GENERAL BUSINESS 365
TEACHING PLAN I
Team Member:
Jenna Liberman
Betty Sheu
Susan Simon
Gideon Martin
Justin Miller
Teaching Objectives:
Create lesson plans investigating and promoting organic food and fair trade while
connecting these topics with the social and environmental side of sustainability. We divide our
topics into two parts. The first part “Buying Organic, Buying Local, and Sustainability” will be
taught on March 9th and the second part “Fair Trade and its Sustainable Side” will be taught on
April 20th. We wish to provide SHMS students a preliminary understanding about these
contemporary issues and help them to build awareness on sustainability.
Topic I: Buying Organic, Buying Local, and Sustainability
Lesson Plan
I. Introduction (ppt)
a. opening, icebreaker
b. team member names
c. content & key terms
-processed food
-pesticides
-organic
-local food
-sustainability (social and environmental)
II. Processed Food (ppt)
Presenter: Betty Sheu
a. definition
1. If it's boxed, bagged, canned or jarred and has a list of
ingredients on the label, it's processed
2. Generally speaking, if the ingredients aren't "natural", then we
consider it to be processed
b. examples of processed food-interactive Q&A
c. examples of beneficial processed food
Ex. Milk: pasteurized to kill bacteria and homogenized to keep fats
from separating
Ex. Frozen vegetables: preserves vitamins and minerals and makes
them convenient to cook and eat all year around.
Ex. Fruit and vegetable juice: fortified with calcium to make it
more nutritious.
d. health effects of processed food and their reasons
1. Obesity
-Resource
-High fat consumption. Ex. Fast food, snacks
2. Diabetes
-Resource
-High sugar consumption. Ex. Soft drink, sweet
snack
3. Heart Disease
-Resource
-Trans fatty acids (TFA), a dangerous type of fat
-High amount of salt
4. Cancer
-Stomach, kidney, colorectal cancer
-Resource
-Processed meat. Ex. hot dogs, sausage, ham
-Refined carbohydrates. Ex. white flour, sugar, corn
syrup
III. Pesticides (ppt)
Presenter: Jenna Liberman
a. Definition- A substance used to kill pests that compete with humans for
food, destroy property, or spread disease
-Pesticides save farmers money by preventing crop losses
b. Effects on the Environment
1. Run-off
2. Water Pollution
3. Persistent organic pollutants
4. Soil contamination
c. Effects on Health
1. There have not been definitive studies proving the effects of
pesticides but the following are publicly accepted
2. Respiratory problems, memory disorders, dermatologic
conditions, cancer, depression, neurological deficits, miscarriages,
birth defects
3. Pesticide by-products in children’s urine
d. How to eliminate/reduce pesticide residues
f. Which food do you think has the greater amount of pesticide residue apples or
bananas?
g. Environmental Working Group’s Pesticide Residue Ranking
h.. Alternatives to Pesticides
IV. Organic Food (ppt)
Presenter: Gideon Martin
a. Labeling
1. “100% Organic”
2. “Organic”
3. “Made with organic ingredients”
4. No Label Allowed
b. What is organic?
1. Chemical free
c. Health Benefits
1. No use of chemical fertilizer or pesticides
2. Higher nutrient levels
3. No use of additives
4. Healthier overall
d. Environmental Benefits
1. No use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides which harm the soil
2. Higher yield and profitability
3. Lower nitrogen pollution levels
4. Improved soil quality
5. Safer for surrounding animal life
6. Reduction of CO2
e. Natural
1. Unclear term
2. Demand for stricter definition
Activity 1: Food Tasting
V. Buying Local (ppt)
Presenter: Susan Simon
a. definition- Purchasing products that are produced within the geographic
region
b. benefits
1. Health – Similar to the benefits of Organic food since most of
them are (more nutritious and less chemicals)
2. environment- fewer resources used to transport and produce,
thus reducing carbon-footprint
c. purchase options
1. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) – people become
“members” by making a financial contribution to a local farm in
exchange for weekly baskets of produce.
2. U-Pick – visitors pick their own fruits and vegetables at a local
farm
3. Farm Stand – A single farm sells its produce from the back of a
truck or a roadside stand
4. Food Co-op – Food Cooperatives are worker or customer own
entities that supply its members with high quality grocery items,
most of which are organic and/or local
5. Farmer’s Market- Groups of farmers come together at a
specified place to sell their produce, meats, and cheese
5a. Dane County Farmer’s Market
-Largest Producer-Only F.M in the country
-Year-round
-All agriculturally-related items are produced in
Wisconsin
-Products include: Fruits, vegetables, cheese, honey,
flowers, baked-goods, fish, meat, sauces, jewelry,
art, and clothing
-Often live music, entertainment, and good food
VI. Sustainability and Conclusion (ppt)
Presenter: Justin Miller
a. “One that provides healthy food to meet current food needs while maintaining
healthy ecosystems that can also provide food for generations to come with minimal
negative impact to the environment. A sustainable food system also encourages local
production and distribution infrastructures and makes nutritious food available, accessible,
and affordable to all. Further, it is humane and just, protecting farmers and other workers,
consumers, and communities."
What does that mean.
-Social
-Environmental
-Economic
a. How does that idea relate to:
1. Processed foods:
- Processed foods use more energy than fresh foods, from
production and transportation.
- An average pre-made meal has ingredients that come from five
different countries.
2. Pesticides:
- All of the environmental effects of pesticides make them less
sustainable.
- All of the health effects of pesticides make them less sustainable.
3. Organic food:
4a. Food from animals:
- To make one quarter-pound hamburger, 600 gallons of water are
used, for the cows, their food, and processing.
- Food from animals has a much higher carbon-footprint.
4b. Food from produce:
- No use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides = better soil quality.
- Higher yield.
- Lower nitrogen pollution levels and Reduction of CO2.
- Safer for surrounding animal life.
4. Buying local:
- Less fossil fuel used in transportation and production.
- On average it takes 10 calories of fossil fuel to generate each
calorie of food that we eat.
- For lettuce to be transported across the Atlantic Ocean, it takes
127 calories of fossil fuel energy for 1 calorie of lettuce.
- Buying local helps support smaller family farms.
Activity 2: Name Tag Game
VII. BYE BYE
GENERAL BUSINESS 365
TEACHING PLAN I
Team Member:
Jenna Liberman
Betty Sheu
Susan Simon
Gideon Martin
Justin Miller
Teaching Objectives:
To create a lesson plan concerning the facts about bottled water. With this lesson plan we
seek to provide the students of David Ropa’s SHMS class with information about different types
of water, their health effects, environmental effects, alternatives to bottled water, and the costs of
different types of water.
Topic II: Bottled Water
Lesson Plan
I. Introduction (ppt)
a. opening, icebreaker
b. team member names
c. content & key terms
-Types of Water
-Alternatives to bottled water
-Costs
-Health effects of bottled water
-Environmental effects of bottled water
II. Types of Water (ppt)
A. Groundwater
1. Water located beneath the ground surface.
B. Spring Water
1. A point where groundwater flows out from the ground.
C. Water Well
1. Structure created in the ground ––by digging, driving, boring or drilling
to access water in underground aquifers.
D. Mineral Water
1. Water containing minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its
taste or give it therapeutic value.
E. Purified Water
1. Water processed to remove impurities.
2. Distilled water, deionized water , reverse osmosis, carbon filtration,
microporous filtration, ultrafiltration, ultraviolet oxidation, or
electrodialysis.
2a. Reverse Osmosis
-A filtration process that is often used for water. It works
by using pressure to force a solution through a membrane,
retaining the solute on one side and allowing the pure
solvent to pass to the other side.
2b. Water filters
-Removes impurities from water by means of a fine
physical barrier, a chemical process or a biological process.
-i.e. Brita
D. Bottled Water
1. 75% of the bottled water consumed in the US is from: rivers, lakes,
springs, and artesian wells.
2. About 25% of U.S. bottled water sold is purified municipal water
according to a four-year study by the Natural Resources Defense Council.
2a. Both Aquafina from PepsiCo and Dasani from The Coca-Cola
Company originate from municipal water systems.
III. Alternatives to Bottled Water (ppt)
A. Tap water
1. How tap water works.
1a. Coagulation
-Coagulation removes dirt and other particles in the water. Some
chemicals are added to water to attract the dirt particles.
1b. Sedimentation
-The heavy particles of dirt settle to the bottom and the clear water
remains.
1c. Filtration
-The water passes through filters that help remove even smaller
particles.
1d. Disinfection
-A small amount of chlorine is added to kill bacteria.
1e. Storage
- Water is placed in a closed tank or reservoir where the water
flows through pipes to homes and businesses.
B. Alternatives: Brita
1. How does a Brita work?
1a. Brita cartridges contain a combination of ion exchange resin and
activated carbon. The carbon absorbs chlorine, pesticides and organic
pollutants, improves taste, eliminates odors and discoloration, and
prevents bacterial growth. The ion exchange resin removes hardness,
and reduces levels of metals such as copper and lead.
1b. One Brita pitcher filter can replace as much as 300 standard 16.9ounce bottles.
B.
Alternatives: Reusable Bottle
1. Metal and BPA-free plastic bottles are completely safe and useful.
2. They resist impact, odor, have a high temperature range, are
dishwasher safe and most of all reusable!
Activity 1: Taste Test
A. Use your analytical powers to determine which water sample is:
-Tap Water
-Bottled Water
-Filtered Water
IV. Costs (ppt)
A. Costs of 8 glasses a day.
1. Fiji Bottled Water: $1,460 per year
2. Aquafina: $1,095 per year
3. Ice Mountain Water Cooler: $323.40 per year
4. Gallon of Spring Water: $219 per year
5. Tap Water: $.37 a year
6. Brita Pitcher with Filters: $66 a year
7. Nalgene: $10
8. Klean Kanteen: $20
B. Your savings per year.
1. $1,084.63 saved by using tap water and a Nalgene over Aquafina
bottled water.
2. $1,383.63 saved using Brita filtered-water and a Nalgene over Fiji
bottled water.
V. Health Effects of Bottled Water (ppt)
A. Why choose bottled water: What do companies say?
1. Bottled Water is safer, healthier, and more pure.
2. Tap Water has more pollutants.
3. Bottled Water provides convenience.
B. Truth of Bottled Water: Negative Health Effects
1. Pollutants found in Bottled Water:
1a. 22% of popular brands tested contained pollutants.
1b. Pollutant amount matches nation’s most polluted big city tap water
systems.
1c. Chemical substances, bacteria, fertilizer.
2. Chemical substances:
2a. Bottled water is usually stored for a long period of time--chemical substance may leach/melt into the water.
2b. Ex. Phthalate:
-Colorless liquid chemical substance used to make plastic more
flexible.
2c. Absorbing chemical substances could cause discomfort, diseases,
or even cancer.
3. Bacteria
3a. Does not grow in moving water or glass container.
3b. Easier to grow in still water kept in plastic bottles.
VI. Environmental Effects of Bottled Water (ppt)
-Fact: Over 52 billion single-use 20oz water bottles are consumed in the US
every year. That's 157 bottles per every US citizen! And less than 20%
of them are recycled.
A. Production:
1. 17 million barrels of oil are used to produce the plastic bottles of water
consumed by the US in one year. That is enough to fuel more than 1
millions vehicles for a year.
2. Over 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide are produced.
3. It takes more than three times the amount of water in the bottles to
produce them.
4. Worldwide, 2.7 million tons of plastic are used to bottle water each
year.
5. Fiji Water produces more than a million bottles of water a day, while
more than half of the people in Fiji do not have reliable drinking water.
B. Transportation:
1. Nearly a quarter of all bottled water crosses national borders to reach
consumers.
2. Over 30 million barrels of oil are used to transport the bottles of water
consumed in the US in one year. That is enough to fuel 2 million
vehicles.
3. Almost 40 percent of the bottles that were recycled in the United
States were actually exported, sometimes to as far away as China.
4. A one liter bottle of Fiji water produces over one pound of greenhouse
gases in transportation alone.
C. Waste:
1. Americans sent 38 billion water bottles to landfills in 2006. If laid end
to end, that’s enough bottles to travel from the Earth to the Moon and
back 10 times.
2. In 2005, 3,900 million pounds of plastic bottles ended up in landfills.
3. Plastic bottles can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade in a landfill.
4. Many plastic bottles end up in our oceans, helping to form areas like
the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is made up of over 80% plastic
and covers an area twice the size of Texas!
Activity 2: Trivia Game:
VII: Closing Remarks