GREEN NINJA
TEACHER SUPPORT MATERIALS
NAME OF GREEN NINJA VIDEO: If the Shoe Fits
MAIN TOPIC OF VIDEO: Although roommates Kelsey and Rebecca live together, they
live drastically different lifestyles. Rebecca discovers that her shoes do not fit, so
Kelsey and the Green Ninja teach Rebecca simple ways to reduce her carbon footprint
so that her fashion dilemma is resolved.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Frame:
1. What is a “carbon footprint?”
2. What elements are included in calculating a carbon footprint?
3. What considerations does one have to make as they consider the choices to
improve their carbon footprint?
Focus:
1. What resource-intense activities does Rebecca include in her daily activities?
2. Why does Kelsey suggest that Rebecca calculate her carbon footprint?
3. What was Kelsey reading as she and Rebecca first discussed “carbon footprint?”
Follow-up:
1. Review the video and list the six ways that the Green Ninja and Kelsey help
Rebecca to reduce her carbon footprint.
2. Analyze your daily routine. How can you reduce your carbon footprint? Be sure to
list detailed items that you might change or modify to reduce your carbon
footprint.
3. Based on incidents in “If the Shoe Fits” predict and write a script for what will
happen in the next episode of the Green Ninja considering Kelsey and Rebecca.
ANSWERS TO DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Frame:
1. Your "carbon footprint" is a measure of your impact on the environment, in terms
of the carbon dioxide emitted as a result of your daily activities.
2. A carbon footprint is made up of the two parts. The primary footprint is a measure
of our direct emissions of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels including domestic
energy consumption and transportation. We have direct control of these. The
secondary footprint is a measure of the indirect CO2 emissions from the life cycle
of the products we use - this includes carbon emitted from the manufacture to the
breakdown or disposal of the product. Simply stated, the more we buy the more
emissions we create.
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TEACHER SUPPORT MATERIALS
3. We need to consider all ways that we use energy and generate carbon when we
calculate our carbon footprint. Some areas include, but are not limited to,
maintaining our cars, how we travel (walk ride, take public transportation,
carpool), how we travel by air (non-stop flights, carbon zero lodging), reducing
the carbon footprint of our home (weather stripping, low flow shower heads,
appliances, insulation, heating, cooling, solar), how we plan parties and
celebrations, our workplace, and our life style (reduce, reuse, recycle).
Focus:
1. Rebecca consumes resources intensely. The
opening scene shows her getting ready for her
day and lets us follow her energy usage. The
next scene shows her picking out an outfit from
several similar themed and colored outfits.
2. Rebecca complains to Kelsey that her” shoes do
not fit!” Kelsey says that it has been a long time
since Rebecca calculated her carbon footprint.
3. Kelsey is reading The Vegan Chronicles as Rebecca is getting ready for her
day.
Follow-up:
1. The Green Ninja and Kelsey help Rebecca reduce her carbon footprint by
switching to reusable containers, recycling, suggesting to read magazines online
rather than in print form, using eco-friendly household cleansers, switching to
reusable shopping bags, rethinking her make-up choices, and eating fresh
minimally processed foods,
2. Students should list their activities from the beginning of the day until the end of
the day. They should look at their homes and their activities to provide a
reasonable estimate of their ecological or carbon footprint. Several good online
calculators for carbon footprint are listed in the resources section of this lesson.
3. Students should list the main ideas of the video and then link an original idea of
their own to script out the next Green Ninja video. For formal scriptwriting
software see CELTX. Free script writing software at:
https://www.celtx.com/index.html
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GREEN NINJA
TEACHER SUPPORT MATERIALS
ADDITIONAL TOPICS AND LEARNING EXPERIENCES:
1. Analyze the different techniques that the film authors took to show that Rebecca
led a resource/carbon intense lifestyle. What visual cues did they provide to
guide the viewer? Hint: What is on the
sleeve of Rebecca’s dress?
In the beginning of the video,
Rebecca is shown getting ready for
her day. She is brushing her teeth,
putting on makeup, combing her hair,
putting on more makeup, choosing
an outfit form many, putting on huge
“expensive looking” jewelry, and
trying to put on her shoes. Rebecca makes an excited comment about
“shopping!” and Kelsey says, “Patience Grasshopper.” Rebecca’s dress
has a tag on it. This could imply that it is a new dress, very expensive
dress, or that she buys lots of goods. It also implies that her carbon
footprint might be very high.
2. Compare themes found in the video with themes from two or three common fairy
tales. How does the video director capture these themes in pictures?
Storyboard If The Shoe Fits to show these visual devices.
Students should reach into their early
knowledge of childhood tales to find
common themes from this episode of
the Green Ninja. Themes might
include, but are not limited to:
Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The
Elves and the Shoemaker, and many
more.
3. Investigate what it means to be vegetarian versus vegan. What might be the
benefits and disadvantages of choosing these types of dietary styles compared
to the diet of an omnivore?
Students should conduct independent research on dietary styles and
compare the different requirements and trade-offs required to maintain
each diet. Especially important is to include an assessment of the tradeoff
considering carbon footprint and ecological footprint for each dietary
choice.
ADDITIONAL NOTES AND RESOURCES:
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GREEN NINJA
TEACHER SUPPORT MATERIALS
1. Nature Conservancy’s Carbon Footprint Calculator:
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
http://www.nature.org/greenliving/carboncalculator/index.htm
University of California, Berkeley’s Carbon Footprint Calculator:
http://coolclimate.berkeley.edu/carboncalculator
The classic animated Global Carbon Footprint Calculator by the Global Footprint
Network.
http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/gfn/page/personal_footprint/
PG&E’s carbon footprint calculator gives great background and is detailed in
considering household energy use.
http://www.pge.com/myhome/environment/calculator/
The Five Most Important Things You Can Do for the Environment:
http://environment.about.com/od/activismvolunteering/a/5_important_environme
ntal_actions.htm
Carbon funds’ ideas on reducing carbon footprint:
http://www.carbonfund.org/reduce
BACKGROUND:
You can use our Green Ninja videos in a variety of ways:
A) To introduce a new topic,
B) To provide an additional learning experience to reinforce your current lessons,
C) And to assess the extent to which your students have mastered the material.
Credit: This teacher resource has been adapted from content originally
developed by Susan Hansen.
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