Resources for Activity 7: Far-Reaching Decisions

Overview:
Students develop graphic organizers and creative presentations to illustrate how individual decisions can impact the local environment, as well as distant communities. They also measure their own ecological footprint.

Student Pages:
Case Study - Joshua Tree National Park
Decision Making Topics

Websites Referenced in Activity 7:
Inspiration Software (www.inspiration.com)
SmartDraw (www.smartdraw.com)
Ecological Footprint Quiz (www.earthday.net/footprint)

Earth & Sky Radio Correlations
This activity can be supplemented with related Earth & Sky radio shows that you can download for use in your classroom.
Learn about the PLT and Earth & Sky Initiative.

Searchable Databases
Place-Based Resource Database
Case Study Database

Additional Resources
Green Cities: A Guide to Sustainable Development, an official document of United Nations World Environment 2005, is Harmony Foundation's latest publication. Green Cities offers a thorough overview of sustainable community development, inspiring success stories, and resources and tools for establishing priorities and taking action.

Earth from Space - This Smithsonian Institution website provides students (and teachers!) access to views of conditions and events on earth that are nearly impossible to document from the Earth’s surface. The site proves interactive; explaining how satellite imagery is gathered and used to better understand the world around us.

The People Speak Global Debates – October 2007 & March 2008
This UN Foundation will work with high school students across the U.S. and select countries. During ten-day periods in October 2007 and March 2008, students across the globe will be organizing public debates in their high schools and coordinating a global vote on the debate topics. October’s debate topic is on the best way to lower carbon emissions and March will focus on water rights.

Earth Conservation Plan (ECP) Carbon and Lifestyle Calculator
Participants can take a three minute test to determine your contribution to global climate change. Upon completion of the test, participants can then make pledges to reduce their impact and score. With each change and commitment into their everyday lives, scores are recalculated. The ECP calculator is the first carbon calculator to allow its users to save and track each calculation and pledge, so participants can refer to the data at any time – while tracking their personal improvements over time.

EPA tools let computer users "see" air quality information on a virtual globe:
Go to the Air Emissions Sources Web site: www.epa.gov/air/emissions
View information in Google Earth format about which facilities emit any of six common pollutants: http://www.epa.gov/air/emissions/where.htm 
See AQI forecasts and current conditions: www.airnow.gov
View air quality information in Google Earth format: http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=google_earth.main
EPA is also using the Google Earth platform to display Acid Rain Program data: http://epa.gov/airmarkets/progress/interactivemapping.html