ENVR 102: Earth Literacy
Instructor:
Dr. Joan Maloof, Department of Biological Sciences
Office: 224 Henson Science Building
Office phone: (410) 548-5788; Home phone (410)
546-1038
e-mail: jemaloof@salisbury.edu
“Institutions of higher
education bear a profound moral responsibility to increase the awareness,
knowledge, skills and values needed to create a just and sustainable future.”
Anthony Cortese,
President of Second Nature.
We
depend on the natural world to provide the raw materials for our food,
clothing, and shelter (to name just a few things); we also depend on the
natural world to absorb our wastes. Our increasing human population has turned
to industrialization to make this process more efficient, but what are the
costs to the natural world? Is our behavior sustainable? Is it fair to other
generations, to other nations? If not, then how should we live? The answers to
these questions are complex, and they cannot be answered by one discipline
alone. Scientists, economists, politicians, and even artists will be called
upon to address this interface between industry and nature.
There
are numerous indications that our current behaviors are unsustainable. Many have
suggested that one important function of the university is to point out the
unsustainable nature of our actions, and to educate about alternatives. Ideally
campuses should be role models for the communities that surround them. “Campus
Sustainability” is a new movement and assessment methods are currently being
developed to monitor progress toward sustainability.
In
this class we will examine where our campus, and the individuals on it,
interface with the natural world. In addition, each student will research some
aspect of the Sustainability Tracking,
Assessment and Rating System (STARS) for Colleges and Universities and
determine where
During our discussions we will consider the role of
science, and the scientific method, in the creation of both environmental
problems and solutions. By definition, scientific knowledge is continually
changing. We will discuss some of the ways that science-related attitudes
toward environmental issues have changed in the past fifty years.
Prerequisite: none
This course satisfies General
Education IIIB requirements. It is a core course in the Environmental Issues
major.
Texts:
This course will be web
enhanced. Many readings and all homework assignments will require internet
access. Students are responsible for arranging a dependable source of access.
Inability to connect to the internet will not be a valid excuse for missing
deadlines.
Attendance:
Because this class only meets once a week, and it is
experientially based, attendance is critical. After the first absence,
additional absences will lower your grade 5% per absence. The only valid excuse
will be if the University is closed. Please speak with the instructor if there
are exceptional circumstances.
Other: See student handbook for policies on cheating;
writing across the curriculum; and the writing center.
Using a universal rating system for measuring colleges and
universities according to sustainability, students will research and document
Class Schedule
Date |
activity |
work due |
Sept 4 |
Sustainability, Living
Planet Index, AASHE – STARS, |
|
Sept 11 |
Agriculture - experiential |
Assignment #1 |
Sept 18 |
Dining Hall and Campus Waste
Procedures - experiential |
Assignment #2 |
Sept 25 |
Bank of Eden Compost &
Sharon Carson Compost - experiential |
Assignment #3 |
Oct 2 |
Solid Waste & Methane-
experiential |
Assignment #4 |
Oct 9 |
Chip Mill and Biofuels – experiential |
Assignment #5 |
Oct 16 |
Drinking Water -
experiential |
Assignment #6 |
Oct 23 |
Wastewater -experiential |
Assignment #7 |
Oct 30 |
Stormwater - experiential |
Assignment #8 |
Nov 6 |
Green Festival in DC* –class moved to weekend (Nov 7 is last day to drop with a ‘W’) |
|
Nov 13 |
Toxins and Ecological
Footprint |
Assignment #9 |
Nov 20 |
Senator Winegrad 10am Nanticoke A |
Assignment #10 |
Nov 27 |
No class- Thanksgiving |
|
Dec 4 |
Production of STARS presentation |
STARS report and Powerpoint
slides |
Dec 11 |
STARS final presentation |
|
Dec 18, Thurs. |
Final Exam, 7 p.m., same room |
|
* Sat. Nov 8, 10-8, and Sun. Nov.
9, 11-6,