MONORAILS
www.monorails.org 

 ISLAND CHALLENGE  2010

FILES FOR THIS PROJECT HAVE BEEN UPLOADED TO DOCUMENT MANAGER -  ISLAND CHALLENGE FOLDER

INTRODUCTION
Island Challenge 2010 will take place for much of the third quarter and include investigations in several important areas of earth systems science: topography and landforms, plate tectonics, geologic history, weather and climate, oceanography, hydrology, land use and management, energy, building and landscape design, transportation, outdoor recreation and even human history. Through active engagement in this important project, you will develop your critical thinking skills and apply your knowledge gained from research to solving real problems.  Other important outcomes include functional collaboration and the use of imagination.  A major goal will be to develop an understanding of the concept of sustainability and its relevance in today's world. 

This project will provide an opportunity to work on a team and create something of which you have ownership. This will require cooperation, collaboration, communication, imagination and real commitment.  In the second phase of this project, you will have the opportunity to experience civil engineering, building and landscape architecture, urban development, and environmental conservation. This project will require some work during lunch, before school or after school - class time alone might not be enough to achieve excellence, which is your goal.  I will provide media center time for research as well as a number of links to excellent web sites.  Be sure to allocate some time at home to do additional research.

FINAL PRODUCTS

Each group will be required to showcase their project at the town of Chapel Hill's annual Earth Action Fest to be held on Saturday afternoon April 10, 2010 at the newest city park just down the road from Southern Village.  You will engage the general public in a talk about your island using visuals:  a tri-fold display board, a large map of your creation and a three-dimensional model. If you developed a powerpoint slide show or infomercial, a laptop computer will serve as a tool in your display.  I will secure a date for a similar display of products at the high school.  

GRADING

The Island Project (as it was once called) has been facilitated in some form for the past eight years.  The changes from last year include a longer span of time, more specific rubrics for each facet of the project, and a required three-dimensional model.  Much of the grade for the third quarter will be based on this project.  It is imperative that every student maximize the use of their class time each day as well as communicate and cooperate.  In this time of "teach to the test," it is not common to have opportunities like this to engage in meaningful projects at school.  You will be held accountable each day for your work by doing journal entries, a part of which will include an honest assessment of your use of time.  Clear and concise rubrics for each step of the process and a timeline will be posted in DOCUMENT MANAGER - "Island Project" link.

START-UP

Students will work in cooperative groups of three to four. Each group will have ONE student who at the very least is a fair to good "artist."  In contrast to past years, each group in a class will randomly "pick" an island.  The approximately fifty islands I have selected represent every oceanic region of the world, and information is available on each.  The "Island Project" web link has the list of islands.  Only one group will work on a specific island or island group.

SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT
The first step involves researching the island or island group and collecting important information.  The island your group creates will be based on your randomly selected island.  In other words, the climate, geology, location, etc. must be exactly the same as your selected island or island group.  Part of your grade will be how similar the properties of your created island are to the island or island group from which it is based.  This is an important idea for this project.  Please speak with me if this explanation is not clear. 

Concurrently, your group will be collecting information through research AND sketching the "natural island."  Think of the natural island as uninhabited, therefore no human features will be shown on the map.  It is the way the island appeared before it was ever settled.  Information such as climate, geology, human history and the final drawing of the natural island map will be part of the tri-fold display, one of the final products

The next phase involves the creation of a wisely-planned, "sustainably developed" island.  This island (shape and natural features) will be a replica of your natural island drawn at a much larger scale for display.  The sustainably-developed island will, of course, have people living or vacationing on it, therefore the map will show human features.  This phase will give group members experience with a number of  interconnected disciplines such as civil engineering, "green" landscape and building design, energy, transportation, urban planning, outdoor recreation and environmental conservation. 

The final phase of the project will begin several weeks before spring break and be completed in time for Earth Action Day on Saturday April 10th. Each group will highlight one area of the developed island and build a lightweight and easily transportable architectural model using materials including basswood, Styrofoam, and other "junk drawer" supplies.

WEB RESOURES

GETTING STARTED

USE NATIVE LANGUAGE FOR NAMING  PLACES ON YOUR ISLAND
http://www.travlang.com/languages/

CONVERSION: METRIC -ENGLISH
http://www.worldwidemetric.com/metcal.htm

http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/conversions.html

http://www.metric-conversions.org/

http://www.onlineconversion.com/

 

EARTH SCIENCE WORLD IMAGE BANK
http://www.earthscienceworld.org/images/search/index.html

LANDFORMS
http://geology.about.com/library/bl/images/bllandformindex.htm
http://www.geomorph.org/gal/mslattery/world.html

LANDFORMS ON TOPGRAPHIC MAPS
http://www.csus.edu/indiv/s/slaymaker/Archives/Geol10L/landforms.htm

TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS

ONLINE REFERENCES
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/max/website/05topos.htm

http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/symbols/index.html
http://my.ilstu.edu/~jrcarter/Geo204/Topo/
http://www.whitetailstewards.com/articlesonsite/huntingtips/howtoreadtopomaps.htm

SHADED RELIEF MAP
http://www.shadedrelief.com/

DIGITAL RELIEF MAPS
http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/instruct/schwert/geosci/g496_death_valley/reliefmaps.htm

PRACTICE WITH TOPO MAPS
http://profhorn.meteor.wisc.edu/wxwise/contour/index.html
http://raider.muc.edu/~mcnaugma/Topographic%20Maps/contour.htm
http://www2.una.edu/geography/topo_maps/step_1.htm
http://geology.wlu.edu/harbor/Geo100/TopoMaps.pdf
http://www.tasagraphicarts.com/activities/profile.html
http://www.jaconline.com.au/downloads/sose/topographic-skills.pdf
http://creekconnections.allegheny.edu/Modules/Module-TopographicMaps.html
http://www.ms.uky.edu/algebracubed/Slope_and_Topographic_Maps.pdf

MAP LEGEND AND SYMBOLS
http://www.compassdude.com/map-symbols.shtml
http://www8.garmin.com/cartography/mapSource/mapLegend.html

SPECIFIC MAPS
Europe - Physical and Political map
http://geology.com/world/europe-physical-map.shtml

Greece 
http://merkel.zoneo.net/Topo/Applet/http://merkel.zoneo.net/Topo/Applet/
http://geology.com/world/greece-satellite-image.shtml

PRACTICE WITH TOPOGRAPHIC CROSS-SECTIONS
http://www.tasagraphicarts.com/activities/profile.html

WORLDWIDE TIDE TABLES
http://tbone.biol.sc.edu/tide/sites_allalpha.html#G

WORLDWIDE OCEAN CURRENT SPEEDS
http://tbone.biol.sc.edu/tide/sites_allcurrent.html

THE OCEANS - currents and tides
http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/8q_1.html

Effects of changing sea levels (requires Java)
http://merkel.zoneo.net/Topo/Applet/http://merkel.zoneo.net/Topo/Applet
Ocean currents and global winds animation
http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/visualizations/es2401/es2401page01.cfm?chapter_no=visualization

Worldwide tables - wave heights, currents, winds, air pressure
http://www.surfline.com/surfline/forecasts4/forecast_rf.cfm?

THE WORLD'S BIOMES
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/index.php
http://www.worldbiomes.com/biomes_map.htm
http://www.radford.edu/~swoodwar/CLASSES/GEOG235/biomes/intro.html

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

 The largest accessible collection of climate data on the Web
http://www.climate-charts.com/

Weather reports
http://weatherreports.com/
http://www.worldweather.org/

GEOLOGIC HISTORY AND TIMELINE
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/help/timeform.html
http://earthsci.org/fossils/youngp/periods/periods.html

PLATE TECTONICS

EARTH HISTORY ANIMATION
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/geology/tectonics.html

Depositional Coastal landforms (i.e. Barrier Islands ):
http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/coastal_systems/coastal_processes_landforms_depositional.html

Barrier Islands and Barrier Beaches
http://www.glencoe.com/sec/science/cgi-bin/splitwindow.cgi?top=http://www.glencoe.com/sec/science/top2.html&link=http://www.salemstate.edu/%7Elhanson/gls214/gls214_barrier_isl.htm

Erosional Coastal Landforms

http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/coastal_systems/erosional_coastal_landforms.html

Submerged and Depositional Coasts
http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/coastal_systems/coasts.html

Reefs
http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/coastal_systems/reefs.html http://www.earthscienceworld.org/images/search/index.html

+++++++++++++++THE WORLD'S ISLANDS++++++++++++++++++

Island information links
http://www.worldislandinfo.com/
Principal world islands and groups
http://www.worldislandinfo.com/IMPORTANV2.htm
Historical Information - very comprehensive
http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/io.htm
SATELLITE VIEWS OF ISLANDS
http://geology.com/satellite/

 

CARRIBBEAN SEA

Netherlands antilles (Aruba, Bonaire)
http://brochures.aruba.com/georigin/georigin.pdf
http://www.unesco.org/csi/pub/papers/demayer.htm
http://www.ig.utexas.edu/bolivar/research/geo.htm
http://www.losroques.org/

Weather and Climate information for the Carribbean
http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/weather/maps/forecastmaps?LANG=en&CONT=mamk®ION=0019&LAND=AT&UP=0&R=161

 

Bahama Geology
http://strata.geol.sc.e du/Bahamas/BahamasGalleryIndex.html

Lesser Antilles Geology
http://www.caribbeanvolcanoes.com/dominica/geology.htm
http://dominicapsn.freeyellow.com/geology.php

Lesser Antilles weather and climate
http://www.worldclimatereport.com/index.php/2008/12/30/lesson-of-the-lesser-antilles/

Netherlands Antilles
General information
http://www.infobonaire.com/weather.html

Geology of Bonaire, Curacao and Aruba
http://www.unesco.org/csi/pub/papers/demayer.htm
http://brochures.aruba.com/georigin/georigin.pdf

Bonaire weather and climate
http://www.bonaire-travelguide.com/weather/
Aruba weather and climate
http://www.infobonaire.com/weather.html

 

SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN

Micronesia / Pohnpei geology and geography
http://www.pohnpeiheaven.com/theisland.html
http://www.pohnpeiheaven.com/map.htm

Fiji
http://www.govisitfiji.com/fiji/default.asp
http://www.mrd.gov.fj/gfiji/geology/educate/geo_fiji.html
http://www.mrd.gov.fj/gfiji/img/maps/geology/Fijigeo.gif
http://www.mrd.gov.fj/gfiji/img/promo/prmplate.jpg
FIJI HYDROLOGY
http://www.mrd.gov.fj/gfiji/geology/educate/grndwatr.html

Coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific - this is a GREAT resource for islands in the
region of Oceania in the South Pacific (Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia)
http://research.calacademy.org/research/izg/CoralReefOrganisms/CoralReefs/CORAL%20REEFS.html

Geology of Eniwetok Atoll and Bora Bora
http://strata.geol.sc.edu/EniwetokGallery/EniwetokGallery.html

Galapagoes Islands information
http://www.geo.cornell.edu/geology/Galapagos.html
http://www.pbs.org/safarchive/5_cool/galapagos/g22_geo.html
http://www.ms-starship.com/sciencenew/galapagos_geology.htm

Galapagoes Islands geology
http://www.geo.cornell.edu/geology/GalapagosWWW/GalapagosGeology.html
http://www.galapagosislands.com/html/geology.html

NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN

Geology of Vancouver (and Queen Charlotte Island)
http://www.crd.bc.ca/watersheds/protection/geology-processes/geologicalhistoryVI.htm

 

NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN

Atlantic Ocean tsunami threat
http://geology.com/news/2005/09/atlantic-ocean-tsunami-threat.html

Azores information
http://www.azores.com/azores/azores.php
http://www.koivurinta.com/azores.html

Geology of the Azores
http://www.ewpnet.com/azores/geology.htm

Azores climate
http://theazoresislands.blogspot.com/2008/03/climate-azores-aores.html

Geology of the Canary Islands
http://www.ing.iac.es/PR/lapalma/geology.html
http://www.mantleplumes.org/Canary.html

MEDITTERANEAN SEA

Geology of Mallorca
http://strata.geol.sc.edu/Miocene-Mallorca/MioceneMallorcaIntro.html
http://www.ianetwork.com/articles/mallorca/index.html

Geology of the Aegean Sea region
http://geology.com/news/2006/08/santorini-eruption-might-have-been.html
http://www.alpine.gr/page.asp?id=162
http://www.rockhounds.com/rockgem/articles/greece.html

Water circulation
http://people.seas.harvard.edu/~robinson/PAPERS/encycirc.pdf

SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN

Falkland Islands general information
http://www.visitorfalklands.com/

Falkland Islands geology
http://www.bgs.ac.uk/falklands-oil/reggeol/RegGeo.htm

 

INDIAN OCEAN

Physical Geography of Andaman Islands
http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/andaman%20islands%20-%20physical%20geography/id/4792195

History, Language and Geology of Maldives
http://www.freelancewriter.org.uk/images/Maldives.pdf
Maldives needs a new home
http://geology.com/news/2008/maldives-needs-a-new-home.shtml
United Nations - Post-Tsunami Environmental Assessment in Maldives
http://postconflict.unep.ch/publications/dmb_maldives.pdf

Timor Geology
http://www.unescap.org/esd/water/publications/mineral/amrs/vol17/Chapter%20II(new).pdf http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/The_Geology_of_Indonesia/Timor

Christmas Island geology
http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/christmas/nature-science/geology.html
Christmas Island general info
http://www.abc.net.au/nature/island/ep2/about2.htm

Mauritius
http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Mauritius
http://jgslegacy.lyellcollection.org/cgi/content/abstract/51/1-4/463
http://www.panoramio.com/user/304410/tags/Mauritius

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

WILDERNESS PRSERVATION

Montana Wilderness Association
http://www.wildmontana.org/

WEB RESOURCES ON SUSTAINABILITY AND "GREEN" PROJECTS

Writings on the Cradle to Cradle pholosophy by architect Bill McDonough (the designer of Greenbridge in Chapel Hill
http://www.mcdonough.com/writings_new_paradigm.htm

Transforming Industry - Cradle to Cradle Design
http://www.mbdc.com/c2c_home.htm

Cradle to Cradle - Glossary of Key Concepts
http://www.mbdc.com/c2c_gkc.htm

SUSTAINABLE BUILDING SOURCEBOOK
http://www.austinenergy.com/energy%20efficiency/Programs/Green%20Building/Sourcebook/roofing.htm

American Institute of Architects
Top Ten Green Projects of 2007
Podcast: Sustainable Design: Ecology, Architecture and Planning
http://www.aia.org/cote_default

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadership_in_Energy_and_Environmental_Design

Sustainable "Green" Building - Green Project Specifications
http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/greenbuilding/specs/

Green Source Web Page
http://www.gdrc.org/uem/green-const/toolbox/box-index.html

Green Building and Sustainability
http://www.igreenbuild.com/

UNC Sustainability
http://sustainability.unc.edu/

UNC Institute for the Environment
http://www.ie.unc.edu/

THE ENERGY STORY - TABLE OF CONTENTS
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/index.html#table

North Carolina Solar Center
http://www.ncsc.ncsu.edu/

American Wind Energy Association
http://www.awea.org/

Wind Energy Basics
http://www.nrel.gov/learning/re_wind.html

Geothermal Education Office
http://geothermal.marin.org/

Geothermal Energy Association
http://www.geo-energy.org/aboutGE.asp

Geothermal Energy Real Basics
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/geothermal.html

Green Building Materials
http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/greenbuilding/Materials/

A SOURCEBOOK FOR GREEN AND SUSTAINABLE BUILDING
http://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/

Green Building Expo
http://www.greenbuildingexpo.com/

Earthbag Building
Building with earthbags (sometimes called sandbags) is both old and new. Sandbags have long been used, particularly by the military, for creating strong, protective barriers, or for flood control. The same reasons that make them useful for these applications carry over to creating housing. Since the walls are so substantial, they resist all kinds of severe weather (or even bullets) and also stand up to natural calamities such as earthquakes and floods. They can be erected simply and quickly with readily available components, for very little money.
http://earthbagbuilding.com/index.htm

Green Places Magazine
If you work or have an interest in the creation, management and use of any type of public spaces then Green Places is an essential read. It brings together a great diversity of expertise and opinion on how a quality public realm can be created and accessed by all.
http://www.landscape.co.uk/GreenPlaces/

Mother Earth News - "The original guide to living wisely."
articles on "green" transportation
http://www.motherearthnews.com/alternative-transportation.aspx

Energy Planet - Renewable Energy Directory
http://www.energyplanet.info/Transportation/

General City Carbon Emissions
http://www.city-journal.org/2009/19_1_green-cities.html

2030 Initiative
http://media.www.mcgilltribune.com/media/storage/paper234/news/2009/02/17/Features/2030-A.Green.Odyssey-3633257.shtml

Subway (food chain) builds LEED certified building
http://www.qsrmagazine.com/articles/news/story.phtml?id=8104

Inconvience of Mass transit
http://www.baylor.edu/lariat/news.php?action=story&story=55697

E scalators and energy
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2009/01/26/would-turning-off-escalators-save-energy/

ARCHITECTURE

GREENBRIDGE - CHAPEL HILL
http://www.greenbridgedevelopments.com/

Architecture Week - Green Architecture
  www.architctureweek.com/topics/green-01.html

STORMWATER MANAGEMENT AND WATERSHED WEBSITES


THE EFFECTS OF DAMMING A RIVER - THE COLORADO
http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/investigations/esu401/esu401page01.cfm?chapter_no=investigation

THE POWERFUL EFFECT OF STORMWATER
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpJb66--Ypl

REDUCE RUNOFF: SLOW IT DOWN, SPREAD IT OUT, SOAK IT IN (9 min. video)
http://epa.gov/owow/nps/lid/video.html

WATERSHED MANAGEMENT: SANTA MONICA BAY, CA 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTAEeztASJw&NR=1

THINK ABOUT WATER: CARRIBBEAN
http://youtube.com/watch?v=3JLQmO3tFvs&NR=1

CLEAN WATER FOR AFRICA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQcg8moNKpw

ONLINE TRANING FOR WATERSHED MANAGEMENT
http://www.epa.gov/watertrain/index.htm

EPA WATERSHED WEBCASTS
http://www.epa.gov.watershedwebcasts

UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA CONSTRUCTION BMPs
http://stormwater.montana.edu/stormwater.htm

VIRTUAL RIVER
http://www.sciencecourseware.com/virtualriver

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS, INC (WETLANDS)
http://www.wetland.org

THE CENTER FOR WATERSHED PROTECTION
http://www.cwp.org

LOW IMPACT DEVELOPMENT CENTER  a new, comprehensive land planning and engineering design approach with a goal of maintaining and enhancing the pre-development hydrologic regime of urban and developing watersheds.
http://lowimpactdevelopment.org/index.html

Water-related topics glossary
http://www.water.utah.gov/WaterPlan/uwrpff/Glossary.htm

GreenBiz.com - Water Conservation
http://www.greenbiz.com/toolbox/essentials_third.cfm?LinkAdvID=4089

http://www.greenhomesforsale.com/greenhomeresources.php

Potable Water Treatment (open course - technical)
http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=2457

 

PLACES SETTING GOOD EXAMPLES FOR SUSTAINABILITY

Zion National Park
http://www.nps.gov/archive/zion/trans.htm

Burlington, Vermont - a great example of a sustainability-conscious small city
http://www.mainstreetlanding.com/

Photos taken in Burlington, VT
http://www.linkvermont.com/photogalleries/Burlington%20Vermont%20Photo%20Gallery/index.htm

Burlington, VT - Legacy Project
http://www.cedo.ci.burlington.vt.us/legacy/strategies/contents.html

Boulder, CO Area Sustainability Information Network - Watershed; water and the community
http://bcn.boulder.co.us/basin/

TOURISM IN THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS  Islands sign up for experiment to be waste-free
http://wikitravel.org/en/Galapagos_Islands

ELEVEN NORTH SEA ISLANDS HAVE SIGNED UP TO BECOME LIVING LABORATORIES FOR A WASTE-FREE ENVIRONMENT
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29162947/from/ET

TRANSPORTATION

MONORAILS
www.monorails.org

TAKING STEPS:
A Community Action Guide to People-Centered
Equitable and Sustainable Urban Transport
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/2853/actionguide/Outline.htm

Urban Environmental Management - Sustainable Transportation
http://www.gdrc.org/uem/sustran/sustran.html

PRT - Morgantown , WV
http://web.presby.edu/~jtbell/transit/Morgantown/    

Missoula Institute for Sustainable Transportation
http://www.strans.org/home.

SUSTAINABILITY & L.E.E.D.) Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design

NORTH CAROLINA BOTANICAL GARDEN -
NEW EDUCATION CENTER
http://ncbg.unc.edu/pages/4/

Research Triangle Park - E.P.A. campus
http://www.epa.gov/rtp/facilities/virtualtour/index.htm

Building Green - From Principle to Practice 
NGBC (National Green Building Council)
http://www.nrdc.org/buildinggreen/leed.asp

Introduction to LEED Certification
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YQ8v4j4h9c

How LEED Certification works (How Stuff Works web site)
http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/energy-efficiency/leed-certification.htm

TREEHUGGER.COM WEB SITE - (endorced by Ben Harper)
http://www.treehugger.com/

U.S. GOVT - EPA - Basic information about sustainability
http://www.epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm

National Geographic's THE GREEN GUIDE
http://www.epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm

 

 

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