One-Minute Reads on Sustainability

Publication Date: 
October 22, 2017

Learning Objectives

To enhance reading skills of students

To learn about sustainability issues

To learn about issues connected to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Standards Addressed

Varied, depending upon the topic of the one minute read

Supplies/Materials/Articles Needed

All one-minute reads are linked on this page and available for download or for students to read online. Each file is in MS Word so that edits can be made before distribution to students.

Preparation Time Needed

None, beyond downloading and printing off copies of the stories for students to read.

Class Time Required

Each sustainability story is 300 words in length, which takes on average one minute to read. Teachers can then decide how much time they would like to spend on a class discussion, use a map to geographically locate the topic of a story, etc.

Activity Description

The following is a collection of one minute reads on various topics relating to sustainabilty. The stories were written by undergraduate students at Penn State Brandywine studying the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the fall semester of 2017. Each link will take you to a MS Word file that has the student-authored story. The numbers after each student name refer to the SDGs listed in the chart below the list.

  • Is Air Conditioning As Good As It Seems?  --  J. Burton (3, 7, 12, 13)
  • How Can Sand Dunes Help Us?  --  C. Caruso (1, 15)
  • Native Sea Life in NYC?  --  J. Clement (6, 12, 14)
  • Keep the Freeze Before It Leaves  --  T. Coffey (6, 12, 13)
  • Combating Student Homelessness  --  A. Ellison (1, 4)
  • Reusable Water Bottles vs Disposable Water Bottles  --  K. Flanagan (6, 11, 12, 14)
  • The Water Bottle Crisis  --  A. Iannello (3, 6, 12, 14, 15)
  • The Healing Hole in Our Atmosphere  --  B. Judge (3, 13, 15)
  • Are Worms the Key?  --  L. Kreamer (6, 12, 14, 15)
  • Plastic Is Worth Recycling  --  K. MacLeod (3, 6, 12, 14, 15)
  • Do You Like Seafood?  --  J. McGinn (3, 6, 14, 15)
  • Protecting Your Skin, but Damaging the Environment  --  D. Murphy (6, 14)
  • Dangers from a Cup  --  C. Murray (12, 15)
  • Acres Destroyed  --  B. Nasella (15)
  • Overfishing: The Silent Killer  --  P. ODea (2, 8, 12, 14)
  • Global Jellyfish Crisis  --  B. Rodgers (6, 13, 14)
  • Monarch Butterflies vs. Climate Change  --  J. Rodman (13, 15)
  • Are You Driving Responsibly?  --  S. Shabazz (3, 7, 12, 13, 15)
  • Plastic Damage  --  C. Thomas (3, 12, 14)
  • The Push to Move Away From Plastic Bags  --  A. Wodack (3, 9, 12, 14, 15)
  • Everest's Human Problem  --  N. Young (6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15)