Walden University Week 3 Population and Pollution Discussion

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Lab: Population and PollutionIntroductionThe human population first reached 1 billion (i.e. 1,000 million) people in 1804, roughly 5 thousand and a few hundred years from our earliest records of human writing. However it took just over a century for the global human population to gain another 1 billion people to reach a total of 2 billion people in 1927. Only thirty-three years later, the world population had gained yet another 1 billion people and by 1974 the human population reached 4 billion people.As our population skyrockets, our society has become ever more energy intensive. People everywhere are now using more energy, more material goods, and producing more waste than ever before. The intensity of this resource extraction and waste generation is depleting mineral and energy resources globally, destroying ecosystems, and threatening the livelihood of other species and humans alike. A recent estimate indicates that on average, a US citizen generates almost 4.4 pounds of trash every day- which is 1.6 pounds (36%) more trash than Americans produced on average in 1960.In this lab you will explore how much trash you produce daily and how much the global population has grown since your birth.To complete the labDownload the lab packet and be sure to complete BOTH sections 1 and 2 Read through all sections to prepare for the lab. Note that some sections require you to collect data over multiple days. Be sure to leave enough time in the week to complete these sections.

Week 3: Human Population and Pollution Lab Report FormUpdated: 2/28/2018Name:_________________Date:_________________Professor: _________________Important Note! Section 1 of this lab requires that you track your waste production for five days. In order to complete this lab on time, please begin recording your trash production as soon as possible. In addition to conducting a daily audit of the waste that you produce (either as a household or as an individual), the remaining components of the lab are estimated to take another 45 to 90 minutes to complete.Introduction:The human population first reached 1 billion (i.e. 1,000 million) people in 1804, roughly 5 thousand and a few hundred years from our earliest records of human writing. However it took just over a century for the global human population to gain another 1 billion people to reach a total of 2 billion people in 1927. Only thirty-three years later, the world population had gained yet another one billion people and by 1974 the human population reached 4 billion people. As our population skyrockets, our society has become ever more energy intensive. People everywhere are now using more energy, more material goods, and producing more waste than ever before. The intensity of this resource extraction and waste generation is depleting mineral and energy resources globally, destroying ecosystems, and threatening the livelihood of other species and humans alike. A recent estimate indicates that, on average, a US citizen generates almost 4.4 pounds of trash every day- which is 1.6 pounds (36%) more trash than Americans produced on average in 1960.In this lab you will explore how much the global population has grown since your birth and how much trash you produce daily. Section 1: Waste Audit (64/80 points)IntroductionWhen asked about having a waste processing center (or dump) located in their community, it is common for Americans to respond with the phrase, “Not in my backyard”. Of course no one really wants to be near the areas where we collect the trash and waste produced by our cities and communities. However, waste management may not always be something that we can export to poorer neighborhoods or less populated areas. As you monitor how much waste you produce on a daily basis, consider what it would be like if you could put your waste nowhere other than in your backyard.The resource list below can be useful when you analyze your trash for what can and can’t be recycled or composted.Resources* What can I Recycle? Retrieved from: http://www.wm.com/thinkgreen/what-can-i-recycle.js…* What is waste recycling? Retrieved from: http://www.eschooltoday.com/waste-recycling/what-i…* A simple list of what can and can’t be recycled. Retrieved from: https://www.ecoscraps.com/blogs/sustainable-living…* California’s list of what can be recycled: http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/publiced/earthday/wha…* What you can and can’t compost: https://www.compostinstructions.com/what-you-can-a…* Advancing Sustainable Materials Management. Retrieved from: http://www.epa.gov/smm/advancing-sustainable-mater…DirectionsLog your production of trash for five days using Table 1.1. Catalog all of the waste that you generate within the categories listed below. If you keep a log book or notepaper and pen with you as you go through your day, you will be able to collect your data more accurately. You can then transfer the data at the end of each day to Table 1.1. ObservationsTable 1.1 Waste Log (38 points)Aluminum and MetalCloth and TextilePaper and CardboardGlass Plastic Bags and WrappingPlasticBottlesStyrofoamOrganicand Food OtherWasteDay 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Day 5TotalAnalysis (10 points)There are many ways to reduce waste, including reducing consumption of disposable items, reusing items, and recycling materials that we can no longer use. The impact of organic and food waste can also be minimized by composting. Use the references listed above or conduct your own research to estimate what percentage of each category of waste could be recycled. The “What can I Recycle?” site hosts an interactive tool that allows one to look up various items. Enter your estimates of the percentage of each waste category that was recyclable in Table 1.2, along with your estimate of how much of the waste in each category you actually did recycle, reuse, or compost.Table 1.2 Estimated Percent Recyclable, Reusable, or Compostable and Percent that You Did Recycle, Reuse, or Compost%PlasticBottlesPlastic Bags & WrappingGlass BottlesAluminum or Metal WastePaper & Cardboard WasteStyrofoamWasteCloth & TextileWasteFood & Organic WasteOtherWasteAble toDidConclusion (16 points)Respond to each of these questions: In which categories did most of your waste fit into?In which categories was there the most opportunity for you to reduce your waste easily?In which categories was there the largest discrepancy between the percentage of waste that you could recycle vs the percentage that you did recycle?In which categories did you recycle the most? Why?How important would composting be to reducing your trash production?How much of your waste generation was related to your diet and products that you ate or drank?How much of your waste production was related to purchases that you could have easily avoided?Reflect on your observations and learning in this section. How do you think society might transition to producing less waste?Section 2: Population Growth (16/80 points)ResourcesYearWorld Population Estimate19001,650 million people19101,750 million people19201,860 million people19302,070 million people19402,300 million people19502,520 million people19603,309 million people19703,707 million people19804,454 million people19905,279 million people20006,083 million peoplehttps://www.census.gov/population/international/da…To find world population estimates for more specific dates, you can use one of the data sources listed here:* https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/internatio… * http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/* http://ourworldindata.org/data/population-growth-v…* https://www.census.gov/popclock/Observation (4 points)Fill in the blank entries in Table 1.1 below using the resources provided above. The current global population can be found at census.gov (the last link in the resources above).Table 2.1: World Population Estimates Year or DateGlobal Human Population estimate (millions)190019001,650 million peopleYear of Personal BirthCurrent populationAnalysis (8 points, divided as shown)Fill out Table 2.2 by using the entries in Table 2.1. For column 1 in Table 2.1, find the number of years between 1900 and your birth year and the number of years since your birth and the current date (your age in years). For column 2 in Table 2.1, find how many more people were on the planet in your birth year versus 1900, and how many more people are on the planet now than in your birth year. Table 2.2: Human Population Growth Analysis (4/8 Analysis points)Epoch of timeTime Period in years Population Change (number of people in millions)1900 to Birth YearPersonal Birth Year to present To fill out Table 2.3, column 1 Time Period in years will remain the same as in Table 2.2. To fill out column 2, the percent change in population, take the entry in each row of column 2 in Table 2.2. and divide it by the number in the same row of table 2.1. This is dividing the Population Change that you found in Table 2.2 (column 2) by the starting population for that epoch that you found in Table 2.1. If you now multiply this number by 100%, you get the population percent growth rate. For instance, if the Population Change you found in row 1, column 2 of Table 2.2 was 1,350 million people and the starting population in 1900 shown in Table 2.1 was 1,650 million people, the Percent Growth Rate for that period of time is 1,350/1,650 = .81, which means that from 1900 to 1959 the global population increased by 81%! Table 2.3: Human Percent Growth (4/8 Analysis points)Epoch of timeTime Period in years Percent Growth Rate1900 to Birth YearPersonal Birth Year to present Conclusion (4 points)Summarize your observations and results. What kinds of changes could human society make in order to accommodate your observations in a way that will preserve the possibility of future generations living well?.

Tags:
population

societal issue

Recycling material

industry waste levels

Pollution in the cities

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