Greener Thoughts

Worksheet Description

This worksheet is a collection of unit rate word problems with an environmental theme, titled “Greener Thoughts.” It presents situations that involve calculating the rate of recycling plastic, generating clean energy, reducing carbon emissions, producing electricity with solar panels, and planting trees to combat deforestation. Other problems focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, recycling aluminum cans, the efficiency of electric cars, reducing paper waste, and the rate of irrigating crops with a windmill-powered system.

The worksheet’s goal is to teach students how to calculate unit rates in the context of sustainability and environmental conservation. It introduces them to the concept of unit rates as a measure of efficiency or productivity over time, which is a crucial aspect of understanding environmental impact. By working through these problems, students enhance their mathematical skills in division and rate calculation while simultaneously becoming aware of the importance of ecological stewardship. The problems also serve as a starting point for discussions on the environmental topics featured in the worksheet, bridging mathematics with real-world issues.

Example Problems

1. The local recycling center collected 300 pounds of plastic bottles in 5 days. Calculate the unit rate of plastic bottle collection in pounds per day.

2. A wind turbine generates 1200 kilowatts of clean energy in 3 hours. Determine the unit rate of energy generation in kilowatts per hour.

3. In a week, a family reduced their carbon emissions by 28 kilograms. Find their unit rate of carbon emission reduction in kilograms per day.

4. A solar panel installation produces 4500 kilowatt-hours of electricity in 30 days. Calculate the unit rate of electricity production in kilowatt-hours per day.

5. A community planted 600 trees in 10 days to combat deforestation. Determine the unit rate of tree planting in trees per day.

6. A city reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 1800 metric tons in a year. Find the unit rate of emission reduction in metric tons per month.

7. A recycling facility processed 2400 aluminum cans in 8 hours. Calculate the unit rate of aluminum can processing in cans per hour.