Classroom Recycling Group Ward Edwards 3612 Warrensburg, MO 64093 September 10, 2017 Business Communications Ward Edwards 3612 Warrensburg, MO 64093 Dear Classmates, We have all had that handout or piece of scratch paper that we just don’t want to take with us. We crumple it up and then what do we do with it? Do we go looking for a recycling bin in the hallway? Or do we just toss it in the trash on our way out the door? Most simply throw it away due to limited recycling options. We are focusing our project on looking into ways of expanding these options in the university’s classrooms. We find ourselves qualified for this job because we are: ● Time conscious ● Organized ● Enthusiastic about the problem Background, Problem and Purpose The University of Central Missouri has an existing problem of limited recycling options on campus, and we all have an impact on this. The average American produces 900,000 pounds of waste per year; and around half of this could be recycled (Recycling Coalition of Utah, n.d.). We all see the need to recycle; no one will say they are against recycling. In fact, it is beneficial to us all in various ways: economically, ecologically, and healthwise (Sawe, 2017). However, a survey of college students finds that there is a lack of commitment from students which mirrors a lack of commitment from universities (Emmanuel and Adams, 2011). Through research this project hopes to discover better options for recycling within the classroom. Proposed Plan We will collect information from several perspectives on campus. This project will be a collaborative effort. To make sure new members of our team are included, we will work in pairs. Then we will meet up as a whole group to compare each member’s progress. To collect the information required for this project, we have developed the following plan: Interview. We will be collecting data by interviewing various people around campus such as: ● Staff ● Administrators ● Students ● Faculty Keira Solon Keira Solon: most what? dangling modifier Keira Solon Keira Solon: spacing issue Keira Solon Keira Solon: How will this project be organized? Keira Solon Keira Solon: , Keira Solon Keira Solon: , These interviews will include simple and relatable questions so that we can get the best possible responses. The purpose of interviewing students at UCM is to see if they recycle and have any issues with our accessibility to recycle. Janitorial staff will be interviewed to assess how a change in recycling practices will affect their workload. Teaching faculty will also be interviewed to see if they have any concerns about our limited access to recycling options in classrooms or offices. Lastly we will conduct an interview with an administrator for ideas on how much it would cost to have more recycling options. Survey. We will produce a survey to get a wide range of answers to have an understanding.

1. Classroom Recycling Group
Ward Edwards 3612
Warrensburg, MO 64093
September 10, 2017
Business Communications
Ward Edwards 3612
Warrensburg, MO 64093
Dear Classmates,
We have all had that handout or piece of scratch paper that we
just don’t want to take with us.
We crumple it up and then what do we do with it? Do we go
looking for a recycling bin in the
hallway? Or do we just toss it in the trash on our way out the
door? Most simply throw it away
due to limited recycling options. We are focusing our project on
looking into ways of expanding

2. these options in the university’s classrooms. We find ourselves
qualified for this job because we
are:
● Time conscious
● Organized
● Enthusiastic about the problem
Background, Problem and Purpose
The University of Central Missouri has an existing problem of
limited recycling options on
campus, and we all have an impact on this. The average
American produces 900,000 pounds of
waste per year; and around half of this could be recycled
(Recycling Coalition of Utah, n.d.). We
all see the need to recycle; no one will say they are against
recycling. In fact, it is beneficial to
us all in various ways: economically, ecologically, and
healthwise (Sawe, 2017). However, a
survey of college students finds that there is a lack of
commitment from students which mirrors
a lack of commitment from universities (Emmanuel and Adams,
2011). Through research this
project hopes to discover better options for recycling within the

3. classroom.
Proposed Plan
We will collect information from several perspectives on
campus. This project will be a
collaborative effort. To make sure new members of our team are
included, we will work in pairs.
Then we will meet up as a whole group to compare each
member’s progress. To collect the
information required for this project, we have developed the
following plan:
Interview. We will be collecting data by interviewing various
people around campus such as:
● Staff
● Administrators
● Students
● Faculty
Keira Solon
Keira Solon: most what? dangling modifier
Keira Solon
Keira Solon: spacing issue

4. Keira Solon
Keira Solon: How will this project be organized?
Keira Solon
Keira Solon: ,
Keira Solon
Keira Solon: ,
These interviews will include simple and relatable questions so
that we can get the best
possible responses. The purpose of interviewing students at
UCM is to see if they recycle and
have any issues with our accessibility to recycle. Janitorial staff
will be interviewed to assess
how a change in recycling practices will affect their workload.
Teaching faculty will also be
interviewed to see if they have any concerns about our limited
access to recycling options in
classrooms or offices. Lastly we will conduct an interview with
an administrator for ideas on how
much it would cost to have more recycling options.
Survey. We will produce a survey to get a wide range of
answers to have an understanding of
the issue. The survey will be aimed at students and faculty since
they will most likely use any

5. new recycling options. They will have simple questions and will
cover our cause. In addition,
they will help us collect data on the issue quickly and
accurately.
Schedule. For this project we have made a projected schedule.
Please refer to the table below,
Research Plan, for more information.
Research Plan
Research
Tasks
Dates of Research
October November
17th -24th 25th -29th 30th – 5th 6th -7th 8th
Conduct
Interviews
Prewriting and
Drafting

6. Correct and
Revise
Finishing
Touches
Due
Keira Solon
Keira Solon: ,
Keira Solon
Keira Solon: they who? The surveys? or the participants? This
is unclear...
Keira Solon
Keira Solon: This is NOT 6 research tasks. You MUST do more
than interview. You will need to conduct document analysis,
observations, surveys, etc,...
Keira Solon
Keira Solon: can you summarize this graphic for us? What am I
supposed to see?
After final teams are made, we will modify the research plan to
fit the new team member’s
needs.

7. Staffing
Our team is looking for qualities in our new members that we
possess ourselves. We believe it
is important for team members to possess the following traits:
● Goal oriented
● Time management skills
● Well organized
● Team player
We are looking for members that see the importance of
recycling and making a change to our
campus. Members that have a passion for what they are doing
are better equipped to dedicate
time and effort to the issue.
Budget
As a team, we do not need a monetary budget to solve this
problem. Please reference the
Budget Table below to see the breakdown of anticipated hours
required. To make this project
run smoothly and meet the deadline each teammate will have to
work out of class. We are

8. predicting the minimum time each team member will have to
invest outside of class will be
around thirteen hours for the whole project.
Budget Table
Task Total Hours Per
Task
Group Meeting 3
Research Tasks 2
Prewriting 3
Revising 3
Extra Time to Format 2
Keira Solon
Keira Solon: What about you? Who are you guys? What are
your credentials?
TOTAL HOURS 13

9. Authorization
This proposal outlines the potential we have to directly impact
the future of our campus. It is an
issue we can all stand behind. It appears to be an issue with
several viable solutions, thus
providing a need to research the problem further. Approve our
project via a link on Blackboard.
We ask you to vote so that we may move forward.
Sincerely,
Kimberly Bertrand, Gloria Guier, and Joseph Reinkemeyer

10. Keira Solon
Keira Solon: lost of extra space
References
Emanuel, R., & Adams, J. N. (2011). College students'
perceptions of campus
sustainability. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher
Education, 12(1), 79-92.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/14676371111098320

11. Recycling Coalition of Utah. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://utahrecycles.org/get-the-facts/
Sawe, B. E. (2017). How Does Recycling Help the
Environment? Retrieved Sept. 01, 2017,
from http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/how-does-recycling-
help-the-environment.html
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/14676371111098320
https://utahrecycles.org/get-the-facts/
http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/how-does-recycling-help-
the-environment.html
Student Research Team:
Justin Biermann, Ethan Wadkins, Ashlee Eastman
Ward Edwards
University of Central Missouri
Warrensburg, MO 64093
September 5, 2017
Business Communication 3325
MWF 10am class 3612
University of Central Missouri

12. Warrensburg, MO 64093
Dear classmates,
Do you drink water? As experienced group coordinators, we
plan to gather teams to research a problem
that affects each of us, the lack of filtered water in WDE. It’s
time to tap that! As students of UCM, we
believe every student deserves adequate access to filtered water
throughout the day. Our leadership
experienced team plans on outlining our research plan in an
organized and relatable way. Our goal is to
collect research regarding the availability of filtered water in
Ward Edwards only. We will only be
performing research, not implementing a solution. Our team is a
blast to work with because we are
experienced in team management, organized with schedules, and
communicate effectively. We plan on
shedding light on this very serious problem. Our plans in this
proposal is to outline staffing, budget, and
our schedule.
Background, Problem and Purpose

13. To start gaining a better understanding of Warrensburg water,
we looked into our local water samples.
While within legal limits, there are high levels of some
chemicals that can adversely affect taste and in
some cases health (PWSD No.3. 2016).We also researched what
other colleges did to battle problems
related to water. We found many colleges reduced or banned
plastic water bottles in the vending
machines and store to become more environmentally friendly. A
movement called Ban the Bottle has
begun to spread across the U.S. Many campaigns promoting
sustainability are also starting up, which
includes, “Take Back the Tap” at the University of Nevada Las
Vegas and “Tap that” at Vassar College
(Fishman, July 2007).
As a sustainability project partnering with “drink local”,
Princeton University students made a proposal to
lower the use of plastic water bottles on campus. As the first
steps to banning plastic bottles, four interns
sought to gather facts and finding regarding the local water and
the effects of plastic bottles on the
environment as well as the cost disadvantages. In their final
report, the students determined offering

14. reusable bottles to all incoming freshman and transfer students
as well as adding many drink refilling
stations on campus would highly benefit this cause.
The students found that nearly 50,000 bottles of water were
used in the United States in a one-year
period; this has a major impact on the environment as it takes
2000 times the energy to create bottled
water than to filter tap water. These students started a
movement that caused Princeton to ban plastic
water bottles in their stores, cafeterias, and vending machines
(Dorottia Demszky, 2014). The largest
problem when looking at banning plastic water bottles was the
increase in students drinking soft drinks
instead of water. Ironically, in a study performed at the
University of Vermont, researchers found the
number of bottles being thrown away increased as sales of soft
drinks increased (Kingkade, 2007).
Due to this insight, we strongly believe banning water bottles is
inappropriate when looking at
environmental benefits. That being said, we also believe
increasing bottled water does not make sense
either as it would cost the students more and have higher
environmental effect. This logic led us to

15. believe the only way to increase the amount of water without
having an environmental impact would be
to add more water filling station in Ward Edwards building.
This leads us to our research objective. Do
students, faculty, and staff believe the lack of filtered water in
WDE is a problem? Would adding water
filling stations be of enough benefit to be worth the cost? These
are the questions we plan to ask and
observe.
Students and faculty are currently forced to get filtered water
from one water source that runs out
frequently. As the lack of filtered water affects each of us, our
goal is to measure interest in adding more
sources of filtered water. Our goal is to measure interest in
providing filtered water and gauge the number
of sources that would be needed.
Proposal, Plan and Schedule
In an effort to better the water drinking experience of faculty,
professors, undergraduates, and graduate
students, we will conduct surveys and interviews after splitting
into teams to tackle the perspective of

16. each demographic. The research objectives will be managed by
a Gantt chart. We will have a list of tasks
to be completed and have a signup sheet for members in order to
ensure that people are able to complete
the tasks that they are best suited for. If more than one student
signs up for the same task, a small speech
will be made and a vote will be cast. We will have an election
for 4 ‘team trackers’. These ‘team trackers’
will act as monitors to keep each team on track. These monitors
will be in communication with each other
in order to make sure the team as a whole is coordinating
effectively.
Survey. We will be conducting surveys to better understand the
standpoints from undergraduates,
graduates, staff, and faculty. The surveys will measure the
intensity of the problem and the interest for
solving the problem. Surveys will be conducted in a two week
period.
Interviews. We will be interviewing graduates, undergraduates,
staff, and faculty to better understand
their personal experiences with the lack of filtered water in
Ward Edwards. By conducting these
discussions, we hope to gain a better insight on the problem and

17. the personal thoughts of those affected
by it. Interviews will be held in a week and a half time frame.
Schedule. The following list details our research tasks:
o Coordinate team schedules
o Assign team tasks and tasks within each team
o Create surveys and interview questions
o Schedule survey and interview times
o Perform surveys and interviews
o Collect data
o Organize data
o Analyze data
o Brainstorm conclusions
o Outline report
o Draft report
o Proofread report
o Present report
In Figure A, you can see our Gantt chart indicates our scheduled
research. The times to conduct our
research will be from Wednesday, October 18 to Monday,
November 6. Our research will consist of
interviewing and surveying our four target perspectives.
Figure A

18. Research
Tasks
WED
10/18
FRI
10/20
MON
10/23
WED
10/25
FRI
10/27
MON
10/30
WED
11/1
FRI
11/3

19. MON
11/6
Undergraduate
Surveys
Graduate
Surveys
Faculty
Surveys
Staff Surveys
Undergraduate
Interviews
Graduate
Interviews
Faculty
Interviews

20. Staff
Interviews
By using interviews and surveys, we intend to get the
perspectives from the following people:
Staff
By evaluating the perspectives from these groups, we will get a
wide understanding of the issue and be
fully prepared to find an effective solution.
Staffing and Budget
With experience in team leadership, strong communication, and
diverse talents, our team is prepared to
move this proposal forward at a low cost, both monetary and
resource.. Our team consist of Justin
Biermann, Ethan Wadkins, and Ashlee Eastman. Justin is a
business management major and on the
leadership council for the football team. As a former charity
director in IBE, he is experienced in team

21. dynamics and always prepared with the necessary resources.
Ethan is an aviation major who values a
hands-on approach and strong communication. With a variety of
skills, Ethan is also our team handy man.
As a supervisor in his current job, he is well versed in
organizing teams and politely giving input. Ashlee
is a marketing major and former head of social media marketing
in IBE. Her current field as a financial
analyst proves her to be good at organization and crunching the
numbers. Her experience also includes
leading 12 canned food drives and being the former editor of
her school’s newspaper.
Necessary Resources. The following list details the necessary
resources:
In Figure B, the time expectations of each team member has

22. been outlined. We estimate each individual
will need to dedicate a total of twenty-three hours to the
successful completion of this research project.
Figure B
Activity Time
Team Meetings 1 hour (3 weeks) = 3 hours
Weekly Research Tasks 2 hours (3 weeks) = 6 hours
Writing Tasks 2 hours (1 weeks) = 2 hours
Revising Tasks 2 hours (1 week) = 2 hours
Prepare for Presentation 1 hours (1 week) = 1 hours
Total 14
Authorization Request
We are very pleased to bring attention to the lack of water
filtration in WDE while allowing student
involvement and collaboration on a large issue that effects all of
those in Ward Edwards. This research
project will also increase the discussion between graduates,
undergraduates, staff, and faculty.

23. By joining us on this research project, we would like to
highlight a few benefits. There is a low cost as
only your time is needed. We plan on keeping the team set up as
flat as possible while staying effective.
Our research will be conducted in Ward Edwards, a place we all
frequent. The greatest benefit is knowing
you are part of the research team looking into a problem that
affects everyone in this building.
Classmates, with your authorization, we will love to begin our
research project on Wednesday, October
18. It’s time to tap the water problem!
In order to authorize, please sign and return the duplicate copy.
_____________________

24. References
Dorottia Demszky, R. Z. (2014). Bottle vs. Tap Water: Impact
Assessment. SUstainability at Princeton.
Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America: Princeton
University.
[email protected], (2016, November 23). Ban the Bottle.
Retrieved from
https://www.banthebottle.net/ban-the-bottle-campaign/
Kingkade, T. (2007, July 14). When The University Of Vermont
Banned Bottled Water, Students Drank
More Unhealthy Beverages. Retrieved from Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/university-of-vermonts-
removal-of-bottled-water-caused-
students-to-drink-more-unhealthy-
beverages_us_55a58255e4b04740a3de4e85
PWSD No.3. (2016). 2016 Annual Water Quality Report.
Warrensburg: PWSD No.3.
https://www.banthebottle.net/ban-the-bottle-campaign/