University of South Florida Discarded Plastics and Microplastic Discussion
1. Problem Statement and SolutionAt the top of your submission, include a revised problem statement (~1-2 paragraphs) followed by your revised solution (~1 paragraph).
The revised problem statement and solution must be clearly and directly
connected, with the proposed solution clearly and directly alleviating
the stated problem in some way.Remember: The solution may not be your
originally proposed solution -- your group agreed on a proposed
solution as part of your last meeting, and all assignments are now
focused on THAT agreed upon solution.2. Identifying StakeholdersProvide citations throughout.
Identify 2 specific potential stakeholders associated with your project
Stakeholders must be specific.
"Farmers" is not specific enough"Dairy farms" is acceptably narrow but "independently owned dairy farms," or "M&B Products" is even better
Although "Tampa Bay Area citizens" sounds
extremely broad, they are a specific subsection of Florida citizenry
who may be similarly impacted by your project
However, the broader the stakeholder group, the more difficult the analysis.Instead, you might focus on "Tampa
Bay Area children," which will allow you to focus your analysis in a
specific way. Alternately or additionally, you might focus based on
socioeconomic status; the health and life expectancy of those in low
socioeconomic brackets is disproportionately diminished by pollution
compared to those living in wealthier brackets.
Research each stakeholder. Some general resources have been provided for you that may be helpful.For each stakeholder, identify the following (use full sentences):A. Stakeholder background and cultural considerations (~2 paragraphs)
Provide an overview of your stakeholder's background (the resources
linked in 2 above may be helpful here). Offer clear, specific
information that provides a holistic sketch of your stakeholder. For
example:
Example:
Founded in 1930 by George Jenkins, Publix is currently owned by X and has a net worth of y, with ___ of their ___ stores located in Florida. Publix is the x-ranked/sized food retailer in Tampa, with x-number of stores in the city serving approximately y-number of people. Publix’s values and philanthropy includes x, y, and z. Publix was recognized by the state of Florida for their outstanding
commitment to ___ in 2008, and were nationally recognized in ____,
_____, and _____ by the non-profit organization Feeding America for
their local and statewide contributions and continued dedication to
ending hunger in their communities.Concerning
culture, Publix's corporate culture can be summed up by this sentence
from the "About" page on their website: "Taking care of our customers,
communities and each other is still what Publix is all about." Publix's
community outreach, focus on sustainability, and belief in people and
their potential strongly shapes Publix's business practices and decision
making. Publix believes that their employees make the business, and
that the communities shape the people, so Publix not only trains,
supports, and promotes from within, they also invest time and money into
employees and their communities. As a result, Publix tackles global
issues at a local level through civic engagement and sustainable
practices.
Remember that "culture" includes multiculturalism and co-cultures, and that you cannot
simply assume that a person, group, company, region, etc. will think,
act, or value the things that you believe are most important to the
dominant culture. The perspectives of your stakeholders may be very
different from your own.
B. Stakeholder interest
Problem: Why does this stakeholder care about the problem as
articulated in your problem statement? How are they impacted by the
problem as articulated in your problem statement? (~2-4 sentences/~50-100 words)
Solution: Will the stakeholder find your solution clear,
familiar, and easy to understand? Why? If the solution is outside of
this stakeholder's likely realm of understanding, what will you do to
make your solution more concrete and easy to understand? (~2-4 sentences/~50-100 words)
Cultural Considerations:
What cultural considerations discussed in A above might shape this
stakeholder's interest, or affect the way they understand the problem or
perceive the proposed solution?
C. Probable stakeholder attitude toward the project (positive, negative, neutral, adversarial, competitive, etc.) and why (~2-5 sentences/~50-125 words)D. Include one cost that you think may be particularly important to the stakeholder, and why (~1-3 sentences/~25-75 words)E. Include one benefit that you think may be particularly important to the stakeholder, and why (~1-3 sentences/~25-75 words)F. Based on your own values and goals, what common-ground do you and the stakeholder share? Explain. (~3-6 sentences/~75-150 word)
consider shared goals, values, desired outcomes, etc. you can find common ground with any
stakeholder, even if you believe they will have a negative or
competitive attitude toward your project
G. How might this common
ground help you positively connect with the stakeholder? How can this
common ground help you develop shared meaning with the stakeholder? (3-6 sentences/~75-150 words)the problem: The US has developed a significant reliance on plastic, which has resultedin a considerable threat to the environment. Like most environmental hazards, plastics have ushered in a more profound environmental risk of Microplastics ensuing to a detrimental causal effect. Notably, while Plastic debris takes all manner ofshapes and sizes, plastic measuringless than five millimeters is referred to as“microplastics.”The heightened use of plastics has seen microplasticsaccumulating unnoticed over the years, and with time, theyhaveresulted in unfathomable environmental degeneration. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of Microplastics' ecological impact, the global approaches to curb, and proses a feasible solution to the Microplasticsmenace.The problem:Plasticsare undoubtedly the reigning kings when it comes to inanimate objects posing a threat to humanity's fate. In this case, despite Plastics' significant contribution to environmental pollution, theircounterparts, the microplastics, like many other small inanimate objects, are likely to be ignored considering their small sizes. Their guise in size has amplified in the fold the level of threat to the environment. In the last decade, various studieshave investigated the extent andmagnitude of the threat posed by these little inanimate objects. According to Geyer, Jenna, and Kara, at least 500 million Microplasticsare used daily in the US. In another study, the researchers concluded that at least 8.3 billion plastic is disposed of in the beaches, many of which find their way into the sea (Parker para 1). Besides contributing to landfills, Microplasticsare non-biodegradablewith their lasting impact on the environment projected to extend to millions of years.Sadly, the usage of plasticmaterials and accrued accumulation of microplasticshas continued unabated mainly due to lax regulations in many jurisdictions relating to their use.It is thus paramount for measures to be taken to curtail the potential dangers posed byMicroplasticsposeas long as the use of plasticscontinues to persist.the solution: A tidal barrage has a turbine at the reservoir bottom. The barrier between the tidal basin and the sea is used to produce power. Barrage location, water level, and turbine locations are some of the essential factors to take into consideration. The filtered tidal barrages filter the microplastics from water when the water is flown back to the ocean.