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Challenge

TIME FOR A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

Monitors:  Christina Morin, Lisamarie Perini

Team members:  Hannah Kong, Lorna Julien, Suzanne Morin, Dana Siska, Christina Scully, Kelly Dubinsky, and Olivia Matteis, Derynn Scine, Krista Kaspar, Alexandra Pace,

PART 1: WHAT’S THE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE?

1.       Describe the environmental topic you team will address.
Our team will address the air quality issues in the United States of America.

2.       What local community issue within this topic did your team select?
Our team selected to raise awareness about the air pollution that manufacturing plants and energy plants are creating.  This pollution has many adverse environmental and health effects in the surrounding  area and the planet as a whole.

3.       Why is this issue important to your team?
This issue is important to our team because we live in the state of New Jersey which has the worst air quality in the United States of America.

PART 2: WHAT’S YOUR PLAN?

1.      Describe your team’s goals for this project?
Today 122 million Americans live in counties that in 2005 failed to meet the EPA’s national ambient air qualityl standards for at least one criteria pollutant.  Our team’s goal is to become lobbyists for this cause.

 Describe the step-by-step actions you plan to take to meet each of the goals outlined above.
Our team is putting our plan into action by:

a.  We are going to become lobbyists.  We are going to lobby to have the “New Source Review”  legislation restored to what is was prior to the Bush administration.

b.      Create a facebook as a means of communication.  Over the past two challenges, we have built up a network of interested students, family and community members.  We will be incorporating all of their friends list to be our facebook’s frinds list.  This number should total around 250,000 friends.  This number could grow substantially by having individuals continue to invite new friends.

c.       Created a website TIME FOR A BREATH OF FRESH AIR -  Follow the link below to view all photos, art work and events!  (http://66.7.71.82/Outside2/Math/MorinC/Corn%20Connection/POP-index.htm)

3.       List the specific responsibilities of each team member toward achieving these goals?

Each of our team members has unique talents that they  will utilize towards our common goal. Dana Siska is the photographer,  Lorna Julian is our writer, Hannah Kong is the Artist responsible for merging all the work, Christine Scully and Kelly Dubinsky are responsible for research, Suzanne Morin and Derynn Scine are in charge of facebook, Alexandra Pace and  Olivia Matteis and Krista Kasper are the lead lobbyists responsible for development of government relations.

4.       How will you measure success?

Our success will be measured by

·         The amount of personal contact we are able to make with government officials. 

·         The amount of hits we receive on facebook.

·         The number of emails generated to Congressmen and Senators nation wide.

5.      How will you quantify impact?

We will quantify an impact in the event that a Bill is drafted to reinstate the New Source Review Legislation.  The outcome of the Bill being passed is the ultimate goal but this as we all realize will take time to happen.  Only after this is instated and enforced will there be a reduction in air pollutants.

PART 3: YOUR PLAN IN ACTION: HOW DID YOU IMPLEMENT YOUR IDEAS?

1.       Describe how your team put its plan into action. What did you do?

The first step of the project is to create the face book.

Next we began writing letters to officials in local government.

From this point we redefine what it means to be a lobbyist by working on public relations to open lines of communication with government lawmakers.

The group then visits our local congressman Scott Garret, the representative in Glen Rock, New Jersey.   This personal meeting is to discuss our views.

2.       Did you organize a school event to raise awareness of the issue?

In order to raise awareness the team will host an infomercial that points out the state of the planet in terms of air quality and the impact industry is making without the “New Source Review Clean Air Act 1977”

 

3.       Was the community involved? If yes, how?
Yes the school community continues to be involved through our outreach program via face book.  Our hope is that through this effort they too will reach out to local officials that will help make a difference. 

 

4.       How did you get the word out?
 We have re-launched our last portion of our website;                                                                                                                                            (see attached: http://66.7.71.82/Outside2/Math/MorinC/Corn%20Connection/POP-index.htm) and via multimedia.  

Part 4: EVALUATE YOUR PLAN:  WHAT ARE THE RESULTS?

1. In what ways was your plan successful?
   We are pleased that the school community is overwhelmingly supportive towards our efforts.  We are being interviewed by the NJ Record which is our County News circulation.

2.     What challenges did you face and how could your plan have been improved?
The challenge that we faced was the amount of time a task such as this takes and though the hearts of the students are in the right places and they are task driven the reality is this may take many years to come to fruition.  A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Lao Tzu

3.   What positive outcomes were achieved from your implementing this plan?
 We are empowered by the government process and have learned a multitude of information about the impact of hazardous air quality to people and the planet.

 

4.   What quantifiable impact did you have?

·         The raised level of awareness from all stakeholders in our school community

·         The number of volunteers has more than  quadrupled

·         The extended community has expressed by the amount of emails that are sent

5. What did you learn from this experience?
   We learned patience when dealing with the government.  There are truly good people in government that do care.  The American people have to step up and become lobbyist, only then can we compete with the special interests.