20 Time is an assignment given to our class that allows students to investigate their own topics and explore their particular interest, while simultaneously promoting education and making learning more varied. Our class will be given each Monday period to explore an issue, problem or goal and try to come up with some sort of response or answer. For our 20 Time project we, (Sophie and Taylor) plan on confronting issues relating to the litter and pollution that exists in our own mountains of Saratoga, Santa Cruz, and Los Gatos while also promoting others to enjoy the mountains because they are such a great resource for exercise and fun. We chose this topic because the two of us are avid hikers. We love the scenery and nature and appreciate how wonderful it is to have such a great environment right at our finger tips. But we hate the trash. The amounts of trash on certain trails is extreme and we realize that if we don't help, it will stay up cluttering our beautiful mountains forever. Many don't utilize all the opportunities that exist up there because they don't know enough about all the parks, trails, and view points to enjoy. So we will be creating a blog that covers everything from potential trails to check out, to why you SHOULD check them out, all the way to how to help the problem of liter. We will be going on weekly hikes and recording data like trail intensities and distances as well as recording conditions and types of nature that exists on the various trails. We will also be recording the amounts of trash and liter we encounter. We will transfer our data onto a blog and also provide information on the physiological and psychological benefits of hiking, because many people over look hiking when they think of exercise. Once all data has been gathered we will chose the most littered trail and organize a clean up with volunteers and friends who want to help. We will measure our progress by maintain a blog and making sure it is updated regularly and constantly expanding. We want people to appreciate our mountains the way we do, by honoring its beauty and resources with respect, and by taking advantage of everything that the mountains offer!
-T&S
