Material Case study Line of Enquiry 1

So…..what are we looking for in terms of the investigation?

How should we look at LOI 1?...................

Erm………??!!

Don’t worry……we’ll explain.

Investigation LOI 1LOI 1: How the extraction and processing of materials used to create

products has an impact on the environment.

Pretty straight forward no?I need to know:i) Impact on the environment from: - the extraction of the material (mining, logging, pumping etc) - the process into a sellable product (normally in a factory of some

sort)

So, who would you say that this is more suited for?The Environmental Activist orThe Industry spokesperson?

You guessed it…..

The Environmental Activist!!!!

But that doesnt mean that the Industry spokesperson won’t have anything to do.

Remember, this is an argument that you’re trying to win so the I.S will have to come up with….

COUNTER ARGUMENTS!!!

So….

….now that you know that you have to win an argument, we are going to show you a very BASIC, SHORT and SIMPLE presentation. With no:

i) Photosii) Evidenceiii) Other relevant information to back up the

argument….Remember……

You will have to do a lot, lot more!! You have to win or beat this proposal no-matter what so how will you do that?

With well thought out arguments that include: - Valid P.O.V - Good, strong reasons - Excellent examples backed up with real, hard

evidence presented in any shape or form, the more imaginative the better….

The comittee will LOVE imagination!!

So…..

You ready?

Good. Lets begin.

Bottled water

(P.O.V)Governments should ban the production and sale of bottled water because…..

(Reason) its production and lifecycle has a massive, negative impact on the environment.

(You see how the argument is linked to the LOI?)

Bottled water

(Example)Firstly, a lot of bottled water in America comes

from groundwater (underground water reserves where it is trapped in the rocks) and its extraction has been linked to lowered stream levels, dried-up wetlands and depleted or decimated fish populations.

(Insert facts, photos, videos, interviews, you know the gist…)

Bottled water

Hold on, before we continue….the environmental activist has made a clear factual statement. It’s time now for the Industry spoeksperson to have a C.A ready…

What’s a C.A???

COUNTER ARGUMENT SILLY BILLY!!!

Bottled water

(C.A)Very little groundwater is used/pumped by

bottled water companies in the U.S, only 0.2%, in fact - a drop in the ocean (forgive the pun)

(Insert facts, photos, videos, interviews, you know the gist…)

Bottled water

(Example 2 – back to the E.A)Secondly, the plastic used for each bottle requires a ¼ cup

of oil to be produced. Millions of bottles are made everyday around the world requiring millions of litres of oil. Oil refining and extraction causes pollution and carries a major risk – we all remember the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico last year, something that will affect the environment for well over 100 years.

(Insert facts, photos, videos, interviews, you know the gist…)

Bottled water

(C.A)The oil industry creates jobs for literally millions

of people, it sustains entire economies and supports us as a race, without oil the planet would stop. We can’t simply stop using it from one day to the next, it’s ridiculous.

(Insert facts, photos, videos, interviews, you know the gist…)

Bottled water

(Example)Thirdly, The factory where the bottles are made

emits dangerous chemicals and air pollution. It is a known FACT that contamination of ground water is a common occurrence where these factories operate. The SAME groundwater that is pumped for bottled water!! What a joke!

(Insert facts, photos, videos, interviews, you know the gist…)

Bottled water

(C.A)All governments have strict laws and legislation in place to

control the environmental impact of the factories. We spend millions of dollars (or pesos, pounds, shillings, rupees or whatever) to make sure that the environmental impact of the factories is kept to a minimum. We employ environmental engineers to deal with this exact problem. What can we do? Shut the factory down and send the workers into poverty? GREAT idea!!

(Insert facts, photos, videos, interviews, you know the gist…)

Bottled water

(Example)The transportation of the finished bottle to its

point of sale creates pollution. Over ¼ of bottled water is exported to another country, this creates millions of tonnes of CO2 in emissions from ship, road and air transport.

(Insert facts, photos, videos, interviews, you know the gist…)

Bottled water

(C.A)So what do we do? Stop exporting? Stop freight and

shipping? Everybody else does it but we can’t? We shall we do? Build a factories near us of all the products that we use in our daily lives? Don’t be so ridiculous. Think of all the people that have have jobs in transportation alone. Etc etc

(Insert facts, photos, videos, interviews, you know the gist…)

Bottled water

(Example)Lastly, what is left after those couple of minutes or so in which you

have drunk the water?A: A bottle that is not biodegradable (meaning that it won’t rot for

over 10,000 years) and that is the sole cause for the biggest environmental problem that is facing our planet. The Pacific ocean (among others) is now a plastic soup, full of our plastic waste that simply doesn’t disappear. 29 million bottles of water are drunk in the U.S EVERY DAY!!! The world simply will not survive the immense wave of waste that is being produced on a daily basis. Bottled water along with plastic bags are the scourge of the Earth and will be our downfall.

(Insert facts, photos, videos, interviews, you know the gist…)

Bottled water

(C.A)So it’s our fault that people aren’t recycling? There

are many, many strategies in place to ensure that bottles are recycled after use. If the public doesn’t do it then it is out of our hands etc etc

(This actually goes into LOI 3 – responsibility - that we will look at soon…)

(Insert facts, photos, videos, interviews, you know the gist…)

So…..

You get the idea?

Remember this is basic, very, very basic and if you even think of presenting a piece of work as simple as this then you should be ashamed of yourself….

…..not that you would

Conclusion

Based on your investigation, research, informed P.O.V’s and reasons, you will win or beat the proposal.

Be aware that if you win, its probably because you’ve done more than the other pair which means that you’ll probably get a higher grade.

There will be no room for slackers

And….

That’s it…

Off you go to de some real, in depth, opinionated research.

And above all…….

HAVE FUN!!