E&P Project Book Fall 2016 10-11-2016

Environment and Politics SUSTAINABILITY PROJECTS 40% Sustainability Project You will work in a team to develop a proposal for a project that advances environmental sustainability in the Troy region. You will need to select and justify a specific site for the project, but also design it to scale up if successful. The project should leverage the interdisciplinary expertise you will build in your studies at Rensselaer. It should be technically, socially, and environmentally sound, and your proposal should demonstrate this through supporting references, analyses, comparisons, etc. The written proposal will follow the structure provided below; it should be carefully researched and conceived, and persuasively written. One proposal will be submitted by each project group. Each group will also present their project orally and as a poster. Final written proposals will be due shortly after Thanksgiving break. Project presentations will be scheduled during the last few weeks of class. Posters will be presented during the reading period before final exams. During the course of the semester, you will complete memos that incrementally advance your project design; some of these will be written individually, and some as a group. See the schedule for due dates. Beginning November 1, each group will submit a project notebook that contains work to-date by all group members. Your grade on the sustainability project will be determined by the quality of your work process (demonstrated by completion of project memos), draft and final proposal, oral presentation, and poster -- modified for individual students based on team member evaluations. The project can be broken down into the following components. Assignment structures will be provided for each project component and memo. major components project ideas (i) pitch-a-project (g) draft of written proposal (g) final written proposal (g) oral presentation (g) poster presentation (g)

supporting memos -2% if not submitted by due date

5% 5% 5% 15% 5% 5%

due October 11 due November 1 due November 15 due December 4 Nov 28/Dec 1/Dec 5 December 12

memo, field scoping photos memo, field scoping photosmemo, imagining change memo, imagining solutions memo, stakeholder analysis memo, article annotation memo, article annotation memo, technical justification memo, organizing expertise memo, site selection photos memo, site selection photos memo, policy contexts memo, funding sustainability memo, article annotations memo, article annotations memo, Zotero bibliography team and self evaluation peer review of project 1 peer review of project 2 peer review of project 2

Sept 6 Oct 11 Oct 30 Oct 30 Oct 30 Oct 30 Oct 30 Nov 8 Nov 8 Nov 8 Nov 13 Nov 13 Nov 13 Nov 13 Nov 13 Nov 15 Dec 6 Dec 6 Dec 6 Dec 6

Formal Guidelines

If you have questions about project assignments, consult this handbook and the wiki first, then contact your section instructors for further clarification, if needed. There may can be changes to the information provided in this handbook. Follow emails from course instructors , and check with the course wiki. In doubt, the information on the course wiki are up to date! Submission: ● All components and memos need to be submitted on time or there will be grade deductions. ● All memos and components need to be printed and kept in a project binder (see below). It is your responsibility to keep the binders up to date and bring them with you to classes (you can also use the binders to keep notes on your project work in one place). ● Submissions also need to be archived in Google drive. ○ Each group will have its own folder on Google drive ○ Use the respective folders for group and individual submissions Form and Format of the submissions: ● header: ○ Memo Number ○ Group Name and Student Name(s) ○ Section Number ● page numbers in the footer ● Ariel font, 11pt. font, 1.5-line spacing

Project Binder Each group must keep an up-to-date project binder, and bring this to every class. If you don’t have your binders, the assignment for the week will assumed to be incomplete, resulting in a grade deduction. ● ● ●

Keep all your memos (group and individual) in the binder (knowing that your final portfolio will include all memos as appendices). Always have the binder with you in class. You can also use the binder to keep project notes.

2

SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT PORTFOLIOS Due December 4, 2016

REQUIRED COMPONENTS AND ORDERING Cover page with the project title, and names of project designers with hometown, major, and year of expected degree completion (e.g.: Elizabeth Russ / Atlanta, Georgia / Mechanical Engineering / 2020) Table of Contents Project Proposal References Appendices I. Project ideas – include for all team members (due Oct 11). II. Project memo, “Imagining Change” (group) (due Oct 30) III. Project memo, “Imagining Solutions” (group) (due Oct 30) IV. Project memo, “Stakeholder Analysis” (group) (due Oct 30) V. Pitch-a-project (due Nov 1) VI. Project memo, “Organizing Expertise” (group) (due Nov 8) VII. Project memo, “Technical Justification” (group) (due Nov 8) VIII. Project memo, “Funding Sustainability” (due Nov 13) IX. Project memo, “Policy Contexts” (due Nov 13) X. Annotated Bibliography (each student has two article annotations due Thurs, Oct 30, and another two due Mon, Nov 13)

SUSTAINABILITY PRENSENTATIONS November 28, December 1 & 5

Each group should plan a 12-minute presentation with slides, with all team members having speaking roles. Questions will follow the presentations.

SUSTAINABILITY POSTERS

December 12, 2016, DCC Great Hall (drafts vetted Dec 8) A poster template is available here: https://rpi-sts.wikispaces.com/Presentation. How to print posters in the VCC: HYPERLINK "https://tw.rpi.edu/web/inside/how-to-print-posters-at-vcc" \t "_blank" https://tw.rpi.edu/web/inside/how-to-print-posters-at-vcc Examples of student poster presentations at NASA http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/earthmatters/2016/08/29/6-ways-earth-observations-tackle-real-world-problems/?src=eoa-blogs

3

Designing a Sustainability Project Your assignment is to develop a proposal for a project that advances environmental sustainability in the Troy region. The project site cannot be located on the RPI campus. You will need to select a specific site in the region for the project, and justify your selection. The project should be designed to scale if successful. The proposed project should leverage interdisciplinary expertise, and should be technically, socially, and environmentally sound; your proposal should demonstrate this through supporting references, analyses, comparisons, etc. The proposal should have the following components. Title The title of your proposal should be both descriptive and engaging (indicating what you will propose, and why). Opening You should start the proposal with a story or “thick description” illustrating the need for the project you propose. The story, image or data you use to jump-start your proposal should encourage intellectual and ethical engagement with the problem, and your proposed solution. Conclude the opening section by explaining what you think the story or description conveys that is an important backdrop to your proposal. Keep in mind here, and in the concluding section, how stories and empirical examples can convey meaning that powerfully supplements abstract ideas. Aims Here you should provide a general description of the proposed project and what it is intended to accomplish. You should briefly describe the type of project it is (an energy conservation project, for example), its mechanism (a particular technology, policy or program), the change that will be brought about (reduction in energy use at the household level, for example) and the target audience (homeowners in central Troy, for example). Remember that do-able projects have very specific goals. Rationale In this section, you should explain why this particular project should be prioritized over other possible projects. This can include topical importance, potential for success, availability of resources for change, etc. This section should describe similar projects, how the proposed project differs, and why further work in this area is needed. It should also explain its potential to scale (serving as a model for similar projects elsewhere). Technical Justification Here, you will elaborate on and justify the mechanism at the center of your project. Logistics This section describe the specifics of what you intend to do. It should address the following questions: • What kind of organization will be formed to carry out the project? What kinds of expertise will be needed, and what tasks will need to be carried out? • What are they key phases of the project through which aims will be accomplished? What is the proposed schedule for developing the project? Will the project end at a particular point in time, or is there a plan supporting endurance over time? • Where will you implement the project, and what factors in this location are likely to affect how the project • develops? • Who are the key participants and stakeholders in the project? Do you plan to involve them in project development? • What other social alliances will facilitate the development, implementation and sustainability of the project? • How might you be able to secure funding for this project? • What broad social, political, economic and cultural trends will likely affect the project? • What will create the most significant barriers to effective development of this project? • How will the project be evaluated -- as it moves through key phases, and when complete? • How might this project, if successful, be developed in other settings? Closing You should end the proposal with a “thick description” or story illustrating what could come to be if your proposal was effectively carried out. As in the opening, this should be the kind of story, figure, or image that “sticks with people,” providing provocative “food for thought” in support of your project.

4

Component 1: Project ideas (due Oct 11)

An important part of your work this semester will be in developing a proposal for a project specific to the Troy area/Capital District that addresses concerns about climate change and environmental sustainability. The project should be carefully designed to be relevant and feasible in the concrete local context, while also designed to scale if successful. The proposed project should leverage interdisciplinary expertise, and should be technically, socially, and environmentally sound; your proposal should demonstrate this through supporting references, analyses, comparisons, etc. Sustainability projects help protect and regenerate the environment and community, improving health, well-being and political participation. Sustainability projects can improve transportation, environmental education, the energy efficiency of buildings, the way people obtain food or deal with their garbage, and so on. Keep in mind New York State’s ambitious pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2010 and 80% by 2050. Many well designed sustainability projects will be needed to accomplish this. Try to bring something to your project from your life experience or field of study. In this preliminary memo (before you begin work in your project group), you will lay out three possible projects. Together your section will then have many options to choose from; you'll need to make informed, creative decisions about how to focus your group work. For this memo, address all six questions below for each project idea. The "core mechanism" is the technology (a particular technology or policy, for example, which will drive the change you are after). The last question in each set below should include links to websites or news coverage of projects that are similar in some way to your project idea. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Problem domain? Goal of project? Core mechanism? Key phases of project? Potential barriers to success of project? Similar projects already underway:

Project memo, “Imagining Change” (group) (due Oct 30) This memo helps you think broadly about potential solutions to a sustainability problem. The Problem: What changes would help to solve this problem? Changes in policy (local, national, or international): Changes in the legal system: Changes in media coverage: Changes in the way political decisions are made: Changes in the ways organizations function: Changes in the educational system: Changes in the way people behave: Changes in the way people think: Changes in the way technology is designed and used: Changes in the way money is spent:

5

Project memo, “Imagining Solutions” (group) (due Oct 30)

This memo will help you characterize a problem domain, identify an array of possible solutions, then focus on a delimited set of solutions that your group is best situated to work on. Due Oct 30. The Problem: Imagining Solutions: 1. Why are you concerned about this problem? 2. What solutions have been proposed so far, and what debates have these solutions provoked? 3. What promise do you see in the solutions proposed so far? 4. What limits do you see in these solutions? 5. What kind of solutions are you prepared to undertake? 6. What will be the biggest challenge in realizing the solution you have in mind? 7. What kinds of people will you need to help you?

Project memo, “Stakeholder Analysis” (group) (due Oct 30)

Stakeholders are people, groups, and organizations that have an interest in the goals and implementation of a project. These include people that need to carry out or host a project, neighbors (including churches, businesses and schools), funders and government officials. In this memo, list stakeholders in the project you are designing, and factors that would catalyze or constrain their support for and influence on the project. Think beyond what resources stakeholders might provide, listing what will provoke support, resistance, or disinterest, for example. Real-world projects must face all these factors. CATALYSTS ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________

STAKEHOLDERS ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________

CONSTRAINTS __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________

Pitch-a-project (group) (due Nov 1)

This is the very first draft of a full project proposal, including all the basic building blocks. Use the following questions to draft the major elements of a proposal in narrative form, written to address potential project supporters (funders, for example). Prepare a one page written pitch, and a three minute oral pitch. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Title? What do you propose to do, and where do you propose to do it? Why should others consider this project a priority? Provide a brief example or story that illustrates the need for this project. Who are the stakeholders for this project, and what perspectives are they likely to have on it? What kinds of resources will you need to carry the project out, and where can you get them? What barriers might arise that limit this project, and how do you plan to address them? Describe a scenario that illustrates the positive outcomes that will result from this project:

6

Project memo, “Organizing Expertise” (group) (due Nov 8)

This memo asks you to identify the types of expertise and staff you will need on your project team. Once you have a sense of the expertise needed, create job descriptions for two of the most important staff roles you need to fill. Due Nov 8. The Project Provide a brief (2-4 sentence) description of the project you are proposing. Project Requirements What skills and types of experience are required for this project? What staff roles will you need to fill to acquire those skills and experiences? (Be specific.) Job Descriptions Staff Role 1: Job Description: Staff Role 2: Job Description:

Project memo, “Technical Justification” (group) (due Nov 8)

In this memo, you will describe, evaluate and justify the core mechanism at the center of your project. This could be a particular technology, policy, or curriculum – whatever is the main driver of change in your project. A passive, batch solar water heater (as described at energy.gov, for example) could be at the center of your project, for example, or a policy that would restrict driving on particular streets of a city on particular days. Note that while technical justifications should always have some components, they also need to be customized for particular projects. Work with your group, section leader and other mentors to figure out what all you need to include in this memo. Due Nov 8. Your justification should likely include: ●

Site characterization, including description of current water or energy use, solar resources, policy enablers or constraints, cultural patterns, etc. (Note that you will further detail the policy context of your project in a later memo).

●

Description of project’s core mechanism.

●

Life cycle assessment of core mechanism (perhaps using an online tool like Carnegie Mellon’s Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment Tool. This should describe the resources it will take to develop and implement the core mechanism, and the resources that will be save or produced. Keep in mind that there are many kinds of resources (that fuel other things): energy, education, social capital, and so on.

●

Estimates of costs and benefits to various project stakeholders.

●

Plan for and challenges of scaling the project. See this guide to “The Science of Scaling.”

7

Project memo, “Site Selection Photos” (group) (due Nov 8 & Nov 13) For these memos, you will need to tour the Troy region. For the FIRST SITE SELECTION PHOTO MEMO you should be photographing at least five different places that are possible sites for your group’s sustainability project. Look also at the questions for the second site selection memo (below) for evaluating the sites you are visiting. Modalities: ● Each photograph should be of a different place -- at least four blocks apart (or the equivalent) -- and should include both a view of the site and your group. ● The photos can not be of the of the same sites that you visited for the first memo! ● You will have to upload the photos to crowdmap and tag them ● Sites MUST NOT be on the RPI campus For the SECOND SITE SELECTION PHOTO MEMO you should have selected the specific site for your project. Take five photos addressing specific characteristics of your site. Each of your photos should address at least one of the questions below. Each photo should add on to/extend what the other photos address. Discuss in the description of your photos the respective questions. You can add further questions, here is a selection: ● What are the environmental problems/challenges/opportunities… that are visible at the site you chose and that you want to address in and through your project? ● What are site-specific conditions that could catalyze the success of your project? ● What are site-specific conditions that could corrode the success of your project? ● What are the contexts of your site (surrounding neighborhood, infrastructural access, …)? Crowdmap Photographs will be again uploaded to a Crowdmap. In the text of the upload, indicate where you are. Use the TAG-function to indicate what sustainability problem or potential you observe (along the lines of the tags we discussed in the lecture on Monday).

Project memo, “Funding Sustainability” (group) (due Nov 13) See the guide to funding sustainability projects on the wiki. Describe at least three possible sources of funding for your project, addressing these questions: -- Source of possible funds: -- Description of source: -- Advantages of this source of funds: -- Problems with this source of funds:

8

Project memo, “Policy Contexts” (group) (due Nov 13) 1.

In the memo, describe the policy landscape that will impact your particular project. Consider how policies (or lack thereof) across different scales will shape your project and impact its feasibility. See, for example, this Database of (US) State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency

2. 3. 4.

What areas of law or regulation most pertain to your project? [ex: environmental protection, public health, building codes] Which local, state and federal laws will have the greatest impact on your project? Why/how? a) What legislation would increase/decrease the feasibility of your project? What legislation has been helpful to similar projects in other localities, states or nations? b) Is such legislation supported by stakeholders in the locality or state your project is sited in? Who? What efforts have they made towards getting the policy enacted? c) Who opposes or might oppose this legislation? Why? a) What duties/responsibilities would this legislation outline? Under what office’s power? Would these powers be discretionary? [may vs. will] b) What accountability mechanisms could/should be built into such legislation? Are resources linked to these duties/responsibilities? If so, what source are they designated to come from? Consider if the types/amounts of resources necessary are typically available from such sources.

5.

6.

9

Annotated Bibliography (individual) (2 due Oct 30, 2 due Nov 13) Each student needs to complete four annotations of news or academic articles that can inform their project development (two due Oct 30, and another two due Nov 13). Each student on a project team should annotate a different set of articles so that, together, the team has a substantial cache of annotations to work with. Choose articles that are sufficiently in depth to write an annotation approximately 500 words long. If it seems best to annotate a set of short articles, you can combine these to write one annotation. The text of your final project proposal should make it clear how you leveraged the arguments and information in the articles you annotated. As a group, make sure to use the same citation style so you can seamlessly bring together your list of references in the final proposal. Each of you needs to have different articles! Use Zotero to make sure that there occurs no overlap! Each annotation should include the following: 1. Full citation (s) 2. Articulation of the key and sub-arguments made in the article. 3. Two quotes illustrative of arguments in the article. 4. List of three pieces of evidence used to support the main and sub-arguments. 5. Articulation of how the article can inform your project. 6. List of information from the article that can be used to justify and support your project. Organize your bibliography + annotations in Zotero! You will need to compile all your references in Zotero for the next memo! In Zotero: - Record the bibliographic information of your sources; - Note that Zotero has “grab-citations” functions for most library databases! - Store all your annotations in a Zotero collection! - Include all your annotations (“notes” tab) within Zotero - Tag all your references adequately - (you can already use the group function at this point to get better organized)

Project memo, “Zotero Bibliography” (due Nov 15)

Use the group feature in Zotero to combine your bibliographic resources your resources, then create a shared bibliography. Once you create a project group in Zotero, add your instructors to that group There are many good Zotero tutorials available online. Take the time to learn Zotero well, and it can be a continuing support for your research (in other classes and beyond).

Project Memos: Evaluations and Reviews (Dec 6)

In your final memos, you will review your own team’s performance, and evaluate the work of other teams. Templates for these evaluations are on the wiki. you provide peer reviews for 3 different projects.

10