Challenges

14

by Laren Smalls Mantey No Comments



Challenge #14: TED Talk

Time: 30-45 minutes

Materials: your computer.

Watch this TED Talk to learn more about Combined Sewer Overflows and New York City. Based on what you learned in the video, answering the following questions:

1. In your own words, define a combined sewer system.

2. In your own words, define a combined sewer overflow.

3. In your own words, explain why we have combined sewer overflows.

4. What problems plague the Gowanus Canal, according to the video?

5. What is the first flush?

6. In your own words, explain Ate Atema’s solution to reduce CSOs in NYC.

7. Write a 1-2 paragraph reaction to the video as a whole. What did you learn? What surprised you? Did anything inspire you? Did anything confuse you? Post your reaction as a new Journal Entry.

Your job is complete when…

You’ve watched the video, answered the questions, written and posted a 1-2 paragraph reaction piece as a Journal Entry (be sure to include your name), and emailed your answers and reaction piece to swredrexel@gmail.com.

 

13

by Laren Smalls Mantey No Comments

 

watershedCUP

Challenge #13 | Learn About CSOs.

Time: 30 minutes

Materials Needed: Computer

 
What is a combined sewer system? What are CSO events and how do they occur?
Watch this 3 minute video(https://vimeo.com/52018694) produced by the Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP).

 
1. What are your thoughts immediately after watching the video?
2. Where does the water from the NYC watershed come from?
3. How does your site help prevent CSO events?

 

 

 

 
Your job is complete when…

You have watched the video, answered the questions, and emailed your responses to Stephanie at swredrexel@gmail.com.

12

by Alex Gilliam No Comments

tourguide

Challenge #12 | Give A Tour Of Your Site.
Time: 60-120 minutes
Materials Needed: You!

Sometimes the best way to help others understand the importance of what you are doing is to simply show them, to let them experience what you are talking about. Your final challenge is to take at least three people (this can be on separate occasions) to your green urban infrastructure site; give them a tour; get them excited and explain why the site is important; and share their reactions on the Journal.

You can take your visitors to the site either as individuals or as a group, it’s up to you. You may even want to bring along some of the work that you have created through these challenges or get them to help you conduct your measurements.

1. Identify at least three people that you really think should know about what you’ve been working on and/or who might be interested in this project.

2. Take them to your site and give them the full tour. Get them super excited about what you are doing!

3. Take a posed picture of them on the site. What were their reactions to the project? Create a short Journal entry describing the experience and their reactions.

You know your job is complete when…..

You have completed steps 1, 2, and 3; and uploaded your photograph and brief Journal entry to the website.

11

by Alex Gilliam No Comments

wpa_water
Challenge #11 | Create An Educational Poster
Time: 60-120 minutes
Materials Needed: art supplies or a computer and printer

You now have knowledge that very few other people know about. Your challenge is to create an info/educational poster that you can hang up at your school or in your neighborhood/workplace that will help others understand the importance of green urban infrastructure sites like your own.

1. What are the most important things that other people should know about? That you would like to tell?

2. Create a poster by hand or on your computer to teach others.

3. Hang it up at school, in your neighborhood, or at work.

You know your job is complete when…..

You have completed steps 1, 2, and 3; done your very best drawing; and taken a photograph of your drawing and uploaded it to the website.

10

by Alex Gilliam No Comments

picture 1 picture 2

Time: 30-60 minutes

Materials Needed: camera or phone with a camera
Green Infrastructure takes a number of different forms. Take a walk around your neighborhood and see if you can identify three other types of green infrastructure.

1. Take a picture of what you found.

2. What kind of green infrastructure did you find? Try to identify the type of GI.

3. Where did you find your GI?

You know your job is complete when…..

You have found three types of GI, taken your pictures, written a brief Journal entry describing what you saw (be sure to include your named), uploaded your best photo with your Journal entry, and sent your photos (including descriptions) to swredrexel@gmail.com.

09

by Alex Gilliam No Comments

temperature_history
Challenge #9 | Making Sense Of The Data That You’ve Gathered

Time: 60 minutes
Materials Needed: (lined paper, a pencil, a ruler) OR (Excel or Google Docs Spreadsheets), your site-visit sheets from at least three visits

Gathering data is one thing, being able to interpret and then potentially act on the data that you have gathered is truly powerful. Sometimes powerful digital tools are necessary to interpret a data set because the set is so big or the information is so complicated to understand. However, in many cases free digital tools such as Google Docs spreadsheets or even a piece of lined paper and a pencil will allow you to make sense of the information that you’ve gathered and do something with it.

Today your challenge is to interpret some of the data that you have gathered and share what you have learned. How are you going to do this?

1. Gather your site visit sheets from your last three to five visits.

2. Choose three to five ‘data sets’ from your site survey form. For example, one data set should be, ‘Rate The Level Of Debris At The Site’. Another might be Soil Moisture.

3. Review the data that you have collected for each particular ‘data set’ over the past three to five times that you have visited the site.

4. Using one piece of lined paper or a digital spreadsheet program, graph each of your data sets (on the same graph).

5. Do you see any patterns or connections? Between the different data sets?

6. Write a brief Journal post describing the connections or lack-there-of that you realize when you graph your data sets.

You know your job is complete when…..

You have completed steps 1 through 6, done your very best graph, taken a photograph of your graph or a screen shot of your digital graph and uploaded it to the website in the Journal section, and written a short journal entry about any connections / patterns you noticed. Be sure to include your named. If you are having trouble writing a Journal post or uploading your files to the Journal, please email your graph and a description of any patterns / connections you noticed to swredrexel@gmail.com.

08

by Alex Gilliam No Comments



Challenge #8 | NYC’s GI Program

Time: 30 minutes

Materials Needed: your computer

 

In 2010, Mayor Bloomberg released the NYC Green Infrastructure Plan to reduce combined sewer overflows. This plan is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the green infrastructure (GI) sites that you work at every week. Take a minute to watch this video to learn more about NYC’s GI program. When you’re done, answer the following questions:

1. Which agency is responsible for maintaining the health and quality of NYC’s waterways? Within this agency, which office is responsible for overseeing NYC’s GI? Which agencies assist in the building and maintenance of GI?

2. How much sanitary flow (compared to normal) are NYC’s wastewater treatment plants designed to handle?

3. What percentage of NYC is impervious?

4. How much money is NYC set to spend on GI before 2030?

5. About how much water can a right of way bioswale hold?

6. According to the video, what are some of the challenges to NYC’s GI program? Can you think of any more challenges or obstacles the city might face in the short term? In the long term?

7. According to the video, what are some of the benefits GI can provide to NYC? Can you think of any more benefits GI might provide to you, your neighborhood, and the city as a whole?

You know your job is complete when…..
You have watched the video, answered the questions, and posted a Journal entry of your responses. If you are having trouble writing a Journal post, please email your completed challenge answers to swredrexel@gmail.com.

07

by Alex Gilliam 6 Comments

toilet_flushing

Challenge #7 | Where Did It Go?
Time: 60 minutes
Materials Needed: 81/2 x 11 paper, pencils, color pencils/markers

Where does your water go when you flush it? Your challenge is to:

1. Use this website to figure out where everything goes when you flush the toilet.

2. Create a larger map of your area and neighborhood and show where these points are located. Into what water body does water that misses your green infrastructure facility flow? How does it get there? Are there different places where it could go depending on meteorological conditions?

You know your job is complete when…..

You have completed steps 1 and 2; done your very best drawing; and taken a photograph of your drawing and uploaded it to the website.

06

by Alex Gilliam No Comments

girl_water

Challenge #6 | Where Does Your Water Come From?

Time: 60-120 minutes

Materials Needed: computer, your choice

Where does your water come from? You may create a drawing, a model, or a short Journal post to answer this question. Start by watching this awesome movie created by teenagers in NYC.

1. Watch the movie.

2. Then create a map that shows how water gets into your green infrastructure site. Does water just come in as rain? Does it flow in over the sidewalk? Does it come in through a hole in the curb? If it comes in through the curb, from where did that water come from? Is it just rain that fell on the street? Or are their building downspouts that drain into the street? If there are downspouts, what types of surfaces do they drain? Can you map out the total drainage area of your site on a map?

You know your job is complete when…..
You have completed steps 1 + 2 and you have documented what you created and uploaded it to the website.

05

by Alex Gilliam No Comments

Challenge #5 | Welcome To The Neighborhood!

Time: 45-60 minutes

Materials Needed: 81/2 x 11 paper, pencils, color pencils/markers

Your site is not an island. No matter how small your site is, it has an impact on not just the immediate sewers but on buildings, parks, and waterways many blocks and miles away. Your challenge is to:

Create a drawing that shows us where your site is located in your neighborhood from a birds eye view. You are welcome to have a look at Google maps to help you out but start off by working from memory.
Where do you live or go to school (or both)?

Where are your favorite places in the neighborhood?

Where do you hang out with friends or family? Play sports? Relax?

Where are your least favorite places?

What places are particularly noisy, busy, or dirty?
Where are there lots of trees, grass, or water?

Which areas, like your green infrastructure site, do you think help improve the environment and positively control stormwater?

Which local sites attract the most foot traffic?

Which regions are the most isolated?

Which areas have the most wild vegetation?

Which areas have the least vegetation?
Have you added labels to explain everything above?
Have you added color to help everyone better understand everything?

You know your job is complete when…..

You have done your very best drawing, taken a photograph of your drawing, and uploaded your photograph to the Journal section of website. Make sure you include your name. If you are having trouble writing a Journal post or uploading your files, please email your photograph / drawing to swredrexel@gmail.com.