Environmental Sustainability Project

Students will research and custom designs a 2,000 word environmental sustainability project for their own local professional context. It is vital that this design does not simply duplicate an existing project, although it can be inspired by and borrow elements from existing projects. The project design must: • address one environmental sustainability issue of local relevance; • incorporate two of the perspectives covered in modules 2, 3 & 4, (environmental science, environmental humanities, and non-western perspectives); • be customized to address the specificity of the local environmental and professional contexts; • be informed by the issues and debates covered in the lectures and online resources of this unit, as well as additional references that are relevant to the local context. Students should structure their assignment by following these guiding sub-headings and questions: 1. Project Overview, Rationale and Aims. What environmental sustainability issue will you address in this project and why? Which two perspectives (from modules 2,3,4) will you bring to this issue and why? What are the aims of the project? How will the two perspectives help you to achieve these aims? 2. Project Context. What is the local environmental context of this project? In which institution, community, town or region is it designed to take place? What are some of the distinguishing local geographical, historical, community and/or cultural characteristics that are of direct relevance to your chosen environmental issue? Does this project design fit within a specific policy or curriculum framework? 3. Project Research. Which debates about environmental sustainability (either academic or local) have influenced your choice of issue and perspectives? What academic literature and/or local resources have informed your project design? What existing environmental sustainability projects or programs have influenced your design? What design elements have you drawn from them and how have you adapted or modified them to address your chosen environmental sustainability issue within your local context? 4. Project Implementation Plan. Who will implement this project? Who are its targeted participants/learners? What is its time-frame (duration, frequency)? What activities will they undertake? How will these activities address the chosen environmental sustainability issue? How will the activities incorporate and reflect the two different perspectives? How will the activities address the project’s aims? How will it be evaluated? Writing Style The body of this assignment will be written in formal first person academic prose, but it can also include diagrams, schedules etc. Standard in-text citations and referencing is required. Links to referencing guides are provided on the Moodle site. Marking Criteria (% of marks) 1. Design is original and based upon a constructive engagement with issues, debates and resources covered/provided in this unit (5%) 2. Project overview, rationale and aims are clearly identified, well justified and well integrated (5%) 3. Project context provides locally relevant and elucidating background information (5%) 4. Project design is well informed by research, including academic and other resources provided in this unit, and externally sourced relevant materials (5%) 5. Project implementation plan is well focused upon chosen environmental sustainability issue and customized to local and professional context (5%). 6. Project implementation plan successfully incorporates and reflects two perspectives covered in this unit (5%) 7. The design is coherent – participants/learners, time-frame, activities, evaluation are all well aligned with aims (5%) 8. Quality of writing and referencing (5%)