Topic 1:  Foundations of Environmental systems and societies.
Significant ideas: 
  • Historical events among other influences, affect the development of environmental value systems and environmental movements.
  • There is a wide spectrum of environmental value systems each with their own premises and implications.
​Knowledge and understanding:
  1. Significant historical influences on the development of the environmental movement have come from literature, the media, major environmental disasters, international agreements and technological developments.
  2. An environmental value system (EVS) is a world view or paradigm that shapes the way an individual or group of people, perceives and evaluates environmental issues, influenced by cultural, religious, economic an socio-political contexts.
  3. An EVS might be considered a "system" in the senses that it may be influenced by education, experience, culture and media (inputs) and involves a set of inter-related premises, values and arguments that can generate consistent decisions and evaluations (outputs).
  4. There is a spectrum of EVSs from ecocentric through anthropocentric to technocentric value systems.
 
Lesson 1  (8/9A-8/10B):  Course structures and introduction to Environmental Value Systems (EVS).
​Notebook Set-Up (link) 
Slides
​Notes from class (to be linked after class)

Lesson 2 (8/12A-8/13B):  Roots of the Environmental Movement
Slides
Video 1:  Rachel Carson
Video 2:  Rachel Carson, DDT and Malaria   
Topic 1.1 Slide Booklet

Extra:  Bhopal Disaster
           Chernobyl (32 years later)
           Minimata Disaster
           Fukushima Daichii-7 years out 

Lesson 3 (8/15A-8/16B):  Documentary-Fierce Green Fire.

Lesson 4  (8/17A-8/20B):  Historical Timelines and Writing Prompt. Lesson 5  (8/21A-8/22B):  Environmental Value Systems:  What do you think?
​In your classwork notebook, record details of each scenario below, exploring the resources provided.   Note what questions you have about each scenario.   What does it mean to you?  What does it mean for your community?...the global community?
Word Bank (Topic 1.1) (linked here) ​

​Scenario 1:  No bees, no food.
Scenario 2:  Beach plastic
Scenario 3:  Protection of the endangered Georgetown, Texas Salamander.
Lesson 6 (8/23A-8/24B):  
​Slides NOTE:  Bring class notebook on exam day!  Notebook checks are a quiz grade.

8/27A-8/28B:  Exam Topic 1.1

Topic 1.5
Significant ideas:
  • The terms “pollutant” and “contaminant” in environmental chemistry are considered more or less synonymous.
  • Pollution that arises from numerous widely dispersed origins is described as non-point source. Point source pollution arises from a single clearly identifiable site.
  • “Biodegradable” means capable of being broken down by natural biological processes
  • The principles of this sub-topic, particularly figure 3, should be used throughout the course when addressing issues of pollution.
  • Students should be aware that for some pollutants there may be a time lag before an appreciable effect on organisms is evident.
  • With reference to figure 3, students should appreciate the advantages of employing the earlier strategies of pollution management over the later ones, and the importance of collaboration.
  • Students might demonstrate knowledge of both the anti-malarial and agricultural use of DDT.
International-mindedness:
  • Pollution cannot be contained by national boundaries and therefore can act either locally, regionally or globally.
Theory of knowledge:
  • Experts sometimes disagree about pollution management strategies—on what basis might we decide between the judgments of the experts if they disagree?


Lesson 1 (8/30):  Humans and pollution
Video 1:  China and Pollution
Slides

Lesson 2 (9/4A-9/5B):  Evaluate the use of DDT.
Slides  
Mosquito Video
Video 1:  John Stossel on DDT
Video 2:  3-reasons we still haven't gotten rid of malaria (TED)
Video 3:  3 New Ways to kill mosquitoes (TED)
Article 1
Article 2

Lesson 2 continued (9/6A-9/7B): 
Article 1
Article 2
Article 3
Upcoming:  Quiz on Topic 1.5 (9/10A-9/11B)

Topic 1.2:  Systems and Models (9/10A-9/11B)
Systems in Environmental Science.
Quiz Topic 1.5
Slides
Video :  Biosphere 2
Video:  Biosphere 2 (retro report)-what was the controversy about the experiment.



1.2.A1 Evaluate the use of models as a tool in a given situation, for example, climate change predictions. 
  • ​Evaluate the strengths and limitations of climate change models.

Lesson (9/17-9/19):  Evaluate Models
Slides
1. Concord Consortium on Climate Change 
2.  Windows to the Universe Climate Model 
3.  Koshland Science Museum Model
4.  UCAR Science Ed Model   
5.  JAVA climate model
Extra:   Establishing pre-industrial baselines (climate models)

Revision slides
Link Video:  CBS 60 minutes (CTE model clip)
Link Video:   Daisy World

​Topic 1.3:  Energy and Equilibria

Lesson (9/20-9/21):  Energy, equilibria and tipping points.
​Slides 
Extra article:  "Thresholds, tipping points and limits" (in ecosystems)

Lesson (9/23):  Tipping points
slides
Article:  Is Earth Nearing the tipping point?
Video 2:  Eutrophication
Video 3:  Keystone species extinction
Video 4:   Coral Reef death  

Lesson (9/25B-9/26A):  Tipping points and Environmental impacts
​Slides
TED-talk:  Let the environment be our guide.
Case study:  Last frontier. 

Lesson (9/27B-9/28A):  Sustainability 
​Slides
Video:  Natural Capital 
Video:  The story of stuff.
Extra:  TED on consumerism 

Lesson (10/1B-10/2B):  Sustainability and Design
slides
Link:  Article 1: Why there is no such thing as built to last 
Link:  Article 2:  Ad campaign against Apple:  #heretostay
Link:  Article 2-planned obsolescence 
Link:  Sustainable design  
Extra:  Leather grown in a lab

Lesson 10/4A-10/5B:   Ecological footprints
Link:  Video- ecological footprints   (1)
          Video- ecological footprints (2) 
Activity:  Exploration of Carbon foot print
Glossary of Terms
Footprint Dataset
http://www.footprintcalculator.org/ 

Lesson 10/15-10/20:  Sustainability re-design project.
Slides 
Link:  redesign initiative. 
Link:   Sustainable design 
Link:  Sustainability in design (rethinking current products) 

Student discoveries:
1.  Recycled bubble gum
2.  Recycled cigarette butts