Category: Environmental science homework help

 
Throughout this course you’ve learned about the environmental impact of human activity on groups and communities. You’ve also had a chance to consider how your own habits and patterns of consumption impact your community. This final, brief assignment will provide you with the opportunity to reflect on what you’ve learned, and to consider how you will apply that learning in the future. 
Write a response of approximately 300-400 words in which you respond to the following questions. 
How would you describe your individual environmental impact? Has it changed over time?
Based on what you have learned from taking this class, do you plan on making any lifestyle changes to reduce the negative impacts of your activities on the environment, or to increase your positive impact on the environment? Why or why not?
Based on what you learned about environmental activist groups, do you plan to get more involved with environmental groups in your community? Why or why not?
What is your most valuable takeaway from this class

 
This week you will submit the finished version of your Environmental Issues in the News article. It consists of the introduction, conclusion, and sociological analysis of the environmental impact of the topic you chose. 
Format
Cover page in APA style
Introduction (from Week 5)
Sociological Analysis (from Week 4)
Conclusion (from Week 5)
References page
Length Requirement: Approximately 800 words

 
The purpose of this assignment is to understand how human activities have different environmental impacts on different groups. 
Assignment Directions
Task 1: Find a News Article: 
Find a reputable, recent (one-year old or less) news article related to an environmental issue in your community. Remember that human activity of all sorts has an environmental impact. Here are just a few examples of activities with environmental impacts that might be going on in your community.
Replacing individual houses with high-rise condominiums.
Converting unused office buildings into residential apartments.
Installing wind turbines or solar panels in rural areas.
Requiring residents to compost leftover food.
Using ground water for crop irrigation in drought-stricken areas.
Providing EV-only parking spaces with charging facilities. 
This list is not intended to limit your choices, but rather to spark your imagination. There are many other possibilities. Also note that the term “community” can be interpreted broadly. It could refer to your neighborhood, your city, your state, or even your region of the country. 
Here are a few popular examples of reputable sources of information at the national level.
New York Times
Washington Post
Wall Street Journal 
Time Magazine
However, if you are looking for articles specific to your community, you may choose an article from a local or regional publication. You know your own community, and will be in the best position to determine which local sources of news are trustworthy.
Task 2: Read the Article.
The credibility of the author, the reputation of the publication, the length, breadth, and depth of the article will reveal whether it is worthwhile. Be choosy. Don’t pick the first article you see.
Task 3: Summarize the Article in Your Own Words
Summarize the major points of the article in your own words. Do not copy the abstract, or anything else for that matter. 
Include two short quotations. Each quotation should be no longer than two sentences. One sentence, or a phrase from sentence, is preferred. 
Unpack the quotations. In other words, explain what they mean in your own words.
Use in-text citations and references in APA format.
Length Requirement: 300-400 words.

2 paragraph include references and 1 student response (posted later UNDER NOTE PAD). 
Please respond to the following:
Consider the amount of electricity and other energy your family uses. What are the sources of the energy your family uses?
What specific actions could your family take to use less energy?
Be sure to respond to at least one of your classmates’ posts.

 
This week, you will select a topic for your environmental issues in the news article. You have a wide array of choices. Remember that all human activity–every skyscraper, every park, every factory, every stadium, every golf course, every wind turbine, every parking lot, every regulation or law–has an environmental impact. That impact may be mostly positive, mostly negative, or mostly neutral. Moreover, that environmental impact won’t be the same for everyone in the community. It may be beneficial for some community members, while others are harmed, and some are relatively unaffected one way or the other. 
Your task is to identify one such activity occurring in your community and to analyze it through the lens of environmental sociology. This could be something that is happening right now, something that has been proposed for the future, or something that happened in the past, but that is impacting your community today.
Assignment Directions
For this week’s assignment, answer the following questions in at least two sentences each.
What human activity in your community will you focus upon? Example. A new housing development proposed to be built near our neighborhood. I am concerned about its environmental impact as well as its impact on the lives of local residents. 
Why is it important to you? Example. It could lead to strain on natural resources, more pollution, and increased cost of living. Local residents may be priced out of the new homes.
Who stands to benefit? Example. The developers, those in the construction trades will benefit from the work to be done. Those who can afford the new homes will enjoy living in them.
Who might be harmed? Example. Those with low-incomes might be priced out of the neighborhood. Wildlife may lose habitat, those with preexisting health conditions might suffer complications.
What is your hypothesis (your tentative opinion prior to conducting research)? Example. Overall, I believe that the potential harms done to those with low incomes and preexisting health conditions outweigh the possible benefits of this new housing development. I am inclined to oppose the new housing development.