Recycling and energy conservation are important concepts for middle school students to understand.
Important environmental issues such as energy conservation and recycling can be a focus of exploration and experimentation in middle school science fair projects. When performing an experiment about recycling and conserving energy, keep a log book of your experiment. Note your research question, hypothesis, materials, steps, observation records, data charts and conclusion. Write a formal report about your project. Design a project presentation board with a title, diagrams and photographs of your experiment.
Thermal Insulation
Test the insulation effectiveness of various thermal materials.
To better understand the concept of insulation -- and the fact that good insulation can retain and conserve heat -- design your science fair project to compare various materials and their insulation abilities and efficiencies. Boil five pots of water, place the pots into individual boxes, and pack each box with different thermal insulation materials. The materials, called experimental variables, can include fiberglass, newspaper, Styrofoam, and cotton batting. Leave one pot in an empty box as the control group. At various time intervals, read the temperature of each pot of water and record your findings. Compare the results and state a conclusion about insulation and which material works best. Relate your findings to the larger picture of energy conservation. Consider insulation in modern buildings and hypothesize how heat retention affects energy consumption.
Purifying Water with Solar Energy
Explore the process of the sun's energy on evaporation and condensation.
Finding natural energy sources to remove pollutants and impurities from water can save energy and resources. In your science fair project, research solar energy and how it can distill dirty water. Create a rain environment to observe evaporation and condensation at work. Mix 2 cups of a powdered and colored juice drink, and pour into a bowl. Place a plastic cup into the center of the bowl (the cup should be shorter than the sides of the bowl). Cover the bowl with clear plastic wrap and secure it with elastic or tape. Place a marble or small rock on the top of the plastic, centered over the cup. Place the bowl in a sunny location. Record what happens to the juice drink each day. The heat should cause the water in the juice to evaporate, rise and condense on the plastic wrap, leaving behind the impurities (sugar crystals) on the wrap. The funnel created by the marble on the wrap will allow the distilled water to drip into the cup. When most of the juice drink has evaporated, remove the cup. Sip the liquid and record whether it tastes like plain water. Use your findings to consider wider applications for distilling and recycling water with natural energy.
Composting
Composting recycles yard debris and food scraps for a second use.
Explore how we can reuse waste for something of value in the garden. Recycling grass clippings, yard debris, garbage and collected rain water creates nutrient-enriched compost. Test what would happen if one of the ingredients was missing. Assemble three small collection bins out of wood framing and chicken wire. Use a barrel to collect rain water. Fill one bin with grass clippings, leaves and food scraps other than meats, dairy and oils (these will not break down easily, they will rot, and could create an odor or attract rats). Moisten the mix with sun-warmed rain water. Stir and cover with a dark tarp. Fill the second bin with all the same ingredients, but leave out the water. Again, add water to the first bin and stir regularly. Let the second bin sit. At eight weeks, observe what has happened within each bin. In one of the bins, you should see a dark substance, similar to dirt, of compost. Draw your conclusions as to what caused the mixture in one bin to break down faster, and as to how compost can be used to support energy consumption.
The Importance of Household Recycling
Each of us throws away about 1,200 pounds of waste a year. Design a project concerning the amount of waste your family disposes of each week. This project can be done in two weeks, or if you have the time, try it over the course of a month. Research what waste can be recycled, either through composting or municipal recycling programs. In the first week, bag and weigh all the trash your family has consumed before you put it out for collection. Account for anything you put in the garbage disposal. Record the weight of trash. The next week, sort your trash in recyclables. Put aside food scraps and garbage that could be used for compost. Next, weigh the trash that is left and not recyclable. How much trash do you have now? What is the difference in the weeks? Determine how much on average your family could recycle in one year. Apply your findings to your class, and calculate how much solid waste would be reduced if each member of your class recycled and composted.
Tags: your findings, energy conservation, food scraps, juice drink, rain water, science fair