Comparing your Hypothesis
You have been targeting one lifestyle behavior during the term to reduce your carbon footprint. This week, you will provide three reliable references to any outside research that relates to the lifestyle change which you outlined in Unit 2.
For example, if you are driving a bike to work rather than a car, research how much carbon was released into the air when you drove a car. In the case of the electricity saved by shutting down a computer, find out how many hours and how many kilowatts were conserved by turning it off.
Be sure to use reliable sources of information when you conduct your research. To help guide your research, review the (a) 10 questions to ask and (b) video about baloney detection to help evaluate what a reliable source is:
- Shermer, M. (2009). The work of Michael Shermer. Retrieved from http://www.michaelshermer.com/2009/06/baloney-detection-kit/
- Shermer, M. (2018). How to detect baloney the Carl Sagan way. Big Think. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn7jVTGjb-I
Potentially good sources would include your local power company’s website information, your community air pollution standards, your water company’s information, and scholarly journals that focus on energy conservation or management. Visit the PG Library for assistance.
In your essay, include the following:
- State your hypothesis and recap the methods of the behavior change challenge from the Unit 2 project.
- Summarize the three references and explain how they support the change in behavior.
- Compare the process of your behavior change to your hypothesis. Are the results supporting or refuting the hypothesis?
- Did you adjust your methods to reduce the carbon footprint? Explain why or why not.
- Explain the effects of your behavior change plan on your carbon footprint.
- Identify community stakeholders who may be impacted by this change and evaluate their positions on the effects.
- Discuss how environmental justice issues related to carbon footprints.
- From the results of your behavior change plan, explain how they can be used to design a new future challenge.
You will combine the research you have conducted with your own experimental results into a summative paper in next week’s Assignment for Unit 9.
Basic Writing Expectations:
- Your report should be approximately 750 words, not counting the title or reference page.
- Provide an overview of the three references you chose, including how the references tie into the lifestyle change you selected.
- Always include an introduction and conclusion.
- Include a title page, double-space your paper, and use a font size of 10 or 12.
- Include a highly developed viewpoint/thesis, purpose, and exceptional content.
- Demonstrate superior organization — use logic.
- Make certain that your paper is free of grammar and spelling errors.
- Avoid plagiarism.
- Use the APA style for all in-text citations and references.
