Sustainability and Commerce.
BPA is a chemical used in the production of certain plastics. The chemical is known to leach out of plastic into foods and liquids. Critics believe BPA acts as an estrogen mimic and disrupts brain development in utero and in newborns. BPA supporters say the risks are minimal and that research has not supported the need for a ban. Canada has banned BPA in baby bottles and even tougher restrictions have been proposed by the U.S. Senate.
References
Duke Center for Sustainability and Commerce. (2014). How much do we waste daily? Retrieved from http://center.sustainability.duke.edu/resources/green-facts-consumers/how-much-do-we-waste-daily
Royte, E. (2006). Corn plastic to the rescue. Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/corn-plastic-to-the-rescue-126404720/?no-ist
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (2014). Indoor water use in the United States. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/WaterSense/pubs/indoor.html
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (2014). Plastics. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/plastics.htm
Demonstration of Proficiency
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:
Competency 2: Analyze the impact of contaminants in the environment to human health.
Examine the impact of personal choice on environmental health.
Competency 3: Apply personal and professional decisions based upon an understanding of environmental risks.
Illustrate ways to reduce personal impact on the environment.
Explain how to encourage others to make a change in the ways they impact the environment.
Competency 4: Communicate effectively in a variety of formats.
Write coherently to support a central idea in appropriate format with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics.
Preparation
Please review the resources and assessment instructions. No extra preparation is required for this assessment.
Instructions
For this assessment, in a 3–4-page report, examine the impact of your choices on the environment and consider positive changes you could implement.
Begin your report by explaining areas of your life in which your choices impact the environment. This list could be endless; choose to focus on 10 areas of impact. Then, choose five changes related to the areas you listed that you could implement in your life.
Include at least one change relevant to each of the three main natural resources—air, water, and land (soil).
For each of your five changes that you have chosen to examine, address the following:
What is the financial cost or benefit of the change?
What health benefits are associated with the change?
What are the environmental benefits of this change? How does this change promote conservation of air, water, or land?
What is the impact on your lifestyle if you make the change?
Finally, address the following in regard to your chosen changes overall:
What message are you trying to convey? Highlight the main points you want to present.
How do your personal choices affect environmental health?
Include a reference to the information from at least two reputable sources that support your choices. What do other sources of information say about these concepts?
Finally, explain how you could convince your friends and family that these changes are important.
Additional Requirements
Use the APA Paper Template (linked in Resources: Pollution) to format your report.
Written Communication: Written communication should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
Length: This report should be 3–4 pages in content length. Include a separate title page and a separate references page.
Font and Font Size: Times New Roman, 12-point, double-spaced. Use Microsoft Word.
APA Formatting: Resources and in-text citations should be formatted according to the current APA style and formatting.
Number of Resources: You are required to cite a minimum of two scholarly resources. You may conduct independent research for resources and references to support your report. Provide a reference list and in-text citations for all your resources, using APA format. You may cite texts and authors from the Resources.
