Lesson 2:3 Memorandum for Formal Report Progress

MEMORANDUM

To: Dr. Erika Paterson, ENGL 301 Professor

From: Jenny Zhu, ENGL 301 Student, JZ

Date: November 11, 2019

Subject: Formal Report Progress

As per Lesson 2:3, this memorandum details the progress on my formal report along with supporting documents.

Intended Audience:

The intended audience of this report is Jakob Manning, manager of Geering Up, and staff who are a part of materials ordering and curriculum planning. Mr. Manning must approve of any changes outlined in this report before implementation and other staff play a vital role in deciding which materials are used and purchased for the organization’s programming. 

Purpose of report:

This report aims to bring awareness to the amount of single-use plastics being used at Geering Up during programming (camps, workshops, clubs), to make suggestions on plastic alternatives or more sustainable plastics to alleviate waste, and to help invest in less costly solutions for materials by opting for longer lasting products.

Significance of report:

Plastic is among the most common materials that are used for educational supplies. Geering Up runs many events that produce a large amount of waste resulting from single-use plastics. There are alternatives to these products that will help the organization be more sustainable as it continues to expand its reach. Implementing different materials also could potentially cut the cost of buying single-use items.

Research Plan:

• Determine which single-use plastic items were used for workshops and camps, and their prices by going through the scripts and materials orders for the 2018 – 19 school year.
• Compile the information in an Excel sheet
• Create graphs for the amount and cost of the top 10 – 20 most commonly used plastic items 
• Survey and interview Geering Up staff and participants on the issue of plastic waste at Geering Up
• Find alternative solutions to the single-waste materials and make suggestions for more sustainable programming ideas
• Calculate savings with plastic alternatives
• Finish compiling survey and interview data 

Writing Schedule:

• November 8 – Formal report outline
• November 12 – Progress report, interview and survey questions
• November 13 – Begin reviewing literature on plastic waste reduction and activity scripts 
• November 15 – Begin interviewing Geering Up staff and participants 
• November 23 – Literature review and data collection finished. Begin analyzing data.
• December 4 – First draft of report 
• December 10 – Second draft of report based on peer reviews
• December 17 – Finish self-editing (Final draft)
• December 19 – Final report due

With your approval of the survey and interview questions, I will commence my research. 

Enclosure

Survey: ENGL 301 Jenny Zhu – Lesson 2_3 Survey for Formal Report

Interview questions: ENGL 301 Jenny Zhu – Lesson 2_3 Interview Questions for Formal Report

Formal report outline: ENGL 301 Jenny Zhu – Lesson 2_3 Formal Report Outline