Environmental Degradation, Project Management - Assignment Example

Reflective Report on Environmental Degradation Name Institution Date Introduction After being involved with the environmental club for a long time in our institution for a long time, I decided to write an article on environmental degradation to be included in the school magazine. My aim of writing the article was to sensitize the masses on the various environmental issues and the importance of conserving the environment. The idea of writing about the environment evolved from the numerous conferences I had attended while working as a leader of the environmental club in our school. These conferences gave me an insight on the importance of conserving the environment. The numerous trips we made as a club to various polluted sites made me realize how urgent it for people to get the information on environmental issues. Figure 1: Surbubub Sprawl on Environmental Degradation Source: Tilman et al., 2011 Although I needed to write an article on the topic, I had no idea how to frame it. I had never written an article before and I was not sure on what to do. I decided to search on the internet on the techniques of writing an article. Many sites popped up and this gave me an idea on what to do it. after getting a rough idea on how to go about writing the article, I started talking to friends about the issue opened discussions with friends especially from the school of journalism. I realized that if the project of compiling the article was to be a success, then I needed their help. This way, I ensured that my friends are also involved in the project. We started searching for various sources of information and literature on this issue. However, we realized that there were very few sources that conclusively addressed the topic on how to design an article. The biggest motivation of writing the article was the sorry state of the environment. Due to extensive environmental destruction, human beings must come to a realization that we cannot continue using the resources the same way we used to do in the past. This is because the resources are waning at a very fast rate. In addition, some of the human practices are proving to be detrimental to the environment. Environmental destruction is a moral issue. This is because human beings are the main agents of environmental pollution. The aftermaths of environmental degradation are evident in our society today: eroded soil and bare grounds, chemicals in our foods and water, smog in our cities, poor disposal of radioactive materials, among others (Mani, 2010 pp 56). Massive destruction of the environment has been reported in the last few decades. Extensive destruction of the rain forests in the tropics, pollution of the atmosphere by the big industries releasing poisonous smoke, which results in acid rains and global warming are some of the evidences of the way human beings are striving to destroy the planet earth. Figure 2: Human Activities Destroying the environment Source: Tilman et al., 2011 Environmental degradation has so many effects. One of the effects is that it leads to loss of biodiversity. Due to massive of logging of trees, most plants and animals have become extinct. In order to conserve the remaining animals, governments have been forced to build zoos and game parks to keep the animals safe. All this is unnecessary if human beings are a bit careful with their environment. Environmental problems do not only affect the locality in which the source of pollution emanates but also every region in the world. This is because contaminated water from one region flows freely to other regions causing pollution even in those regions. When industries from one region release smoke in the atmosphere, the whole world is affected because the effects the smoke will have on the atmosphere will be shared by all regions. This is because all regions in the world share same the atmosphere Figure 3: Environmental pollution Source: Tilman et al., 2011 After discussing with my friends on the issue, we decided to form a group so that we work on the project. Because the topic had few materials from which we could refer from, our major work was to look for information on how to design the article and make it appealing. In our project, we were able to apply many concepts learned in class, especially from the environmental education classes. As a group, we began by applying ‘creating a vision’ and ‘core values’ concepts as a guide to help us through the project (Whitaker & Colbin, 2012 pp 45). We created a mission statement ad set of values at one our first meetings. This helped the group to remain focused on the task, remain motivated, and remain focused on the goals of the project. We even made an agreement with each member, which consisted of expectations and rules for the group. Among the concepts learned in class, that we applied in our group and on our project include the fives stages of group development. These stages are forming, norming, storming, performing, and adjourning. Most groups go through these stages in their course of development. The forming stage entailed members talking and getting to know each well. Although most of the group members were acquaintances, there had not been that close interaction (Russel, 2007). This stage, therefore, provided an avenue for the member to carry out an extensive interaction with each other. Through the interaction, the group members were able to know the strengths and weaknesses of others, and their personalities. Interaction of members in any group is crucial for the success of any project. This is because interaction of the members helps them to develop personal relationships, which are very important when it comes to the actual. Members need to be in a good relationship for them to work together effectively. After formation of the group, there was some confusion and wrangles in the group. It seemed the members could not agree on one course of action. This prompted the group members to suggest the formulation of rules to guide the group and the project. These set of rules were to be followed throughout the project. After formulation of the rules, we agreed to come up with a structure on the responsibility of each member. We chose leaders of the teams formed and the overall leader of the whole group. After the members had agreed on the procedures to be followed in the project, we commenced on the actual job. Though we started on a lower note, the group eventually picked momentum. The slow start was due to some members not following the set rules. All the same, the program moved as scheduled and we were to cover most of the activities we had planned as a group. When our group started the article-writing project, it remained in the first stage-the forming stage-for some time. It took the group a lot of time and many meetings to run smoothly and move forward. The group was only able to make some progress after splitting into teams. Though the forming stage took long to be completed, the rest of the stages were completed fast. This is because the group members had interacted and known each other well and this helped in the faster implementation of the later stages. After forming the teams, the other stages of group development were achieved easily. Currently, we are performing stage because the teams have been engaged in a number of activities. The adjourning stage will come at the end of the semester because the members will be breaking for holiday. However, this will not be permanent adjournment as the group plans to continue with its activities the next semester. Generally, the group performed well. It spent little time in the storming stage. Shared leadership was another concept that we applied in our project. After forming teams, we took responsibility for the various parts of the project. We realized that every one in the group could take part in the running of the project and there was no need for having just one leader. Each group member could have a share in the responsibility of leadership (Russel, 2007). The experience on leadership also helped us to learn the significance of ethical leadership. For instance, our group could not allow the use of unethical means to raise money to run the project and help the disadvantaged and the poor. Ethics is important to any leader. Sometimes leaders engage in unethical practices that end up hurting people. In order to succeed in our endeavors, we realized that we needed to have some form of organization. The group needed to have leaders. We choose leaders who had different responsibilities. The group leadership comprised of the group leader, the technical advisor, secretary, and organizer. The group leader’s responsibility was to oversee the running of the project. The group leader ensured that planning and execution of the group’s activities had taken place. The technical advisor had the responsibility of offering her expertise on any activity carried out by the group. She gave her advice on the best way to do things. The secretary was responsible for recording every activity. He was responsible for writing minutes of the meetings and recording any event carried out by group. The organizer’s work was to organize for every activity of the group. Our project was a good example on how the classroom knowledge can be applied to real life situations. We were able to apply the five principles of group development to form and advance the development of the group. The five principles were very crucial in the running of the group. By applying the principles, we were able to keep the group from disintegrating. The knowledge on sustainability was very crucial to the group (Russel, 2007). The teams were able to sustain their activities through the application of the concepts on sustainability. The group also organized poker tournaments every week to help raise funds for the project. We want to make the tournaments sustainable for the coming days because we want the project to continue helping people and the environment. The teams in our group have been very successful and this has resulted to the success of the group and the project. We are hoping to keep the project working for the semesters to come and this can be achieved by applying the many concepts learned in class on leadership and group development. Future groups can apply what we learned in this group and learn from the mistakes we committed in order to be more productive. This can enable them achieve greater success in their quest to save the environment and succeed in raising more money. Though the project was a success, as a group, we made a number of mistakes that sometimes derailed the success of the project. One of the mistakes we committed was splitting in the group into small teams. This proved detrimental to the project because coordination of the teams’ activities was hard. For future projects to be more successful, group members need to diversify their activities. For instance, they need to come up diverse avenues of raising more money for the project. Future groups also need to liaise well with the authorities so that they do not create conflicts. Group size is also another issue of importance. For groups to function properly and gain more success, they have more members Lessons for future projects There are a number of lessons I learned from this project. One of them was the advantage of systematic planning. I learned that by planning, energy and effort of doing a certain job are saved. Another lesson I learned is that the internet is a very helpful source of information. Though some of it is not very reliable, it gives a good idea on any topic under discussion. Lastly, for any project to be successful, time management is very crucial. One has to stick to the schedule. Conclusion Generally, I really enjoyed taking part in this project. I am happy because, in some way, I have been able to contribute to the welfare of our environment and the people. It was the perfect project because it allowed the application of the lessons learned in class to real life situations. There are so many classes where you are just taught bookish stuff but you are never given a chance to apply the concepts in life. In other classes, you are taught things that you will never apply until perhaps later in life, at which time, you might have forgotten everything. This project helped me gain an insight on how to work with a team and advance the processes involved in teamwork and project work. It gave me a chance to experience the successes and challenges involved in teamwork. Bibliography Mani, C (2010). Environmental degradation. New York: Oxford Book Company Russel, S. (2007). ENGR 493 individual reflective report. http://www.personal.psu.edu/spr5009/individual.html Tilman et al., 2011, “Forecasting Agriculturally Driven Global Environmental Change,” Science 292.5515: p 281-84. Whitaker, S. & Colbin, K. (2012). Project management professional practice questions. New York: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform Read More