6th Grade Social Studies: World Geography and Global Issues
Unit 5: Human/Environment Interaction
SS060509
Lesson 9
Graphic Organizer
How does technology impact the
environment?
When
does it
help?
Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum
Copyright © 2010-2014 by Oakland Schools
When
does it
harm?
Page 1 of 13
December 18, 2013
6th Grade Social Studies: World Geography and Global Issues
Unit 5: Human/Environment Interaction
SS060509
Lesson 9
Big Idea Card
Big Ideas of Lesson 9 Unit 5
•
Technology can both help and harm the environment.
• Advances in technology have led to large scale modifications of the
environment such as mountaintop removal.
• Advances in technology have also led to solutions to environmental problems
such as using the sun and wind to generate electricity.
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December 18, 2013
6th Grade Social Studies: World Geography and Global Issues
Unit 5: Human/Environment Interaction
SS060509
Lesson 9
Word Cards
Word Cards from previous lessons used in this lesson:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
human/environment interaction – Word Card #3 from Lesson 1
natural resources – Word Card #4 from Lesson 2
renewable natural resources – Word Card #5 from Lesson 2
consumption – Word Card #12 from Lesson 3
life cycle of a product – Word Card #13 from Lesson 3
energy – Word Card #14 from Lesson 4
modification – Word Card #22 from Lesson 6
pollution – Word Card #30 from Lesson 8
31
green
product
a good
that
either has qualities that will protect the
environment or has used natural
ingredients instead of artificial ingredients
Example: Cloth bags are an example of a
green product because they are reusable
and are easier to dispose of than plastic
bags.
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December 18, 2013
6th Grade Social Studies: World Geography and Global Issues
Unit 5: Human/Environment Interaction
SS060509
Lesson 9
Give One, Get One
Get One
Ways Technology Has Helped
the Environment
Ways Technology Has Harmed
the Environment
Give One
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December 18, 2013
6th Grade Social Studies: World Geography and Global Issues
Unit 5: Human/Environment Interaction
SS060509
Lesson 9
Ways Technology Has Harmed
the Environment
•
Technology has helped humans develop
and produce new materials and products
that do not harm the environment like
battery-powered cars.
•
Technology allows humans to better
monitor and study the environment.
•
Technology allows scientists and other
specialists to share ideas across the world
and work together on solutions to
environmental problems.
•
Air, water and land pollution can all be
caused by producing and using
technology.
Technology allows for paperless
communication and can therefore reduce
the number of trees cut down.
•
Technology requires consuming and
utilizing resources which often results in
environmental damage.
It allows companies to reduce shipping
and manufacturing impact and to reach a
broader audience.
•
Technology has allowed humans to pursue
alternative sources of energy like solar
energy and geothermal energy.
•
Advances in fishing technology have led to
overfishing.
•
Improved machinery and explosives have
allowed humans to remove mountaintops.
•
Climate change has been caused in part
by technology changes in transportation
and manufacturing.
•
•
•
Ways Technology Has Helped
the Environment
Improved machines have made it easier to
clear land. This has resulted in problems
such as deforestation and contaminated
food chains.
•
Technology has allowed humans to use up
renewable resources such as trees and
water faster than they can renew
themselves.
•
Manufacturing technology creates large
amounts of waste and used computers
and electronics get thrown out when they
break or become outdated. These items
contain a lot of hazardous materials.
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December 18, 2013
6th Grade Social Studies: World Geography and Global Issues
Unit 5: Human/Environment Interaction
SS060509
Lesson 9
A “Green” Chair
This chair is a green product. It has been designed and then manufactured with the environment in mind. Every possibly
action has been taken to reduce poor environmental effects. The chair is sturdy and will last twice as long as the average
chair. In this way there will not be a need to replace it in the near future and materials will be saved.
Source: A Greener Chair. Technology and the Environment. 18 December 2013
<http://www.technologystudent.com/designpro/envir1.htm>.
Design or manufacture element
Example: Foam covers made from recycled materials
Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum
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What environmental problem(s)
was this designed to help solve?
Example: Waste and natural resource depletion
Page 6 of 13
December 18, 2013
6th Grade Social Studies: World Geography and Global Issues
Unit 5: Human/Environment Interaction
SS060509
Lesson 9
A “Green” Chair – Sample Answers
This chair is a green product, in that it has been designed and then manufactured with the environment in mind. Every
possibly action has been taken to reduce poor environmental effects. The chair is sturdy and will last twice as long as the
average chair. In this way there will not be a need to replace it in the near future and materials will be saved.
Source: A Greener Chair. Technology and the Environment. 18 December 2013
<http://www.technologystudent.com/designpro/envir1.htm>.
Design or manufacture element
What environmental problem was this
designed to help solve?
Example: Foam covers made from recycled
Example: Waste
materials
Steel fram made from scrap steel
Waste
Foam made from non-toxic materials
Toxic materials
Chair made in an envrionmentally friendly
Pollution
factory
Long lasting
Waste and natural resource depletion
Natural dyes used in seat cover
Toxic chemicals
Chair packaging
Ozone layer depletion
Reclamed rubber used instead of plastic
Depletion of natural resources like oil
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December 18, 2013
6th Grade Social Studies: World Geography and Global Issues
Unit 5: Human/Environment Interaction
SS060509
Lesson 9
Analyzing Technological Solutions
#
What environmental problem(s) did it
address?
How did it solve the problem?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum
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December 18, 2013
6th Grade Social Studies: World Geography and Global Issues
Unit 5: Human/Environment Interaction
SS060509
Lesson 9
1. Greener Charcoal
Cooking fuel doesn't seem like much to ask for, but an estimated 2.4 billion people
worldwide struggle to find it. Consider Haiti, where 700 tons of wood is burned annually,
and smoke from thousands of charcoal fires has led to widespread respiratory infections.
"Propane is not accessible, and electricity is not affordable," says Haitian native Jules
Walter. "These people do not have any alternative."
That's why Walter started a company called Bagazo to sell low-cost charcoal briquettes
made from plant waste to his countrymen. Bagazo is Spanish for "bagasse," or sugar
cane waste, but corn cobs and banana leaves can also be used in Walter's process.
The waste material is carbonized, mixed with a binder, pressed into briquettes, and
allowed to dry. The result burns far cleaner and longer than wood.
Source: Greener Charcoal. CNN Money. 18 December 2013 <http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/fsb/0711/gallery.NLT.fsb/3.html>.
2. Jhai Pedal Generator
EcoSystems, Nepal, has designed a reliable human-powered pedal generator
with storage device. This silent emission-free generator will deliver 50-70 watts
anytime, anywhere, inexpensively and can be used to charge LEDs and
fluorescent lights, battery chargers, and communication devices. It is lowmaintenance and can also be used with products such as the pedal powered Jhai
Personal Computer. The Jhai PC can be powered by any power source, but was
designed to be used with pedal-generators. The System is designed to meet the
communication and connectivity needs of villagers in remote rural areas of Laos,
but is spreading to other markets.
Source: Products. Our Planet Magazine: Globalization and the Environment. United Nations
Environment Programme. 18 December 2013
<http://www.unep.org/pdf/OurPlanet/OP_Feb07_GC24_en.pdf>.
3. Drip Irrigation for Growing Cotton
Conventional cotton growing uses lots of water, for example making one pair
of jeans can use up to 15,000 liters, depending on the climate of the area
and irrigation. However, new drip-irrigation systems like those used in the
San Joaquin Valley of California supply the cotton plants with carefully
controlled amounts of water so that evaporation is reduced.
Source: Drip Irrigation. Sustainable Ag: A View from the Field. 18 December 2013
<http://centralvalleyfarmscout.blogspot.com/2011/05/sustainable-irrigationblossoming-in.html>.
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December 18, 2013
6th Grade Social Studies: World Geography and Global Issues
Unit 5: Human/Environment Interaction
SS060509
Lesson 9
4. Windy City
Bahrain’s World Trade Centre, being built in the city of Manama, is the world’s
first commercial development designed with integrated large-scale wind
turbines. Its two towers rise 240 meters – 50 stories – from the ground, looking
like a giant pair of sails rising from the Persian Gulf. They are joined by three
30-metre bridges, each supporting 29-metre windmill blades. The towers are
positioned against the prevailing winds, allowing the turbines to generate 1,100
to 1,300 megawatt-hours (MWh) per year – equivalent to lighting 300 homes –
and provide 11 to 15 per cent of the centre’s energy needs, eliminating around
55 tons of carbon emissions.
Source: Windy City. Technology and the Environment. Tunza magazine. UNEP. 18 December 2013
<http://www.unep.org/pdf/tunza/Tunza_5.3_English.pdf>.
5. The Green Dragon
They call it the Green Dragon, and it’s the world’s first roller coaster powered by its
passengers. Thrill-seekers at the GreenWood Forest Park – an eco-friendly amusement
park in Gwynedd, Wales – first get into a funicular carriage, based on those used in
Welsh slate quarries 200 years ago, and ride down a short hill. Their weight both pulls
the empty roller coaster up the incline and generates enough electricity to get the ride
started. Passengers then get out of the carriage, climb back up the hill and board the
roller-coaster which sets off on the 250-metre track, reaching a top speed of 40
kilometres an hour, then leaving it at the bottom to be pulled up by the next load of
passengers. So efficient is this system that over a year’s operation it is expected to
generate more electricity than it consumes.
Source: Green Dragon. Technology and the Environment. Tunza magazine. UNEP. 18 December 2013
<http://www.unep.org/pdf/tunza/Tunza_5.3_English.pdf>.
6. Garbage-powered garbage truck
This electric garbage collection van is powered by the rubbish it collects and
has been put into action by Kirklees Council in Yorkshire, England. The
battery-powered electric van, supplied by Smith Electric Vehicles, is used to
empty 25 newly-installed split litter and recycling bins around Huddersfield
town centre. The waste that cannot be recycled will then be taken to a local
Energy from Waste (EfW) plant, which combusts it to generate electricity that
will in part be used to recharge the van’s battery.
Source: Garbage Truck. Our Planet magazine: Practical Action. 18 December 2013
<http://www.unep.org/pdf/Ourplanet/2009/may/en/OP-2009-05-en-FULLVERSION.pdf>.
Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum
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December 18, 2013
6th Grade Social Studies: World Geography and Global Issues
Unit 5: Human/Environment Interaction
SS060509
Lesson 9
7. True Blue Gowns
The blue graduation gown of the University of North Carolina has gone green. With
the encouragement of eco-conscious students who prefer a gown that might only be
worn once in a lifetime to be made from recycled materials, award-winning fashion
designer Alexander Julian, an alumnus of the University, worked with manufacturers
Oak Hall Cap & Gown, to create the first designer graduation gown. In addition to
adopting the perfect “Californian blue”, the garment is made from 100 percent postconsumer recycled plastic bottles. Twenty-three plastic bottles are used to make
each gown. The label is printed directly onto the garment rather than a separate label.
Source: True Blue Gowns. Our Planet magazine. Nature at Your Service. 18 December 2013
<http://www.unep.org/pdf/op_june/EN/OP-2011-06-EN-FULLVERSION.pdf>.
8. Underwater Kite
“Deep Green” behaves just like a kite, only it flies not in the wind but tidal currents.
Attached to the ocean floor by a long tether, it glides from side to side. The water flowing
past it spins a turbine under its “wing” and generates electricity. Among the advantages
it has over other tidal power concepts is increased power from a smaller package, and a
capacity to harness power from slow moving waters. It’s still a prototype but it’s
estimated that a Deep Green system mounted along United Kingdom shores could
generate enough green electricity for approximately 4 million UK households every year.
Source: Underwater Kite. Our Planet magazine. Nature at Your Service. 18 December 2013 <http://www.unep.org/pdf/op_june/EN/OP2011-06-EN-FULLVERSION.pdf>.
9. Surfboards Made From Ocean Trash
Surfer Kevin Cunningham has come up with one of the coolest ways to recycle ocean
pollution. Sick of all the debris on his local beaches, he decided to make surfboards
out of it. Fragments of human-made debris such as plastic and glass are recycled and
reused in the skin of the surfboard, plastic bags are woven into a strengthening cloth;
plastic bottles are cut up and reassembled into fins; and there are many other
possibilities to be explored, says Cunningham. His company Spirare Surfboards is
producing a limited series of boards made from reclaimed debris for public exhibition,
to be followed by a line of 100 boards that will be sold as custom orders.
Source: Surfboards. Our Planet magazine. Nature at Your Service. 18 December 2013 <http://www.unep.org/pdf/op_june/EN/OP-201106-EN-FULLVERSION.pdf>.
Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum
Copyright © 2010-2014 by Oakland Schools
Page 11 of 13
December 18, 2013
6th Grade Social Studies: World Geography and Global Issues
Unit 5: Human/Environment Interaction
SS060509
Lesson 9
Analyzing Technological Solutions – Sample Answers
#r
1
What environmental problem(s) did it
address?
•
•
•
Deforestation
Smoke from charchoal fires
Disposal of plant waste
How did it solve the problem?
This charcoal is made from plant waste instead of
trees and burns cleaner and longer than wood
2
Emissions resulting from power generation
This pedal generator uses human-power to
generate electricity.
3
Depletion of water resources
This method of irrigation reduces the amount of
water needed to grow cotton.
4
Carbon emissions resulting from generating
electricty
This building uses wind power to generate
electricity.
5
Carbon emissions resulting from generating
electricity
This roller coaster is powered by its passengers.
6
•
•
Emissions from burning fossil fuels
Waste
This garbage truck is powerd by the garbage it
collects.
7
Waste
This graduation gown is made from recycled
plastic bottles.
8
Emissions resulting from power generation
This underwater kite uses water power to generate
electricity.
9
Ocean trash
This surfboard is made out of recycled plastic bags
and other materials thrown into the water and onto
beaches.
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December 18, 2013
6th Grade Social Studies: World Geography and Global Issues
Unit 5: Human/Environment Interaction
SS060509
Lesson 9
Design Sheet
What is your
invention?
How does it
work?
What
environmental
problem was
it designed to
help solve?
Draw a sketch
of your
invention
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December 18, 2013