Let's create continuous conversations about climate change education: Spreading the Sediment of Science!
Green Jobs in the Field: Jennifer McDonnell
Provided by: New York DEP |Published on: February 7, 2024
Articles/Websites Grades 6-8, 9-12
Synopsis
- In this article, Jennifer McDonnell shares about her job as a Resource Recovery Program Manager for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.
- She discusses her goals for the future of the resource recovery program, what she loves about working in New York City, what initially inspired her to work in climate change, and advice she has for young people entering the field.
- Students will learn how wastewater and food waste may create energy, bricks, or other materials, how the system recovers resources from wastewater and food waste, and the importance of persistence and asking questions.
Subjects: Science, Career Skills
Authors: New York DEP
Region: North America, USA - Northeast, United States, New York, New York City
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- In this resource, Jennifer McDonnell highlights the importance of diversity in people, places, ideas, and climate change solutions.
- The resource gives students insight into the type of thinking and approaches needed to reduce waste in our cities.
Additional Prerequisites
- The article assumes readers know about wastewater and food waste processing systems. Teachers may need to provide some background on this before reading.
- It may benefit students to understand current sources of energy and how they impact the climate.
- The article defines many unknown terms in context, but ELL students will benefit from hearing these words defined before reading.
Differentiation
- Biology classes can identify the resource recovery's role in the cycling of matter and the energy flow in our ecosystem.
- Earth science classes can discuss resource recovery as a piece of the solution to climate change.
- In classrooms outside of New York City, students can research resource recovery efforts in their city and identify areas for growth in these programs.
- Students can discuss other solutions and uses for food waste, such as composting, and create an implementation plan to solve their school's food waste problem.
Scientist Notes
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.
