Class, let us start this course by discussing sustainable societies. There are many factors that dictate our lifestyles, resulting in either sustainable or unsustainable societies. What are the factors that make a society sustainable? Can you discuss examples in either your city or state?
Ecological Changes (graded)
Ecology is the study of organisms and how they interact in the environment. There are many things that can impact the organisms in the environment. Look around your city or state and outline some ecological changes that may have resulted from environmental issues. Are these positive or negative?
week 2
Our very existence depends on the flora and fauna (plant and animal species) on our planet. What services do we get from ecosystems? Is our life sustainable without these species?
Threatened and Endangered Species (graded)
In the upper Midwest and Northern states, the grey wolf was an endangered species. It had been hunted nearly to the point of extinction. Threatened and endangered species exist all over the world. What is the difference between a threatened and endangered species, and are there any examples in your state or country?
week 3
week 3
Immigration (graded)
The United States has grown primarily through immigration. People come to the United States for a chance at a better life. Look around you at everything in your life. People were willing to leave it all to come by foot, boat, or plane to live in the United States and Canada. Yet, in recent years, the thought of immigration has become a hot topic. What are your thoughts on the two types of immigration: legal and illegal?
Global Birth Rates (graded)
Populations grow when birth rates are higher than death rates and when migration levels are low. Fertility rates are high in developing countries. Why do developing countries have high fertility rates?
week 4
Fossil Fuels (graded)
Whether you love petroleum or hate petroleum, the fact is that you use it every day in your car, plastics, foods, medicines, health and beauty aids, fertilizers, pesticides, insulations, and polyesters (to name a few things). What are some other things that petroleum is used in?
Renewable Energy (graded)
What are the environmental, economic, social, and political concerns of using renewable energy (wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, biomass, tidal)?
week 5
Water Pollution (graded)
Water pollution takes a huge toll on society, both environmentally and economically. Countries fight over water, cities and states sue over water contamination up a river, and other states are now forming pacts limiting water distribution from various lakes and reservoirs. As we learned in Week 1, good or bad, water does not go away; it stays as part of the hydrologic cycle. What is polluted water?
diss 2
Global Water Pollution (graded)
Why is water pollution more common in the developing countries of Asia, Africa, and South America and rarely in developed countries?
week 6
Warming Oceans (graded)
The climate on the earth as a planet has changed many, many times. The concern now is the impact that change can have on the human inhabitants. If the oceans warm a few degrees, what impacts can you see on the landmasses, biologic community, and human populations?
Responses to Climate Change (graded)
The concern about climate change is global. What is your city or state doing to educate, mitigate, and adapt to climate change?
week 7
Waste (graded)
Do we ever really throw away anything?
Lifestyle Choices (graded)
Lifestyle choices that impact the environment are made by each of us every day. What are some examples of choices that you have made?
all ilabs
iLab 1 of 7: Deforestation
Note!
Submit your assignment to the Dropbox located on the silver tab at the top of this page.
(See the Syllabus section “Due Dates for Assignments & Exams” for due dates.)
iLAB OVERVIEW
Scenario and Summary
These labs are graded and should be completed prior to taking the weekly quiz. The purpose of the labs is to familiarize you with the major concepts of the course. You will be exploring important concepts in environmental science in an interactive fashion. You may need to install the Adobe Flash plug-in and the Shockwave plug-in to view these files. These plug-ins can be downloaded for free at http://www.adobe.com.
Deforestation is both a local and a global environmental problem. The tropical rainforests are the most diverse ecosystems on Earth, full of unique plant and animal species. For years, human beings have used these species for food, shelter, clothing, and medicine, as well as sources of income. However, with the high rates of human populations in the tropics, the demand for these resources and the land on which they are found has led to massive destruction of these forests. This iLab seeks to explore the socioeconomic, cultural, and political pressure that results in deforestation.
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Exercise 1 is worth ten points.
Background: Worldwide, 1.6 billion people rely on forest products for all or part of their livelihoods according to theWorld Resources Institute andFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Exercise 2 is worth ten points.
Background: Half the world’s tropical forests have been cleared or degraded. Every hour, at least 4,500 acres of forest fall to chain saws, machetes, flames, or bulldozers according to theForestry Department, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Exercise 3 is worth ten points.
Background:
The quickest solution to deforestation would be to simply stop cutting down trees
Exercise 4 is worth ten points.
Background: This ilab has discussed Deforestation of The Tropical Rain Forests and the environmental consequences.
week 2
week 3
Exercise 1 is worth ten points.
Background:
Family trees are excellent indicators of the population dynamics within a family.Exercise:
Draw your family tree and discuss the fertility rates in at least three generations. Is the Total Fertility Rate the same or has it changed in the three generations? What are some of the reasons for these differences?
Exercise 2 is worth ten points.
Background:
Population profiles, also called population pyramids, show the distribution of any population into sex and age cohort/groups.Exercise:
Discuss a CURRENT population profile of your state. What does it show? Is the population growing, declining or stable? What is the projected population? List your references (at least three references are required).
Exercise 3 is worth ten points.
Background:
Human migration has been going on for hundreds of years as people move in search of better economic and educational opportunities and improved social lifestyles. Today, immigration is a global discussion. Many developed countries in the world are feeling the pressure from high numbers of immigrants coming into their countries from different cultural, socio-economic, and educational backgrounds.Exercise:
Discuss two similarities and two differences between immigration concerns of the U.S.A. and another developed country of your choice. List your references (at least three references are required).
Exercise 4 is worth ten points.
Background:
As of 2011 the global population passed the seven billion mark. The Earth’s resources are constant as the human population continues to grow. All of these increases are a result of high birth rates in the poor developing countries of Asia, Africa and South America. India has the world’s oldest family planning program, and China has the world’s only One Child Population Policy.Exercise:
Should governments decide the number of children a woman can have in her life time? Discuss the relationship between women’s rights (human rights) and education and fertility rates? List your references (at least three references are required).
week 4
Exercise 1 is worth ten points.
Background:
Mercury is a heavy metal that occurs naturally in minerals and rocks. Release of mercury from natural sources has been relatively constant over time. However, anthropogenic release of mercury has increased significantly in recent years, primarily due to increased fossil fuel mining and combustion. Mercury that is released into the air eventually ends up in soils or surface water.Exercise:
Discuss any two environmental concerns of having mercury pollution in the air, soils, and surface water.
Exercise 2 is worth ten points.
Background:
After World War II, thousands of young families moved “over the hills” and into the San Fernando Valley, a suburb of Los Angeles. New neighborhoods were springing up, replacing orange groves and open space. Roads and schools were quickly established to keep pace with the rapid population growth. Ringed by beautiful mountains, the entire Los Angeles basin looked like a new, green, sun-filled paradise to the families seeking a fresh start.
In the early 1950s, one of the common family chores in Los Angeles was to carry the trash out to the stone incinerator behind the garage where each family burned all of their dry trash. “Wet” garbage was collected and taken to a city dump, where it was burned by the city. Everyone throughout the city either used an incinerator or burned things in an open trash pile—there were over 400,000 backyard trash incinerators. On warm afternoons, peoples’ eyes would sometimes sting and burn. People would stop, close their eyes, and let the cleansing tears refresh their irritated eyes. They accepted this as a normal part of life in sunny California.Exercise:
Discuss any two reasons why Los Angeles has smog problems (Hint: one anthropogenic and one topographic). List at least two references.
Exercise 3 is worth ten points.
Background:
Assume you are employed in your city’s Public Health Department that deals with air pollution.Exercise:
Discuss at least two policies that you would seek to implement to reduce the impact of indoor air pollution on the human health in your community.
Exercise 4 is worth ten points.
Exercise:
Examine your house for five sources of indoor air pollution. Use a chart to record the source, the potential pollutants from the source, and what you need to do to remediate the problem.Example:
If you have a furnace, it could release carbon monoxide. The risk is relatively low because you have it checked every fall, however to remediate the risk entirely, you would need to purchase a carbon monoxide detector.
Exercise 2 is worth ten points.
