this assignment, you will be submitting a final report,

outlining the following:

$$ Step $1$: Personal Introduction $/$ Projections: Before you get started, reflect on

how much packaging you likely use each day. Through what activities do you

think you produce the most trash? Write one paragraph taking a guess at how

much you produce each week. Include this in the introduction of your report.

$$ Step $2$: Trash Inventory: The second part of your report will include a visual or

written inventory describing what you disposed of$.$ What are those items or

materials that you disposed of$?$ You can take notes, take photographs, draw

illustrations, create graphs and charts, mind maps, etc. Choose a method that$$s

easiest and most interesting for you to record.

$$ Step $3$: Reflect. At the week, reflect on your activities. What did you learn about

yourself? About waste? What are some areas for improvement?

$$ Step $4$: Share. Create a PPT presentation and present key findings to the class.

Tell us personal stories. What surprised you? What did you notice or learn about

yourself?

Deliverables:

$1-3$ page report with photographs, charts, and personal reflections. Use headings

above as key sections. Be creative with how you put your report together. Use

your design skills to emphasize key points, or summarize information.

$10$ minute in$-$class presentation discussing key findings

RUBRIC

Thoroughness $-$ The report is well$-$documented, and includes an

inventory of all trash collected each day. You include visual

references, and a list of all trash that you tracked this week.

$/30$

Reflection$-$ You have effectively discussed your activities, and

discovered new insights about your behaviour. Those insights

gave rise to possible behaviour changes, which you have tested

in your report.

$/40$

Presentation $-$ Your findings are presented creatively, and in an

organized manner.