ENS 201 - Introduction to Environmental and Sustainability Studies

1. Describe what it means to be sustainable, and evaluate the sustainability of personal and community actions.
2. Define the “Triple Bottom Line,” and demonstrate understanding of its principles through class discussions and presentations.
3. Summarize human population trends, and identify the effects of those trends on ecological footprints, food security, environmental pollution, climate change, and overall environmental health.
4. Explain principles of sustainable agriculture, and evaluate the sustainability of different food products or companies.
5. Outline historical world energy demands, and summarize limitations and negative impacts of increasing fossil fuel use.
6. List common sources of renewable energy, and evaluate their positive impacts, negative impacts, and ability to replace nonrenewable energy sources.
7. List observations that show the increased rate of change in the Earth’s modern climate, and explain how humans have contributed to that change.
8. Contrast current rates of biodiversity loss with historical mass extinctions, and assess the effects of biodiversity loss on ecosystem health.
9. List human sources of air pollution, and identify their impact on both human and environmental health.
10. Explain the hydrological cycle, and use it to analyze water scarcity and pollution.
11. Outline nutrient cycles, and connect those processes with environmental pollution and agriculture.
12. Explain the principles of developing sustainable sites, and evaluate the sustainability of community sites.
13. Explain considerations for waste management, and analyze the benefits and difficulties of sustainable practices such as recycling.
14. Describe economic considerations for sustainable development, and explain different ways that sustainability can be economically incentivized.
15. Propose improvements to personal or community behaviors to increase sustainability.

1. Introduction to Sustainability
   1. What is Sustainability?
   2. Historical Background
   3. The Triple Bottom Line
   4. Scientific, Political, and Business Perspectives
   5. Human Population and Scarcity
      1. Population Trends
      2. Ecological Footprints
2. Food and Agriculture
   1. Farming Methods and Agricultural Land Use
   2. Food Security
   3. Sustainable Agriculture
   4. Genetically Engineered Crops
3. Energy Use
   1. Energy Use Trends
   2. Fossil Fuels
      1. Pollution
      2. Future Supply
   3. Renewable Energy
      1. Nuclear Power
      2. Hydropower
      3. Solar Power
      4. Wind Power
4. Environmental Science
   1. Climate Change
      1. Climate History
      2. Climate Projections
   2. The Biosphere
      1. Conservation Ecology
      2. Historical Extinctions
      3. The Sixth Mass Extinction
   3. The Atmosphere
      1. Air Pollution
      2. Greenhouse Gases
   4. The Hydrosphere
      1. The Hydrologic Cycle
      2. Water Scarcity and Pollution
   5. The Lithosphere
      1. Nutrient Cycles
      2. Soil Erosion and Contamination
5. Environment and Society
   1. Land Use and Planning
      1. Green Buildings
      2. Sustainable Sites
      3. Transportation
   2. Waste Management
      1. Toxic and Hazardous Waste
      2. Recycling
   3. Risk and Environmental Health
      1. Natural Disasters
      2. Risk Assessment
   4. Environmental Economics
      1. Tragedy of the Commons
      2. Sustainable Product Design
   5. Community Engagement

Class Discussion: 20-40%

Writing Assignments: 10-25%

Group Work: 10-25%
Mandatory Course Components:
None
Equivalent Courses:
None