ENVS 2150 Environment, Technology and Sustainable Society

Group Project Written Report & Instructions

Fall 2014
Instructor: Dr. Harris Ali
Teaching Assistants: Sophia Dungan, Genevieve Fullan
Due: At the beginning of the last day of class - Wednesday December 3, 2014
One grade will be assigned for the written group submission. The written report should be 10
pages (not including references, diagrams, illustrations and title page). The report should be
double space with 12 point font and standard margins. Use the ASA (American Sociological
Association) type of referencing style. Include a title page with the topic, dates, tutor and the
names and student numbers of all group members. It is the responsibility of the group to ensure
that each group member contributes an equal share to the project, if it is determined that this is
not the case, the mark for individual group members will be penalized.
Structure of the Paper
The section lengths are only suggested, you do not have to strictly abide by these.
Abstract (Half-page)
I would suggest that the abstract be done last. The abstract consists of a one paragraph executive
summary of what was found (i.e. the most salient conclusions of your work).
Problem Statement of Research and Objectives (Half-page to Full Page)
Here you should introduce your topic and define what it is your group is actually doing; what
question(s)/issue(s) you are addressing. Also include here a mention about the scope of your
analysis that is, what are you considering as relevant factors and what are you leaving out (i.e.
how you have narrowed the topic). This section is essentially an introduction to help orient the
reader to your subsequent discussions and analyses.
Literature Review (2 to 3 pages)
Briefly summarize the existing literature (i.e. academic articles, government documents etc.)
related to the substantive topic of your investigations. This section serves as a background, to
help contextualize the research question so that your problem or research question is connected
to, or situated in, the relevant body of literature.
Methodology (Half to full page)
Briefly describe the sources of data and other types of resources you have accessed to do your
research analysis, where were they were obtained from, give a brief assessment of the reliability
of the data/sources you have used to make your arguments.

Discussions: Findings and Analysis (4 pages)

Give the details of what you have found in terms of the answering or addressing your research
problem. State how what you have found supports, contradicts or extends the existing literature
on the topic. Make sure your presentation here is logical in flow and coherent. You can use
subsections and subtitles if you think that will help. As it applies to your topic, make sure to
bring in material from the course lectures, readings, discussions and documentaries we will be
especially looking for this.
Conclusions/Recommendations (1 page)
What are the end results of your investigative inquiry/research. Tie these back into your original
research problem/question(s). Give some recommendations (if applicable). What else needs to
be considered for future development in this area of research and why?
References
List the sources you have used.
HYDROELECTRICITY
The world was introduced to hydro-electric power in 1882 when the first hydroelectric power
plant began operation on the Fox River in Appleton, Wisconsin. This method of electricity
generation uses the gravitational pull on flowing water to turn turbines that generate electricity.
Although there isnt any fuel used in the process or any pollutants released into the air the
environment surrounding the power plant is negatively affected. The dams built to control the
flow of water , causes the rivers water level to rise leading to flooding. Flooding destroys forest,
wildlife habitat, agricultural land, and scenic lands. Aquatic wildlife is also affected by the
hydro-electric power plants as the fish and other organisms are often injured by the spinning
turbine blades. If too much water is stored behind the reservoir the river downstream can dry out,
this harms the wildlife that depend on the rivers water to survive. Keeping all the negative
aspects aside, when in use electricity produced by the power station does not produce green
house gases which means they do not pollute the atmosphere. Unlike other forms of electricity
generation which do not have a way to efficiently control the production of electricity if
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electricity is not needed, the hydroelectric power plant has sluice gates that can be shut, stopping
electricity generation. The water can be saved in the reservoir for use another time when
electricity demand is high. This makes Hydro power a very efficient and an unpolluting way to
satisfy the Electricity demand in a controlled manner.
http://www.technologystudent.com/energy1/hydr2.htm
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/renewable-energy/environmentalimpacts-hydroelectric-power.html#.VHy-BzHF_YF
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave_power#Challenges
The power of the surface waves formed in the ocean can be captured and transformed into
electrical or mechanical energy. This form of energy if eco friendly as it causes minimal damage
to the environment. The only setup required to capture wave energy are small concrete structures
on the coast, each containing a mechanism that produces electricity. Natural motion of water
being the only fuel, this form of energy is renewable and has a lot of potential. Wave energy,
unlike solar or wind, is uninterrupted and almost always in motion. There ate two main
problems with wave energy
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ocean-wave-energy/