Project Overview
The objective of this project was to implement any change of our choosing into an area of choosing. Our group decided to transform a field near our school into a garden. We constructed our policy and made predictions for the change.
First we brainstormed and came up with ideas for every aspect of our plan. Our group decided that we wanted to implement a policy change that would benefit the environment. Throughout this unit, we have been studying the effects of climate change and we believe that it is a serious problem. So, we decided on the idea of a community garden near our school. Our garden and gardens like it will help contribute to a positive impact on the environment. Our plants encourage biodiversity and they sequester greenhouse gases like CO2 from the atmosphere.
Next, we investigated our idea further. We asked ourselves many questions and set off to answer them in our research. What would we do with the garden? How will the garden benefit the environment? How do we set-up a garden? With all of our research done, we constructed our presentation and policy/proposal that you can see below. We made a digital model for our site as well.
First we brainstormed and came up with ideas for every aspect of our plan. Our group decided that we wanted to implement a policy change that would benefit the environment. Throughout this unit, we have been studying the effects of climate change and we believe that it is a serious problem. So, we decided on the idea of a community garden near our school. Our garden and gardens like it will help contribute to a positive impact on the environment. Our plants encourage biodiversity and they sequester greenhouse gases like CO2 from the atmosphere.
Next, we investigated our idea further. We asked ourselves many questions and set off to answer them in our research. What would we do with the garden? How will the garden benefit the environment? How do we set-up a garden? With all of our research done, we constructed our presentation and policy/proposal that you can see below. We made a digital model for our site as well.
Our Presentation
Our Proposal
Proposal: Transform field next to Dogbone meadow dog park into a garden.
We would like to transform a field in Novato into a beautiful garden with a bee hive which will help our environment. The plot of land that we have created our proposal on next to Dogbone Meadow is just an example. Since you may not be able to buy this land, you may have to build this garden somewhere else. However, steps should still be taken to protect our environment even if this policy doesn’t pass.
We will first have to buy the plot of land needed to make the garden, or use land already owned by the city of Novato. The land should be at least 250 by 150 feet. Then we will need to buy our plants and other materials which will cost about $3,000. Each year, the plants that have to be replanted should cost about $600. As well, we have incorporated a model of a garden set up as well as healthy plant relationships. If you decide to help us we can share it with you. In this garden we have researched and found that plant blockers will prevent animals from reaching interior garden. This blocker also attracts bees and other pollinators. Our unique garden model adapts a partial block style layout which gives some plants separate microclimates.
We can also use this garden for many purposes. This garden will produce a lot of fruits and vegetables that can be sold for profit. Selling local fruits and vegetables is also better for the environment, because they are not transported as far so they have a smaller ecological footprint. We can also use this garden as a learning environment. We can teach children about gardening and how our garden is set up. If we can convince kids to try to build their own gardens, we will see a positive effect on the environment. By adding more gardens around the world and spreading awareness, we can slowly offset the massive amounts of carbon dioxide that we release into the atmosphere.
We deeply care about our environment because it is essential to our health and prosperity as a species. If we don’t take steps to save our world, our world won’t be able to sustain our species much longer. We are exploiting our environments natural resources and we are reaching the carrying capacity of the earth..
Our goal and vision with the garden is that it will increase biodiversity by adding more plant species and bees into the ecosystem. More plant species will also attract more pollinators like hummingbirds, which is beneficially to the environment. Bees greatly help the environment by pollinating plant and helping expand the biodiversity of an area. Bees are on the endangered species list and are in need of new homes and communities. We are planning on adding them into our garden. There is going to be a separate section for them with a hive.
As well as increasing biodiversity, the trees in the garden will help sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the main contributor to global warming, and planting trees and plants like these will help decrease our global footprint.
We have also done extensive research on our project to make our garden better. We have researched gardening methods like plant relationships so we can make our garden layout better.
Right now, our earth’s temperatures are rising and we are destroying our world because of human interactions. Building our gardens and gardens elsewhere will increase biodiversity and the health of our planet. With implementing gardens like the one we designed, we can prolong the Earth’s life and make our planet better for our posterity.
Works Cited:
"Plant-plant Relationships." Plant-plant Relationships. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
By Growing Plants with Good Companions, You Bring Peace and Prosperity to Your. "Companion Planting Guide - Growing Tips Article at Burpee.com."Companion Planting Guide - Growing Tips Article at Burpee.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
By BBG Staff | December 1, 1994. "Gardening How-tos." Plant/Animal Relationships. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
"Garden Plans & Design." Old Farmer's Almanac. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
Salinger, By Graham. "Five Ways to Get Rid of Pests Without Using Chemicals." Nourishing the Planet. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
"Future of Climate Change." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
Gonzalez, Ramon. "5 Tips For a Bountiful, Water-Saving Vegetable Garden in a Time of Drought." TreeHugger. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
We would like to transform a field in Novato into a beautiful garden with a bee hive which will help our environment. The plot of land that we have created our proposal on next to Dogbone Meadow is just an example. Since you may not be able to buy this land, you may have to build this garden somewhere else. However, steps should still be taken to protect our environment even if this policy doesn’t pass.
We will first have to buy the plot of land needed to make the garden, or use land already owned by the city of Novato. The land should be at least 250 by 150 feet. Then we will need to buy our plants and other materials which will cost about $3,000. Each year, the plants that have to be replanted should cost about $600. As well, we have incorporated a model of a garden set up as well as healthy plant relationships. If you decide to help us we can share it with you. In this garden we have researched and found that plant blockers will prevent animals from reaching interior garden. This blocker also attracts bees and other pollinators. Our unique garden model adapts a partial block style layout which gives some plants separate microclimates.
We can also use this garden for many purposes. This garden will produce a lot of fruits and vegetables that can be sold for profit. Selling local fruits and vegetables is also better for the environment, because they are not transported as far so they have a smaller ecological footprint. We can also use this garden as a learning environment. We can teach children about gardening and how our garden is set up. If we can convince kids to try to build their own gardens, we will see a positive effect on the environment. By adding more gardens around the world and spreading awareness, we can slowly offset the massive amounts of carbon dioxide that we release into the atmosphere.
We deeply care about our environment because it is essential to our health and prosperity as a species. If we don’t take steps to save our world, our world won’t be able to sustain our species much longer. We are exploiting our environments natural resources and we are reaching the carrying capacity of the earth..
Our goal and vision with the garden is that it will increase biodiversity by adding more plant species and bees into the ecosystem. More plant species will also attract more pollinators like hummingbirds, which is beneficially to the environment. Bees greatly help the environment by pollinating plant and helping expand the biodiversity of an area. Bees are on the endangered species list and are in need of new homes and communities. We are planning on adding them into our garden. There is going to be a separate section for them with a hive.
As well as increasing biodiversity, the trees in the garden will help sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the main contributor to global warming, and planting trees and plants like these will help decrease our global footprint.
We have also done extensive research on our project to make our garden better. We have researched gardening methods like plant relationships so we can make our garden layout better.
Right now, our earth’s temperatures are rising and we are destroying our world because of human interactions. Building our gardens and gardens elsewhere will increase biodiversity and the health of our planet. With implementing gardens like the one we designed, we can prolong the Earth’s life and make our planet better for our posterity.
Works Cited:
"Plant-plant Relationships." Plant-plant Relationships. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
By Growing Plants with Good Companions, You Bring Peace and Prosperity to Your. "Companion Planting Guide - Growing Tips Article at Burpee.com."Companion Planting Guide - Growing Tips Article at Burpee.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
By BBG Staff | December 1, 1994. "Gardening How-tos." Plant/Animal Relationships. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
"Garden Plans & Design." Old Farmer's Almanac. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
Salinger, By Graham. "Five Ways to Get Rid of Pests Without Using Chemicals." Nourishing the Planet. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
"Future of Climate Change." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
Gonzalez, Ramon. "5 Tips For a Bountiful, Water-Saving Vegetable Garden in a Time of Drought." TreeHugger. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
Content
During this project, we learned about ecosystems and biodiversity. Here are some useful terms that we learned/used. This is just a short summary; not every term we learned is listed and it does not go into much detail because there are so many terms. Below the terms, I explain how we applied these terms and how our project connects to other subject areas such as math.
Biology: The study of life.
Ecology: The study of the interactions between living things and their environment.
Population: A group of homogeneous individuals in the same habitat.
Community: Populations of different species.
Ecosystem: biological communities of interacting organisms and their environment.
Biodiversity: The variety of life in the world or in an ecosystem.
Abiotic factor: A non-living factor in an ecosystem.
Biotic factor: A living factor in an ecosystem.
Autotroph: Organisms that make their own energy.
Heterotroph: Organisms that rely on other organisms for food and energy.
Producer: Autotrophs at the bottom of a food web.
Primary Consumer: Primary consumers come after producers in the food web.
Secondary Consumer: Secondary consumers eat primary consumers.
Apex Predator: Apex predators are the very top of the food web.
Herbivore: Animals that feed on plants.
Carnivore: Animals that feed on other animals.
Omnivore: Animals that feed on plants and animals.
Detritivore: Animals that feed on dead material.
Niche: A position or role of a certain type of organism within an ecosystem.
Biome: A large area or group of ecosystems that have the same climate.
Biosphere: All of the ecosystems on Earth.
Climate: The weather conditions in an area over time.
Weather: The state of atmospheric conditions at a place and time.
Food Web: A system of interlocking and independent food chains.
Symbiosis: Interaction between two organisms living close together.
Carrying Capacity: How many living organisms an ecosystem can support.
Resources: Materials needed by organisms to survive such as food, water, and space.
Ecological Succession: Gradual change in an ecosystem over time.
Natural Cycles: There are many cycles in the world around us that explain how things travel such as the: Nutrient, Nitrogen, Water, Carbon, and many more cycles.
Our individual project did not use every single one of these terms, but we still used the overarching idea of biology which encompasses all of these terms. For example, we created a food web to show the current food web that we observed in our area. We had to think about symbiosis between these animals, and how the garden would affect this. The plants would attract more animals and therefore increase biodiversity in the ecosystem and food web. Another aspect of our area was the climate and weather. We had to predict what would change here and we decided that the plants would not do too much. Carrying capacity also played a role. We had a limited space in which we could plant things, so we couldn't have an infinite number of plants. Each plant needs resources, and we only have so many resources. While looking at animals and our area, we classified animals in the food web as omnivores, herbivores, etc. These animals are the biotic factors. Abiotic factors, such as rocks, also were taken into consideration. We used even more terms than this in our project but this is just a quick overview of what we learned and how we applied it.
Our project also relates to other subjects such as math or English. Math relates to nearly every science project, because math is always used to figure things out. We used math to calculate the space of our area. We used math in finding out prices. We also had to write a proposal during this project. Using our writing skills and English concepts, we were able to achieve this. Additionally, knowledge from outside subject areas helped us make our project. Debate knowledge helped us formulate and articulate arguments. Basic gardening knowledge made it so we had a starting point for research. This project pulled from many different subject areas and a diverse range of knowledge helped us solve the problems we ran into.
Biology: The study of life.
Ecology: The study of the interactions between living things and their environment.
Population: A group of homogeneous individuals in the same habitat.
Community: Populations of different species.
Ecosystem: biological communities of interacting organisms and their environment.
Biodiversity: The variety of life in the world or in an ecosystem.
Abiotic factor: A non-living factor in an ecosystem.
Biotic factor: A living factor in an ecosystem.
Autotroph: Organisms that make their own energy.
Heterotroph: Organisms that rely on other organisms for food and energy.
Producer: Autotrophs at the bottom of a food web.
Primary Consumer: Primary consumers come after producers in the food web.
Secondary Consumer: Secondary consumers eat primary consumers.
Apex Predator: Apex predators are the very top of the food web.
Herbivore: Animals that feed on plants.
Carnivore: Animals that feed on other animals.
Omnivore: Animals that feed on plants and animals.
Detritivore: Animals that feed on dead material.
Niche: A position or role of a certain type of organism within an ecosystem.
Biome: A large area or group of ecosystems that have the same climate.
Biosphere: All of the ecosystems on Earth.
Climate: The weather conditions in an area over time.
Weather: The state of atmospheric conditions at a place and time.
Food Web: A system of interlocking and independent food chains.
Symbiosis: Interaction between two organisms living close together.
Carrying Capacity: How many living organisms an ecosystem can support.
Resources: Materials needed by organisms to survive such as food, water, and space.
Ecological Succession: Gradual change in an ecosystem over time.
Natural Cycles: There are many cycles in the world around us that explain how things travel such as the: Nutrient, Nitrogen, Water, Carbon, and many more cycles.
Our individual project did not use every single one of these terms, but we still used the overarching idea of biology which encompasses all of these terms. For example, we created a food web to show the current food web that we observed in our area. We had to think about symbiosis between these animals, and how the garden would affect this. The plants would attract more animals and therefore increase biodiversity in the ecosystem and food web. Another aspect of our area was the climate and weather. We had to predict what would change here and we decided that the plants would not do too much. Carrying capacity also played a role. We had a limited space in which we could plant things, so we couldn't have an infinite number of plants. Each plant needs resources, and we only have so many resources. While looking at animals and our area, we classified animals in the food web as omnivores, herbivores, etc. These animals are the biotic factors. Abiotic factors, such as rocks, also were taken into consideration. We used even more terms than this in our project but this is just a quick overview of what we learned and how we applied it.
Our project also relates to other subjects such as math or English. Math relates to nearly every science project, because math is always used to figure things out. We used math to calculate the space of our area. We used math in finding out prices. We also had to write a proposal during this project. Using our writing skills and English concepts, we were able to achieve this. Additionally, knowledge from outside subject areas helped us make our project. Debate knowledge helped us formulate and articulate arguments. Basic gardening knowledge made it so we had a starting point for research. This project pulled from many different subject areas and a diverse range of knowledge helped us solve the problems we ran into.
Reflection
Overall, this was a great project idea. The objective of the project was a little unclear, but I think we still learned things from the experience. One peak, or good thing we did, was that we learned about plant relationships. We made a garden, and part of this was the strategic garden layout. We had to research plant and animal relationships to improve the quality of our garden. None of us knew any of this info before, so we greatly expanded our knowledge on plant and animal relationships. I think we worked well on this and it was definitely one of the stronger aspects of our project.
One pit, or thing that could be improved, was some parts of work ethic. Some members of our group may have lacked the motivation to work sometimes, and the rest of us were not effective enough in making sure everyone worked. We have to make sure that everyone is here to work, or else it negatively impacts the rest of us. I think that I have to play a bigger leadership role in my groups if I want people to work. I need to make sure people have something to do, because sometimes people can be left behind. We as a group need to make sure everyone knows what is happening at all times so people have something to do.
Another peak was our garden model and learning about gardens. We gained the skills of how to make a garden in real life, and how to model the garden with a modeling program. This required time to research, because we didn't know how any of this worked beforehand. We had to find a garden modeling program and we looked up numerous gardening strategies. This also ties in with the peak mentioned above with plant relationships. So, with our plant relationships and gardening strategies, we had a very strong garden layout.
Another pit was presentation. I think we could have constructed and presented our presentation a lot better. Our presentation did not sound convincing in my opinion, and it was very bland and generic. I worked as hard as I could on this project, but this goes back to the previous point about work ethic. We needed everyone to do their best in order to succeed. I think that this needs to be worked on for next project. We need the entire class to be more motivated to present.
Finally, another peak was our groups communication within our group. While our communication to the class with our presentation was not too great, we still communicated well within our group. Everyone voiced their opinions and we all managed to agree. I think everyone in our group understood our project even if we didn't all work on it together all the time.
One pit, or thing that could be improved, was some parts of work ethic. Some members of our group may have lacked the motivation to work sometimes, and the rest of us were not effective enough in making sure everyone worked. We have to make sure that everyone is here to work, or else it negatively impacts the rest of us. I think that I have to play a bigger leadership role in my groups if I want people to work. I need to make sure people have something to do, because sometimes people can be left behind. We as a group need to make sure everyone knows what is happening at all times so people have something to do.
Another peak was our garden model and learning about gardens. We gained the skills of how to make a garden in real life, and how to model the garden with a modeling program. This required time to research, because we didn't know how any of this worked beforehand. We had to find a garden modeling program and we looked up numerous gardening strategies. This also ties in with the peak mentioned above with plant relationships. So, with our plant relationships and gardening strategies, we had a very strong garden layout.
Another pit was presentation. I think we could have constructed and presented our presentation a lot better. Our presentation did not sound convincing in my opinion, and it was very bland and generic. I worked as hard as I could on this project, but this goes back to the previous point about work ethic. We needed everyone to do their best in order to succeed. I think that this needs to be worked on for next project. We need the entire class to be more motivated to present.
Finally, another peak was our groups communication within our group. While our communication to the class with our presentation was not too great, we still communicated well within our group. Everyone voiced their opinions and we all managed to agree. I think everyone in our group understood our project even if we didn't all work on it together all the time.
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