School: Taipei Municipal Ta-An Senior Vocational Industria
    Taipei, Taiwan, Taiwan

6 students, ages from 15 to 18 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 14, 2001. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2001

Classes and Teachers: Li Hsin Chao, Ta An High Technology Professional School¡XDepartment of Information Technology (Class 1A & Class 2A)

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.taivs.tp.edu.tw

1. Description of Our Community

With the aim of reducing the amount of garbage produced, while at the same time encouraging citizens to embrace waste recycling habits, Taiwan¡¦s capital city, Taipei, has taken the lead in implementing a ¡§Pay-Per-Use¡¨ garbage collection system, which replaces the previous system of "levying a garbage collection fee on household tap-water charges".

2. Summary of Our Project

Each day, Taiwan produces 1,870 metric tons of garbage. The majority of this waste is collected daily by public garbage collection trucks, after which it is transported to local dumpsites. When you stop and think about it, you can¡¦t help but ask yourself, ¡§Does Taiwan really have the space to accommodate so much garbage, day after day?¡¨ Actually, it is estimated that roughly half of this garbage is actually composed of recyclable materials. Plus, many of these types of materials exist in finite numbers in the world. Meaning, if we do not begin to extract and recycle such materials, their supplies will grow increasingly smaller. In light of these very issues, the Taipei City government¡¦s ¡§Pay-Per-Use¡¨ garbage collection system was put into effect on July 1st, 2000, so as to encourage the citizens of Taipei to begin the habit of sorting their garbage into ¡§recyclable¡¨ and ¡§non-recyclable¡¨ groups.

3. Our Computer and Internet Access

A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:more than 50%

B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:4-6

C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dial-up modem

D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:2-3

E. Additional comments concerning your computer and/or Internet access (Optional):

While on campus, we have access to complete and sophisticated computer hardware and software. Plus, since the school¡¦s computers are connected to the Internet via a LAN, TANet, bandwidth is much large, and overall transmission rates are much higher. Thus, when possible, we should utilize school fascilities to create web pages and to do research. Granted, most households have Internet access, as well, but the majority still use 56K modems, and connect to the Internet via an ISP. Clearly, this is too slow, allowing for only the simplest of task to be accomplished, such as simple text/document input and processing. Only a handful of students, with ADSL connections at home, have the ability to quickly and easily upload and test newly designed web pages, without having to worry about getting ¡§dropped¡¨.

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

Initially, we encountered many difficulties. As such, most of members left today are the ¡§most inexperienced among the inexperienced¡¨. We are, therefore, once again faced with significant obstacles to overcome. To be more specific, the lion¡¦s share of the problems encountered could be considered ¡§internal difficulties¡¨, questions over where to access needed information, which web page design software to use, how to minimize graphics files so as to allow for efficient display and download. To be honest, though, the most frustrating quandary was trying to interview officials at the Ministry of the Environment. Needless to say, we eventually managed to overcome all of the obstacles before us.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

Taipei, July 1st - [Discussion about the Garbage Disposal Charge on Garbage Bags Project]. Leftover seperating and tranporting, useful garbage recycling, long live our earth.

6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?

Initially, when the school announced the introduction of a ¡§garbage classification¡¨ policy, whereby all garbage was to be separated into recyclable and non-recyclable groups, we immediately had a leg up on other students. Because of our experience in researching this topic, we already had a clear understanding of ¡§recycling¡¨. Understandably then, our class was able to contribute the third largest amount of recyclable materials, over the school year. We therefore firmly believe that if the citizens of Taipei City can embrace this system, Taipei has the potential to be a clean and beautiful place to live. Once the web site was up and operational, the school made a campus wide announcement inviting students and faculty to peruse the information on the site. Perhaps, this is only the beginning. But, with everyone¡¦s help and support, who knows what the future could bring.......

1) What information tools & technologies did you used to complete your CyberFair project?

Software to be used Operation System: Windows 98 SE. Image Processing: Photo Impact 6.0, Flash 5.0, Epson Photo 3.0 Full Function Image Processing Web Page Design Dream Weaver 3.0, FrontPage 2000. Other tools Photograph Retrieval: Standard camera, digital camera, digital scanner. Audio Input: Standard audio recorder Communications Software ICQ, E-mail, Phone, WWW, BBS. Internet Transmission Speed: ADSL (1Mb upload/6Mb download). How did these tools help you? Image Processing is help us to do more beautiful homepage. Where did you locate each tool? Because we had use them when we did homepage. Were any tools donated by businesses or schools? Windows 98 SE, Photo Impact 6.0, Flash 5.0, Epson Photo 3.0 Full Function Image Processing, Dream Weaver 3.0, FrontPage 2000, Standard camera, digital camera, digital scanner, Standard audio recorder. What were your most valuable tools? Why? Communications Software is our most valuable tools , because that let us connection more convenient.

2) In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your CyberFair project both on-line and in person.

Without a doubt, we could not have achieved such a complete outcome had it not been for the assistance provided by the faculty members, who provided us with not only a location, but equipment, and guidance. In addition, our interviews with Ministry of the Environment officials provided a wealth of detailed information. This, in turn, allowed us to create a more dynamic, in-depth, and complete web presence.

3) What has been the impact of your project on your community?

[1] Effects on us: In addition to increasing our overall knowledge, we had the opportunity to sharpen our reaction skills, especially in interview situations. But, by far, the most important consequence of our efforts has been that we have all become ¡§environmental soldiers¡¨! [2] Effects on parents: Parents naturally hope that, with the right encouragement, their children can develop the ability to think independently. During this learning process, however, family members have a chance to develop close and intimate bonds, while at the same time becoming more aware of the ¡§Pay-Per-Use¡¨ garbage collection system. [3] Effect on our campus: Students always receive strong support from faculty when it comes to participating in extra-curricular activities, hoping that the students will bring honor to the school. [4] Effects on our communities: By showing interest and concern for issues affecting local towns and counties, young people can learn to appreciate the communities from which they come. At the same time, we can all learn the importance of protecting our ¡§global village¡¨.

4) How did your project involve other members of your community as helpers and volunteers?

First and foremost, we must give our warmest thanks to professor Li Hsin Cha, whose tireless support allowed us to provide such a complete and dynamic web presence. We also appreciate the officers interviewed by us and our Hygiene Captain. We can not obtain detailed information in such a short without their kind help. Finally, we must also give thanks to all team members participating in this contest, because the pages can not be built without the collaboration of your fellows.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

During our interviews, we came to learn that our team leader, Ah-Yu , was actually closely acquainted with many officials within the Bureau of Environmental Protection (his mother was once employed there). Many officials, including the present Vice-Director of the MBureau of Environmental Protection, had known Ah-Yu since he was a child and had had experiences chasing his naughty behind all around. Maybe it is this opportunity that destines us to study the subject of environmental protection...! While deep in the middle of this project, mid-term exams snuck up on us, as did the annual college entrance exams. Eventually, we began to feel overwhelmed and at one point seriously considered scrapping the whole project. But, with Professor Li¡¦s unyielding support and encouragement, we were able to rise up from the depths of despair and persevere. In the end, we managed to set aside the necessary time to complete the web pages. Overall, we burned a lot of midnight oil completing this project, but we harbor not a single regret.