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In the 1950s the rise of suburbs was, in part, possible because of the availability of cars. If you moved to the suburbs, you still had to travel into the city to work. This resulted in more cars, greater consumption of gas, and more air pollution. Similarly, something as seemingly harmless as the desire for conformity in the suburbs, led to the extensive use of pesticides in order to create the “perfect lawn.” Many environmental problems that are still prevalent today are closely linked to the rise of suburbs: the impact of highway construction on rivers and the subsequent effects of erosion; urban sprawl; and the loss of farmland.

Students will create a storyboard for a documentary on an environmental issue that has resulted, wholly or in part, from the rise of suburbs. It could be one of the issues described in the introduction or one that students identify.

Students will conduct in-depth research on the environmental issue including its causes, the extent of the problem, those involved in the issue, actions that have been taken to date to deal with it and suggestions for further actions.

Students’ storyboard should include:

An introduction that gives an overview of the environmental issue

background information about the issue

factors, including the impact of suburbs, that have contributed to the problem

statistical data that supports their findings

actions taken by individuals, groups, and government to deal with the issue

regulations that have been passed to deal with the issue

suggestions for future actions/regulations to deal with the issue

Students will display and describe their storyboards and discuss the environmental issues. Identify actions that individuals or the class can take to address these issues. Invite a representative from an environmental group or government department to class to discuss the results of this work.