Students are divided into teams of four: prosecution team, defense team, jury and judges. Students may be assigned to teams based upon their response to the following question:
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Should the mall at Long Wharf be developed?
Yes. It is good for the area and pollution from it is not that bad. The job and shopping benefits are more than pollution damages.
No. The city already has enough development that makes its air polluted. Summer smog, which is created by car exhaust, is already too much. We don’t need more traffic.
I don’t know.
Students who think the mall should be developed are members of the defense team. Students who do not think the mall should be developed are members of the prosecution team. Students who have no made up their minds are members of the jury or judges. Each class must have one, but have no more three, judges.
The case: People with Asthma are bringing a class action suit against the mall developer, the City of New Haven, and the State of Connecticut.
The defense team must prove they can plant enough to offset increased traffic to the area and minimize the incresed air pollutionparticularly CO2. A key question is whether the area for plants is sufficient to offset the increased estimated CO2 attributed to increased traffic that will visit the mall. To do this they must survey their neighborhood. Each student on the team will sketch a map of their neighborhooda 4 block radius and note open spaces as well as empty or dilapidated buildings. From this preliminary sketch, students will propose gardens and propose which plants should be planted which produce the most CO2. They will use results from experiments and Internet resources to decide which plants produce the most oxygen.
Students may recall that 600 grams of new leaves, stem, or stalk produce the minimum 500 liters of oxygen you need daily, according to NASA engineer Bill Wolverton. Therefore students must research estimated traffic projections as a result of mall development. (See Mall’s impact on air quality ignored; study not required, despite anticipated increase in traffic, PRIVATEBy Abram Katz, Register Science Editor (July 09, 2000)
They must then calculate the average mass of as many plants as possible. Bring cornhusks to school; ask students to gather leaves, houseplants, weeds, and any other growth to calculate plant mass. Use Internet resources to gather information about plant mass. Emphasis will be on woody trees and crops
Research how much acreage is needed to support these plants they measure and research. Students will then decide: Is there enough open space to negate increased pollutants attributed to traffic for the mall?
If students decide there is enough space for them to grow plants which offset increased CO2 from mall traffic and they pursue their defense, they must also decide how to plant. For example, should a block watch be given an open lot to plant? Can they plant vegetables to be shared by members of the block? There are already examples of these community gardens in New Haven. A field trip to one of these gardens will be pursued.
Once students decide where and what to plant, their defense evidence which is the most crucial will be a new map of their area, which abuts the mall development. Included in this map will be all areas identified where gardens may be grown and types of growth recommended.
After all this work is done: prosecution has shown the negative effect of exhaust on living things, researched air quality, surveyed asthmatic students, researched projected increases in air pollution due to mall development; defense has shown plants produce oxygen, variables can enhance oxygen production, and space is available for a major planting effort, students will all participate as jury. They will address three major issues and answer the following questions:
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1. Are the mall developers guilty? Are estimates of increased traffic and emissions valid? Will they contribute to air pollution and injure those with respiratory problems, particularly those with Asthma?
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2. Can a major planting effort such as that planned by students be accomplished? Is it possible? Who will fund this effort? How confident are students that these plants will offset increased air pollution (CO2) attributed to the mall?
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3. Is it worth it? Is a new mall that important to warrant this effort?
Students should draw upon their notes, observations, lab results and research to answer these questions. Their final decision, with persuasive tone, and compelling evidence may provide a basis for unit assessment.
