Capstone Project Proposal Draft (rough draft)

Name of student: Clare Reimer Date: November 24th

Teacher: Mr. Green Block: A
The Capstone strand I have chosen is Product design.
Proposed title for my Project Proposal: (write the proposed title for your Capstone Project in one clear
sentence): Healthy vegetarian dinners to help stop climate change.
What is your inquiry question that interests you for further research? It should be a question that connects
with a purpose, passion or personalized area of interest for you. This is a question that you cannot just
google an answer for. Please see examples from your Capstone booklet.
My inquiry question is:

How can I make healthy vegetarian dinners and what kinds of ingredients will they require? How does
eating vegetarian help stop climate change?

Rationale/context: Detail your reasons for choosing this inquiry question. Explain WHY you are choosing
to investigate this topic as a major area of focus. How does this area of inquiry connect to your passion(s),
purpose? Why is it of personal interest to you?

I chose to do this project because I love to cook, and I thought doing something with that would be fun.
I choose the vegetarian dinners because Climate change is a topic that came up in another one of my
classes. It was something I had always been interested in and wondered about but never something I
had ever really investigated. This project will give me a reason to take a closer look at climate change
and its effects on our world. Along with doing something that could help.

Background: What background knowledge/connections/prior learning do you have in this area of inquiry?

All throughout my life I have been a good cook and have loved to cook ever since I was a little kid. It is
something I have always been super passionate about and have loved because it's one of the things I did
with my family.

Career connections: What is your intended career area at this point in time? What connections does this
inquiry question have to your life, academic and/ or career goals?

I still have not really decided what I want to do with my life as far as a career goes. However, this
could connect to a career if I wanted to go into a cooking job or a job that had something to do with
climate change. It could also be slightly connected to growing veggies or farming.

Interdisciplinary and core competencies connections: What subject areas and core competencies will
relate to your project? Outline and explain the connections.
 Personal awareness and responsibility: I understand learning takes patience and time. (self-regulation)
I understand that this project is going to take time and that I will need to set aside time to work on it to
make sure I have enough time to finish my project.
Capstone Presentation medium: select one or more project mediums you wish to use to present your
project. Outline and give details about how you will present your project once completed. You may use a
combination of mediums.
o Electronic portfolio: Prezi or PPT
o Physical portfolio
o Website
o iMovie presentation
o YouTube channel
Description of my Capstone project. Specific Project Details of the Capstone Project: what will you
research, create, study, produce, solve, investigate? What product will be produced at the end of this
project for evaluation. Write a one-page description outlining your proposal.

For my capstone project I am planning to make a cookbook that is full of vegetarian dinners.

I chose this because I love to cook, and it is something I have always been passionate about. I was also
so interested in the vegetarian side of it as I never really cook vegetarian meals. Most American
cooking is centered around meat as a main dish. Usually, it is the main protein of a meal and meat is
the main protein source in most people's diets. So, I thought it would be interesting to investigate other
sources of protein and how to make balanced meals without using meat.

Another reason I decided on this project was because of climate change. I heard of a movement called
“Meatless Mondays.” It is about not eating meat once a week and how it helps the environment.
Livestock farming is a big contributor to greenhouse gases and the destruction of forest and wildlife
habitats. But not only is livestock faring a major contributor to climate change so is commercial
fishing. Commercial fishing diminishes fish populations, leaves the oceans bare and hetmans other fish
species. Along with this fishing boats pollute the oceans so much leaving behind tons of old fishing
supplies to lay at the bottom of the oceans tangling and killing fish for hundreds of years to come.

At the end of this project, I will be handing in a cookbook with different recipes and a page or two
write up, about how eating vegetarian food is good for the planet. Each recipe will also have a photo of
it and a little write up about the dish.

Resources/ Technology/Skills: Make an assessment of the resources, technology and skills you will need
to be able to complete this project. What is your plan to be able to access/learn all of the resources
necessary to achieve completion of this project? Detail your plans.

I will need a laptop to write out all my recipes and to look for recipe inspiration. I will be doing all my
cooking in my kitchen so I will need my stove and counter, I also use my family's air frier when I cook.
I will get all my ingredients from the grocery store.
Mentors/Community Connections: What types of mentor(s)/community connections will you need to help
you complete your capstone project? How will your mentor(s) help you? What is your plan to access the
mentorship/community connections necessary for this project?

For this project I will have my aunt, who throughout my life has taught me how to cook. She is one of
the main reasons I love cooking and has always been an enormous influence on me.
I can also use my mom as a mentor as she eats lots of vegetarian food and only eats poultry and fish, so
she will be a big help with picking out recipes and helping me cook.

Project limitations: What are some project limitations and potential obstacles that you foresee that might
affect progress with your Capstone Project.

Some obstacles for my capstone would be not having enough time to cook and make the meals.
Throughout the week I can be super busy between work, homework and still trying to go out and
hangout with my friends throughout the week. I will need to set time aside each week to cook and
make my meals.

Other considerations: List and detail any other related information/ considerations about your project that
you feel should be included in your project proposal.

References: Provide a literature review of 5-10 PEER REVIEWED ACADEMIC references: research,
videos, etc. that offer some preliminary research you have done for your project that shows you are able
to access the key information that you will need to be able to complete this

101 Vegetarian Recipes We've Got on Dinner Repeat | Bon Appétit (bonappetit.com)
29 Best Vegetarian Recipes - Cookie and Kate
Meatless Monday - Meatless Monday (mondaycampaigns.org)
The 18 Best Protein Sources for Vegans and Vegetarians (healthline.com)
How to Create Your Own Recipe, According to a Pro (tasteofhome.com)