8A – Solving The Problem

1)    Each day, too many Styrofoam and non-recyclable plastic cups are thrown away on campus, which ends up on landfills that damage the environment. With a little bit over 50,000 students going to the University of Florida, these plastic cups are becoming really harmful for the environment.

2)    What I’m proposing is that instead of using plastic cups, food companies that are situated at the University of Florida , should use plant based, 100% compostable cups. I don’t know if students have noticed, but these food companies have switched from regular plastic straws, to plant based straws. These straws are 100% compostable, which means they’re not harmful to the environment when they’re thrown away.

a.     As we can see with the compostable straws, making this change wouldn’t be difficult. These cups would be made of a plant base that would still be resistant to the liquid that would be inside.

b.     Because they are plant based, once they’re thrown away, they would compost very quickly and it wouldn’t release any toxic chemicals that would harm the environment.

c.     What I want to achieve with this is to reduce the use of non-recyclable plastics and Styrofoam on campus and promote a better option that will hopefully motivate students into making more eco-friendly decisions.

d.     This is something that could also be spread out to different campuses as a way of having a bigger and bigger impact over the years.

e.     Because of its lightness, plant-based cups are also cheap to manufacture, therefore, food establishments would not have a negative impact on their economics,

7A – Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

1)    Banning Styrofoam and non-recyclable plastic cups on campus

a.     There are thousands of non-recyclable cups that are thrown away on campus that end up in landfills and affect the environment in a negative way.

                                               i.     The who: food companies on campus

                                             ii.     The what: changing from non-recyclable products to compostable and recyclable ones

                                           iii.     The why: they are made of harmful materials that take thousands of years to decompose and harm the environment

2)    Testing the hypothesis

a.     Testing the who: this opportunity is something that should be implemented in every campus, because students are usually the ones that are motivated the most to make a change, so starting from campuses will make a great impact. What I will test in here would be how willing the food companies on campus would be to change from non-recyclable products to recyclable ones. I will also investigate if students would approve of this change.

b.    Testing the what: There are many food companies available on campus, including University sponsored ones like Broward dining. Because of this, I wonder: How expensive would I be to make this change? and Who would take care of the expenses, the students? The companies? The University?

c.     Testing the why: There are many studies proving that these products damage the environment but for my hypothesis, I would want to investigate if there is any direct negative impact, right here on campus.

3)    Interviews

a.     Interview #1:

                                               i.     The person being interviewed is a young female in her 20’s. She is a constant Starbuck’s costumer and she approves of making this change. She thinks that with the amount of coffee she gets a week, there’s definitely a lot of cups she throws away that could definitely could’ve been recycled.

b.    Interview #2:

                                               i.     This person is a young male who works at the POD market over the weekends. He says that the change wouldn’t affect him as a worker, since most products at the POD market are either in a can or in a box so they can be recycled. It would affect him as a consumer since he loves getting Chick-Fil-A every other day. He approves of the swap but thinks it’s going to be too hard.

c.     Interview #3:

                                               i.     The person being interviewed is a young man who is studying Wildlife Resources and Conservation. He  carries his reusable bottle everywhere he goes. He really likes the idea of doing the change, but he also thinks that another cool idea would be food companies letting students use their reusable bottles. He thinks that a combination of both ideas could really make an impact.

d.    Interview #4:

                                               i.     The person being interviewed is a young female. She is 100% on board with the change. “I think I’m the most environmental friendly person I know. I have been waiting to bring up this change to the school but I just never had the chance to find the time and go talk to them”

e.     Interview #5:

                                               i.     The person being interviewed is a young female that works at the Wendy’s on campus. She thinks that a change like this would be a great idea. She mentioned that they already changed from plastic straws to plant-based, compostable straws, so they should just do the same thing with the cups.

4)    Given your interviews, what do you know about the opportunity that you didn't know before? 

a.     From the first interview, I realized that students are indeed aware of how much plastic they use and that they are aware of how wasteful these plastic cups are.

b.     From the second interview, I learned that even though it doesn’t affect every establishment on campus, it still affects a vast majority of the workers since most of them are students.

c.     From the third interview, I learned that there are other options that could be implemented in order to try and solve the same problem. By having different options, it’s possible to create a pros and cons list between options to see which one is the most convenient.

d.     From the fourth interview, I learned that there is some students that are already trying to make a change, they just need time and support in order to build their idea better and be able to deliver it properly to the university.

e.     From the last interview, I learned that there are even workers that are aware of this problem and that change needs to happen.

Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

Regulatory changes

Gainesville votes to ban plastic bags, Styrofoam, The Gainesville Sun

-       https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190103/gainesville-votes-to-ban-plastic-bags-styrofoam

-       I believe that there is an opportunity here because it is something that has the attention of a lot of people in the county. Even though there are some that are opposing to the idea of banning plastic bags and Styrofoam, there people in favor are more. This idea has been approved for a second round of voting, making it closer and closer of becoming a reality.

-       The customer for this will be regular consumers. People who purchase drinks that come in Styrofoam cups, people who go grocery shopping, and people who go shopping anywhere else that provides plastic bags.

-       I am 100% into recycling and taking action when it comes to saving the environment, so seeing that other people, especially, city leaders, makes me believe that there is an opportunity of actually making it happen.

New justices could refuel workers’ comp fight, The Gainesville Sun

-       https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190118/new-justices-could-refuel-workers-comp-fight

-       I believe that there is an opportunity here because almost every single company, if not all of them, provide workers compensation. Because of that it is really important that this service is completely efficient and looks out for the employees.

-       The customer for this opportunity will be both the employees and the employers.

-       As someone who works setting up and breaking down events, I’ve seen many of my co-workers getting hurt when carrying heavy stuff. A lot of them have complained about how the workers comp didn’t completely cover them, or hasn’t been completely efficient.

Economic trends

$15 minimum wage closer to being on Florida ballot, The Gainesville Sun

-       https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190122/15-minimum-wage-closer-to-being-on-florida-ballot/1

-       I believe that there is an opportunity here because raising minimum wage is something we’re constantly fighting for, and when they give it to us, the  raise is almost unnoticeable. The fact that many people have not stopped fighting for it, makes me believe that there could be an opportunity.

-       Everyone in Florida would be affected by the raise of the minimum wage, therefore, the customer for this would be Florida residents/workers.

-       I saw this as an opportunity because I am currently in school and I also have a job in order to pay for my classes. Like almost every student, I only get paid minimum wage, and with it being so low, even when I work a lot of hours, it is still not enough to pay the bills.

County repeals business tax, The Gainesville Sun

-       https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190122/county-repeals-business-tax

-       I believe that there as an opportunity here because there are many people who have dreamed about opening their own businesses, but they weren’t able to do it because of the high tax rate that businesses have. With a lower business tax, more people will be able to open up their business and will be able to properly run them without getting in so much debt.

-       The people who are affected by this are new business owners or people who are planning on starting a business.

-       I saw this an opportunity because I’ve personally seen people whose business fail because of the high taxes. Back home, there were a few friends whose parents wanted to open business and some of them weren’t even able to open them because they couldn’t afford it.

Finding Local Opportunities

DeSantis urged to help farmers on trade deal, The Gainesville Sun

-       Link: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AGSGB%21Gainesville%2BSun%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0102%21January%2B02&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/170BE63A1161D828

-       In this article, the writer is narrating some issues that are happening between Florida farmers, and NAFTA. Due to regulations that NAFTA has of the farmers’ crops, local farmers are not able to beat their competition in Mexico, making them less profitable. Local farmers are hoping that Incoming Gov. Ron DeSantis joins their fight by spreading the word about this issue and having a conversation with the president about it.

-       The problem is that the farmers believe that their duty is to provide and distribute their products in the United States, but these regulations by the NAFTA are limiting them and letting their competition win.

-       The people who are affected the most by this issue are the Florida local farmers.

Government shutdown has limited impact on area, The Gainesville Sun

-       Link: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AGSGB%21Gainesville%2BSun%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0107%21January%2B07&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/170D8BC466E5F648

-       Due to the government shutdown, a University of Florida professor Robert Ferl had to put on hold his projects in his UF Space Plants Lab. He was in the middle of a project that relied on the funding from NASA, but because of the government shutdown NASA wasn’t able to send the funds, causing his project, and other ongoing projects to shut down.

-       The problem is that because of the government shutdown, many research projects have been paused, causing them to get backed down.

-       The people affected by this issue are the professors and researchers with ongoing projects.

SF students shut out due to shutdown, The Gainesville Sun

-       Link: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AGSGB%21Gainesville%2BSun%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0108%21January%2B08&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/170DE1C227D0B408

-       According to this story, many Santa Fe students have been affected by the shutdown, because they have not been able to receive their taxes information, making them unable to receive financial aid. Even though the Department of Education is still up and running, some related agencies like the IRS seem to be short-staffed, making the process of sending tax information way longer.  The faculty has identified at least 6 students who have been affected, but there could potentially be more.

-       The problem is that because students cannot receive their tax information, they cannot apply for or receive financial aid.

-       Students who rely on financial aid to pay or their tuition are the ones being affected by this problem.

Seven die in fiery crash on I-75 between Alachua, Gainesville, The Gainesville Sun

-       Link: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AGSGB%21Gainesville%2BSun%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0103%21January%2B03&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/170C36F4EE3CC6D8

-       When reading through different issues, accidents on I-75 were the ones that appeared the most so I decided to include one of them. In this one, it describes how a family who was driving a van full of children on their way to Disney World, was impacted by a diesel truck. Because of the impact, the diesel truck spilled, causing the start of a fire who killed 7 people. Later on, they discovered that the truck driver did had many traffic tickets on his record.

-       The problem is that people are not driving safely when traveling through I-75, causing multiple accidents that could be fatal

-       The people who are affected by this problem are people who regularly take the I-75 highway to get to their destination.

Gainesville, county seek options to end homeless encampment, The Gainesville Sun

-       Link: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AGSGB%21Gainesville%2BSun%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2018%212018/mody%3A1213%21December%2B13&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/170503AD6943DF90

-       City officials in Gainesville have been trying to keep the promise they made 10 years ago to end homelessness. But as the years pass by, they have not been as successful as they wanted. Even though there are some shelters throughout the city, including Dignity Village which can accommodate more than 100 people, it is still not enough to end homelessness.

-       The problem is that homeless people are not able to find a shelter to spend their nights, due to the fact that there is not enough space for them, forcing them to sleep outside in the cold or hot weather.

-       The people that are affected by this problem are the homeless.

Forming An Opportunity Belief

I believe there is an opportunity to help students find parking more efficiently on campus. Although this is an issue that has been tried to be fixed several times, it still doesn’t seem to get any better. With about 50,000 students and about 3,500 faculty members at the University of Florida, parking will definitely become an issue during Fall and Spring semester, since these two are the busiest of the 3 semesters. I believe that creating an app that shows the status of the parking lots and if it has empty parking spaces or not would be very beneficial for students with cars, especially the ones that live on campus. Currently, UF Is working on building more parking spaces, but even with these spaces added, there will still not be enough parking for the students. Considering the workload that would have to go into making this happen, I think there is a 60% chance it being completed.

#1 18 year old male freshman living on campus

·      Have you had any problems with parking since you started going to UF?

o   Yes, on my first week here I tried to drive to my classes thinking that it was going to be easier and faster. After that, I just drive whenever I go off campus to buy groceries or something.

·      When you come back from getting groceries, is it easy for you to find parking?

o   No. That is always a big struggle because I can spend up to 30 minutes trying to find a lot that has parking available.

·      Did you know parking was going to be an issue at UF?

o   I honestly never heard about parking being an issue and even when I toured here I always had the idea that because this was such a big campus, there was going to be enough parking for everyone. I never really noticed the issue until that first week.

·      What other option do you chose with parking being an issue?

o   I usually just walk around wherever I need to go and if I have to go off campus I try to take the bus since there is a few bus stops are close my apartment.

·      Do you think the university should be taking more action regarding this issue?

o   I honestly believe that it should be approached, but I shouldn’t be number one on their agenda. Even though it was kind of a hassle at the beginning, I do like walking to my classes because I can walk with my friends and it’s also a great exercise which gives me an excuse to not go to the gym!

Reflection: This issue does not affect students living on campus enough for it to be a big issue.  

#2 21 year old female junior living off campus

·      Have you had any problems with parking since you started going to UF?

o   I definitely have had problems with parking, especially when I moved off campus about a year ago. .

·      Do you usually drive to your classes?

o   I try to as much as I can but going from lot to lot trying to see where there’s an empty space can be time consuming and it has made me been late to class on various occasions

·      Did you know parking was going to be an issue at UF?

o   I’ve heard of it and I even saw memes on the “Swampy Memes” page but I honestly wasn’t affected by it until I moved off-campus. I would usually just walk everywhere since I lived in Beaty for my first 2 years and everything was pretty close to me.

·      What other option do you chose with parking being an issue?

o   Sometimes I try to take the bus but its honestly so inconvenient because I have to wake up really earl to make sure I get a spot on the bus. I live in an area with a lot of apartments so there have been many times where the bus comes to my stop and it just keeps going because it’s full so I have to wait for the next one that comes in 30 minutes.

·      Do you think the university should be taking more action regarding this issue?

o   I definitely think they should because I really hate the bus and taking my car doesn’t make it any easier a lot. I’ve even woken up like 2 hours before my class so I can make it to campus with an hour to spare before my class so I have time to look for parking.

Reflection: People who live on campus are really affected by this issue, especially if the bus route that stops in their apartment complex is not very effective.

#3: 21 year old male junior living off-campus

·      Have you had any problems with parking since you started going to UF?

o   Oh yeah, I think parking was my number one issue my sophomore year when my parents bought e a car.

·      Do you usually drive to your classes?

o   Depending on the semester: I’m in the Innovation Academy so my full semesters are Spring and Summer. During Spring, I barely drive my car, I only use it for groceries. Over the Summer campus is pretty much empty so I drive to my classes.

·      Did you know parking was going to be an issue at UF?

o   Yes, I had friend that were older than me who were already enrolled at UF that told me all about it. That’s why I didn’t even rush to get a car.

·      What other option do you chose with parking being an issue?

o   I usually just ride the bus. It works pretty well on my apartment complex; if I miss one there’s another one coming in 15 minutes so I’m usually not late to class.

·      Do you think the university should be taking more action regarding this issue?

o   I mean, I know it’s pretty hard to try to accommodate 50,000 students on campus but I definitely think that they should still try to make it more accessible. There are so any students that live off campus and even though the bus is pretty frequent, it’s still not completely reliable.

Reflection: Even if the bus works for certain off-campus students, being able to drive to their classes and not depend on the bus’s specific schedule would be more convenient.

Summary:

I think that there is definitely interest on coming up with a better solution for parking accessibility. Talking to students that live on campus made me realize that this issue is not too bad for them since they really don’t mind walking. The people that are mostly affected are definitely students that live off-campus and I believe that talking to more off campus students would help come up with a more specific solution than the one that I have but I still feel like it’s a good start.