2. You’re in the right place if…
• You are thinking about majoring or minoring in
Environmental Science
• You need a 2-semester science class to fulfill
your core requirements
• You enjoy the outdoors – don’t take this class if
you don’t like WALKING OUTSIDE!
• You are concerned about environmental issues
AND
• You have NOT already taken Integrated
Science-Environment
3. Goals of the Course
1. Recognize that environmental problems are
often the result of a conflict between individual
desires and community health
2. Learn how to solve environmental problems
3. Encourage respect for diversity – of people, of
all life forms – and for the entire “earth
community”
4. Help you “learn how to learn” – find information,
judge the quality of the information, analyze
data, make reasonable conclusions, etc.
4. How will we achieve these
goals?
1. LABS – hands on, outside!
2. LECTURES – team taught
3. READINGS – Textbook, field guide and
Sand County Almanac
4. SHORT ASSIGNMENTS
5. EXAMS
6. FINAL PROJECT
Syllabus explains how these are counted –
certain number of points for each
5. Syllabus
• Two-semester, 4 credit class
• Spells out the rules for absences, late assignments,
plagiarism, etc. Read it!
• NOTE: Every lecture class is worth at least 3 points,
every lab is 5 pts.
• NOTE: No texting, talking on cell phones; laptops only
for note-taking, must sit in first 3 rows if using a laptop!
• Schedule of lectures, labs and assignments
• READING QUESTIONS! Due every Thursday IN
LECTURE!
• Must have a “clickers” – Turning Point technology
6. CampusWeb “My Courses”:
Course Management software
One for lab, one for lecture
LECTURE
• Powerpoint presentations
• Announcements for the
whole class
• Syllabus
• All labs, handout
materials
LAB
• Your lab instructor sets it
up
• Specific announcements
for your lab
• Submit assignments via
lab section of WebCT
7.
8. Required for this class
• Course packet – bring to EVERY class and lab!
• Textbook: Principles of Env. Science
• A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold
• Field Guide to New England – bring to labs
• “Clickers” – bring to EVERY lecture – starting
Thursday
• Use them BOTH semesters – don’t have to buy
any new books next semester (except a new
course packet)
9. First Assignment – due this week
in lab – tomorrow or Friday!
• Read “Round River” in A Sand County Almanac
• Answer questions on p.2 in the packet – write
down answers, bring to lab in Room 131
Marcucella
• We will go outside in lab this week, and ask the
question: “Why do we have environmental
problems?”
• Dress appropriately! No flip-flops, high
heels, slippers, etc.
11. Taking notes from Powerpoint!
For this class:
• Things you need to know are written in white
• Required info repeated from a previous slide
written in green
• Examples, case studies, etc. are written in
yellow – don’t need to write it down
• All powerpoint presentations are made available
on WebCT – but you must still take written
notes!
• Let the lecturer know if he/she is going too fast
12. What is Environmental Science?
(ES)
• Study of the impact of humans on the natural
world
14. ES Goal: Sustainability
= Lasting ecological “balance” and human
progress (textbook definition)
= meeting the needs of the present generation (of
all species) without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs
(Bruntland Commission, 1987)
15. Three dimensions of
Sustainability
1. Environment: Environment can produce the
resources needed
2. Economy: Economy can continue to support us
on the resources we have
3. Equity/Fairness: Fair distribution of resources
– people of all cultures, and all species, must
be considered
16. Evidence of Sustainability?
• Reducing rates of human population growth
• Bald eagle populations have recovered!
• In U.S. we don’t dump raw sewage into the
water
• Many laws protecting the environment
• Awareness of the problem
• Etc.!
17. Evidence of unsustainability?
• Global climate change, increasing greenhouse
gases
• Human population still growing fast
• More wars, conflicts over resources
• Running out of oil
• Species going extinct faster than they would
without humans
• Etc.!
18. Outside in Lab this week!
• Do the reading, answer the questions!
• Dress appropriately! No flip-flops, high heels,
slippers, etc.
