CyberFair Project ID: 5158

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International Schools CyberFair Project Narrative
Title: Energy Saving in the Zoo
Category: 7. Environmental Awareness
URL: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2008/gsh5158/index.htm
Bibliography: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2008/gsh5158/index2.htm

School: Chin Shin Elementary School
    Taipei, Taiwan, Taiwan

10 students, ages 11~12 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 3, 2008. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2007

Classes and Teachers: Hsu Chin Cheng

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www2.chjhs.tp.edu.tw/

Project Overview

1. Description of Our Community

The Taipei Zoo is a national famous place. Since the field trip from kindergarten to the family trip, it is like a backyard for everyone in Taipei. Even the tourists from northern part of Taiwan or foreign countries, The Zoo is an important sight for sight seeing. And over three thousand wild animals in the zoo attract more than three million tourists every year. Being part of this homeland, we are very full of ourselves. For the Zoo, it is not an easy job to fulfill the needs not only for the protection and education of wild animal, but also for the recreation of the tourists. But for the past two years, except advocate the adoption of animals to increase the value and function of the zoo, the zoo also foresee the problem of environmental protection besides animal protection. This is can not be done only by the government, also has to be carried out by community and local organization. Thus, in the Zoo, we can find out rain water mini reservoir, energy saving house, and the poop story, etc. There are so many concrete solutions and results for reduce energy and environmental protection in our community. Maybe there are a lot of organizations and enterprises put into action of environmental protection and energy saving around the world. However, there is a big difference between the zoo and the industrial actions. Not only saving energy, they have to face the tens of thousands ‘life’ in the Zoo. That is why in the environmental protection system of the zoo, there exist the relationship between life mingle and adjustment, which is the object of our project. The most important is that as a part of this community, we will tell the whole world that being a part of the village of the earth, ‘our homeland’ does not miss to participate the issue of environmental protection. website:

2. Summary of Our Project

The objective of our project is to reveal the Zoo not easily seen by the public and at the same time to appreciate their effort on environmental protection and energy saving. Field surveys and interviews, along with the reports obtained from the Taipei Zoo, are the major materials for us to build the contents for this web site. The main content of this project are: Fall here, rain!; The different water cycle; The energy-saving house; From poop to gold~organic fertilizer; Volunteer; .Being green~environmental education=Education of 3 Rs; Attainments, and Our wishes for the earth

3. Our Computer and Internet Access

A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:more than 50%

B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:1

C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dial-up modem

D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:2-3

E. Additional comments concerning your computer and/or Internet access (Optional):

The school fully equipped computer, except two computer study room and on multimedia room, every classroom has its own workstations with Internet access. website:

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

It is difficult to say we have any problem during our research. Visit the zoo is always a happy thing to do. But this time our visiting is not for the animals, but is for the environmental protection system. But we were much surprised the system is not a huge inhuman machine, instead it is a green miracle. And because of this miracle, it is hard for us to find. Because the zoo is in our community, so it is not difficult to arrange the schedule to visit the zoo. The interview can be arranged at the same time with different topics. The zoo also arranged every interviewee for every subject. Since we had well prepared, so even divided into separate group while doing the interview, we still could get the full picture during the afterward discussion.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

Taipei zoo is a better place for these animals, since its management office has been very concerned with the preservation of natural habitats of these animals. In addition, Taipei zoo tries very hard to preserve nature resources and energy, i.e. , to build their own solar energy system, to best use processed water, to use reservoirs to collect rainwater, to plant grass on the roof, etc. A place that carries out environment protection effectively is a better playground for animals. Rhino will be happier if there is more mud; ???? will be more energetic if there is enough water for them to play; and Taipei Zoo will be a cool place for everyone. A sound system of environmental protection could lead us to a stage in which humans and animals can get a lot of fun. We appreciate greatly the warm welcome and the cooperation of the fellow workers in Taipei Zoo. Their effort on environmental protection and energy saving is tremendously important. We hope that those who have browse our web site can make similar effort of environmental protection. A greening earth can be a real if we work together.

6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?

Literature: During the process of collecting and organizing materials, to keep every word and phrase is very important. Writing something that everyone can understand and expressing exactly what we thought is a good lesson for every member in this project.

Mathematic: In this project, there is the limitation of capacity of the webpage. However, there are tons of materials we want to put into. How to create the best webpage within limited capacity we have to be very calculating. Compare to the mathematic course, we have to calculating, increasing, and decreasing page by page. It was like solving a difficult mathematics problem!

Social Science: Field trip, interviewing and reporting is the best coursework of social science. Natural Science and Science Technology: In this project there are environmental protection and energy saving, which including: turn heat to electricity, water recycling, how to turn the poop to fertilizer, and environmental pond, etc. Everything combined nature and science technology, we were amazed there are knowledge in every part of our daily life. Health and Physic:During the interview of energy saving house, everyone tried on the manual bicycle to produce electricity. We realized the importance of physical education. If we do not have stronger body, we can hardly step the paddle to produce electricity, do not mention to let the little bulb turning on for long.

Art and humanity: If you say there is no artistic atmosphere in the zoo, you probably should visit the restroom in there. Because every unit decorated with ‘poop story’. Gross? Then you are totally wrong. Those ‘character’ are so cute and so artistic! Besides, there are greenery landscapes for the purpose to conceal the equipment for environmental protection. There is art every where!

Other: The power of teamwork is the most significant lesson from this project. We appreciate our teacher’s leadership which tied us together.

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Project Elements

1) What information tools & technologies did you used to complete your CyberFair project?

please forward to our website with more details. http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2008/gsh5158/index.htm

2) In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your CyberFair project both on-line and in person.

The Taipei Zoo is a paradise for everyone, because there is more than three thousands of animals as an attraction for the tourist. Henceforth, the environmental protection in the zoo is less notified by people, especially when they concealed with beautiful outfit. So our team took their parents and siblings to visit the zoo, and using this project to introduce the environmental protection in the zoo to everyone. Introduce a totally different zoo to everyone. During the winter recess, one of the team members took his auntie and cousin who came from the States to the zoo. Of course he won’t miss the opportunity to be the guidance to introduce the unique project of environmental protection in the zoo. Others, like relatives from the southern part of Taiwan, from family to colleagues, this project became a motive power to string everyone in the community together. We hope this project and website will let more people understand the Taipei Zoo and feel interested about it, further more, visit here in person. We want to share it with everyone, not only because it is in our homeland, it is also a place where fulfill the environmental protection. We want other people to know it and love it.

3) What has been the impact of your project on your community?

This is the second time to participate international cyber fair competition. We are more nervous than the first time. While we were in fifth grade, it is our first time to do the web design, for us from without any idea about what is webpage design to the product came true in front of our very eyes, there is only one sentence can describe – when there is a will, there is a way. With previous experience, it should be easier for us to do this project. But with one more year older, our standard raised higher to ourselves, we wanted to produce a more outstanding web site. But the topic is not so familiar for all of us. We shared a lot of experience about environmental protection, and realized that there are too many things can not be judged from its surface. Just as the zoo, everyone only treat it as a paradise to the animals, if not through the interview, no one knows the other side of the zoo--the environmental protection. The power of teamwork is the most significant lesson from this project. We appreciate our teacher’s leadership which tied us together. Some student who is usually not too good to express themselves, during this project, they tried to reach out with strangers, learned how to interact with other people, how to team work and how to cooperate with each others. For every member in this team, as website progressed, they also made a lot of progress. This project let us looking at our homeland Jingmei with different view from before.

4) How did your project involve other members of your community as helpers and volunteers?

Environmental protection is an international issue focus by the whole world at this moment. Although Taiwan could not participate too many international organizations due to some limitation, we still try our best to fulfill the obligation to protect environment, even actively forwarding to ‘Energy Saving in the Zoo’, this is the model of environmental protection organization in Taiwan. Through our interview and web site introduce the concrete achievement of environmental protection in the zoo. And CyberFair is a place to let us introduce Taiwan’s local organization how to protect our environment.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

Through the making of ‘Energy Saving in the Zoo’ , we discovered the zoo is not what you see is what you get. There is also full of knowledge about environmental protection and energy saving.

In the wetland plant area, there is a lot of plant life, luring migrating birds and wild butterflies to live in the zoo, and lots of other wild plants too! The worker in the garden said that this scenery is out of intention. It is all because of the reforest of water system.

The zoo imported penguin and koala bear, etc. several animals since last ten years which lured large quantity of tourist. However, the bill of water and electricity did not increase, instead it decreased. This achievement moved us. Being part of the villager in the earth, we waste our water by let it running fast; showering more water as we can; fall asleep without turning off TV; even let the light on all night. How many energy wasted under our hands? But from now on, the zoo will be a model for us, we will be the guardian of environment.

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View our CyberFair Project (Project ID: 5158)

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