Instructions+-+text

Teams of 2-3 students will identify an issue in their community that needs to “go green” and provides a plan to positively impact that issue and further “green living” in their community. The entry should include the following steps: choosing a topic, writing a problem statement, doing background research, writing a hypothesis, developing a plan, collecting data/results, drawing a conclusion, reporting the results and explaining how to replicate this project.
 * __We Can Change the World__**
 * Overview:**

March 15, 2011
 * Deadline:**

The topic for this competition must meet the following criteria: - A current environmental issue or problem - An issue that affects your local community - Important to all team members - Able to be improved or influenced by students using science
 * Topics:**

You will write a replication summary of your project. The summary must include the following parts: - A description of your community, i.e., is it urban, rural or suburban, what is the population and size? - A summary of the problem and solution - How the solution was implemented and tested - How much time the process took - What materials, resources and costs were required - How the plan was adjusted, if appropriate - What you would recommend doing differently
 * Products:**

1. Local Environmental Issue or Problem - The problem or issue should be one that negatively affects the local area and/or community. - The problem or issue should be something that may also be found in other communities or locations. - The issue can be resolved or problem solved by either physical changes, changing social behavior in the community or both. 2. Community Engagement *
 * Grading:**
 * - The community is at least informed of the problem or issue and the solution. **
 * - The community may be involved. Greater involvement indicates greater ownership of the problem and the solution. **
 * - Specific community members may take on leadership roles to make the change happen under the guidance of the Challenge Team (e.g. a community member independently takes charge of acquiring key resources). **
 * 3. Scientific Approach**
 * - The background on the issue or problem is well researched; including what has been learned and done before. **
 * - Background evidence is cited that supports the solution being proposed. **
 * - A plan is clearly explained in which the team: **
 * · Details the resources needed to solve the problem or address the issue **
 * · Clearly defines and sequences the logical steps in the process **
 * · Indicates the collection of quantitative as well as qualitative data (including social interactions that are part of the solution) **
 * - A report is provided that explains: **
 * · What happened as a result of the proposed solution **
 * · The data that was collected **
 * · An analysis in which the data is used to support a conclusion **
 * 4. A Recommendation Explaining How to Replicate and/or Expand the Project for Other Groups**
 * - How to replicate this solution including resource and materials recommendations **
 * - Ways to expand on the solution – taking it further **


 * Community – This can refer to all or some of the people living in the area. A community may be the school community, the general population of a place, or a different subset of the general population, depending on who needs to be involved to achieve the solution.