“Alone in space, alone in its life-supporting systems, powered by

inconceivable energies, meditating them to us through the most delicate

adjustments, wayward, unlikely, unpredictable, but nourishing,

enlivening, and enriching in the largest degree – is this not a precious home

for all of us? Is it not worth our love?”

-- Barbara Ward and Rene Dubos.

What is Environmental Science?Use the template below to define these words on note cards or paper:

1.Resources

2.Sustainable

3.Renewable

4.Nonrenewable

Word and dictionary definition

Picture of what it is

Synonym Picture of what it is

NOT

Questions for Notes

• What is Environmental Science?

• What is Sustainability?

• What is an Ecological Footprint

• What are the four Major Environmental World Views?

What is Environmental Science?

• Environmental Science is a study of how the earth works, how we interact with the earth, and how to deal with environmental problems. – Deals with both the living and the

nonliving– Interdisciplinary

(Bio/Chem/Geol/Social Science; Humanities (ex. ethics))

– Ecology-driven

• NOT environmentalism – POLITICAL

Fig. 1-2, p. 7

Philosophy Biology

Ethics

Chemistry

Physics

Politicalscience

Geology

Economics

Geography

Demography

Anthropology

Ecology

What is Sustainability?

• Sustainability, the central theme of this class, is built on the sub themes of:– Natural capital (Natural resources and

services)– Natural capital degradation– Solutions– Trade-offs– How individuals matter.

• The ability of the earth to survive and adapt to changing environmental conditions.

What is Sustainability?

• How do we achieve a sustainable environment?– Three themes

• Solar energy• Biodiversity• Chemical cycling

– Sound Science is the foundation!

• The ultimate human goal is an environmentally sustainable society!

My Ecological Footprint

• One way to promote Sustainability is to understand your Ecological Footprints.

• Ecological Footprints– Amount of biologically productive

land and water needed to supply an area with resources and to absorb pollution and waste.

– www.myfootprint.org

Environmental Worldviews

• Most people disagree on how serious different environmental problems are and what we should do about them.

• There are Four Primary Environmental Worldviews.– Planetary Management Worldview– Stewardship Worldview– Environmental Wisdom Worldview– Deep Ecology Worldview

Planetary Management Worldview

• Human-centered

• We are apart from the rest of nature and can manage nature to meet our needs and wants.

• Due to our technology and ingenuity, we will never run out of resources

• The potential for economic growth is essentially unlimited.

Planetary Management Worldview

• Three variations:– No-problem school of thought– Free-market school– Spaceship Earth school

Stewardship model

• We have an ethical obligation to be caring managers, or stewards, of the earth.

• We probably won’t run out of resources, but we shouldn’t be wasteful.

• We must protect the earth for our children, and our children’s children.

• We borrow from the earth, we must pay back occaisionally.

Environmental Wisdom Worldview

• Earth-centered• We are a part of and totally

dependent on nature, and nature exists for all.

• Resources are limited and should not be wasted.

• We need to learn from the earth on how to live with it.

• It is futile to try to save the earth, because it does not need saving.– We must save our species and

culture.