Blog

Short Essay: Many of the environmental issues we learned about in these courses are very large and complex. Explain several things (~4) you could do as an individual in your current lifestyle to work towards a solution to a large, complex environmental issue (e.g., starvation in developing nations, global air pollution, severe drought, etc.)?

Select the secondary pollutant

Short Essay: SCENE SETTING: Over summer break you are relaxing pool-side. You begin a friendly conversation with a climate change skeptic (CCS). You feel confident in taking on this conversation after successfully completing this course.  When responding to the CCS be sure to stick to just the one point that CCS brings up. The conversation begins with you talking about the WWF video of a mother polar bear swimming around looking for food and losing her baby.  You start explaining how this is happening because of global warming.  CCS:       “I don’t know about all of this global warming conspiracy. This past spring was so cold, it even snowed in April!  How is this warming (with air quotes)?”   YOU: 1st response: CCS:      “Ok, ok. But climate is always changing – this is just part of a natural cycle.” YOU: 2nd response:  CCS:      “Maybe…. but, why should I care? I don’t even live by the ocean or near a melting glacier! YOU: 3rd response:  CCS:      Thanks for all this great information and providing me a better understanding of climate change! YOU: Closing response:

Acid deposition occurs when the

One of the ways that feedback can be most effective is to be timely and specific. Which of the following would be the best way to provide feedback on household water usage?

Short Essay: List & Explain 3 of the major predicted consequences of climate change. In your opinion, which is the most disturbing and why?

Short Essay:  Discuss vampire power!  What percentage of home energy is consumed in this way?

2 Part Question: Calculation: The renewable resource with the greatest potential for energy creation at almost 23,000 Terawatts per year is solar energy.  The WORLD’s current annual need for energy is around 18 Terawatts.  So calculate how long it takes the sun to generate 1 full YEAR of energy for the WORLD!   Short Essay:  Discuss the implications of the potential for solar power.  Why have we not completely focused in this area?  What happens if we do and the sun collapses?  

Short Essay:  How many friends do you really have?  Oxford psychologist, Robin Dunbar, found that the average number of friends considered dependable is 4.1, and the number of friends who expressed sympathy during crisis is 13.6.  What do you think?  Does that fit with your social network?

Which of the following best describes water recycling?