THEME 1: GREEN ENGINEERING

Starting Activity

Colors and You

- What is your favorite color? Please choose a color (from the given list) you
can identify yourself with. Black, blue, green, orange, pink, purple, red,
yellow, white

Get the profile of the entire class as to favorite colors. (One of the students or the
teacher can facilitate this by simply counting the number of students according to
their favorite color). Based on the numbers gathered, make a graph that
presents the favorite-color profile of the class.

I. Input Text
Shades of Green
1

All the buzz these days seems to be about the same thing: "Going

Green". But what exactly does that mean? Going Green is the process of
using

more

environmentally

friendly

materials

in

building,

food

processing, manufacturing, and other fields. For ordinary consumers, Going Green
can be as simple as buying organic food products versus those with pesticides to
switching to a hybrid vehicle or one that runs on bio-fuels. For those involved in
designing and manufacturing, particularly in the field of engineering, Going Green
can be synonymous to Green Engineering.
What is Green Engineering?

According to the US Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA), Green Engineering is the design, commercialization, and use of

processes and products, which are feasible and economical while minimizing 1)
generation of pollution at the source and 2) risk to human health and the
environment. Among its principles, developed by engineers and scientists at the
Green Engineering Conference in Florida in 2003, are: ensuring that all material
and energy inputs and outputs are inherently safe and benign as possible;
minimizing depletion of natural resources; striving to prevent waste; and, creating
engineering solutions beyond current or dominant technologies by improving,
innovating or inventing to achieve sustainability.
So, where does a company begin in this green advocacy? 3Robert Pojasek
of First Environment consulting firm says that the emphasis has long been on the
three Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle.

There are many ways to be green and

American manufacturers are trying them. These ways range from reducing energy

use and recycling water to implementing ISO 14001 sustainability programs and
reusing packaging. They may also design or transport products differently. Others
are re-engineering products for reuse or recycling. IBM for instance recycles parts
from used computer equipment into new products, including silicon wafers for
solar cells. In Europe, re-engineering is required by law. Thus, some companies
wring carbon efficiencies out of supply chain, while others have increased the
amount of natural and biodegradable materials in their products.
4

In the Philippines efforts to go green are underway. In November 2009, 10

E-jeeps (electric jeepneys) were launched in Makati City under the Makati Green
Route (MGR) project. These 14-seater passenger vehicles, which are locally
designed and assembled, are expected to reduce noise and air pollution in the
area. The construction industry is also making progress.

In April 2010, DPWH,

through its secretary, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the

Project Green Engineering Philippines (PGEP) with the Philippine Institute of Civil
Engineers (PICE). This project, PGEP, focuses on the development of 10 green
programs including reducing environmental impact of construction and energy
and water conservation and efficiency design.
6

A survey in the US (4 th Annual Green Building Survey report of 2010)

participated by over 1,600 design and construction professionals in the US,

reveals that the respondents are in favor of including energy-saving or
sustainable elements in their future construction projects. The following graph
has the data.
Figure 1. Comparative Results of the Respondents Willingness to Include Energy-Saving
Features (2008 and 2009)

100%
90%
80%

88%
74%

70%
60%
2009

50%

2008

40%
30%

26%

20%

12%

10%
0%

Choices

more likely

less likely

According to Pojasek, the key to green success is to take a process focus, and

thats a skill engineers have. They largely think in processes; furthermore, they
excel at innovation. When you give them constraints, they get very creative.
Indeed, with engineers as active stakeholders in this Going Green buzz, it has
become a realistic endeavor after all.
Steven Tidwell, Going Green: Becoming More Environmentally Aware
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/802867/going_green_becoming_more_environmentally.html?cat=9).
2 What is Green Engineering? Retrieved October 22, 2010 from http://www.epa.gov/oppt/greenengineering/pubs/whats_ge.html#intro_g.
1

3, 7 Brown A. (2009, January).The many shades of green. Retrieved April 15, 2010 from
http://memagazine.asme.org/Articles/2009/January/Many_Shades_Green.cfm.
4 Reina Garcia (2009, November). About the Makati Green Route Retrieved October 22, 2010 from http://ejeepney.org/content/about-makatigreen-route.
5 Valencia, L. B. (2010, April). DPWH signs green engineering partnership with PICE. Retrieved October 22, 2010 from
http://balita.ph/2010/04/12/dpwh-signs-green-engineering-partnership-with-pice/.
6 Matkins A. (2010, March) 4th annual green building survey. Retrieved October 22, 2010 from
http://www.greenbiz.com/business/research/report/2010/03/11/4th-annual-green-building-survey.

II. Gathering Information

A. Vocabulary

The following are meanings and synonyms of eight words found in the Input
Text. These words are from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and the last paragraphs. Find
these words in the puzzle and encircle them. After encircling these words,
write them beside their corresponding meanings/synonyms.

1. (v)
to decrease seriously or exhaust the abundance or supply of ;
drain, consume
2. (adj.) composite; formed or composed of heterogeneous elements;, fusion,
crossbreed
3. (n)
a person/group with an investment/share/ interest in something, e.g.
business/industry
4. (adj.) viable, supportable, maintainable
5. (v)

to engineer anew to make it more efficient

6. (n)
fuel produced from renewable resources, especially plant biomass,
vegetable oils, and
treated municipal and industrial wastes
7. (n)

limitations or restrictions; hindrances (adj.)

8. (adj.) having a kindly disposition; friendly; not malignant

B.

Q
S

Comprehension

Answer these questions as briefly as possible.

1. Based on the definition and some principles of Green Engineering, what

is its ultimate purpose?
_________________________________________________________________________
_

2. Which industries or sectors in the Philippines have responded to the

Going Green or Green Engineering movement?
________________________________________________________________________________

3. Mention one specific action that has been done by other foreign
companies in their efforts to go green.
_________________________________________________________________________
_

4. Based on the bar graph, what are the choices of response?

_________________________________________________________________________
_

5. Which choice has the highest percentage in 2008?

_________________________________________________________________________
_

6. Are the builders less likely to include features which minimize energy
wastage in the years to come? Why? (Please provide a one-sentence
reason anchored on the data from the bar graph.)
_________________________________________________________________________
_

C. Extension Questions
1. What are some common household practices which can be considered
consistent with Going Green? Which of these do you usually violate?
2. What are the possible constraints companies will encounter if they
implement Green Engineering principles?

III. Language and Skill Development

A. Presenting Quantitative Data: Bar and Line Graphs

Presentation
- Refer back to the Input Text. What kind of graph is used to present the
survey results? Is this way of presenting information effective? Why?
Why not?

Discussion
- Bar and line graphs are two visual, concise means of presenting
information in technical reports.
Bar Graphs/Charts
- Show data that occur at specific points in time; e.g. an environmental
engineer may want to plot emissions from a smoke-stack during a twoyear period.
- Show comparisons between two data sheets.
In making bar graphs remember that:
- The width of each bar (horizontal or vertical), of the same size, should
look proportionally correct on the overall chart.
- To show comparison, put the bars next to each other with a space
between them.
- Make sure the years, months, and units (e.g. percentages) are indicated
across the axis.
- For sequential data, use ascending or descending order.
- They should have descriptive titles.
In studying bar graphs, ask:
- what the subject of the graph is,
- how the various parts relate to this subject, and
-

what the relative numbers/percentages that each bar represent are.

Line Graphs
- Show how a set/sets of data change(s) over a period of time
- Are most useful for showing trends (a general tendency or direction)

In
-

making line graphs remember to:

Use an appropriate scale (usually it starts with zero).
Draw the horizontal and vertical axis and label them.
Plot the points to represent the data.
Draw a line connecting each pair of consecutive points.
Write a title.

In studying line graphs,

- determine the topic of the graph, and
- look at the axes and diagonal line to understand the relationship
illustrated.
Sample Line Graph
Figure 1. *Performance of the North American Green Roof Industry
19

20
18
16

15

14
12
Square footage (in million ) installed

10
87.5
6
4
2
0
2010

2011

2012

*http://www.greenroofs.org/resources/SurveyReport2012FINAL.pdf

Practice Activity
Present these data using the graph previously discussed. Choose that which is
best for the information given.
1. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emission by country in metric tonnes by million
(from 1850 to 2000)
- China = 3.473, Russia = 1.541, India = 1.007, US = 5.763, Japan
= 1.224
2. Annual Carbon dioxide (CO2) emission (in metric tonnes by millions) per
capita
- 2008: Philippines (PH)=0.8, Thailand (TH)=4.1; 2007: PH=0.8,
TH=4.2; 2006: PH=0.9, TH=4.1; 2005: PH=0.9, TH-4; 2004:
PH=0.9, TH=3.8

References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions_per_capita;
Environment statistics: C02 emissions by country top 50 Retrieved October 25, 2010 from
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/ env_co2_emi-environment-co2-emissions&int=50;
http://pioneer.chula.ac.th/~pkanchan/html/graph.htm.

B. The Simple Tenses and the Progressives

1. The Simple Present and Simple Past
Presentation
- Read these descriptions (simple and no interpretation or
explanation included) of the previous bar graph and line graph.
Underline all verbs. In what tense are these verbs?
For the bar graph on Design and Construction Professionals
Willingness to Include Energy-saving Elements:
The graph shows the results of the design and construction
professionals willingness to include energy-saving elements in their future
projects. In 2008, 74 % of the respondents were already more likely to
incorporate these elements, and in the following year those in favor rose to
88 %. On the other hand, the survey participants who said they were less
likely to go green decreased from 26 % to 12 % in 2008 and 2009
respectively.

For the line graph on the Performance of the North American

Green Roof Industry:

The line graph presents the performance of the North American green
roof industry from 2010 to 2012. It is clear that the industry grew over the
three-year period as evidenced by the increasing number of green roof
installed. In 2010, only 7.5 million square feet were built in, but in 2011 this
number grew to 15 million. It further increased by 4 million in the
succeeding year thereby reaching 19 million.

Discussion/Review on the Uses of the Simple Present and the

Simple Past
a. The Simple Present and the Simple Past
Uses/Contexts of the Simple
Present
(Vs/Vo)

Uses/Contexts of the
Simple Past
(Ved)

PR1: Regularly/habitually occurring

actions (hobby, habit, daily event,
something which regularly
PA1: Past action, event,

happens in the present)

condition finished at
definite time, year or part
of the day in past
PR2: Permanent situations in the
present

PR3: Facts, truths, and accepted

generalization or observation on
people or things
PR4: Timetables and scheduled
events

PA2: Past association

(completed but no definite
time) not relevant to the
present
PA3: Very near present (with
just)
PA4: Conditional sentence
expressing a supposition

PR5: Feelings or states of mind in the

present with BE verbs (is/are) and
verbs with stative meaning
(often referring to thoughts,
attitudes, emotions, possessions,
the senses e.g. believe, feel,
realize, prefer, want, fear, have,
possess, taste, appear, seem, tend)

PR6: Commands
PR7: PR7: Conditional sentences (the
clause with the condition
expressed by if or when

Practice Activity
-

Write the code of the present or past-tense use/context exemplified by

each of these sentences.

b. Contrasts: Present vs. Present Progressive, Past vs. Past

Progressive
Discussion
-

The following tables present a comparison between the simple

present and the present continuous and the simple past and past
continuous, respectively.

Simple Present
(Vs/Vo)
Habitual/Regular
occurrences/activities

Present Progressive/Continuous
(am/is/are + Ving)
Single Occurrence
E.g. John is washing the dishes.

E.g. John washes the dishes.

Temporary /Momentary
Permanent (true) situations
or traits

E.g. My friend is living with her in

laws.
You are being foolish.

Why is he doing everything

E.g. My friend lives with her in
laws.

with
precision?

You are foolish.

Why does he do everything
with
precision?

Fact/Accepted observation

E.g. Many Filipinos still believe in

superstition.

Action in progress /Developing

Action
E.g. Many Filipinos are losing their
belief in superstition.
The shutters are rattling as the
wind grows stronger. (in progress
and repetitive)

Those shutters rattle.

Simple Past

Past Progressive/Continuous

(Ved)

(was/were + Ving)

Talk about past actions, finished

at a definite time

E.g. She encoded the report last

night.

Describe regular actions in the

past

Describe on on-going action at

a particular time in the past

E.g. She was encoding the whole

night.

Describe actions taking place

at the same time in the past

E.g. The student played basketball

every Saturday.

Express shorter action that

happened in the middle of the
longer one

E.g. We were shouting when the

teacher came.

E.g. The student was playing

basketball, while his friends
were answering their
assignments.

Describe an event which was

happening when another one
happened (the action in course
was interrupted).

E.g. When the lights went out, I

was surfing the net.

Practice Activity
Decide whether you should use the simple present, the present
progressive, the simple past, or the past progressive (Ving). Write your
answers on the blanks.

C. Describing the Data in the Bar Graph and Line Graph

Presentation
-

Please go back to the descriptions (found under B number 1) of the

bar and line graphs.

 Discussion
-

The basic points on how to describe bar and line graphs are in this
table.
Bar Graph

Line Graph

1. Introduce the graph.

1. Introduce the graph.

2. Start with the highest or

most important result, and
describe it factually.

2. Start with the main change/trend

or pattern (s).

3. If there are few entries, each

can be described.
4. If there are many entries
only discuss the most
important ones biggest,
smallest, unchanging or
similar ones, sudden
increases/decreases.
5. Make general or specific
comparisons, if needed.
6. You may add a concluding
statement by highlighting
(without the numbers) the
overall dominant
picture/idea of the graph.
7. The dominant tense used is
usually in the simple past.
8. Vary the verbs by using
synonyms.
9. In a thesis, research, or
technical reports, you may
need to explain or interpret
the results. If needed, do it
by basing your explanation
on logical ideas or better on
related readings.

3. Proceed by giving (a) sample

result/results of this trend (with
number/percentage).
4. Look for any data different from
the trend and describe.
5. If there are two or more sets of
information, compare/contrast.
6. You may have a concluding
statement that repeats the main
trend (without using the same
words).
7. The dominant tense depends on
purpose of the line graph since
there are line graphs that include
future time/years for
projections/predictions.
8. Vary the verbs and expressions,
e.g.
- Verbs: increased, went up, grew,
rose decreased, fell, dropped,
plummeted
remained stable/constant,
stabilized fluctuated reached
its highest point/a peak hit a
low/reached its lowest point
-

Adjectives/Adverbs:
dramatic(ally), moderate(ly),
slight(ly), gradual(ly), sudden(ly)

9. (Same with that of the bar

graph)

Practice Activity

Go back to the graphs on CO2 emissions youve made for the Practice
Activity under A. Presenting Quantitative Data. Choose one, either the
bar or the line, and describe.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

NAME/COURSE & YEAR _______________________________

Exercise No: _______

C/S: ___________
Date: __________

IV. Tasks

Read this text and do the specific tasks that follow.

Green Electronics: The Search Continues

(*An excerpt from the Green Electronics Survey 2008)

As companies have made stronger commitments to eliminate toxic

chemicals, increase their products energy efficiency and improve their
recycling efforts, Greenpeace has sought to assess the state of green products
coming into the global marketplace. The survey evaluates the products that
the manufacturers themselves consider to be their greenest. Unfortunately,
not all companies invited took the opportunity to showcase the environmental
performance of their products.

Each company was allowed to submit three products per product

category, which were then assessed according to the broad groups of criteria
including: use of hazardous chemical substances like polyvinyl chloride (PVC);
power consumption of the products; product lifecycle; and, special innovations
that help to reduce the total burden on the environment. The total points for
each product were adjusted to a possible top score of 10. Because the
assessment criteria are often specific to a product category, comparisons are
only possible within a product category. In addition, one product category,
such as desktop computers, scoring higher than another, e.g. notebook, is not
an indication of an overall better environmental performance of that product.
Here are some data for the product category, notebook computers.
Figure 1: Notebook Computers
N
o
.
o
f
P
o
i
n
t
s

10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

5.57

5.48

4.68

4.41

4.2

3.8

3.44

* With revisions from Rautner M. & Harrell C. (2008, December). Green electronics: The search
continues. Retrieved October 15, 2010 from
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/Global/usa/report/2009/1/green-electronics-the-search.pdf.

A. Vocabulary
-

In the word puzzle, encircle the four words (found the reading) which will
match the meanings given. After encircling, write them beside their
corresponding meanings.

1. (n) relating to, or being a polymerized vinyl compound, resin, or plastic =

______________
2. (adj.) covering the whole world; worldwide; comprehensive
______________

3.

(n)

danger

= ______________
4. (adj.)
= ______________

or

risk
poisonous

B. Comprehension: Answer these questions as briefly as possible.

1. How many criteria in assessing the products are mentioned in the text?
_______________________________________________________________________
2. Are good results, for instance of notebook computers, determinant of the
environmental effectiveness of these products compared to others?
_______________________________________________________________________
3. How many products per category were assessed?
____________________________________________________________________
4. How will this survey benefit the companies that submitted their products
for assessment?
_______________________________________________________________________

C. Grammar

Fill in the blanks with verbs in their correct tense. Use the simple
present, simple past, present progressive, or past progressive, whichever
is most appropriate. The topics of the sentences here though may not be
related to engineering.

1-2. We usually __________ (eat) dinner at home, but tonight we __________

(eat) dinner at a restaurant.
3-4.

Which language does your mother speak? Mostly, she __________

(speak) Korean. Right now, however, she __________ (speak) in English.

5. Since hes not from Cebu City, he ________ currently (stay) in a boarding
house near the school.
Galileo Galilei was an Italian scientist. He 6. ___________ (live) from 1564
to 1642. Galileo made one of his first discoveries while he 7. __________
(attend) a service at the cathedral in Pisa. During the service, he 8.
__________ (notice) a hanging lamp. Air currents 9. __________ (blow) gently
through the cathedral at the time, and the lamp 10. __________ (swing) back
and forth. While Galileo 11. __________ (watch) the lamp, he 12. __________
(realize) that each swing took an equal amount of time, no matter how wide
it was.

Study the following line graph and the description (with introduction,
body, and conclusion) that follows. Then, fill in the blanks with the
correct word, either a verb, an adjective, or an adverb, whichever is most
appropriate. If its a verb, put it in its correct tense form. Each word from
the choices provided can only be used once.
Figure 1. *The total property crime rate and B&E rate between 2000 and

2007

Choices:

present

drop

moderate

sharply

rise

continue

upward

considerably

stay

fall

slightly

show
This report (1.) __________ the changes in the total property crime rate
and the break and enter rate between 2000 and 2007.
Both property crime and break

and enter rates experienced

fluctuations all throughout eight-year period and reached their highest point
in 2003. In 2000, the total property crime rate was 2500 offenses per 100,
000 population. Then, the rate (2-3.) __________

__________

and reached

3800 in 2001. After a (4.) __________ fall in 2002, the rate started to increase
again and reached a peak in 2003. However, after fluctuating for some
months, the total property crime rate (5-6.) __________ __________ throughout
2004 and the beginning of 2005. The rate (7.) __________ at about 2400
offenses from mid-2005 to mid-2006 before decreasing again. In 2000, the
break and enter rate was about 760 offenses per 100,000 population. From
2000 to 2003, there was a steady (8.) __________ trend in the B & E rate. The
rate reached its highest point in 2003 and then (9.)__________ a significant
downward trend until mid-2005. After being stable for a few months, the
rate (10.) __________ to fall (11.) __________, dropping to around 780 in 2007.
In sum, the total property crime rate fluctuated from 2000 to 2003,
whereas the break and enter rate showed a general upward trend. Both
rates peaked in 2003, (12.)__________ significantly until mid-2005, stabilized
for some months and decreased slightly during 2006 and 2007.

*With

revisions from http://oppematerjal.sisekaitse.ee/eppleibur/describing_graphs/

D. Writing

Go back to the bar graph on notebook computers (from the reading

Green Electronics: The Search Continues). Describe the information in

this graph. Be sure to introduce the bar graph as your first sentence.
Proceed to your second sentence, the most important result, and explain
or interpret this in another sentence. Then move on to your next
sentences about the other significant results, without explaining them.
All in all have about 6 sentences. Dont include a conclusion.
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

E. Application Task (Writing and Speaking): Gathering and

Presenting Data through Graphs /Charts or Tables

Work with a group of 4 people and make a questionnaire with about 4

questions that can be answered by either yes or no, or by a scale using 1
to 4 (agree, slightly agree, slightly disagree, disagree). The questions
should revolve around the topic Making USC an environmentally friendly
school: An engineers point of view. However, if you dont like this
topic, choose another one, preferably environmental or related to your
field, which will be the basis of your questions. The results have to be
converted to numerical values, numbers, or percentages, and presented
using at least three of these mechanisms: bar graph, line graph, table,
and pie chart.

The output will be presented after Theme 2 or 3.

mrp2013