Integrating Sustainability Into Math Classes: What We Learned
October 29, 2012
So What is Sustainability?
• YouTube video 1:28
Introduction
Caroline GoodmanAssistant Professor,
MathematicsJohnson County CCOverland Park, KS
Introduction
Kathi LefertAssistant Professor,
MathematicsJohnson County CCOverland Park, KS
Why Sustainability now?
In 2008, the President of JCCC signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, making sustainability an important part of JCCC. Since then, JCCC has • incorporated sustainability into the curriculum; • developed new recycling initiatives; • planted a campus farm as well as an edible schoolyard; • built new “green” buildings, including Galileo’s Pavilion;• and launched energy efficiency measures that have
saved the college more than $700,000.
JCCC Center for Sustainability
• coordinates the sustainability efforts at our college
• Kim Criner, Student Sustainability Affairs Coordinator
• Sunflower Project: Sustainability Across the Curriculum
• Two levels of mini-grants were offered to faculty: creation of a new course or revision of existing course
Kathi’s assignment
• Find a function• Some examples
Caroline’s 1st assignment:
• Define “sustainability”
Math 171 Due Date:Sustainability 1. Write a brief paragraph, defining “sustainability”. Please type. 2. Write a paragraph about one of the topics below, relating it to the definition of Sustainability that you wrote in paragraph one above. RecyclingRain forestsSolar energyWind energyCarbon footprintProduct packagingPopulation growthBuying localNative plantsStorm water runoffAlternative fuelsElectric carsRechargable batteriesLandfillsCompostingWater bottles
Sustainability Explained
• 2:02 animated explanation of sustainability
Questions/Problems/ExercisesCollege Algebra, Stewart, Redlin, Watson, 6th edition,
Brooks/Cole, 2013. Page 5 # 14 water usage
#25 energy cost of carPage 61#101 windmillPage 102 # 92 global warmingPage 194 #82 Wind turbines
#83 Utility ratesPage 331 # 35 windmill (direct variation)Page 358 # 27 world population stabilize (exponential)Page 623 # 5 pollution (sequences)
Questions/Problems/ExercisesCollege Algebra, Blitzer, 5th edition, Pearson, 2010 Page 154 #148 Area of community vegetable garden
(quadratic)Page 241 #89 Life expectancy (linear functions)Page 281 #95 Number of births and deaths in U.S. (quadratic)Page 327 #86 Fuel efficiency (quadratic)Page 422 #65 Population growth (exponential)
#66 Radioactive decay – Chernobyl (exponential)Page 457 #103 & 104 Surface sunlight (exponential)Page 459 #117 Acid rain (logarithmic)Page 477 #81 CO2 in atmosphere (exponential)
Questions/Problems/ExercisesFunctions Modeling Change, A Preparation for Calculus, Connally, Hughes-Hallet, Gleason, et al., 4th edition, Wiley,
2011. Linear functions & reviewPage 34 #41 Demand for gasoline
#43 Solid Waste generatedFunctionsPage 74 #36 &37 Carbon dioxide levels vs. hurricane intensityPage 92 #39 Oil Slick expansion
#40 Greenhouse gases Exponential FunctionsPage 137 #32 Lake pollution
#41 Solar Photovoltaic Market installations#48 Natural forest decreasing
Page 147 #35 Treaty to protect the ozone layerPage 155 #45 Wind energyPage 171 #70 Sales of compact fluorescent lamps Logarithms Combining FunctionsPage 193 Food supply Page 414-418 Food Supply Page 217 #63 Oil leak
Questions/Problems/ExercisesApplied Calculus, Berresford, Rockett, 5th edition, Brooks/Cole, 2010 Functions (review)Page 49#86 Wind energy (quadratic functions)Page 59Example 8, predicting water usage (composite functions)Page 67#79 population (exp. Function)
#80 population (exp. Function)Page 69#91 Wind energy (creating an exponential function)Page 150 #42 Global temperatures (adapt for College Algebra)
#43 Sea levels (adapt for College Algebra)Page 162 #63 Pollution (adapt for College Algebra composite function) Exponential Functions (review)Page 269 #12 Linear vs. Exponential Growth
#29 Population of the World#30 Population of China vs. India#47 Population of California vs. Texas
Logarithmic Functions (review)Page 286 #22 Population of Georgia doubling
#23 Energy Output of world#35 Radioactive Waste#36 Rain Forests disappearing#47 Nuclear Waste
Caroline’s Problem of the Week
• Template• POW #1 (Solid Waste increasing linearly)• POW #4 (domain and range of a function)
Sustainability Name:Problem of the week Due date: 1. Question
2. How does this relate to Sustainability? Please write in complete sentences.
Sustainability Name:Problem of the week Due date: 1. Question: (from: Functions Modeling Change, 4th ed.) The solid waste generated each year in the cities of the US is increasing.
The solid waste generated, in millions of tons, was 88.1 in 1960 and 239.1 in 2000. The trend appears linear during this time.
Construct a formula for the amount of municipal solid waste generated in the US by finding the equation of the line through these two points.
Use this formula to predict the amount of municipal solid waste generated in the US, in millions of tons, in the year 2020.
2. How does this relate to Sustainability? Please write in complete
sentences.
WALL-E
Sustainability Name:Problem of the week Due date:
1. Question: (from: Functions Modeling Change, 4th ed.)
Carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse gases that are believed to affect global warming. Between 2004 and 2008, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere increased steadily from 375 parts per million (ppm) to 383 ppm. Let C(t) be the concentration in ppm of carbon dioxide t years after 2004 during these 4 years. a) State the domain and range of C(t). b) What is the practical meaning of C(4)? What is its value? c) What does C-1(381) represent? 2. How does this relate to Sustainability? Please write in complete sentences.
Galileo’s Pavilion
• A brand new building at JCCC
Web pages: where we’ve triedwww.youtube.comhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0agaK82_hJ0
Search: Holy Crap! Haiti 5:08 videohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mxmPlUhWqI&feature=related
Search: So what is sustainability? 1:27 video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5NiTN0chj0
Search: Sustainability explained through animation 2:02 video http://xkcd.com/1007/ a comichttp://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/sustainable.png the same comicwww.blogs.jccc.edu\sustainabilitywww.jccc.edu/photo_stories/2012/0409-jason-kovac-officeless www.epa.govwww.sciencedaily.comwww.iawind.org/news-events/iowa-wind-farms.pdfwww.gereports.com/electric-harvest/www.snagfilms.com/films/title/the_waterkeepers www.snagfilms.com/films/title/blind_spotwww.snagfilms.com/films/title/human_footprint
Web Searches
Suggestion: search under “Environmental Science” as well as “Sustainability”.
What sources have you found?
Sustainability Comic
Thank you
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• the list of Web Searches and • the list of Questions/Problems/Exercises.
