Assignment 8: Outline for Group Project

Hello. We are HubCityGoGreen and we are here today to tell you about three simple ways that you can be more environmentally friendly in the area of Hattiesburg, Ms. We have a few reasons for wanting to spread the word on this issue. They are:

1. Recent oil spill has caused devastating effects to the Gulf coast, which is very close to our community.

2. Prevent further environmental damage to our area.

3. There are many places in Hattiesburg to recycle but many people do not know the locations and thus are less likely to recycle.

Our purpose is to inform you as residents on the ways you can get started “going green”. We also want to provide you with a specific list of places in the community that will take your recycling which will allow for less confusion.

The three simple things you can start doing are:

1. Recycle

2. Start a compost pile

3. Conserve energy

First, we will look at these three areas in greater detail.

Recycle

A. So easy anyone can do it

B. Reduce landfill space

C. Takes less energy to use recycled items than to make items from scratch

D. Decreases litter and other waste that get into the Gulf

Compost

A. Can significantly cut down methane gas production from landfills

B. Provides you with a rich organic substance that is great for use in gardens, houseplants, etc.

C. Nature’s way of recycling

D. Free organic fertilizer

Energy Conservation

A. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using less fuel when making electricity

B. Reduce the occurrences of environmental problems like acid rain, smog, etc.

Now, we will explain how you can get started implementing recycling, composting, and conserving energy in your home.

Recycling

A. Instead of throwing items away, check to see if they are recyclable.

B. If they are recyclable, place the items in a bin.

C. When the bin is full separate the items into categories such as glass, plastic, paper, and aluminum.

D. Take to recycling center

Composting

A. Simple as forming a pile in the back of your yard or as extravagant as buying a tumbler

B. Form a carbon to nitrogen ratio of 30 to 1. That is, 30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen.

C. Every week or so, turn the pile to get oxygen throughout the material

D. You should get a dark, rich compost within the year. Sooner if you turn it more.

Conserving Energy

A. Turn lights off when not using them

B. Turn water off when brushing teeth

C. Use a bike, carpool, or walk to school, work, or store

D. Buy Energy Star appliances

In review, we have discussed three simple but important ways that you can begin using in your homes to be more environmentally friendly. They are recycling, composting, and conserving energy. You can start doing these things by simply looking at an item that you’re about to throw away to see if it has a recycling logo or making sure all lights are off before you leave your house.

If you would like more information on these subjects or if you would like to see the list of recycling centers in the Hattiesburg area we invite you to visit our website.

www.wix.com/brittneyluna/hubcitygogreen

Getting involved in Oil Spill Cleanup

USM Student Printz

By Brittney Luna

Unless you live under a rock, chances are you’ve heard about the recent oil spill a million times already. You’ve probably also heard about the decades worth of damage it has caused. However, as a student you may not have heard a lot about what you can actually do to make a difference. Instead of talking about the damage and its effects we should be helping to clean it up and prevent further damagefrom occuring. That won’t happen if we all just keep sitting around talking about it. Being a student you most likely don’t have a considerable amount of funds to donate but there are ways around this. You can form a fundraisingevent such as doing a carwash, mowing yards, etc. After you’ve gathered the funds through afundraising event then you could choose an organization that is important to you and donate the money to help the organization with expenses such as clean up supplies and medicinefor injured wildlife. You can also search for volunteer opportunities if you have some time to dedicate. Some items that you no longer use can be donated to help with the oil spill such as polypropylene pompoms, which are the old school, long stranded pom poms. A weird but extremely useful remedy for an oil spill is hair. Yes, hair! Students can go to their local salons, dog groomers, etc and ask that they donate leftover hair remnants to Matter of Trust, an organization that takes hair from all over the world and makes booms and mats used for soaking up oil. Dreads are even accepted! What a great environmentally friendly way to soakup oil! Hair is able to do this because it naturally soaks up oil hence the reason we shampoo our hair. Some students work full time in the summer and may not have the time to volunteer or extra money to donate. These students can gather pictures from the coast and send to their friends and family that wouldn’t otherwise get to see the harsh reality of what is happening on the coast. While the student may not have thetime or money available, friends or family members may want to get involved. A friend of mine did this and got a great response. Here are some pictures she sent her family:

Remember just because you’re a student doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do to help out during this difficult time. There’s plenty you can do and I hope I have convinced you to take some action. Get involved!

Rhetorical Situation:

I feel like the current situation of the oil spill situation is extremely important especially to our community. Since USM is located only an hour or so from the Gulf Coast I think it should be on everyone’s mind how close to home this is going to hit. And it’s not just going to affect the coastline. It’s going to affect the whole country possibly the entire world. Many people don’t think about it but it’s the oceans that really make the difference in the world. If the oceans are destroyed, people are destroyed. The oceans account for over 70% of Earth. What’s an important thing in the oceans for all life on Earth? Algae. Algae takes carbon dioxide and converts it to oxygen. Thus, the oceans provide a massive amount of the world’s oxygen. The ocean is where the most basic part of the food chain is located. If it gets messed up, everything will get messed up. That’s why it is so important to clean up this oil spill mess. This article would be great for The Student Printz, USM’s student newspaper, because it is targeted towards the students of USM. My mission was to encourage students to want to get involved by giving them some basic ideas on what they could do to get started.

Here are some great organizations in need of donations:

Matter of Trust Organization

Sea Turtle and Marine Mammal Response Fund

Assignment 6: Collaborative Writing Project Progress Report

Recently the class was assigned a group project on some community issue of our choice. There are three other members in addition to myself in Group 2. We chose to do our project on the urgent need to provide information to our community about ways to “go green” due to the recent events of the oil spill. While we can’t realistically do a lot about the oil spill situation we can start small by persuading members of the community to become a little more eco-friendly by making better decisions about how they can recycle most of their trash, compost, and conserve energy. As a Biology major this subject is very close to my heart and I believe 100% that a few small changes can turn into much bigger and greater changes for the environment. (Note: a friend sent me this picture)

A few days after the email was sent I sent an email to all the group members to get the ball rolling. At first we thought that an additional member would be in our group, Galina Matthews. However, I emailed to ask her and she said she was going to be in another group. Then there was four…Myself, Christina Lightsey, Kaye Lewis, and Brittany Martin. So far we’ve met once to discuss and plan everything that we are going to do and assign individual projects. We’ve only met once due to member’s time differences. However, just by meeting once I think that we’ve made a good plan for the project and set a good timeline down. We have also emailed each other through our eagle accounts and through blackboard. We also exchanged phone numbers. The project is due July 20^th, which gives us a little over a week to finish it. With the timeline that we have set I think we should be right on schedule for the due date. So far we’ve discussed exactly what the project is going to be about, how we are going to get that information to the public, and formed a rough draft of the proposal. The proposal should be in its final form by tonight. We also assigned projects for what everyone in the group will be responsible for. Kaye will research information on energy conservation and organize the proposal. Christina will do phone interviews with principals, business owners, and managers around the city of Hattiesburg. Brittany is going to organize a rough draft of the final report and also organize the final written report after we have all read it and given our thoughts. I am designing the website and brochure, and also doing some research. Kaye, Christina, and I will email Brittany our information by 8p.m. on Tuesday, July 13^th so that she can have the rough draft finished by noon on Thursday, July 15^th. We will then revise it if needed and send it back to her to make the final report. I have already begun the website and researching. When the website gets a little more polished I’m going to send the girls a link and password so they can go on there and look at it and make changes. I will start on the brochure tomorrow.

I think that overall the project is coming along great. I have done group projects before but never with people that I have never met before. That being said, having met two of the members in person we got along fine! Sometimes personality conflicts can be troublesome for group projects but I thought that we all were on the same page and got along great. All the members have expressed that they have no problem doing anything assigned. We haven’t had any problems with members not wanting to do their part. It’s actually been the opposite, which is great because for me in the past that was always a problem in group projects. The only thing I have been slightly confused on is the actual assignment itself. I took it as a project that focuses in on an issue in the community that should be addressed and then forming a solution. I wasn’t sure that for our project we would form our solution around providing the information for the community to get started or if we actually had to provide a service, such as a recycling program. We decided to provide the information but if our teacher says we need to form a “service” then we can add that in to the project as well. We look forward to his email saying if we can proceed or if we need to make revisions.

Assignment 5: Beginning the Job Search

If I were to start looking for a job within the next six months these are some examples of what I would look for:

-The first job opportunity comes from the Audobon Zoo located in New Orleans, La. It is an unpaid internship that is geared toward getting experience rather than a profit. In the internship the student will work closely with the bird staff learning how to provide proper animal care, exhibit upkeep, record keeping, etc. The internship will last a minimum of 12 weeks and can be done at any time of the year. A commitment of four mornings a week is required. The intern must be at least 18 years old and able to lift 50 pounds. Considering that almost all zoo jobs require previous zoo experience, this internship is a great opportunity.

-The second opportunity is Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium’s Animal Care and Research Program. Internships are around 14 weeks long and can be done in one of the four seasons that they are offered: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Mote is a nonprofit research institution. Therefore, the positions are unpaid. However, scholarships are available. Participants must have a background in zoology, animal behavior, psychology, ecology, or biology. Participants must also be able to swim strongly and be able to lift at least 50 pounds. Interns will work directly with the staff doing day-to-day things such as food preparation, water quality testing, and cleaning. Participants will care for the resident manatees, sea turtles, and dolphins that live at Mote Aquarium.

-The third option is to attend veterinary school to further my education. Since I was young I’ve always wanted to become a veterinarian. Getting into veterinary school is very competitive. If I were to apply to vet school I would apply to my in-state school, Mississippi State University. MSU’s vet school was first established in 1974. The first class was accepted in the fall of 1977 and graduated in May of 1981. Students who successfully complete the four-year program obtain a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. The school is fully accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association.

-The fourth and final option is a entry-level microbiologist position located in Minnesota. Applicants must have completed a Bachelors degree in either Microbiology or Biology. They must also be familiar with standard techniques and instrumentation. Gram staining, plate streaking, and using aseptic techniques are some examples of what the microbiologist will be responsible for knowing how to do.

As far as my experience and what qualifications I possess, I would say I’m a good candidate for each of these opportunities. For the two internships, I am able to lift at least fifty pounds without a problem. Also, the job I currently have would allow me the necessary time for the internships. I have previous experience working with animals. I am familiar with the safety issues surrounding wild and exotic animals from volunteering briefly in the past at a local zoo. I feel as though I am a hard worker and I love working with animals. Therefore, I think I would be perfect for either of those internships. Also, I believe I would be an ideal candidate for being accepted into veterinary school. I have worked in two vet clinics in the past and also volunteered at my local animal shelter for over a year’s time. I have the GPA and the prerequisites required for acceptance. As far as the entry- level microbiologist job, currently I do not have a Bachelors degree in Biology. I will obtain that in May, though. I have experience working in a lab and performing the various tests that was outlined in the advertisement such as gram staining and plate streaking.

I think the position that is best suited for me would be the first one. It is located in New Orleans, which is reasonably close to me. It provides a great amount of experience. If I wanted to be a zoologist instead of a veterinarian then I would have that necessary experience required to do so. And if I ever decided to apply to vet school that internship would be a great addition of animal experience. I also like the fact that it is involved with the avian aspect of the zoo, which is something that I have a lot of interest in as I have 2 parrots of my own. I would first fill out the application form located on the site and then submit a resume and cover letter. My resume would include my animal-related experience such as my previous employment with veterinary clinics and my volunteer experience making these stand out more than my previous sales experience. The cover letter would include my positive feelings on the Audobon Nature Institute as a whole and, in particular, the Zoo. I would also discuss my general interests in the bird exhibit for which I would be applying. I would also mention what I would hope to gain from the internship experience and how it would be a great step in gaining a related career in the future.