general studies course proposal cover form … · general studies course proposal cover form ......

Rev. 3/2017

GENERAL STUDIES COURSE PROPOSAL COVER FORM Course information: Copy and paste current course information from Class Search/Course Catalog.

College/School School of Sustainability Department/School

Prefix: SOS Number: 294 Title: Sustainability, Science and Society Units: 3 Course description: This course explores global and local sustainability topics by taking students on a virtual tour of the world through various engaging digital stories. From Phoenix to Bali case studies, this course uncovers diverse approaches used by scientists, scholars, and practitioners to study and assess human-environment interactions pertaining to sustainability challenges and solutions. Students will learn critical thinking skills that will foster better engagement with the world around them through the lens of sustainability.

Is this a cross-listed course? No If yes, please identify course(s):

Is this a shared course? No If so, list all academic units offering this course:

Note- For courses that are crosslisted and/or shared, a letter of support from the chair/director of each department that offers the course is required for each designation requested. By submitting this letter of support, the chair/director agrees to ensure that all faculty teaching the course are aware of the General Studies designation(s) and will teach the course in a manner that meets the criteria for each approved designation.

Is this a permanent-numbered course with topics? No

If yes, all topics under this permanent-numbered course must be taught in a manner that meets the criteria for the approved designation(s). It is the responsibility of the chair/director to ensure that all faculty teaching the course are aware of the General Studies designation(s) and adhere to the above guidelines.

Chair/Director Initials

(Required) Requested designation: Global Awareness–G Note- a separate proposal is required for each designation.

Mandatory Review: No

Eligibility: Permanent numbered courses must have completed the university’s review and approval process. For the rules governing approval of omnibus courses, contact [email protected].

Submission deadlines dates are as follow: For Fall 2018 Effective Date: October 1, 2017 For Spring 2019 Effective Date: March 10, 2018

Area(s) proposed course will serve: A single course may be proposed for more than one core or awareness area. A course may satisfy a core area requirement and more than one awareness area requirements concurrently, but may not satisfy requirements in two core areas simultaneously, even if approved for those areas. With departmental consent, an approved General Studies course may be counted toward both the General Studies requirement and the major program of study. Checklists for general studies designations: Complete and attach the appropriate checklist

• Literacy and Critical Inquiry core courses (L) • Mathematics core courses (MA) • Computer/statistics/quantitative applications core courses (CS) • Humanities, Arts and Design core courses (HU) • Social-Behavioral Sciences core courses (SB) • Natural Sciences core courses (SQ/SG) • Cultural Diversity in the United States courses (C) • Global Awareness courses (G) • Historical Awareness courses (H)

A complete proposal should include: Signed course proposal cover form Criteria checklist for General Studies designation being requested Course catalog description Sample syllabus for the course Copy of table of contents from the textbook and list of required readings/books

It is respectfully requested that proposals are submitted electronically with all files compiled into one PDF. Contact information:

Name Caroline Harrison E-mail [email protected] Phone 480/965-8645

Department Chair/Director approval: (Required)

Chair/Director name (Typed): Christopher G. Boone Date: 10/11/17

Rev. 3/2017

Chair/Director (Signature):

Arizona State University Criteria Checklist for

GLOBAL AWARENESS [G]

Rationale and Objectives Human organizations and relationships have evolved from being family and village centered to modern global interdependence. The greatest challenge in the nuclear age is developing and maintaining a global perspective which fosters international cooperation. While the modern world is comprised of politically independent states, people must transcend nationalism and recognize the significant interdependence among peoples of the world. The exposure of students to different cultural systems provides the background of thought necessary to developing a global perspective. Cultural learning is present in many disciplines. Exposure to perspectives on art, business, engineering, music, and the natural and social sciences that lead to an understanding of the contemporary world supports the view that intercultural interaction has become a daily necessity. The complexity of American society forces people to balance regional and national goals with global concerns. Many of the most serious problems are world issues and require solutions which exhibit mutuality and reciprocity. No longer are hunger, ecology, health care delivery, language planning, information exchanges, economic and social developments, law, technology transfer, philosophy, and the arts solely national concerns; they affect all the people of the world. Survival may be dependent on the ability to generate global solutions to some of the most pressing problems. The word university, from universitas, implies that knowledge comes from many sources and is not restricted to local, regional, or national perspectives. The Global Awareness Area recognizes the need for an understanding of the values, elements, and social processes of cultures other than the culture of the United States. Learning which recognizes the nature of others cultures and the relationship of America’s cultural system to generic human goals and welfare will help create the multicultural and global perspective necessary for effective interaction in the human community. Courses which meet the requirement in global awareness are of one or more of the following types: (1) in-depth area studies which are concerned with an examination of culture-specific elements of a region of the world, country, or culture group, (2) the study of contemporary non-English language courses that have a significant cultural component, (3) comparative cultural studies with an emphasis on non-U.S. areas, and (4) in-depth studies of non-U.S. centered cultural interrelationships of global scope such as the global interdependence produced by problems of world ecology, multinational corporations, migration, and the threat of nuclear war. Reviewed 4/2014

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Global Awareness [G] Page 2

Proposer: Please complete the following section and attach appropriate documentation.

ASU--[G] CRITERIA GLOBAL AWARENESS [G]

YES NO Identify

Documentation Submitted

1. Studies must be composed of subject matter that

addresses or leads to an understanding of the contemporary world outside the U.S.

Click HERE to see documentation and support table for Criteria 1

2. The course must match at least one of the following descriptions: (check all which may apply):

a. In-depth area studies which are concerned with an examination of culture-specific elements of a region, country or culture group. The area or culture studied must be non-U.S. and the study must contribute to an understanding of the contemporary world.

Click HERE to see documentation for Criteria 2a

b. The course is a language course for a contemporary

non-English language, and has a significant cultural component.

c. The course is a comparative cultural study in which

most, i.e., more than half, of the material is devoted to non-U.S. areas.

Click HERE to see documentation and support table for Criteria 2c

d. The course is a study of the cultural significance of a non-U.S.-centered global issue. The course examines the role of its target issue within each culture and the interrelatedness of various global cultures on that issue. It looks at the cultural significance of its issue in various cultures outside the U.S., both examining the issue’s place within each culture and the effects of that issue on world cultures.”

Click HERE to see documentation and support table for Criteria 2d

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Page 3 of 4 Course Prefix Number Title Designation SOS 294 Sustainability, Science and Society Global Awareness (G)

Explain in detail which student activities correspond to the specific designation criteria. Please use the following organizer to explain how the criteria are being met.

Criteria (from checksheet)

How course meets spirit (contextualize specific examples

in next column)

Please provide detailed evidence of how course meets criteria (i.e., where in

syllabus)

SAMPLE: 2d: study the cultural significance of a non-U.S. centered global issue

SAMPLE: The course examines the cultural significance of financial markets Japan, Korea, and the UK.

SAMPLE: Module 2 shows how Japanese literature has shaped how Japanese people understand world markets. Module 3 shows how Japanese popular culture has been changed by the world financial market system. Modules 4 & 5 do the same for Korea and modules 6 & 7 do the same for the UK.

1. Studies must be composted of subject matter that addresses or leads to an understanding of the contemporary world outside the U.S.

This course explores global and local sustainability topics by taking students on a virtual tour of the world through various engaging digital stories.

SOS 294 provides a strong foundation in education through research, discussion, and critical thinking of current and historical international issues in human development, science, technology, and society. All course content is divided into local case studies, which are matched with global case studies with the goal of drawing parallels and connections between what is happening here locally to that which is taking place globally. Click HERE for more information, and corresponding table.

2a. In-depth area studies which are concerned with an examination of culture-specific elements of a region, country or culture group. The area or culture studied must be non-U.S. and the study must contribute to an understanding of the contemporary world..

Due to the very nature of sustainability as a topic focus, a global perspective is transparently woven throughout the course content.

We offer students the opportunity to learn about major sustainability subjects that are applicable to countries and specified locations throughout the world. Click HERE for more information.

2c. The course is a comparative cultural study in which most, i.e., more than half, of the material is devoted to non-U.S. areas.

Over 70% of our videos feature international case studies, profiles, and/or comparative themes

Societies from around the world are studied to better understand how their cultural practices and values play a role in the way they interact with their surroundings. Click HERE for more information, and corresponding table.

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2d. The course is a study of the cultural significance of a non-U.S.-centered global issue. The course examines the role of its target issue within each culture and the interrelatedness of various global cultures on that issue. It looks at the cultural significance of its issue in various cultures outside the U.S., both examining the issue's place within each culture and the effects of that issue on world cultures.

Course work encompasses considerations that bring to light the cultural significance within sustainability topics by reflecting on the individual, familial, community, and societal cultural viewpoints

Focus involves concepts of justice, equity, social– ecological integrity, ethics, understanding how these concepts vary across/within cultures, and how integrating these concepts contribute to solving sustainability problems (Holifield, Porter, & Walker, 2010). Click HERE for more information, and corresponding table.

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1: Studies must be composed of subject matter that addresses or leads to an understanding of the contemporary world outside the U.S. Sustainability, Science, and Society (SOS 294) This course explores global and local sustainability topics by taking students on a virtual tour of the world through various engaging digital stories. With case studies from Phoenix to Bali, this course uncovers diverse approaches used by scientists, scholars, and practitioners to study and assess human-environment interactions pertaining to sustainability challenges and solutions. Students learn critical thinking skills that will foster better engagement with the world around them through the lens of sustainability. Students are encouraged to explore global topics through sustainability, learning to “ask critical questions; envision more positive futures; clarify one’s own values; think systemically; respond through applied learning opportunities; and to explore the dialectic between tradition and innovation” (Tilbury, 2011). SOS 294 provides a strong foundation in education through research, discussion, and critical thinking of current and historical international issues in human development, science, technology, and society. Utilizing the Sustainability Education Framework for Teachers (Warren, 2015), the course considers transnational topics from multiple perspectives through futures thinking, values thinking, systems thinking, and strategic thinking. Students learn about sustainability topics that affect all parts of the world, and how these topics are interconnected with the worldwide network. All course content is divided into local case studies, which are matched with global case studies with the goal of drawing parallels and connections between what is happening here locally to that which is taking place globally. For example, in the week focused on Production, students learn how consumers and producers of the iPhone are linked in a global supply chain, connecting the extraction of natural resources in the People’s Republic of the Congo for manufacturing of the device in Japan, Korea, Germany, and the United States. Table 1 shows the various locations where case studies and profiles are featured, all intentionally chosen to broaden the students’ knowledge and perspective on various topics as they relate to the modern global society. Table 1. Countries or continents profiled in SOS 294.

Country or continent profiled (excludes US) Topic Week Video Name

Global (information applicable to the world, as a whole)

All topic weeks feature research and statistics related to the world as a whole. Weeks include: Sustainability (general introduction), population, poverty, food, water, fossil fuels, new energy, ecosystem services, production, disposal.

Various

Africa (general) Population, Poverty Population: “Beginnings”; Poverty: “Education” Armenia Poverty “Basic Needs” Bengal, India Food “Feeding the World Brazil Disposal “Landfills” British Isles New Energy “Tidal” Cambodia Poverty “Relief Goals” Cape Town, South Fossil Fuels “Equity”

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Africa Central African Republic Poverty “Relief Goals”

Chad Food “Over-nutrition and malnutrition” Chile Ecosystem Services “Coupled Systems 2”

China Food, Water, New Energy, Production, Disposal

Food: “Agricultural Methods” “Beyond the Crops”; Water: “Environmental Health”; New Energy: “Wind”; Production: “iPhone”; Disposal: “eWaste”, “Plastics”

France New Energy “Tidal” Germany New Energy “Solar” Havana, Cuba Food “Agricultural Methods” India Ecosystem Services “Coupled Systems 2” Ireland Food “Feeding the World” Jordan Ecosystem Services “Coupled Systems 1”

Kenya Water, Production, Disposal Water: “Human Health”; Production: “Clay Stove”; Disposal: “Landfills”, “eWaste”

London, England Water “Human Health” Malawi New Energy “Wind”

Mexico Ecosystem Services, Production Ecosystem Services: “Coupled Systems 2”; Production: “Jeans”

Middle East (general) Food “Feeding the World” New Delhi Poverty “Disparity” Ojoto, Nigeria New Energy “Solar”

Pakistan Poverty, Ecosystem Services Poverty: “Relief Goals”; Ecosystem Services: “Coupled Systems 2”

Papua New Guinea Food “Feeding the World” People’s Republic of Congo Production “iPhone”

Saskatchewan, Canada Fossil Fuels “Oil” Shanghai, China Food “Agricultural Methods” Sierra Leone Poverty “Education” South Korea New Energy “Tidal” Vancouver, B.C., Canada Ecosystem Services “Trade Offs”

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2a: In-depth area studies which are concerned with an examination of culture-specific elements of a region, country or culture group. The area or culture studied must be non-U.S. and the study must contribute to an understanding of the contemporary world. Due to the very nature of sustainability as a topic focus, a global perspective is transparently woven throughout the course content. We offer students the opportunity to learn about major sustainability subjects that are applicable to countries and specified locations throughout the world. For example, during the week on “Poverty” (week 3), students explore many facets of the subject with profiles from Armenia, Cambodia, Central African Republic, New Delhi, Pakistan, and Sierra Leone. Students explore the question, “What does it take to meet everyone’s basic needs?” Students explore basic needs, resource distribution, and the Millennium Development Goals from low, middle, and high-income countries. During “Food” (week 4), students have the opportunity to reflect upon and compare the Western diet of over-nutrition to the malnutrition experienced in Chad. Over-nutrition can be traced back to the unsustainable food system based on the domestication of animals and the Green Revolution, which is responsible for mass food production through monocultures. A variety of health risks can also be attributed to the Western diet including diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and high blood pressure. These health conditions cost Americans 120 billion dollars each year. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the video segments highlighting Chad features the extreme malnutrition affecting 26% of all children. Malnutrition stunts development, weakens the immune system, and increases the occurrence and severity of diseases. The global food system is broken down throughout the week to reflect on how we can feed the world in a sustainable way. The impacts of consumer values are analyzed during the Disposal week while taking a look at the Gramache landfill in Brazil and the mountains of eWaste found in China. Both locations are examples of where products go after they are done being used. The Gramache landfill has an intricate system for recycling and repurposing products. In the process, this landfill employs over 2,000 workers. eWaste consists of old electronics that people throw away. These are shipped to the Zhejiang and Fujian Provinces where people pick apart the boards and components in search of precious metals of value. The impacts from this accumulation of eWaste on the environment are toxic. These metals are leaking into the ground water supply and polluting the air. These examples show how the actions in one part of the world, such as throwing away an old television, can impact populations around the world. More detailed information on the global focus imbedded within the content can be reviewed in the “SOS 294 GLOBAL content inventory” Excel workbook.

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2c: The course is a comparative cultural study in which most, i.e., more than half, of the material is devoted to non-U.S. areas. Our SOS 294 course considers issues at the global scale while relating them back to our local context. The video content and course assignments encourage students to analyze and integrate international perspectives. For example, the final paper asks students to choose a current news article about a sustainability science related issue occurring anywhere in the world. Students write an analysis of their chosen article and how it compares to the factual evidence learned throughout the course. We offer students the opportunity to learn about major sustainability subjects (Table 1) that are applicable to a diverse number of countries, often in differing ways. SOS 294 does not have a required textbook. In its place, each content week contains between one and seven custom-produced videos in the digital storytelling format. The digital story telling format enables us to paint a picture of our modern world to reach and disseminate our research even further. This is the ideal method to convey content in online education. As you can see in Table 2 (on the next page), over 70% of our videos feature international case studies, profiles, and/or comparative themes. Societies from around the world are studied to better understand how their cultural practices and values play a role in the way they interact with their surroundings. In the “Ecosystem Services” week, students take a look at how the leaders and citizens of Vancouver, B.C., Canada view and interact with their natural environment. They use the replacement cost method to make the choice between different types of ecosystem services. For example, when having the choice between building a water treatment plant or protecting a watershed, the choice would be made to protect and preserve the natural water treatment system provided by the watershed. Both direct and indirect costs and benefits must be analyzed when considering solutions to public issues. Likewise, students explore scenarios of alternative choices. During the “New Energy” week, alternative methods for producing energy are analyzed as a solution to the finite amount of carbon emitting fossil fuels left on Earth. The tidal power seawall in South Korea is an example of a solution to this global issue. The Saemangeum Seawall is the world’s largest tidal power plant in the world and has the potential to produce 254 megawatts of energy. Not only is this enough energy to power half a million homes, but the turbines also help to improve water circulation as they spin, benefitting the marine ecosystem. It is going to take innovative change and new ideas to discover solutions to our global problems of today. The ability to analyze and work together with societies around the world is an essential skill for the next generation of leaders.

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Table 2. Videos in topic focus area that feature international case studies, profiles, and/or comparative themes

Weekly Topic Focus

% of videos in topic focus area that feature

international case studies, profiles, and/or

comparative themes

Number of videos in topic focus area

Number of videos in topic focus area that feature

international case studies, profiles, and/or

comparative themes Sustainability 100% 1 1

Population 66% 3 2 Poverty 80% 5 4

Food 100% 5 5 Water 43% 7 3

Fossil Fuels 86% 7 6 New Energy 100% 5 5 Ecosystem Services

60% 5 3

Production 50% 6 3 Disposal 60% 5 3

Total: 49 Total: 35

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2d: The course is a study of the cultural significance of a non-U.S.-centered global issue. The course examines the role of its target issue within each culture and the interrelatedness of various global cultures on that issue. It looks at the cultural significance of its issue in various cultures outside the U.S., both examining the issue’s place within each culture and the effects of that issue on world cultures. As previously mentioned, SOS 294 covers a wide variety of global topics and issues related to sustainability (see Table 1). In order to bridge these seemly disparate topic areas, this course utilizes an overarching framework for teaching, considering, and inculcating the ideas and principles of sustainability to educators. The Four Ways of Thinking - or, alternatively, The Sustainability Education Framework for Teachers (Warren, Archambault, & Foley, 2014) - builds upon knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for problem solving with respect to complex sustainability challenges. This framework consists of Futures Thinking, Values Thinking, Systems Thinking, and Strategic Thinking, all of which are meant to offer a critical and creative lens for viewing sustainability problems and solutions. Values Thinking, in particular, encompasses considerations that bring to light the cultural significance within sustainability topics by reflecting on the individual, familial, community, and societal cultural viewpoints, each representing a separate stakeholder position in the possible outcomes. It also involves concepts of justice, equity, social–ecological integrity, ethics, understanding how these concepts vary across/within cultures, and how integrating these concepts contribute to solving sustainability problems (Holifield, Porter, & Walker, 2010). Values Thinking means being able to examine the effects our values have on our decisions and places a particular affinity for sustainability choices and plans. Understanding other’s values can also help break through the barriers of prejudice, politics, and culture, among other areas and hopefully work to a more coherent understanding and whole. Many of the global case studies put particular emphasis on Values Thinking, with a focus on the cultural significance of a situation, event, or community environment. For example, in the “Production” week of the course, students watch a case study about clay-stove production, which showcases the economic and cultural significance for individuals and families in Kenya. Production of clay-stove stimulates the local economy, and relies of locally sourced materials, labor, and markets. All the profits gained throughout the process are earned by local residence, and not given away to people living outside of Kenya. The localized production and consumption eliminates the need for long-distance transportation and continues to reinforce the connection between people and their environment. Culturally, the clay-stove has created a schism between the old way of preparing food, which utilizes the three-stone pot and provides more favorable food and time away from cooking for women, versus the new way, which prepares food more quickly and has a higher economic value. Near the end of the video, students are asked to consider, “Does the clay stove meet the cultural and economic needs of the local people?” For a full list of culturally significant topics explored throughout SOS 294, please see Table 3 below.

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The Four Ways of Thinking was developed to assist students and educators with developing sustainability literacy so they are better prepared to act as globally minded and knowledgeable citizens. This includes being able to address issues from an intergenerational perspective, embrace stewardship, challenge the status quo, identify the need social justice and fair distribution, respect limits, appreciate the importance of local place, understand the need for economic restructuring, see nature as a model and a teacher, and identify with global citizenship (Nolet, 2009). In addition, educators need to take a global perspective to encourage their students to see that issues, people, cultures, and places are interconnected, and that systems operate on a variety of transparent and hidden levels. Table 3. Culturally significant topic(s) explored in SOS 294 case studies.

Country Culturally significant topic(s) explored in case study Course Topic Focus Video Name

Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Zambia,

Zimbabwe, Lesotho and South Africa

Culture of hunters and gatherers Population Beginnings

New Delhi Resource distribution discrepancies among classes (poverty, middle, wealthy); accessibility options based on income

Poverty Disparity

Pakistan Gender/religious roles in rural community Poverty Relief Goals Uganda Cultural views of education; access to

education; role of educators in community Poverty Education

Kenya Cultural views of education and health; access to education and healthcare

Poverty Education

New Guinea Daily life of survival; rural agriculture; animal values and purpose

Food Feeding the World

Chad Daily life of survival; access to food/agriculture; access to healthcare

Food Over Nutrition and Malnutrition

England Water sanitation politics; medical inquiry in historic London

Water Human Health

South Africa Development of neighborhoods with families; culture of sharing access to electricity

Fossil Fuels Equity

Malawi Rural lifestyle; agricultural economy; New Energy Wind Nigeria Cultural of manual labor; rural lifestyle;

energy innovations; economic practices New Energy Solar

Jordan Building a society through irrigation opportunities and innovation;

Ecosystem Services Coupled Systems 1

Canada Cultural value of spending time in nature Ecosystem Services Trade-Offs Kenya Economic culture within Kenyan

communities surrounding clay stove versus three-stone pots

Production Clay Stove

Mexico Identifying societal preference for denim jeans through design; fashion culture

Production Jeans

People’s Republic of the Congo

Mining culture; living conditions; familial structure; healthcare access

Production iPhone

China Work environment culture at FoxConn (and throughout factories in China)

Production iPhone

Brazil Employment opportunities; capitalizing on waste in landfills; landfill workers culture;

Disposal Landfills

China Repurposing electronics; employee safety rights

Disposal eWaste

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References Church, W., & Skelton, L. (2010). Sustainability Education in K-12 Classrooms. Journal of Sustainability Education, 1-12. Holifield, R., Porter, M., & Walker, G. (Eds.). (2010). Spaces of environmental justice. Chichester, West Sussex, U.K.; Malden, MA: Wiley- Blackwell. Nolet, V. (2009). Preparing sustainability-literate teachers. Teachers College Record, 111(2), 409-422. Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future (1986). United Nations. Retrieved from http://www.un-documents.net/wced-ocf.htm Tilbury, D. (2011). Education for Sustainable Development. New York: UNESCO. Retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0019/001914/191442e.pdf *Warren, A., Archambault, L. &; Foley, R., (2015). Sustainability Education Framework for Teachers: Developing sustainability literacy through futures, values, systems, and strategic thinking. Journal of Sustainability Education, 6, 1-14. * Warren is the former last name of Annie Hale

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SOS 294: SUSTAINABILITY, SCIENCE AND SOCIETY

(This is an online course) FALL 2017, session C Schedule line 93681

Thursday, 08/17/2017 – Friday, 12/01/2017 (Final Exams 12/04/2017– 12/09/2017) COURSE INFORMATION Catalog Description This course explores global and local sustainability topics by taking students on a virtual tour of the world through various engaging digital stories. From Phoenix to Bali case studies, this course uncovers diverse approaches used by scientists, scholars, and practitioners to study and assess human-environment interactions pertaining to sustainability challenges and solutions. Students will learn critical thinking skills that will foster better engagement with the world around them through the lens of sustainability. More Course Details: Big Themes of Sustainability: Sustainability Science will broaden and deepen your understanding of the following concepts through each of the week’s content areas:

- We are seeking solutions to problems: Sustainability is about achieving a society where people’s needs are met now and in the future. We will find that many human needs are not being met globally in a sustainable way. Each need deficiency becomes a problem to be solved.

- There are limits to resources: Meeting human needs requires resources that come from nature. There are limits to all resources and therefore there will be limits to the number of people whose needs can be met.

- Advances in technology can reset limits: Technology can be implemented to be sustainable or unsustainable. One of the challenges of the 21st century is to figure out how to deploy technologies sustainably and phase out unsustainable practices.

- Solutions require collaboration: We must borrow insights from many fields of expertise in order to understand nature and our interaction with it. Successful solutions can only be achieved if all stakeholders are involved.

- Problems and solutions are both global and local: Natural cycles and human trade and transportation assure that actions taken at a local level will ultimately

Jackie LeFevers� 10/10/2017 11:34 AMComment [1]: Cover Form checklist requirement: Catalog Description

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have global consequences. Course Format This class will be conducted as an online learning course including, but not limited to, online discussions, quizzes/study questions, and written and applied projects. For a 15-week session, a student should be prepared to spend approximately 9 hours a week on coursework for a 3-credit class. Required Texts for all students Web sites, videos, PDF documents, etc. will be linked in the course Blackboard shell.

Supplemental Resources (not required, but excellent resources!)- if you read these email me and I would like to chat about them with you. Caradonna, J. L. (2014). Sustainability - A History. New York - Oxford University Press. (Introduction, pages 1-20) Caradonna, J. L. (2014). Sustainability - A History. New York - Oxford University Press. (Chapter 7, pages 233-255) Kates, R., Clark, W., Corell, R., Hall, J., Jaeger, C., et al. (2001). Sustainability science. Science

292 (5517), 641-642. Student Learning Outcomes Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Compare and contrast global sustainability themes, policies, and plans with local manifestations;

2. Identify the major myths or misconceptions associated with sustainability; 3. Distinguish between communicating about sustainability and action plans for

sustainability; 4. Differentiate between sustainable, sustainability, sustainable development, sustainability

science, environmental sustainability, sustainability literacy; 5. Discuss the interrelationships among values, beliefs, norms, and behaviors as well as,

perceptions, knowledge, and multiple ways of knowing/thinking; 6. Consider and evaluate how social justice and equity play into sustainability

choices/decisions; 7. Describe how different sectors are making use of sustainability goals, endeavors, and

solutions from education to policy; 8. Evaluate the credibility of several resources related to sustainability; 9. Explore and research sustainability challenges drawing from a variety of sources; 10. Deploy the Sustainability Education Framework: systems, futures, values and strategic

thinking skills to evaluate topics, ideas, and approaches.

Jackie LeFevers� 10/10/2017 11:36 AMComment [2]: Cover Form checklist requirement: Copy of table of contents from the textbook and list of required readings/books. There is not a required textbook for SOS294. Each content week contains between one and seven custom-produced videos in the digital storytelling format. The digital storytelling format enables us paint a picture of our modern world to reach and disseminate our research even further. This is the ideal method to convey content in online education.

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LEAD INSTRUCTOR

Annie Hale For more information on me, please visit Annie Hale OFFICE ROOM: OFFICE PHONE: 480-965-3968 EMAIL: [email protected] SKYPE: Anniehale100 VIRTUAL OFFICE HOURS via Skype:

Wednesdays, 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM (Phoenix time), and by appointment. Hours take place via e-mail, Skype, and/or phone. I will have Skype up and running during office hours so just call me. Do note, the best way to reach me is via email, so when in doubt send me an email and give me 8 hours to respond. If by chance you do not hear back from me within the 8-hour time frame send me a follow-up email.

COURSE CALENDAR

Content Week Start Date & Curriculum Topics

Assignment Due Date Deliverables, Notes, & Points

Week 1: 8/21/2017 Topic: Sustainability Let’s explore the topic and idea of sustainability.

Sunday, 8/27/2017, by 11:59pm (Phoenix, AZ time)

In the “Sustainability” content section of Blackboard: • Define the term sustainability and

answer related questions. (20 pts) • Watch “Big Themes” video. • Introduce yourself. (30 pts) • Sustainability Myths. (30 pts)

Week 2: 8/28/2017 Topic: Population How many people can the Earth support?


• Population Blackboard Quiz (10 pts)

• Population Assignment (30 pts)

Jackie LeFevers� 10/10/2017 1:42 PMComment [3]: 100% of all content weeks feature videos with globally-applicable sustainability content. Overall, 70% of the course videos (in place of textbook) feature international case studies, profiles, and/or comparative themes.

Jackie LeFevers� 10/10/2017 2:03 PMComment [4]: 66% of the videos in this week feature international case studies, profiles, and/or comparative themes. This week features international case studies/profiles from: Africa (general)

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Week 3: 9/4/2017 Topic: Poverty What does it take to meet everyone’s basic needs?


• Poverty Blackboard Quiz (10 pts) • Poverty Reflection (40 pts)

Week 4: 9/11/2017 Topic: Food How sustainable is our food system?


• Food Blackboard Quiz (10 pts) • Food Assignment (30 pts)

Week 5: 9/18/2017 Date Topic: Water How can we provide water to meet human needs sustainability?


• Water Blackboard Quiz (10 pts) • Look ahead at the report due next

week. Do not wait to start this task.

Week 6: 9/25/2017 Four ways of thinking. A tool for exploring sustainability


• Four Ways of Thinking Report Due (100 pts)

Week 7: 10/2/2017 Topic: Fossil Fuels How do fossil fuels affect people?


• Fossil Fuels Blackboard Quiz (10 pts)

• Fossil Fuels Assignment (30 pts)

Jackie LeFevers� 10/10/2017 2:03 PMComment [5]: 80% of the videos in this week feature international case studies, profiles, and/or comparative themes. This week features international case studies/profiles from: Africa (general); Armenia; Cambodia; Central African Republic; New Delhi; Pakistan; and Sierra Leone. Jackie LeFevers� 10/10/2017 2:03 PMComment [6]: 100% of the videos in this week feature international case studies, profiles, and/or comparative themes. This week features international case studies/profiles from: Bengal, India; Chad; China; Havana, Cuba; Ireland; Middle East (general); Papua New Guinea; and Shanghai, China

Jackie LeFevers� 10/10/2017 2:03 PMComment [7]: 43% of the videos in this week feature international case studies, profiles, and/or comparative themes. This week features international case studies/profiles from: China; Kenya; and London, England

Jackie LeFevers� 10/10/2017 2:03 PMComment [8]: 86% of the videos in this week feature international case studies, profiles, and/or comparative themes. This week features international case studies/profiles from: Cape Town, South Africa; and Saskatchewan, Canada

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Week 8:10/9/2017 Topic: New Energy How can new energy be generated to meet human needs sustainably?


• New Energy Blackboard Quiz (10 pts)

• Review expectations for the final project. Email your instructor if you have any questions.

Week 9: 10/16/2017 Topic: Four Ways of Thinking Application


• Four Ways of Thinking Application Report Due (200 pts)

Week 10: 10/23/2017 Topic: Ecosystem Services How strategic is our management of the biosphere?


• Ecosystem Services Blackboard quiz (10 pts)

Week 11: 10/30/2017 Final Project Draft


• Submit a working draft of your Final Project this week for review. (50 pts)

Week 12: 11/6/2017 Topic: Production How do systems of production and use affect people and places?


• Production Blackboard Quiz (10 pts)

• Production Assignment (30 pts)

Jackie LeFevers� 10/10/2017 2:02 PMComment [9]: 100% of the videos in this week feature international case studies, profiles, and/or comparative themes. This week features international case studies/profiles from: British Isles; China; France; Germany; Malawi; Ojoto, Nigeria; and South Korea

Jackie LeFevers� 10/10/2017 2:02 PMComment [10]: 60% of the videos in this week feature international case studies, profiles, and/or comparative themes. This week features international case studies/profiles from: Chile; India; Jordan; Mexico; Pakistan; and Vancouver B.C., Canada

Jackie LeFevers� 10/10/2017 2:02 PMComment [11]: 50% of the videos in this week feature international case studies, profiles, and/or comparative themes. This week features international case studies/profiles from: China; Kenya; Mexico; and People’s Republic of Congo;

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Week 13: 11/13/2017 Topic: Disposal How is waste managed, and how does it affect people and places?


• Disposal Blackboard Quiz (10 pts)

Week 14: 11/20/2017 Work on Final Project

Date, 11/26/2017 by 11:59pm (Phoenix, AZ time)

• Work on your final project. Email me if you have any questions.

Week 15: 11/27/2017 Topic: Wrap-up Let’s review the topic and idea of sustainability.

Date, 12/3/2017 by 11:59pm (Phoenix, AZ time

• Submit Final Project (300 pts) • Wrap-up questions: re-define the

term sustainability, taking into consideration what you have learned this semester. (20 pts)

TOTAL 1000 points

Assignment Descriptions Quizzes: The quizzes in this course cover course content from each module and align with learning outcomes. This quiz format will be a series of true/false or multiple-choice questions you will answer after you have watched all of the videos for the module. These quizzes are formative and help introduce or reinforce course outcomes. Reflection: The reflections cover course content from that week and align with course outcomes. These short, written responses are formative and help students to reflect on course content, outcomes, and materials as related to them as citizens and future professionals. It is expected that when completing the reflection, students reference specific portions of the video content. These references can take the form of quotations, data, logic, and/or points made in the video content, and should support the student’s reflections in a meaningful manner. This is in opportunity to

Jackie LeFevers� 10/10/2017 2:02 PMComment [12]: 60% of the videos in this week feature international case studies, profiles, and/or comparative themes. This week features international case studies/profiles from: Brazil; China; and Kenya

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apply the new material presented, demonstrate your understanding of the content, and make use of the materials prepared for you in this class. Assignments: These assignments require students to explore what is being done at ASU, in the local surrounding area, or in the world, to address sustainability-related issues. For example, during the Food Week, students draw the system of a hotdog which gets students thinking about food systems, where their food comes from, and food miles. The focus is on the student as a citizen and increasing his/her sustainability literacy. Reports: Students will be responsible for providing detailed and robust responses to all questions and prompts provided for the each report. These research papers are meant to offer the student an opportunity to thoroughly explore the Four Ways of Thinking, conduct some research online as outlined in the prompt, and offer students the opportunity to connect seemingly disparate topics/ideas. It is expected that when completing your research report, students will reference specific quotations, data, logic and/or points made in the video content and/or highlighted outside materials as requested by the report prompts. Each research paper should be no more than four pages in total making use of Times New Roman, 12-point font, 1” inch margins, and double spaced documents. Final Project Description and Requirements: Final Report: Students will be analyzing, evaluating, and considering sustainability science using current news stories for their final project this semester. Students will identify one news story (article) and write a 2-3 page analysis. Learning outcomes:

1. Students will be able to explore, analyze, and evaluate how things are happening in the world connect specifically with the topics and materials explored in this course.

2. Students will be able to deconstruct and analyze a news story using the Four Ways Of Thinking and the topics of sustainability that we have learned about this semester.

Details: Select a sustainability themed news story/article from the following required resources (listed below). Write a 2-3-page (double spaced, 12 point, Times New Roman font) review of each of this article. Email your instructor if you need clarification on the topic of the article Briefly describe the article in the first paragraph. In the next two paragraphs, identify the sustainability theme that is noted in the article. Justify how you know this is indeed the sustainability theme of the article. In the following paragraphs, analyze the news story using the following prompts:

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1. Why do you believe this article related to the topic of sustainability? 2. Why is this topic of interest to those that are concerned with sustainability and related

topics? 3. Who is the article aiming to persuade and/or share this information with (policy makers,

certain community members, non-profit organizations, the public, etc.)? 4. What larger/meta sustainability topic explored in our course this semester does this article

connect with (population, poverty, food, water, energy, new energy, etc.)? Demonstrate/highlight that you indeed see a clear connection.

5. How does the article connect to the Four Ways of Thinking used in our course (Futures, Values, Systems, Strategic)? Does it directly connect to all four or just a few of them? Be specific.

6. How did the information in this article reinforce or contradict the data, logic, and ideas in this course? Please use at least one specific example from the article and one specific example from the courses online content to support your answer. Be specific and use details, facts, logic, and ideas from the course. Make sure to point to them and let me know where you found the information (for example, reference a specific section/segment in one of our videos). Demonstrate to me what you have learned this semester.

Justify the connections/arguments you have made in this paper with specific details and data from the course. To receive credit, you MUST include either the working link to the article’s permanent URL or attach the article you have reviewed to your analysis as a PDF. Reviews without the original article will be considered a zero. It is your job to ensure that I can see and read the article you have selected upon submission of your final project. Resources: Students must use the following resources to identify their article. News stories from other resources will not be accepted unless I have granted prior approval. You might ask why I am only considering these outlets for our project? I believe these to be valuable, reputable, and creditable sources. In today’s world where we can find anything on the web, we need to ask ourselves, “how creditable, valuable, and reliable are these sources. Likewise, how do we actually know they are creditable, valuable, and reliable? What makes a news outlet creditable?” National Geographic, New York Times*, Science, Science Daily, Scientific American, News 360, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal All of these news outlets are freely accessible through ASU's library system or the Internet. On ASU’s library system, you can go to the “Journals” tab and type in the title of the news outlet and go from there. If you have questions, you can chat with a librarian 24 hours a day! https://lib.asu.edu/help *New York Times: To access NYTimes.com, each user must initially register on while physically on any ASU campus through a non-proxy server IP address by following these steps. Connect with a librarian

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if this is not possible, they will help you out. https://lib.asu.edu/help

1. Go to nytimes.com/grouppass. 2. Create a NYTimes.com account using your ASU email (asu.edu) address. If you

already have a NYTimes.com account using ASU’s email address, you may log in with those credentials.

3. When you see START YOUR ACCESS, the expiration time and date of your pass will appear. Please note, that each “pass” is good for 364 days, and then will need to be renewed.

4. Once the account is created, access the NYTimes.com from any location, on or off campus.

Also included in the “Group Pass” is access to the NYTimes smartphone apps (iPhone, Android, Windows). Unfortunately the tablet apps are not included in this access. Tablet users may instead access the nytimes.com web site using a browser. Work Cited: Outline of all the resources/references used to prepare your project. (Use APA format. For assistance, refer to http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/10/). Students must cite all of the resources used in their project.

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Final Project Article Review Grading Rubric: 300 Total Points Required Materials – Final Project Comments

Art

icle

20 points

10 points

a) Source/Guidelines: A current sustainability-themed news story/article was selected from the following resources: National Geographic, New York Times, Science, Science Daily, Scientific American, News 360, or The Washington Post. Points will not be granted for any other news source, unless pre-approved by the instructor. The selected article covers a clear sustainability topic that has been explored in the course.

10 points

b) URL/PDF: A permanent URL or attached PDF of the original article is included with the written review. Reviews without the original article will be considered a zero for the full project.

Wri

tten

Rev

iew

50 points

20 points

c) Structure: Student turned in a well-developed review, totaling 2-3 pages. The review is double-spaced, and is written in Times font, size 12 point.

30 points

d) Content: The first paragraph is a summary of the selected article. The following paragraphs identify what the sustainability point or theme is, and fulfills the guidelines of section 3 in this rubric.

Ana

lysis

180 points

50 points

e) Course Connection: Student identifies the larger sustainability topic that was taught in the course (population, poverty, food, water, etc.), and explores how the information in the article reinforces or contradicts the data, logic, and ideas that were covered in class. They cite specific, detailed examples from both the article and from our course content while also bringing in additional outside resources to support their reasoning.

50 points

f) Four Ways of Thinking: Throughout the review, the student deconstructs and analyzes their news story through the Four Ways of Thinking (Futures, Values, Strategic and Systems).

80 points

g) Sustainability: The student explores the following questions, regarding their selected article: Why is this article related to the topic of sustainability? Why is this topic of interest to those that are concerned with sustainability? What is the article trying to convey? Who are they aiming to convince or share this information with (local or global policy makers, certain community members, non-profit organizations, the public, etc.)?

Gen

eral

40 points

20 points

h) Sustainability: The final project is submitted with a clear sustainability message and articles the local and global considerations of the topic.

20 points

i) Review: The assignment was thoroughly reviewed and proofread for spelling, grammar, and flow.

10 points j) Work Cited: An outline of all the resources/references used to prepare

the student’s project is also submitted, in APA format. This does not count as one of the pages of the review.

Student Earned

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GRADES Course Grading Scale

COURSE FACILITATORS If this course has more than 30 students, the Lead Instructor will team with Academic Associates to provide a personalized experience for students; all academic associates have content expertise. By the end of the first day of class you will be assigned a facilitator who will be your main point of contact for this course. He or she will grade your work, provide feedback on your assignments, and respond to any questions you have about the course or content via email. Communicating with your Facilitator Your assigned facilitator is your point of contact for all questions.

• You can contact your facilitator via e-mail, or email them to request an appointment. • Academic associates will involve the lead instructor when needed. • As ASU email is the official means of communication, all facilitator correspondence will

be sent to your ASU email account; students are expected to read and act upon email in a timely fashion.

• Communications from students should come in the form of an e-mail to their instructor. Phone, Skype, and text messages are not a reliable communication method and should be used with caution, or if a prior appointment is set with their instructor. Students can expect a reply from their instructor within 48 hours of sending an e-mail, unless otherwise communicated by the instructor in advance. This time frame is not applicable to holiday weekends or approved school breaks.

• E-mails and other forms of communication with your instructor must exhibit

Points: /300

A 93% - 100%

B 83% - 92.99%

C 73% - 82.99%

D 63% - 72.99%

E (Failure) 0% - 62.99%

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professionalism at all times. Kindly refer to this guide: http://www.wikihow.com/Email-a-Professor

TECHNOLOGY Learning Management System This course is offered through ASU Blackboard Course Management Website and is available through MyASU at my.asu.edu. (All ASU registered students have FREE access to this web resource.) For help accessing the online course materials, including logging on, submitting work, troubleshooting, etc., please refer to the ASU Online Technical Support page or the Technical Support page located in the online course materials.

• For ASU and Blackboard Technical support assistance, you can speak with a technician 24x7 by calling (480) 965-6500 or 1-855-278-5082 (toll-free). Please be sure to retrieve a ticket/record number for your call to send to your instructor for verification.

Required Computer Technology This course requires student access to a computer with:

• Internet access, preferably with high-speed connection. • Required browser – Chrome. Please use the current version for this course; it helps things

run smoothly. • Access to a digital camera, smartphone with photo capabilities, OR a scanner. • Audio and video streaming capabilities.

Note: Discounted prices for students purchasing laptop or desktop computers are available through the ASU bookstore at http://www.bkstr.com/arizonastatestore/shop/technology Technology Backup It is the student’s responsibility to have a backup procedure for course assignments. I suggest typing all assignments into Word Documents first, save them in a folder for our course, and then copy/paste into the submission area in Blackboard. Required Technology Skills To be successful in this course, students are expected to be able to:

• Navigate a web browser (specifically Chrome) to access online resources • Navigate Blackboard, the learning management system, for this course • Save, back up, and upload files • Access ASU library resources online

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• Communicate professionally, always exhibiting proper netiquette • Troubleshoot basic issues and access the Blackboard help desk, if needed • Use spell check and grammar check before posting • Access to your ASU email account via http://email.asu.edu

Attendance and Participation It is expected that students will actively and constructively participate in all class activities and discussions, complete assigned materials and assignments, and act with integrity throughout the course. Students will be responsible for participating in the all-online discussions. Because this is an online course, consistent participation in the course is expected. Unexcused, unexplained lapses in participation will result in a failing grade for this course. Assignments All assignments should be submitted via Blackboard by the due date, and you will receive feedback electronically through the same platform. Assignments should be formatted according to provided directions and carefully edited for spelling and grammar. Follow APA 6th edition formatting guidelines for citing sources. Please note that final projects will be collected and archived, without identifying information, for possible future use and/or reference. In addition, viewing patterns of the online instructional content will be tracked for quality assurance. Late and Missing Assignments No late assignments will be accepted beyond the specified due date without prior instructor approval and only in the case of documented extenuating circumstances. In these limited cases, it is up to instructor discretion whether or not to accept the work and the amount of credit that is awarded (if any). Weekly Overview Students are expected to watch the weekly videos, complete quizzes, respond to reflection prompts, and complete all assignments on time. All work/assignments will be due by 11:59 pm on Sunday, and the new topic week will open Monday morning. The Final Project and the Wrap-up Questions will be the only two assignments that are not due on a Sunday this semester. See the Course Calendar for these due dates. All assignments, discussion board postings, reflections, and projects should be formatted according to provided directions and should be carefully edited for spelling and grammar. Please follow APA 6th edition formatting guidelines. Facilitator/Student Responsibilities Graded assignments, along with any written feedback, will be provided within 5 days of the due date. Students should periodically review grades and comments from their facilitator by

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accessing the My Grades button in the course Blackboard shell. Submission of Deliverables/ASU Server Outage

• All deliverables are to be submitted to the Blackboard gradebook. Students should not submit work via email to the instructor.

• Students should verify their submissions by going into My Grades and reviewing the submitted deliverable(s).

• In a situation where the deliverable was not submitted properly, email your instructor right away. They can clear your submission to allow you to re-submit. This must be accomplished by the assignment deadline.

• In the event of an ASU server outage, students should email assignments to the instructor by the assignment submission deadline. As all assignments need to be stored in the gradebook, once the system is restored your instructor will provide directions for you to submit your assignment through Blackboard.

• To monitor the status of campus networks and services, please visit the ASU System Health portal.

Submission Deadlines

• Assignments, are to be submitted by the designated due date and time (Phoenix, AZ time), otherwise no points will be issued.

• Quizzes cannot be made up unless advance arrangements are made with the instructor/academic associate.

• Discussions—Participate early in the week, and revisit throughout the remainder of the week. You and your classmates benefit from one another staying on top of this!

ESSENTIALS FOR STUDENT SUCCESS Timeliness To be successful in this online course:

• NOW: create a study and/or assignment schedule to stay on track • DAILY: read announcements posted in the course Blackboard shell • DAILY: read and respond to course email messages, within 24 hours where possible • DAILY: keep copies and backups of all work in process and work submitted • ON A WEEKLY BASIS: plan to spend approximately 15-18 hours completing

coursework requirements, throughout the week. Save time to review and proof your work before submitting to Blackboard.

• ON A WEEKLY BASIS: Submit assignments by the specified day and time • ON A WEEKLY BASIS: Connect with your instructor if you have any questions in

advance of due dates. I am here to help! J

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See the ASU Online orientation for additional suggestions and resources: https://studentsuccess.asu.edu/ Support Button in Blackboard The Support button in your course Blackboard shell contains useful links to help students taking this course, APA style guidelines and templates, information about how to contact the Writing Center, ASU counseling services, career mentoring, etc. Professional Written Presentation & English Conventions For communications related to this course (emails, discussion board posts, assignments, etc.), University level, formal communication is expected. All graded work will in part be evaluated based on proper English conventions, spelling, grammar, organization, and comprehensiveness, including any assignments that include narration. Students will be expected to use the APA style guide for any formal papers or projects that have the need for in-text citations and a reference list. This applies to information sources as well as multimedia. See the Support button in your course Blackboard shell for additional information. Online Writing Center The Writing Center provides support for all ASU students in an online format. You can make an appointment on your own, without instructor referral. However, should your written work be of concern to facilitator, they will recommend you visit the ASU Writing Center. See the Support button in your course Blackboard shell for additional information. Tutoring Tutoring is available on all ASU campuses and Online for a variety of courses in small groups on a walk-in/drop-in basis. Appointments are not taken. For a full list of sites and courses, visit https://tutoring.asu.edu. Electronic Communication Acceptable use of university computers, internet and electronic communications can be found in the Student Code of Conduct (http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/usi/usi104-01.html ) and in the University’s Computer, Internet, and Electronic Communications Policy (http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd125.html).

ACCOMMODATIONS

Disability Accommodations for Students

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Students who feel they may need disability accommodation(s) must provide the necessary documentation from the ASU Disability Resource Center to the lead instructor verifying the need for an accommodation and the type of accommodation that is appropriate. Students who need accommodations for a disability should contact DRC as early as possible (i.e. before the beginning of the semester) to assure appropriate accommodations can be provided. It is the student’s responsibility to make the first contact with the DRC. https://eoss.asu.edu/drc Religious Accommodations for Students Students who need to be absent from class due to the observance of a religious holiday or participate in required religious functions must notify the faculty member in writing as far in advance of the holiday/obligation as possible. Students will need to identify the specific holiday or obligatory function to the faculty member. Students will not be penalized for missing class due to religious obligations/holiday observance. The student should contact the class instructor to make arrangements for making up tests/assignments within a reasonable time. http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd304-04.html Military Personnel Statement A student who is a member of the National Guard, Reserve, or other U.S. Armed Forces branch and is unable to complete classes because of military activation may request complete or partial administrative unrestricted withdrawals or incompletes depending on the timing of the activation. For information, please see http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/usi/usi201-18.html. Course/Instructor Evaluation The course/instructor evaluation for this course will be conducted online 7-10 days before the last official day of classes of each semester or summer session. Response(s) to the course/instructor are anonymous and will not be returned to your instructor until after grades have been submitted. The use of a course/instructor evaluation is an important process that allows our college to (1) help faculty improve their instruction, (2) help administrators evaluate instructional quality, (3) ensure high standards of teaching, and (4) ultimately improve instruction and student learning over time. Completion of the evaluation is not required for you to pass this class and will not affect your grade, but your cooperation and participation in this process is critical. About two weeks before the class finishes, watch for an e-mail with "ASU Course/Instructor Evaluation" in the subject heading. The email will be sent to your official ASU e-mail address, so make sure ASU has your current email address on file. You can check this online at the following URL: http://www.asu.edu/emailsignup. Drop and Add Dates/Withdrawals This course follows a compressed schedule and may be part of a sequenced program; therefore, there is a limited timeline to drop or add the course. Please refer to the ASU Academic Calendar

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for relevant deadlines and consult with your advisor on how to proceed. If you are considering a withdrawal, review the following ASU policies: Withdrawal from Classes, Medical/Compassionate Withdrawal, and a Grade of Incomplete. Copyright Notice Copyright law may protect some course materials available through this system. This material is only for the use of students enrolled in the specific course(s), and must be used in accordance with the United States Copyright Act, Title 17 of the U.S. Code. Protected materials on this site may not be retained on the user’s computer or other electronic storage device for longer than the duration of the specific class for which they are assigned, nor further disseminated by the user to any other persons. Student Online Conduct and Professional Behavior Appropriate online behavior (also known as netiquette) is defined by the instructor and includes all electronic communication in the course. Inappropriate contributions may be deleted by the instructor and, if relevant, no credit given. The instructor reserves the right to determine whether a post or other entry is unsuitable.

It is expected that students exhibit professional behavior in all settings: during intern placements, working with other students on assignments related to this class, in addition to behavior in the online classroom. If at any time a student's behavior does not meet the standards of the program as delineated in the Professionalism Rubric (http://mytc.asu.edu/webfm_send/380), the instructor may refer the student for academic probation. Electronic Communications Policy Acceptable use of university computers, internet and electronic communications can be found in the Student Code of Conduct (http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/usi/usi104-01.html ) and in the University’s Computer, Internet, and Electronic Communications Policy (http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd125.html). Academic Integrity/Plagiarism The ASU Student Handbook contains the following information: “The highest standards of academic integrity are expected of all students. The failure of any student to meet these standards may result in suspension or expulsion from the university and/or other sanctions as specified in the academic integrity policies of the individual academic unit. Violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to, cheating, fabricating, tampering, plagiarizing, or facilitating such activities. The university and unit academic integrity policies are available from the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost of the University and from the Deans of the individual academic units.”

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The rest of the code, which consists of several pages, is available at the following URL: http://students.asu.edu/srr/code. Dependent upon instructor’s discretion, penalties for plagiarism range from loss of points on plagiarized assignment to student receiving an E for the course. Harassment Prohibited ASU policy prohibits harassment on the basis of race, sex, gender identity, age, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, Vietnam era veteran status and other protected veteran status. Violations of this policy may result in disciplinary action, including termination of employees or expulsion of students. Contact Student Life (Downtown campus- 522 N. Central Ave., Post Office Room 247, 480-496-4111; Polytechnic campus- Administration building suite 102, 480-727-1060; Tempe campus- Student Services Building room 263, 480-965-6547; or the West campus- UCB 301, 602-543-8152) if you feel another student is harassing you based on any of the factors above. Contact Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action (EO/AA) at 480-965-5057 if you feel an ASU employee is harassing you based on any of the factors above. http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.html. Grade Appeals The professional responsibility for assigning grades is vested in the instructor of the course, and requires the careful application of professional judgment. A student wishing to appeal a grade must first meet with the instructor who assigned the grade to try to resolve the dispute. The process for grade appeals is set forth for the undergraduate programs are available at https://education.asu.edu/student-forms-policies Title IX Title IX is a federal law that provides that no person be excluded on the basis of sex from participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity. Both Title IX and university policy make clear that sexual violence and harassment based on sex is prohibited. An individual who believes they have been subjected to sexual violence or harassed on the basis of sex can seek support, including counseling and academic support, from the university. If you or someone you know has been harassed on the basis of sex or sexually assaulted, you can find information and resources at http://sexualviolenceprevention.asu.edu/faqs/students.

This syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor and/or college. Every effort will be made to avoid changing the syllabus or course schedule but the possibility exists that unforeseen events will make changes necessary. If so, changes will be communicated via ASU

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email and/or the course site. Continued enrollment in this course assumes that you have read and understand the information outlined in the syllabus.

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Content Week Video Name Time range

Global Brief summary of content Detailed evidence of how course fulfills the Global criteria.

Additional Information

Sustainability Big Themes 0:17 - 0:39

X Provides genesis of Brundtland Report definition of "sustainability."

In 1987, the World Commission on Environment and Development set a criteria to follow regarding sustainable development, worldwide. This focused on improving the lives of impoverished people throughout the world, and changing current practices of environmental development based on past mistakes.

"Sustainability: Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs [...] with particular attention to the Earth's natural limits and to bettering life for the world's poor."

Sustainability Big Themes 0:40 - 1:00, 4:54 - 5:50

X Introduces questions about global topics, such as: population growth, limited resources, international governance, agricultural systems, disposal and waste, and technology.

Each of these topics will be explored at a deeper level in the content weeks to come. These segments act as an introduction to the questions.


X Focuses on a Way of Thinking called, "Systems Thinking"

Systems Thinking is used throughout the course and in the field of sustainability to encourage "understanding how different systems interact and work together." This segment is an introduction to this idea, telling the student that, "...we recognize the physical limits of the Earth's systems and the endless opportunities for creative innovation, both at the global and local scales [...] Air and water pollution, storms, and epidemics do not recognize boarders of cities, states, regions, or countries"


X Focuses on a Way of Thinking called, "Values Thinking"

Values Thinking is used throughout the course and in the field of sustainability to encourage empathy and understanding of beliefs and backgrounds of different individuals, groups, cultures worldwide. This segment acts as an introduction, stating that "we have to accommodate different values that different people have and work to integrate different ways of understanding and thinking about our world."


X Focuses on a Way of Thinking called, "Strategic Thinking"

Strategic Thinking is used throughout the course and in the field of sustainability to encourage critical thinking about achieving equitable goals. It requires consideration for all stakeholders worldwide, and coordination of large and small scales.

Sustainability Big Themes full video

X Visuals highlighting sustainability issues and practices, and different cultures throughout the world.

Featured images and video footage includes: Tempe, Arizona and other North American locations; assorted countries in Africa; a city in Japan; parts of India; United Nations headquarters; various national and international classrooms; England; Armenia; oceans, cities, and forests.

Content Week Video Name Time range

Global Brief summary of content Detailed evidence of how course fulfills the Global criteria.


Population Futures Thinking

0:19-0:30 x Focuses on a Way of Thinking called, "Futures Thinking".

"Futures thinking means thinking about how the past and the present influence the future." Choices must be considered critically in order to be mindful of potential effects on future outcomes. These outcomes can cause a ripple effect throughout and beyond one region

Futures Thinking is used throughout course content in order to analyze global issues through a new lens.


0:31-0:47 x The long term impacts of solutions must be analyzed on a global scale.

By using futures thinking to analyze solutions to the issues we face today, we can avoid unintended consequences of our actions. These issues and solutions must be considered for the good of the global community.


1:50-2:07 x Immediate issues, such as meeting human needs, can get in the way of considering future outcomes.

It is very important to overcome the issue of planning for the future in order to advance the betterment of all peoples. Socio-economic status does not play a role in the ability to plan for the future. Rather, it is a concern for all global societies to work on in order to meet the needs of all people.


2:28 -2:43 x Using scenarios to help envision the future.

Scenarios are a tool that can be used to assess a variety of problems and solutions to analyze the range of possible futures. Envisioning the future can help citizens to make

educated decisions that achieve the intended outcome.

Population Beginnings 0:26-1:00 1:15-2:07

x The negative impact of humans on the environment is addressed. The question "How many people can the Earth support?" is highlighted as the focus for this video.

As the global human population continues to increase, the negative effects of this increase on the environment has been exacerbated. The earth's capacity to support human life is not unlimited. There are currently 7 billion people in the world and if we are not all using our resources responsibly, then life as we know it will no longer exist. This video will use futures thinking to analyze human population change.

Population Beginnings 2:07-3:07 x Rapid world wide population increase in the last few decades is due to a lack of limiting factors.

The total world population will continue to grow at a faster rate as the population increases. The concept of population doubling time is used to explain why the human population has increased so rapidly in the last few years comparative to the amount of time humans have been on earth. It will always take a population the same amount of time to double the population regardless of the size of the population. Thus, every 10 doublings the population will have a thousand fold increase.

Population Beginnings 3:30-7:42 x The history of human life is still written in our DNA which allows us to analyze and track the changes that have occurred as the human population spread around the world.

The video produced by National Geographic Live explains how genetic mutations occur as cells duplicate and how these mutations allow scientists to trace DNA back to the earliest humans to walk the earth. The spread of populations, beginning in Africa, details the many mutations that have occurred as early humans migrated.

Population Beginnings 12:05-13:10

x Populations grew relatively slowly until the last 200 years.

Populations of the past must have had limiting factors or else the first billion people on earth would have existed much sooner.

Population Ecological Footprint

0:30-0:46 x The capacity of our earth to support human life is compared to our growing global population.

At the current rate of reproduction globally, we will add 1 billion people every 12-15 years. The key question for this video is asked, "When will we use up all of the earth's capacity to support human life?" There is a limit to the resources that our earth can produce in order to meet our needs. This capacity is strained as the human population continues to increase.


0:48-2:01 x Ecological Footprint is a non-profit organization who has calculated the earth's capacity to support human life. This is measured in global hectares (Bha).

In order for the Ecological Footprint to calculate the capacity to support human life in global hectares, they add up all useful land and water on earth to support plants and animals that humans use. A hectare is 10,000 square meters but because not every plot of land and water is as productive as the next, they normalize the hectares based on productivity to provide their calculations in global hectares. According to their calculations, the earth has 11.9 Bha.


2:02-5:02 6:57-7:32

x The uses of land types vary and are broken into five categories; cropland, grazing, fishing, built land, and forest.

The five categories of land and water use vary in value and usefulness from culture to culture and almost all of their capacity is currently being used. All available cropland and built land is being used, 90% of the grazing capacity, 69% of the fishing capacity, and 38% of the forest capacity is being used. We cannot simply use more forests for cropland, for example, because we need forests to recycle the CO2 in the atmosphere. In terms of global hectares, 8.4 Bha of the 11.9 Bha are being used. As the human population continues to grow, additional pressure is placed on the earth's capacity.


5:03-6:56 x Different regions have different reproduction rates but collectively, the global reproductions rates are decreasing.

Reproduction rates, especially in wealthier countries, have been steadily declining. Collectively, we are nearing an average of 2.1 children per woman. At this rate, it is estimated that the human population will level off around 2070 to about 10 billion people.


7:33-9:10 x Global consumption rates vary from region to region with Asia using the least amount of resources and North America using the most.

The overconsumption of North American regions is alarming because if everyone in the world lived like North Americans, we would need 15.7 Bha to support the human population. Not considering energy consumption, by 2050 we would need two earths if everyone lived like North Americans.


9:11-10:55 x Images presented by film clip "The Great Squeeze: Surviving the Human Project".

This documentary highlights the dire need for a change in our actions and values regarding resource usage. Images include, congested streets and sidewalks, air pollution and smog, extraction from the earth and turning it eventually into waste, deforestation, and a discussion of greenhouse gas emissions.

Content Week

Video Name

Time range

Global Brief summary of content

Detailed evidence of how course fulfills the

Global criteria.


Poverty Values Thinking

0:15-0:44 x Focuses on a Way of Thinking called, "Values

Thinking"

Values thinking "examines the effects our values have on our decisions". Whether it is consciously or not, our

set of values effects our decision making. Often

times our personal values are unknown or the reason why we have those values

is unknown which can make communication and education difficult when

values differ.

Values thinking is used throughout course content in order to analyze

global issues through a new lens.


0:44-1:15 x Values are neither good nor bad.

Everyone has different sets of values for different

reasons and values cannot be considered good nor bad. By being open to

understanding the values of others it can make conflict

resolution much easier. Values thinking

acknowledges the principles you use for decision making and

respects the values others use for their decision

making.


1:15-2:20 x The conflict between the Snowbowl ski resort in Flagstaff, Arizona and the native tribes in the

area is based on differing sets of values.

The mountain that houses the Snowbowl ski resort in

Flagstaff, Arizona has special cultural and

religious value for the native tribes in the area.

When the ski resort began using reclaimed water to

make snow, the tribes sued the resort for desecrating sacred land. This is a clear

example of a conflict arising from people of differing

sets of values. Both of their sets of values are valid and by listening to and trying to understand their different values, they can work to

resolve the issue.

This is a local and relateable example that represents the numerous cultural

value based conflicts that occur around the world.


2:20-3:03 x Values should be expressed and

discussed openly in order to better understand one

another.

Values can be expressed by actively participating as a citizen through voting or

attending town meetings, for example. When

expressing values, both sides should be able to express themselves and have the opportunity to

learn about the other persons' values in a safe

space.

Poverty Basic Needs 0:26-1:12 x Basic necessities, such as food, water,

education, and health care, are highlighted.

The key question for the video is addressed, "What

are the basic necessities for a productive and fulfilling life?" The word fulfilling is used because all people

should be able to do more than just survive- every

person should be able to aspire to reach their goals

and achieve something with their lives, no matter

where they are from.

Poverty Basic Needs 1:15-5:05 x The Multi-dimensional Poverty Index (MPI) is an easily understood

and quantifiable way to define poverty.

Wants and needs can be difficult to categorize,

especially considering that sets of values differ

amongst cultures. The Oxford Poverty and Human

Development Team has created the Multi-

dimensional Poverty Index (MPI) to determine if basic

human needs are being met around the world. The MPI includes three sections of equal importance: health

care, education, and standard of living with sub-

categories for each. A person or family is

considered deprived if 1/3 or more of their basic

needs are not being met.

Poverty Basic Needs 5:14-8:28 x The extreme poverty in Armenia is highlighted

in this segment through a documentary of

powerful photographs and interviews.

Armenia is a middle income country with an average

per person income greater than India and less than

China. In 2010 the average income per person was

$4,600. Photographs and interviews depict the life of

a mother and her 6 children. The mother

describes what they go through just to survive on a

daily basis.

Poverty Disparity 0:24-0:55 x A large percentage of the world's population

is living in poverty despite the amount of

wealth that people have around the world.

Although it takes a small amount of money to meet

the world populations' basic needs, a large fraction

of people still live below the poverty level. There is more than enough wealth around the world to meet

each persons needs yet the this wealth is unevenly

distributed.

Poverty Disparity 2:00-3:15 x Purchasing Power Parity aids in comparing costs

of items between countries.

Because exchange rates change daily and there are

many different forms of currency in the world,

Purchasing Power Parity enables us to compare costs of items between

countries. The index corrects for differential

costs between countries and changes over time, such as inflation. The

numbers provided by the index should be able to buy the same items in the two countries being compared or in the same country at

two different times throughout history.

Poverty Disparity 3:16-4:10 x Big Mac Index is used as an example to simplify

the concept of Purchasing Power

Parity.

A simplified index is called the Big Mac Index. This

index uses a globally common item, the

McDonald's Big Mac, to compare costs. The

animated video used in this segment uses the Big Mac Index to state how long it

would take workers in various countries to earn

enough money to afford a Big Mac.

Poverty Disparity 5:08-7:05 x According to the criteria set by the Multi-

dimensional Poverty Index (MPI), basic

needs can be met with an income of $2 per day

per person.

In a survey of 104 low to middle income countries,

about 32% of their population lived below the poverty line of $1.50 per

day. The MPI has calculated that in order for basic

human needs to be met, one must earn $2 per day.

But in 2005, 40% of the world population earned

less than $2 per day which

calculates to 2 out of every 5 people in the world.

Poverty Disparity 7:07-9:13 x Armenia is highlighted as an example for what

families around the world are doing to

survive.

Many people in Armenia are living off of the nearby garbage dumps in order to

survive. The garbage dumps go on for miles and many Armenians are living right next to them. The garbage

dump is compared to a place of employment because these people spend all day picking

through the trash to find whatever they can use to help feed and clothe their

families. The images of this way of life in Armenia demonstrate a unique perspective of poverty.

Poverty Disparity 9:14-10:49

x There is more than enough global wealth

for every person to meet their basic needs but the distribution of wealth lies mostly in

the wealthier countries.

The wealthiest 20% of people in the world are

earning between 40-60% of the world's money while the poorest 20% of the

population receives 4-10% of the world's money.

There is a great disconnect between wealth

distribution globally. In

2005, the global average income was $30 per day.

Poverty Disparity 10:50-12:41

x The inequality of wealth and resource

distribution is not only between countries but also within countries.

New Delhi is used as an example of the unequal

distribution of water amongst the Delhi people.

The middle class people have water tanks at their

homes which are refilled by pipe lines or tankers. There

are also public pumps. About half of Delhi's

population of 15 million live in slums where access to

drinking water is minimal. Here, there are polluted drains, standing sewage

and taps that are in disrepair. Because water is so expensive and precious,

none can be wasted. In comparison, the rich

business district has a constant abundance of

water and even irrigated parks. There is enough water in New Delhi for everyone, yet access to clean drinking water is

dependent on income and social accessibility.

Poverty Relief Goals 0:11-0:45 1:23-2:00

x The United Nations committed themselves to eradicating extreme

poverty with the creation of the

Millennium Development Goals.

In 2000, the United Nations established 8 goals to

eradicate extreme poverty by 2015. With over 40% of the world population living on less than $2.00 per day, there was a dire need for

these goals to be met. Each of the 8 goals had specific targets to be reached by 2015 and indicators to

track progress. The United Nations then collected data

on this progress and published the information.

Poverty Relief Goals 2:01-3:18 x "Poverty is a trap that is hard to escape".

Many people affected by poverty live in rural areas with no land to grow their

own food or livestock. Often times, they are also refugees or minorities that

do not have any legal status in their country and

therefore do not qualify for government aid.

Poverty Relief Goals 3:23-7:41 x The organization Care and their impact on the

impoverished in Cambodia is highlighted

in this segment.

Care is an international, non-profit, humanitarian

organization that is working in Cambodia to work

towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals to end poverty. The civil war in Cambodia left

many rural areas covered in landmines, making the land unsafe and unable to grow

crops. Care removed the landmines and taught the people how to grow their own food and take care of animals to sell in the town

markets.


x Three of the Millennium

Development Goals are dedicated to early

childhood and maternal healthcare.

Doctors Without Borders is an international medical

humanitarian organization that is working around the

world to provide the necessary health care to

reduce early childhood and maternal mortality. In this segment, Doctors Without Borders is stationed in the Central African Republic where their healthcare

needs outweigh the means available.


x The Millennium Development Goals also

promote gender equality through

educational opportunities.

The United Nations organization, the

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), strived to achieve

gender equality in this segment focused on

Northern Pakistan. Before IFAD, women were not

allowed to earn their own income or attend school. In

the beginning, the community leaders saw

IFAD as a threat to their culture and religion but eventually they found

common ground. Now the rural village has roads to access schools, markets,

healthcare, clean drinking water, new crops and

livestock as well as women's organizations. The

literacy rate has also dramatically increased.

Poverty Education 0:09-0:54 x The most important way to lift people out of

poverty is to provide them with access to

education.

One of the Millennium Development Goals is to provide all children, boys and girls, with a complete

primary education. The three indicators to track

progress towards this goal are enrollment in primary education, proportion of

students who finish primary education, and literacy rate

of 15-24 year olds.

Poverty Education 1:33-2:45 x Barriers from accessing education must be

eliminated in order to achieve the education centered millennium development goals.

In 2009, there were about 127 million youth who

lacked basic reading and writing literacy skills. Two of the biggest reasons why

children lack access to education are fees and being a refugee. Fees to

attend school are sometimes impossible for

families to pay and as refugees, students might

not be allowed to access education.

Poverty Education 2:46-5:55 x Build Africa is an organization dedicated to increasing education enrollment throughout

African countries.

Build Africa has increased enrollment by 71%, mainly

through donations to provide a free education. They focus also on AIDS

awareness education because about 1 in every

16 young adults have AIDS. Typically there are about 10

children to one textbook and teachers care for classes of hundreds of

students despite any formal teacher training.

Poverty Education 5:56-10:08

x Half of all refugees are estimated to be living in

urban areas.

Often times, refugees living in urban areas face

discrimination and cannot find work. This effects

school aged refugees who cannot afford to attend

school and risk being jailed. Refugees International is an international organization

which advocates for refugee educational

opportunities.

Poverty Education 10:08-14:03

x The TED Talk segment by Rocco Falconer is featured describing

how he made an impact in Sierra Leone.

Rocco Falconer provides an example of how big impacts

can be made even with limited financial resources. He was able to provide a

stable solution rather than dependency on aid in a remote village in Sierra Leone. He provided the

equipment and education needed to farm their land. The farmers keep 22% of

their profits while the rest goes into education for the village and more resources for farming. This was very

successful and only started with about $800.

Poverty All videos

x Global Awareness is established visually

throughout the Poverty Week videos.

All videos in this week provide context for the

issues faced by the world's poor. Embedded are documentary style

portrayals of what life is like for the impoverished around the world. There are also examples of how

these issues are being combatted through the

United Nations and other organizations.

Content Week Video Name Time range Global Brief summary of content Detailed evidence of how course fulfills the Global criteria.


Food Systems Thinking

0:16-0:56 x Focuses on a Way of Thinking called, "Systems Thinking".

Systems thinking is the understanding of how systems are interconnected and the dynamics within each system. Systems are joined by a connection of networks and relationships. Rather than a cause and effect relationship, systems thinking is non-linear meaning that many systems have cascading effects, particularly in human and natural systems.

Systems thinking is used throughout course content in order to analyze global issues through a new lens.


0:57-2:23 x Example of a hot dog with condiments is used to illustrate the complexity of systems in place to make these items.

There are many networks involved in producing one hot dog and its condiments. Those systems are dependent on one another and the ingredients come from all over the world. An event at one point in a system can greatly effect another part of the system because of their interconnected nature.


2:43-3:04 x Systems thinking is difficult to follow because of its non-linear nature but by breaking down a concept using systems thinking, you can better understand the bigger picture.

Systems thinking involves "assessing the degree of complexity, analyzing system dynamics and decision making that reduces the risk of negative outcomes". It is important to consider other possible events that can occur along the way to look beyond what is being presented.


0:23-1:45 x Key question for the video is highlighted, "How can we feed the human population sustainably?"

There are two main goals for creating a sustainable global food system. The first goal is to provide enough food for everyone and the second is to provide food security. Regardless of income, food security means ensuring that all people are able to eat healthy food that they like. Food security also means preserving and protecting our natural food systems. With 40% of the world's land dedicated to food production, our food system has a large impact on the earth.


1:45-2:27 x Changes in the global food system over the course of human history.

The Feeding the World video addresses the historical quest for food, development of agriculture, domestication of animals, the relationship between food and population, and the green revolution. These segments will answer the question "How are we able to feed 7 billion people?"


2:28-3:50 x Clip from Guns, Germs, and Steel is used to illustrate the food systems around the world and how they have changed throughout history.

About 13,000 years ago, the people of the Middle East were hunters and gatherers. In parts of Papua New Guinea, people still hunt and gather to survive today. This is not a productive way to feed themselves as animal tracking is time consuming so they rely mostly on gathering done by women.


4:28-6:28 x The stone age people of the Middle East transformed the way our food is produced today.

The earliest people to live in the Middle East were the first to grow crops and domesticate animals. The first farmers grew barley and wheat which were plentiful and nutritious. Animals were domesticated not only for their meat but also for their milk as a source of protein and their hair to improve clothing. The population began booming as a result of having plenty of food. This caused population spread out from the fertile crescent.


7:17-8:15 x As populations spread to the Americas, so did wheat and cattle.

During the 16th century, wheat and cattle did not exist in the Americas. European settlers brought these over to the new world, dramatically changing the modern American food system. Today, Americans consume over 20 million tons of wheat each year and there are over 100 million cattle.


8:16-9:20 x After the domestication of animals and the development of agriculture, the population did not grow significantly because this was still not considered a sustainable food system.

The early domestication of animals and agricultural practices were not yet a sustainable food system because the human population still experienced significant food shortages throughout history. Famines, for example, left large portions of populations starving to death. During the potato famine in Ireland in the 1840's, about 750,000 people died. Over 1/3 of the population died during the Bengal famine in the 1770's which equated to over 10 million deaths.


9:20-10:35 x The question, "What is required to grow the food we eat?" is posed and answered.

In order to grow the food we eat, plants require nutrient rich soil, sun, and water. We also need human and/or animal labor to plant and harvest crops. Drought, pests, weeds, and limits to labor all can lead to food shortages or famines.


10:40-14:03 x Achievements of the Green Revolution.

The Green Revolution occurred between the 1940's and 70's when technological advancements allowed for dramatic food production increases. The invention of chemical fertilizers, new farming equipment, irrigation techniques, hybridization or GMO's, and pesticides enabled the global production of grains to triple since 1950.

Food Over nutrition and Malnutrition

0:14-2:51 x The key question for the video is addressed, "How does our diet affect our health?"

Our diet is greatly influenced by advertising because more money is spent on advertising unhealthy foods compared to healthy ones. The cheap, processed foods that resulted from the Green Revolution have lead to over nutrition in the Western world. As people and populations become more affluent, diets shift from grains, fruits, and vegetables to more processed foods, meat, and dairy leading to increased health problems.


2:54-5:13 x "Forks over Knives" video clip. Due to a shift in diet from plant based foods, this generation of Americans might live shorter lives than their parents. Diabetes is often called a "Western Disease" because it, and other obesity related diseases, did not exist globally until the "Western diet" became prevalent. Each year obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure health care costs Americans 120 billion dollars.


5:14-6:24 x Malnutrition stems from chronic hunger and a lack of appropriate food.

Malnutrition is directly related to poverty. As food prices increase, more people go hungry. In developing countries, 1 out of 6 children is malnourished which comes out to be 1 billion children. 1 out of 7 children globally does not have food security. Meanwhile, 1.6 billion people are overweight.


6:24-11:00 x "Hungry Planet" video clip. This segment is focused in Western Chad where the childhood malnutrition rate is about 26%. In comparison, the World Health Organization considers a 15% childhood malnutrition rate an emergency. Malnutrition stunts development, weakens the immune system, and increases the occurrence and severity of diseases. About 2 million children die from non-fatal diseases because of malnutrition. Therapeutic feeding centers are saving lives in Western Chad but an increase in productivity for

subsistence farming is needed in order to make the right foods available where it is needed most.


11:01-13:44 x Benefits of Kuroiler Chickens. The Kuroiler Chicken is a genetically modified organism that can live off of household waste and yield more eggs and meat. Other benefits of using Kuroiler Chickens are that they can increase household income amongst the poor, empower women, and improve nutritional security among rural poor.

Food Agricultural Methods

0:23-1:21 x Key question for the video is highlighted, "Are we producing food sustainably?"

Most developed countries produce food on a large scale using industrial agriculture techniques. Monocultures, where one type of crop is grown in a large area, helps keep food prices down but has some serious drawbacks that will be explored in the video. The more we damage our environment through farming, the less productive our land will be leading to more hunger world wide.


1:21-2:26 x Monocultures are an agricultural practice that has long term negative effects on our environment and productivity of farming.

Monocultures deteriorate the soil, attract pests and cause substantial erosion. In the 1930's the American Dust Bowl was caused largely by soil erosion due to farming techniques. The Dust Bowl led to loss of farmland and food shortages which contributed to the Great Depression. Over 25 million acres of farmland are being eroded globally each year.


2:27-4:20 x Industrial agriculture is dependent on synthetic fertilizers, primarily made from phosphorous, and pesticides consisting of harmful toxins.

Large scale production of monocultures is greatly dependent on phosphorous based fertilizers. Phosphorous, however, is being mined at an unsustainable rate at which it is predicted to run out in about 30 years. The toxins from the pesticides used on monocultures can wipe out entire species of pollinators, such as bees. All these chemicals are swept away when the soil is eroded and can seriously damage aquatic ecosystems.


4:21-4:43 x Monocultures are typically grown in climates that receive little rainfall resulting in a dependence on water.

About 70% of global water usage goes towards growing agriculture. Irrigation systems enable farmers to grow agriculture even in dry places, like Arizona. The dependence our industrial agriculture system has on irrigation is depleting our ground water and river sources. If we run out of water, we will also run out of food.


4:44-6:09 x Large scale industrial agriculture would not be possible without the use of the non-renewable resource, fossil fuels.

Fossil fuels are necessary for running the machinery for planting, harvesting, processing, and transporting agriculture. Transportation of food is one of the biggest areas for fossil fuel consumption. In the United States, food travels an average of 1,500 miles before it reaches our plates. Consideration for storage and preparation of food also requires a lot of energy, typically from fossil fuels. As fossil fuel costs increase, food prices also increase which can lead to more hunger globally.


6:10-7:09 x Global solutions to the previously listed industrial agriculture issues are presented.

Better irrigation techniques, integrated pest management, organic and urban farming, and genetically modified crops can all reduce the negative impact industrial agriculture practices are having on our environment.


7:10-10:37 x Organic urban farming is highlighted as an example of a more sustainable food system.

A video segment featuring a Milwaukee urban organic farm, Growing Power, provides a clear example of how our global food system can be changed. The farming done at Growing Power is done utilizing all space vertically and horizontally, without using any farming equipment, and power is generated from renewable energy sources such as solar panels. The end of the clip discusses how Shanghai, China and Havana, Cuba have begun utilizing their urban gardens to meet their agricultural needs.

Food Beyond the Crops

0:23-1:29 8:11-11:35

x Many global problems can be reduced by eating less animal products.

Meat production has also become industrialized into CAFO's, concentrated animal feeding operations. Just like monocultures, CAFO's produce a large quantity of animal products at a low cost. Since the 1980's, as China has become more affluent, their demand and production of animal products has sky rocketed.


1:30-4:34 4:35-6:20

x Clips from the videos The Meatrix and a video produced by Chipotle are used to illustrate the way animal production has changed over time.

The Meatrix walks through the ways that big agricultural corporations negatively impacted the farming industry in the 20th century. Examples are shown of animal cruelty, antibiotic resistant germs, massive pollution, and destroyed communities. In the Chipotle video, a farmer watches as his sustainable family farm is transformed into a animal product making machine before he decides to undo it all and go back to the way farming once was.


6:20-8:09 x Meat production is a less efficient way to feed the world population.

When people consume meat products, we are also consuming all the grain and water that went into keeping the livestock alive. About 8.7-10 pounds of grain and 1,800 gallons of water are needed for a cow to gain just one pound of meat. The amount of grain and water that is given to livestock dramatically affects the global food and water crisis. Domesticated livestock consume more than five times the amount

of calories as all humans on earth combined, driving up food prices and adding to world hunger.


8:27-11:35 x Joel Salatin, the founder of Polyface Inc., demonstrates how his farming practices can be implemented as a replacement to CAFO's.

At Polyface Inc., the farmers rotate cows, egg laying hens, meat producing chickens, and pigs through their fields in a way that mimics the natural motion of grazing to leave behind more productive fields. This process captures the natural nutrients produced by animals to feed the soil and produce solar energy and biomass.


11:36-12:49 x Biofuels were developed as an alternative to fossil fuels but create competition for feeding humans.

Biofuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, require food products to produce, typically corn and grains. In 2007, over 100 million tons of grain went towards biofuels which is enough to feed over 1 billion people for 1 year. Using food for biofuels reduces the global food supplies and causes food prices to increase, leaving more people hungry.


12:50-15:00 x As our global population continues to increase, our demand for food production also increases.

Food production must increase to accommodate our growing global population yet there is not much land left to use. Expanding crop land will result in further desertification and loss of rainforests. Land is also being destroyed for urban sprawl and industrial development. Our current global food system is not operating in a sustainable manner.



Water Strategic Thinking

0:21-1:02 x Focuses on a Way of Thinking called, "Strategic Thinking".

Strategic thinking is defined as "being able to develop a strategy or a plan to achieve a particular vision". Each decision that is made contributes to the achievement of the vision. The status quo can lead to path dependencies because the current state can set a path for the future state.

Strategic thinking is used throughout course content in order to analyze global issues through a new lens.


1:03-1:47 x Chess is used as an example of how strategic thinking can be used in real life scenarios.

In the game of chess, the players have a vision to win the game and must develop strategies to play either offensively or defensively. Short term and long term gains must also be considered on the path towards winning the game.

The idea of developing a goal and a plan of action should be applied to dealing with a variety of global issues.


1:48-2:20 x Applying strategic thinking to real world problems.

When using strategic thinking, the desired outcome is used to design a plan to accomplish. Along the way, it is important to keep an eye on the big picture and reflect on the decisions being made to reach the final goal. There will be unintended consequences along the way so it is necessary to build a plan of action to deal with unexpected results.

Water The Water Cycle 0:20-1:23 x Necessary key facts about water are presented and the water cycle is introduced as we look at the natural system of water.

Water can be found everywhere on earth and is an extremely valuable resource. Water is necessary for all life on earth and covers about 70% of the earths surface. Water is composed of two hydrogen and one oxygen atoms and can be found as a gas, liquid, or solid depending on temperature and pressure. Because water makes up 60% of the human body, if you do not drink enough water you can die.

Water The Water Cycle 1:24-3:52 x The steps of the water cycle are described in detail along with an animation to make visual sense of the system.

The water cycle has no clear start or end because it is a continuous process. Water will travel through the water cycle and can move all around the world in the three states of water. The water cycle song is a great way to remember the steps involved in this system.

Water The Water Cycle 3:53-4:11 x Using systems thinking to understand the water cycle.

The water cycle is an interconnected system of phases that is continuously occurring in nature. The amount of water we have on earth is all that we will ever have which is why it is so critical to take care of our precious resource.

Water Water Systems 1 0:10-1:20 x Key question for the video is highlighted, "How does water move through a human-controlled system?"

The water cycle is the source for all water on earth. The human demand for water must be balanced with the natural supply of water to ensure that future generations have access to safe drinking water.

Water Water Systems 1 1:22-2:19 x The human managed water system consists of ground and surface water sources.

Ground water sources are typically very clean and require minimal treatment before use. Surface water sources can be polluted and contain debris. This type of water will require more energy and time to purify before use.

Water Water Systems 1 2:25-6:28 x The New Jersey American Water video takes you on a tour of the steps required to purify water at a water treatment plant.

Water treatment centers have the responsibility to provide citizens with safe drinking water. There are many steps involved in making ground and surface water drinkable from filtration to chemical disinfecting. This process is common in many developed countries in order to provide their people with safe water.

Water Water Systems 1 6:43-7:50 x Once water is treated and safe for use, it must be stored and allocated for different uses.

Water is stored in reservoirs, holding tanks, and water towers to ensure a constant supply of water. In North America, there are over 1 million miles of pipes that bring safe drinking water from the treatment plants to the people. Water is then used in residences (10%), industries (10%), power plants (48%), and for irrigation (32%) purposes.

Water Water Systems 2 0:35-8:50 x "Waste Water: Where Does it go?" video explains how the complex human controlled water system works and what drains should be used for.

This segment uses systems thinking to explain the process involved in purification from waste and storm drainage. The water will end up at a water treatment plant to purify the water until it can be pumped back into a surface water source, such as a river, or be used in homes and businesses. Anything other than human waste and toilet paper should never be put down the toilet because it will block the pipes and disturb the water system.

Water Water Systems 2 8:51-9:07 x The human controlled water system is a complex interconnected service that is used to meet human needs.

Large investments are needed to ensure that our water system is maintained to provide humans with safe drinking water. All humans on earth depend on water to survive and our complex water systems allow people to get what they need.

Water Human Health 1:15-4:21 x The discovery of waterborne diseases lead to a better understanding of their effects on human health.

In London in 1848, cholera killed thousands of people as the city's sanitation system collapsed. The whole city smelled of human waste and diseases were thought to be airborne. This led to the development of the sewer system which in turn protected water sources. Sanitation is still not understood in many places around the world, leading to the spread of deadly diseases.

Water Human Health 4:22-7:38 x Graphs are used to compare the wealth of a country with access to improved sanitation and childhood mortality with improved sanitation. There is a direct correlation.

The graphs made by GapMinder illustrate the progress over time that improved sanitation can have on other global issues. Wealth of a country impacts access to improved sanitation and childhood mortality can be greatly decreased with improved sanitation.

Water Human Health 7:39-8:22 x Sanitation issues in Kenya are the main focus in this segment.

The leading cause of sickness and death among children are water supply, sanitation, and hygiene globally. Less than half of all households in Kenya have access to improved sanitation and 2/3 have access to improved drinking water.

Water Human Health 8:23-9:40 x The education of girls and young women on sanitation is key in overcoming these waterborne illnesses.

Teaching girls and young women to clean their hands during food preparation and boil their water to drink can greatly impact survival rates of infants and the spread of waterborne diseases. Educating women is not always easy, especially in countries where women spend a great portion of their day traveling to collect water. This is a global inequity challenge because in wealthy countries, education and access to clean water are the norm while developing countries rarely experience these.

Water Environmental Health

0:10-0:58 x Key question for the video is highlighted, "How have humans negatively impacted the water system and the environment?"

The dramatic increase in the human population over the past 100 years has put a lot of pressure on our water systems. In 1910 there were 2 billion people on earth and by 2010 there were 7 billion. As the global population continues to increase, providing all people with clean drinking water will become increasingly difficult.


3:10-4:51 x China's Huai River is over 600 miles long and is a severely polluted source of fresh water.

The Haui River is described as being black with a strong stench and dead fish typically washing on shore. The reason for this toxic water is the half a million tons of human sewage and one million tons of untreated waste water that are dumped into the river each day. Many of the chemicals that are dumped with the untreated waste water are banned in other places but are unregulated there.


4:52-6:24 x Contamination of water is not always visible to the naked eye. Pharmaceuticals are a big culprit of freshwater contamination.

Pharmaceuticals, whether topical or ingested, will always end up in waste water. As people bathe, topical prescriptions are washed off the skin and go down the drain with other waste water. Ingested prescriptions are only partially absorbed in the body and the rest are excreted, joining with waste water as well. At the water treatment plant, some drugs are passed along to a fresh water source while others remain in the treatment sludge to then be used as agriculture fertilizer. One way or another, these drugs

meant for humans end up in the environment, affecting plants, animals, and other humans around the world.


6:27-7:57 x Water pollution is a global issue that is affecting all people, therefore the solutions must be global as well.

Three main areas have been identified as focuses for reversing water pollution. Research, corporate responsibility, and citizen action are required to lead global change. Conducting effective research can lead to new laws and regulations for waste water dumping and management. Holding large corporations accountable for their waste will (ideally) lead to more responsible actions. Finally, citizen action is key in electing leaders who recognize the importance of regulating how we treat the environment we rely on.



Fossil Fuels Introduction 0:21-3:05 x A clip from the video Energy Crossroads is used to address the main question for this week's videos, "How do fossil fuels affect people?"

Our economy is based on the consumption of energy created by fossil fuels. The current rate of use is not sustainable and we will run out soon. As more nations around the world become developed, they too will consume more of the world's fossil fuels.

Fossil Fuels Oil 0:06-2:30 x Fossil fuels drive our global economy but the extraction of oil can have dangerous consequences.

The Bakken Oil Formation in North Dakota has changed the landscape and economy of the area. This clip views the oil formation in a positive light as it describes the jobs that are being created and the profits that are available by selling land. Millions of barrels of oil are being extracted from the Bakken Formation.

Fossil Fuels Natural Gas 0:11-3:51 x Natural gas extraction is done through a method called hydraulic fracturing or fracking. This is becoming a more and more popular method for extraction around the world.

Fracking has become a popular method of natural gas extraction around the world as it enables natural gas extraction in places where we could not previously extract. The drilling process can take 2-3 months but fracking takes only a few days. This video clip was made by a fracking company and therefore views fracking in a more positive light, claiming that fracking reduces the footprint of drilling.

Fossil Fuels Natural Gas 3:52-5:31 x The song My Water's on Fire Tonight illustrates how fracking is done but while presenting the realistic dangers of fracking.

When fracking occurs, chemicals mixed with sand and water are used to extract the natural gas and the chemicals can end up in local aquifers. These chemicals, such as benzene and methane, can make people very sick and ruin the groundwater source. A lack of regulation allows drillers to not comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act, basically allowing them to use whatever chemicals they want in order to extract natural gas.

Fossil Fuels Natural Gas 5:32-7:24 x The preview from the movie Gasland is featured to demonstrate the severity of the damage caused to the communities where fracking occurs.

Gasland describes fracking as causing a "mini earthquake" to break into the shale formations where natural gas is found. Groundwater in these fracking communities is so contaminated that it hisses and bubbles. Tap water can even be lit on fire. Fracking is still allowed to continue despite documented health risks and environmental impacts.

Fossil Fuels Coal 0:08-1:56 x Coal mining historically does not have a good reputation especially in terms of pollution. This clip focuses on modern day extraction techniques from the perspective of a coal mining corporation.

The Black Thunder Coal Mine markets coal as a clean, efficient, and low cost form of energy to power the United States. It is also said to be a secure energy resource comparative to using more limited forms of fossil fuels or depending on foreign oil.

Fossil Fuels Coal 1:57-6:52 x This clip focuses on the Appalachian Mountains from a perspective of how coal mining affects local communities.

Mountaintop removal, or surface mining, is a popular mining process. Forests are clear cut and holes are drilled to place explosives underground. The explosives damage and disturb surrounding ecosystems and communities. After the coal is mined, the valleys are filled contaminating streams and groundwater. The disposal process of chemicals is unregulated leaving surrounding communities struggling with high poverty rates and poor health quality.

Fossil Fuels Social History 0:06-0:56 x Key question for the video is highlighted, "How has our relationship with fossil fuels changed over time?"

Fossil fuels have been the most popular form of energy around the world because of the low cost. The problem is that we do not consider the indirect costs of fossil fuels. These include environmental clean up, healthcare, and global warming.

Fossil Fuels Social History 1:03-2:47 x A clip from the video The Eleventh Hour is used to illustrate how the human population changed as we began to burn fossil fuels for energy.

The narrator of The Eleventh Hour, Thom Hartmann, describes that before the discovery of fossil fuels humans lived on current sunlight only. What this means is that humans ate plants and animals that depended on sunlight and wood was burned for heat. Living like this kept the population at less than 1 billion. The discovery of "ancient sunlight", fossil fuels, allowed for population growth. Video clips of animals grazing, people gathering plants and supplies contrast the clips of the more modern city

goers to show the change in human behavior over time.

Fossil Fuels Social History 2:48-4:15 x As a modern global society, we have become dependent on fossil fuels to maintain our industrial society.

The use of fossil fuels was the driving force of the industrial revolution. Our dependence on fossil fuels for industrial production, transportation, and generating electricity defines us as a global human society.

Fossil Fuels Social History 4:16-7:00 x A TedTalk clip is used to view our large scale energy consumption through the lens of a photographer of large industrial landscapes.

In 2010, 83% of energy consumption in the U.S. came from fossil fuels. The TedTalk video illustrates the landscape of oil from extraction, oil uses, the "motor culture", and where it all goes when we are finished using the products. The presenter discusses that people around the world are going to have to find a solution to deal with our impending energy crisis. It would take at least 500 years for nature to replenish the amount of oil we use in one year, 30 billion barrels. There is no doubt that we will run out of oil.

Fossil Fuels Equity 0:11-0:53 x Key question for the video is highlighted, "How equitable is fossil fuel use?"

Because fossil fuels are carbon based, it creates carbon dioxide as they are burned. Since the widespread use of fossil fuels, global carbon dioxide emissions have been increasing. The increase in carbon dioxide emissions is a function of increased income.

Fossil Fuels Equity 0:54-2:15 x A township outside of Cape Town, South Africa is featured as an example of the inequitable distribution of energy.

Due to a devastating fire which displaced a large population in Cape Town, the government created a township for those people. The homes are placed very close together and more are being built to utilize all available space. Electricity is shared due to capacity and infrastructure issues. Electricity is brought from the outside into the homes in an unsafe way to meet their needs.

Fossil Fuels Equity 2:17-2:37 x Gapminder is used to visually demonstrate energy use per person as a function of income per person.

The graph illustrates the connection between how energy use has increased as income per person has increased as well. The data is unequally distributed as the more developed nations are consuming more energy than the underdeveloped nations.

Fossil Fuels Equity 2:38-3:47 x The illustration of Hubbert's Peak Theory on oil demonstrates the bell curve that oil production is predicted to follow.

The bell curve illustrated in this segment of the video was accompanied by animations of transportation technology booming as oil production was peaking and then sharply dropping off around the year 2020, presumably after oil supply is significantly reduced. By the year 2060, the graph levels off to

show a very low amount of oil being produced.

Fossil Fuels Climate Change Background

0:06-4:40 x A clip from the Bill Nye video, Climate Change 101, analyzes how carbon affects our global climate.

Carbon dioxide and methane are two naturally occurring gases that were present in our atmosphere at natural levels for one million years. After the industrial revolution introduced the burning of fossil fuels, we began producing about 35 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year. This causes dramatic weather pattern changes and a global temperature increase. The term for this is climate change.


4:41-5:00 x A graph is used to plot data for carbon dioxide levels, temperature, and sea level from 400,000 years ago until today.

The data plotted on the graph demonstrates that all three indicators of climate change, carbon dioxide levels, temperature, and sea level, all have shifted together.


5:02-6:15 x In the clip from a TedTalks video by David Keith, he describes what progress, or lack thereof, has been made towards reducing the effects of climate change.

David Keith begins by directing viewers towards a New York Times article from 1953 with headlines about climate change. This indicates that scientists have known for over 50 years about climate change yet no significant changes have been made by the public and policy makers to acknowledge the effects of climate change. He then points to a graph which shows that the rate

of emissions is accelerating faster than the worst case scenarios predicted.



New Energy Introduction 0:21-1:55 x Energy is everywhere and renewable forms of energy are provided to all life on earth in almost limitless quantities.

This segment provides a preview of some of the key questions that will be addressed in this weeks videos. These include, "What might a future where all energy is renewable look like?", "If energy is renewable, does that make it sustainable?", "What are the challenges associated with renewable energy?" and "What can you do to reduce carbon dioxide emissions?" The images that accompany these questions allude to the forms of renewable energy that will be analyzed in the upcoming videos.

New Energy Introduction 1:56-9:00 x The equation, developed by Bill Gates, to analyze multipliers of total global carbon dioxide emissions is broken down to discuss the end goal of reducing total global carbon dioxide emissions to zero.

According to the equation developed by Bill Gates, to know the total global carbon dioxide emissions you must multiply people on earth by services per person by energy per service by carbon dioxide per unit of energy. In order to make total global carbon dioxide emissions equal to zero, one of the multipliers must be reduced to zero. Graphs are used throughout this segment to illustrate the data of each component of the equation and how they have changed over time. A solution must be found to accommodate the growing demands of a growing population without emitting more carbon dioxide.

New Energy Introduction 9:01-10:34 x Renewable forms of energy are available in vast amounts and this week's videos will cover five major sources.

Solar, bio, geothermal, tidal, and wind energy will all be elaborated on throughout the videos for the week. For each form of renewable energy, the videos will address how it can contribute to sustainable futures, how it works, challenges associated with that form of energy and who is working to implement and discover solutions to these challenges.

New Energy Wind 0:14-5:20 x The clip from a TedTalk video by William Kamkwamba illustrates how generating wind energy is possible even with limited materials.

Kamkwamba is from Malawi and describes through images and his personal story how he was able to bring power to his town. Having to drop out of school because of fees his family was unable to pay, Kamkwamba sought education on his own through books at a library. He eventually had the idea to generate power that could be used for electricity in the home and to pump water for irrigation. Kamkwamba went to a scrap yard to find suitable materials and built a fully functional windmill.

New Energy Wind 5:26-6:46 x The amount of potential wind energy available on earth could exceed our energy demand.

Wind energy is captured through turbines. The amount of potential wind energy available is 16 times the amount needed to meet our current global demand. So far over 70 countries have begun using wind power with the United States and China being the leaders.

New Energy Wind 6:47-9:34 x As with any new technology, producing wind power poses some challenges.

The main challenges associated with wind power are variable availability and speed of wind, storage of power in batteries which are made of rare earth metals, and upfront cost. Not all places on earth have enough consistent wind power to make the cost worth it.

New Energy Wind 9:35-11:50 x The non-profit organization, WindMade, has developed a system for showing consumers which products are produced using wind energy.

In the advertisement made by WindMade, they walk viewers through how manufactures have told consumers what their products are made. Beginning with the establishment of the recycle symbol, followed by CFC's, the label associated with animal testing, organically made products, the fair trade label, and finally the WindMade label. These labels help consumers identify the types of products they do or do not want to purchase.

New Energy Solar 0:15-6:09 x The NGO Solar Electric Light Fund provided a small village in Ojoto, Nigeria with solar power energy, changing the livelihoods of the villagers.

In the rural village of Ojoto, women used to walk for miles everyday to gather drinking water for their families because there was no running water or electricity. The Nigerian power company could not provide a reliable connection to the power grid. Solar energy, however, is dependable. The Solar Electric Light Fund was able to set up micro credit for the villagers to pay off the $50,000 infrastructure over time. Now the villagers have noticeable lifestyle improvements with electricity

and wells. The video footage shows the noticeable differences in resource availability compared to what we are used to in the United States.

New Energy Solar 6:10-9:48 x The video by EnergyNow demonstrates how solar energy is captured and converted into power.

The sun is our most abundant resource and only 0.01% of the sun's energy would be able to supply enough energy to meet the energy demands of our whole global population. Yuma, Arizona is the sunniest place on earth and has enough land space to supply 80% of the entire world's total energy use. Sunlight energy can be captured either with photovoltaic devices, solar cells, or with solar thermal electric power plants. Both options require daylight and space. Storage of power for later use is currently not very effective as the storage batteries require additional space and are usually made of precious metals and toxic chemicals.

New Energy Solar 9:49-12:52 x Solar resources maps illustrate the capability of the United States and Germany to capture energy form the sun to create renewable energy.

Solar cells can only capture energy during the day, but they can also capture energy during cloudy days. As illustrated on the solar resources maps, Germany has the ability to produce 3.5% of all their energy needs from solar resources. Another challenge is that not all homes and buildings can accommodate solar panels. Many organizations and companies are working to overcome these challenges to make solar energy more cost effective, sustainable, and available.

Systems and futures thinking must be used to overcome these challenges for a sustainable way to meet our growing energy demands.

New Energy Solar 12:53-13:59 x Solar Mosaic is a company bringing together communities through renewable solar energy.

Because solar panels can often times be very costly, Solar Mosaic encourages whole communities to contribute to the upfront costs of solar panels on community buildings, schools, etc. As the panels generate electricity, the communities get paid back and any additional profits go towards funding the next community solar project. This is a great solution because individuals do not have to cover the high upfront costs alone or worry that their home or apartment can accommodate the solar panels.

New Energy Tidal 0:36-3:09 x A seawall in South Korea is being built as the largest tidal power plant in the world.

The seawall consists of ten giant turbines that spin as the tide comes in and out. At the rate of about 10 meters per second, this seawall is able to produce 254 mega watts of energy which is enough to power half a million homes. The turbines will also

allow for improved water circulation which benefits the ecosystem.

New Energy Tidal 3:27-8:01 x Because almost all of the world's rivers are already dammed for hydroelectric power, tidal power is an effective alternative. The three types of tidal power are tidal stream, tidal barrage, and wave power.

The video shows segments of the oldest tidal barrage in the world located in France, tidal stream power set up in the British Isles, and wave power "wave farms" off the coast of Portugal. There are clear benefits of each form as well as barriers and challenges depending on the location. Each region of the world has a unique potential for renewable energy sources.

New Energy Tidal 8:02-11:45 x Although tidal power is a consistent and reliable source of energy, there are also some big challenges to overcome before implementing these renewable sources of energy.

The infrastructure needed for tidal power are costly, require many years to implement, and need to improve the lives of the population in order to be beneficial. To afford the necessary infrastructure, governments must be stable and able to obtain loans. The goal of energy production is to increase availability in order to eliminate poverty. Improved living conditions, increased access to food, clean water, health care, and education all must occur in the process of clean energy development.

The issues associated with clean energy sources must be considered through the lens of values thinking to determine benefit.

New Energy Conclusion 0:15-0:52 x Images are used to review the main types of renewable energy that were covered in this week's videos.

In order to reduce global carbon dioxide emissions to zero, renewable energy must become the main form of energy used world wide. Efforts must be made to improve the technology needed to make this switch happen. Scientists around the world are working to make this future goal a reality.

New Energy Conclusion 0:53-2:49 x An infographic video clip called The Future of Renewable Energy is used to illustrate the history, solutions, and future potential of energy consumption around the world.

The infographic video provides statistical data about fossil fuel consumption habits around the world and follows with the proposed solution of renewable energy. Some of the most promising forms of renewable energy are reviewed and the potential amount of energy that can be captured and used is highlighted to demonstrate a viable replacement to fossil fuel use.

New Energy Conclusion 2:51-6:01 x National Geographic created a video to feature the renewable energy technology advancements being made by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado.

More widespread use of renewable energy, especially in residential homes, is dependent on technological advancements. For example, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory is working to make solar cells more efficient for home owners as well as ethanol from farm harvest waste. Their goal is to create a future that is no longer dependent on fossil fuels.

New Energy Conclusion 6:02-8:02 x Reimagining the future of energy requires the use of renewable energy sources. The video clip that wraps up this segment visually depicts what a future running on renewable energy might look like.

This video calls for a sense of urgency to which we must approach the development of renewable energy technology. The images used demonstrate the ways renewable energy can improve our communities, lifestyles, and transportation technology. Cities of the future are described as being "designed for people, not cars".



Ecosystem Services

Introduction 0:22-3:28 x This segment introduces the ways that humans depend on our ecosystem in order to survive.

A clip from the video Not Another Nature Film is used to illustrate and describe the web of life that is created by ecosystem interactions. Human activity both relies upon and destroys nature and if we continue to consume resources at this rate, we will need two earth's to support our lifestyles twenty years from now. If we look out for our planet, then it will look after us.

Ecosystem Services

Introduction 3:29-5:20 x The key question for this week's content is highlighted, "How strategic is our management of the biosphere and its global systems"?

The biosphere describes the entire earth as an ecosystem. An ecosystem is all the biotic and abiotic components of a given environment, meaning all living and non-living things. Humans can seriously impact earth's natural cycles of climate, nitrogen, water, and carbon.

Ecosystem Services

Coupled Systems 1

0:13-1:33 x Before the spread of agriculture humans were hunters and gatherers, relying on naturally cycling self-sustaining systems.

With the beginning of agricultural practices, humans began controlling the natural systems. Agriculture changed forest land into fields and began diverting water which in turn changed the natural water systems.

Ecosystem Services

Coupled Systems 1

1:34-3:30 x Everything in the Middle East is reliant on water and irrigation systems. Without water, societies could not flourish.

The South Jordan valley is the focus in this segment. They created a complex channel system to bring water across the hillsides and toward their fields. It is estimated that this project must have brought thousands of people together about 2,000 years before the pyramids in Egypt.

Ecosystem Services

Coupled Systems 2

0:14-1:44 x Carbon and climate systems became two interconnected systems through the industrial revolution which introduced the burning of fossil fuels, creating carbon dioxide.

The carbon dioxide emitted by the burning of fossil fuels impacts the climate cycle adding to the warming of our planet. Water and nitrogen availability have always acted as limiting factors and nitrogen fixing became a viable solution.

Ecosystem Services

Coupled Systems 2

1:45-3:32 x Fritz Haber was a German scientist who discovered how to artificially fix nitrogen.

Before Haber's discovery, nitrogen was mined in Chile from sea bird droppings that had been deposited for thousands of years. From Chile, it was shipped to Europe to be used as a fertilizer for crops. Haber was able to artificially fix nitrogen to create ammonia.

Ecosystem Services

Coupled Systems 2

3:33-6:25 x Ammonia was used to grow crops and was also a key ingredient in explosives.

During World War I, demand for ammonia increased because of its use in explosives. Fixing nitrogen artificially allowed for the demand of ammonia to be met. During the Green Revolution, Norman Borlaug helped farmers in Mexico, followed by India and Pakistan, to develop crops that could resist disease and increase yield while reducing the depletion of soil.

Ecosystem Services

Coupled Systems 2

6:26-7:19 x The Green Revolution expanded agricultural efficiency and productivity which had cascading impacts on other human involved systems.

As more food was able to be produced, the population began to dramatically increase. The Green Revolution connected the human systems and ecosystems even more than before. The great acceleration occurred in 1950 when the dramatic increase in human activity first began.

Ecosystem Services

Coupled Systems 2

7:20-9:33 x A clip from the video There's No Tomorrow is used to demonstrate the dramatic acceleration that took place in 1950 around the world.

The coupled human-environment system is introduced as one big system on earth involving water, climate, nitrogen and others coupled with human social, cultural, and political systems. Natural and environmental systems cannot be addressed without discussing human involvement because people manage the entire planet.

Ecosystem Services

Ecosystem Services

0:10-0:39 x Ecosystem services are defined by the United Nations Millennium Ecosystems Assessment.

Ecosystem services are all the things within an ecosystem that provide for humans. The UN Millennium Ecosystems Assessment lists the different types of ecosystems and which resources they provide.

Ecosystem Services

Ecosystem Services

0:40-2:01 x The clip from Measuring Ecosystem Services provides a detailed outline of how the UN Millennium Ecosystems Assessment breaks down ecosystems and their services.

There are three major categories that ecosystem services can be broken into: provisioning services, regulating services, and cultural services. Services that fall into each of these categories help people to meet their needs. With enough information, we can determine how to use the land most efficiently.

Ecosystem Services

Ecosystem Services

2:03-4:28 x This segment discusses the ways that forests specifically benefit ecosystems around the world.

Forests cover about one third of earth's land area and they are responsible for making our planet habitable. Forests help to remove carbon dioxide from the air, regulate water to improve water quality, decrease flood damage and soil erosion, and provide homes for over half of all terrestrial species as well as about 60 million indigenous people. Health care and scientific developments also depend on forest resources.

Ecosystem Services

Ecosystem Services

4:29-7:21 x All commodities originate in nature as raw materials. Incentives in our economy, or the lack thereof, do not help to protect our ecosystems and their services.

Biomass is used as an example of a service provided by a variety of ecosystems globally. Biomass is living biological organisms that are renewable. These can be used to create alternatives to fossil fuels. As scientists are able to gather more data about the types of biomass and their locations, scientists will be able to develop inventory systems to more efficiently use the biomass resources.

Ecosystem Services

Trade-Offs 0:10-1:48 x Human and environment systems cannot be separated because they both effect one another significantly.

When looking at the human effect on our ecosystems, deforestation, desertification, and ocean acidification are indicators that our management of the biosphere is not very strategic. Using the four ways of thinking is essential for reducing environmental degradation though improved decision making.

To refresh, the four ways of thinking are Futures, Values, Systems, and Strategic thinking.

Ecosystem Services

Trade-Offs 1:49-6:29 x The clip in this segment is set in Vancouver, B.C., Canada to discuss how human choices effect ecosystem services.

It is estimated that the services provided by the land in Vancouver add up to about $5.4 billion per year. This is based on market values, such as the price and profits of logging timber, and the non-market values, such as the value of spending time in nature and efforts needed to make that happen, and air, water, and soil erosion control from the forests. There is also the replacement cost method of making choice between types of ecosystem services. An example of this can be found in the Catskill Watershed in New York. New York had the choice to build a water treatment center or protect the watershed to ensure clean drinking water. They chose to preserve the watershed.

Estimating values of ecosystem services allows for policy/decision makers to choose services wisely.

Ecosystem Services

Trade-Offs 6:30-7:46 x When making decisions involving the environment, we often end up trading ecosystem services or valuing one service over another in the given context.

Direct and indirect costs and benefits must be analyzed closely when making ecosystem services choices. Unintended consequences or results further down the road can occur when the whole system is not looked at collectively.

Ecosystem Services

Trade-Offs 7:47-10:00 x The Grand Canyon in Arizona is the focus of this video segment as the recreational, cultural, and spiritual value of the land is compared with the monetary value of uranium mining.

The Grand Canyon defines the identity of the Arizona landscape and with 4-5 million visitors each year, it is a huge source of tourism, recreation, and has cultural and spiritual value to the Havasupai tribe. Uranium mines located on both rims of the canyon are being reopened due to the increased value of the metal. Ore is transported first to Utah to be shipped to Korea and France while the profits go to Canada. Thus, there is no benefit to the surrounding peoples. This has lead to groundwater contamination, wildlife habitat, and sacred areas for native peoples.

Video Name Time range Global Brief summary of content Detailed evidence of how course fulfills the Global criteria.


Introduction 0:23-3:59 x The production and use of consumer goods takes place in a complex global system of production and use.

The sale price that consumers pay represents the production cost and profit but does not account for total cost of product life cycle. These are called external costs to social and environmental systems. Externalities can be measured in qualitative or quantitative data sets. Qualitative impacts would be emotional consequences and quantitative, numerical, impacts could be the cost of energy, water, or land use.

Visuals used demonstrate how this global system of production and use affect both developed and underdeveloped societies.

Clay Stove 0:11-1:01 x The Clay Stove video is focused in Kenya to analyze their traditional cooking system in comparison to the new clay stove.

For thousands of years, Kenyans have used a traditional three stone fireplace but efforts but there are some serious drawbacks to this method and benefits to using the clay stove. In this video, we will analyze the system of production and use associated with the clay stove.

Clay Stove 1:02-4:10 x This segment of the video critically looks at the product life cycle of the clay stove from start to finish.

The extraction phase is conducted using locally available materials. When the clay has been extracted, it is brought back to the home to then be processed and shaped into a pot with two openings. Rather than a complex specialized assembly line, only one woman is in charge of shaping the stove. The energy input stage occurs during the firing of the stoves to harden the clay. Men form the chimney from scrap metals, again the labor is conducted by one person per chimney. After being inspected, the chimneys are transported by ox cart to the market where the consumers purchase their clay stoves. The clay

The information is presented throughout the whole video is of the Kenyans producing and using the clay stoves so that the living conditions, lifestyles, and processes are able to be visualized.

stove is then used at home with wood.

Clay Stove 4:11-5:21 x The benefits of adopting the use of the clay stove is highlighted.

Many people in Kenya have suffered from respiratory diseases and related issues. Using the clay stove reduces the amount of smoke that would be inhaled in the cooking process. The lifecycle of the clay stove also stimulates the local economy because each part is produced and assembled locally, meaning the financial gains stay local. There is also no need for air polluting transportation systems because each component is locally sourced.

Clay Stove 5:22-6:59 x The drawbacks of adopting the clay stove compared to continuing to use the three stone fireplace are analyzed.

Daniel Nzengya, who has spent most of his life living and studying in Kenya, describes three major drawbacks to using the clay stove. First, the traditional three stove fireplace was a great slow cooker while the clay stove was almost like a microwave, cooking the food too fast. This example highlights the way women would need to change their traditional forms of food preparation and eating. The second drawback is that the smoke generated from the three stone fireplace was used to smoke meat. With the elimination of smoke using the chimney, smoking meat was no longer viable. Lastly, the clay stove can break and replacing it can be costly for the family to replace.

The analysis of drawbacks highlights the idea that people do not always want to change their lifestyles for a new technology.

Jeans 0:56-8:21 x The steps involved in producing jeans is broken down and analyzed to get the whole picture of what goes into a single pair of jeans.

Jeans first started being produced after the California gold rush for miners to wear. Today, over 450 million pairs are sold in the United States alone. The global jeans market is worth about $40 billion. The cotton typically comes from farms in Mexico where they then process the cotton to make refined cotton that can be blended, died, and woven. This process occurs at a series of different factories in Mexico. It takes about 15 pieces of cloth to produce a single pair of jeans and workers are specialized to put them together and distress the pair of pants to the fashion tastes of the denim designers.

The video footage takes you through the fields of cotton followed by the factories to show the scale of the efforts to create a pair of jeans.

Jeans 8:22-10:45 x Fashion demands guide the production of clothing, specifically jeans in this video.

All production processes are dependent on the fashion demands and trends. Clothing must be produced with particular uniformity, color, and style. Despite the lengthy production process for a pair of jeans, the greatest amount of environmental impact is actually in the use phase rather than production. Cotton, electricity during production, transportation, and rivets are all worth about one-third of the total impact from jeans. Two-thirds of the impact occurs in the use phase from washing and drying the denim.

Jeans 10:46-11:46 x Solutions for reducing the amount of impact in the use phase are discussed.

Some of the suggestions for reducing the impact of jeans include, investing energy efficient washer and dryers, selecting smaller load settings or only using the washer when a load is full, and hang drying jeans in the shade to reduce fading.

iPhone 0:10-0:29 x The iPhone video will take a critical look at the human, natural, financial, and manufactured capital needed to produce and use the iPhone.

There are both positive and negative social, environmental, and economic impacts involved in the production and use of the iPhone. Images of the iPhone are used because it is a common commodity that many people can relate to and understand when they see it.

iPhone 0:30-1:45 x This segment will address how consumers and producers of the iPhone are linked in a global supply chain system.

The four main types of capital, human, natural, financial, and manufactured, establish jobs around the world and add a new level of social connectivity. The drawbacks are significant as well- environmental degradation, water, land, and air pollution, and oppressed workers and communities.

Clips are used from the news that capture the technology dependence that many societies face. The news clip captured this social aspect as they interviewed many people who waited hours for the new iPhone to be released.

iPhone 1:46-5:08 x The extraction of natural resources for the manufacturing of the iPhone come from around the world. This segment centers around a coltan miner, Fidel, from the People's Republic of the Congo.

In the People's Republic of the Congo, workers like Fidel have to work, sleep, and live in the mines. Coltan traders go to the mines with scales to measure their metals. In the clip shown, Fidel has mined two kilos of coltan and receives $6 in return. Part of the $6 must be given to the mine owner while the rest has to be put towards food. Fidel can only afford to rent one room someone's home for himself, his wife, and their daughter.

The photographs used demonstrate the poor living and working conditions these people endure for very little profit.

iPhone 5:09-7:10 x The global production efforts and profits are broken down into the major countries at play; Japan, Korea, Germany, and the United States.

Apple Corporation receives 50% of the profits from the sale of each iPhone. Japan controls Toshiba which accounts for $59.25 of the total cost of the iPhone, Samsung in Korea is responsible for $22.96, Infineon in Germany produces $27.85, and Broadcom in the United States produces $5.95 of the total cost of the iPhone. The United States also contributes to the advertising and management of Apple Corporation. All iPhone components created around the world are transported to Foxconn in China where a factory of 400,000 workers assemble the products.

iPhone 7:11-8:12 x This segment takes us inside the Foxconn factory in China.

At Foxconn, workers assemble and inspect all products before they are shipped out to the almost 400 Apple stores worldwide. Young workers live and work at the factories. Typically 8 people live in one dorm room and do not even know each other. Managers have been known to abuse workers for making mistakes or missing deadlines.

iPhone 8:13-8:46 x Foxconn is responsible for supplying iPhones to the almost 400 Apple stores around the world and therefore rely heavily on transportation systems.

The global transportation network needed to ship the Apple products around the world have create a large environmental impact. Apple has worked to reduce this impact by minimizing the size of the packaging for the iPhone. By reducing the materials needed for packaging, Apple is able to transport more iPhones on each cargo load.

iPhone 8:47-10:03 x Despite all the aspects previously discussed covering the production phase of the iPhone, 23% of the impact can be found in the use phase.

Once the consumer has purchased the iPhone, the iPhone is linked to a cellphone tower containing fiber optic cables to link the data to server farms. GPS network technology also sends and receives information fro satellites. The iPhone battery also must be recharged regularly which requires energy systems. Serious social impacts also occur in the use phase. For example, texting and driving and traffic accidents, and stress and feelings of attachment to cell phones.

iPhone 10:04-11:13 x The benefits of the iPhone are contrasted with its drawbacks.

The extraction and production phases of the iPhone creates economic growth and profit, employment opportunities, and creates social connectivity through information communication technology. However, the working conditions are very poor for many of the workers and the environmental impacts from extraction and transportation of materials makes a big impact.

iPhone 11:14-12:27 x Apple's role in these issues is critically analyzed.

Apple is a very transparent corporation in that they have willingly disclosed all the information provided in this week's videos. This transparency and awareness indicates that Apple is taking responsibility for their goods. By minimizing the packaging, Apple is able to reduce the amount of resources for the packaging as well as transportation space. Consumers and the media have been demanding the improvement of conditions for the workers involved.

Bottled Water 0:22-1:52 x Key questions are posed highlighting the issues that will be focused on in the Bottled Water video. These include, "Are we using our resources strategically? What values are embodied in water? What systems are we impacting? Will water always be available?"

Images of many different people of drinking bottled water highlights the widespread use of plastic bottled water. The clip from "Addicted to Plastic" is used to show the animated lifecycle of plastic beginning with resin beads as the building block of plastics and ending with examples of the variety of items that can be made from plastic.

Bottled Water 1:53-3:40 x The history behind the purpose for creating plastic is explained.

Plastics were made during the late 1800's and early 20th century to address the depletion of resources such as ivory, horn, shelac, rubber, cork, silk, etc. Plastics are made from oil refining byproducts and coal distillation. They are malleable and can be used for almost anything.

Bottled Water 3:41-4:14 x Plastics have always been cheap and disposable making the waste and issue surrounding plastics go invisible.

Life magazine published an article in 1955 called "Throw Away Living" describing the benefits to using disposable plastics. One of the major benefits discussed was that mothers could spend more time with the family instead of spending time washing dishes.

Bottled Water 4:15-5:20 x The manufacturing of plastic bottles is shown to describe the multistep process involved in producing bottled water.

Plastic bottles are made fro petroleum based hydrocarbons before they are filled with water. Water is a public good which is regulated by municipalities and cities. The bottling and selling of water makes it a private good with a different regulation process.

Bottled Water 5:21-12:19 x This video clip begins with a review of the water cycle to illustrate where our surface and ground water comes from. Each of the four major actos involved in the water bottle production and use systems is discussed in detail.

Corporations, scientists, politicians, and citizens all play a role in the bottled water industry. Bottle water corporations have created a $400 billion global industry making it the third largest global industry. Regulation of municipal tap water greatly differs from the regulation of bottled water. There is only one person in the FDA who is responsible for all bottled water in the country. The FDA also only regulates water that is distributed out of state from where it is bottled. In comparison, the EPA regulates tap water according to strict health standards a minimum of 300 times per month for a city of one million people. An example was shown form a toxicology test conducted on seven brands of water which found a variety of chemicals that should never be found in drinking water. Politicians and all elected officials have an influence over the system of bottled water and have the ability to create more regulations to be followed. The role of citizens could be in the form of consumers and adovocacy organizations. The power the bottled water industry has can be compared with oil.

Bottled Water 12:20-14:43 x The energy required to pump, treat, and deliver tap and bottled water are compared using a graph of data.

The energy required to pump, treat, and deliver tap water is estimated at 1,000 Mega Joules. Bottled water on the other hand requires an average of about 25,000 Mega Joules. Solutions are being researched to reduce the energy used in the production process as well as the use of bioplastics. However, 10,000 liters of water is still required to produce one liter of bioplastics.

Conclusion 0:11-1:20 x A review is done of the impacts addressed in the clay stove, jeans, iPhone, and bottled water videos.

The clay stove relies on local materials, labor, and markets to bring social, environmental, and economic value to producers and users. The greatest impact created from the production and use of jeans comes from the use phase due to how we take care of jeans. The iPhone video demonstrates the globally linked system of extraction, production, and distribution. Bottled water discusses the product vs. human right debate of privitization of bottled water.

Conclusion 1:21-2:03 x The impacts and challenges of quantifying externalities are reviewed.

It is difficult to quantify emotional qualitative impacts of externalities caused by the production and use of different items. However, it is beneficial to quantify the value of externalities in order to understand the full life cycle costs.

Conclusion 2:04-5:28 x Externalities are calculated for the clay stove, jeans, iPhone, and bottled water. These are calculated by looking at the carbon dioxide impact, meaning the externalities of water and soil impact are not included.

The clay stove is an example of positive externalities because the decreased use of wood and decreased instances of lung disease should bring the cost down to zero. Jeans have an impact of 32.3 kg of carbon dioxide which would require an increased cost of $1.05 to account for this externality. The iPhone would require an increase of $2.31, and bottled watter would need to be increased by $0.015. Looking at these products in this way can help consumers unerstand the full cost of the products they purchase.

Video Name Time range Global Brief summary of content Detailed evidence of how course fulfills the Global criteria.


Introduction 0:22-1:39 x Once we dispose of a product, people rarely think about it again or know where it goes.

The focus of this week is what happens to a product once we throw it away and forget about it. There are more options besides just recycling or throwing away a product when we no longer want or need the item. The disposal decisions we make can have positive or negative impacts that should be considered thoughtfully.

Visuals of landfills and people sorting through trash shows the amount of waste that is thrown away.

Introduction 1:40-2:32 x How we dispose of products creates externalities, or impacts that are not accounted for in the cost of a product.

Some examples of externalities include carbon dioxide emission, methane releases, polluted water and air, and poor living and working conditions near disposal sites. The impacts of disposal can be changed into a positive if we find ways to transform waste into a useable resource.

Visuals of landfills and people sorting through trash shows the amount of waste that is thrown away.

Introduction 2:33-3:46 x Management of waste at the end of a product lifecycle could change the impacts from negatives to positives.

This week's videos will focus on clothing and jeans, electronic waste, disposal of plastic bottles and how these impacts are felt around the world. Our disposal decisions affect a network of actions, activities, and behaviors that have positive or negative impacts.

The price we pay to get rid of products does not reflect the full cost of the product life cycle.

Landfills 0:14-1:59 x Only a small portion of our waste is recycled globally. Graphs are used here to compare waste thrown away and waste that has been recycled.

In 2009, the EPA estimated that 49.9 million tons of trash were thrown away while only 85.1 tons were recycled. The graph that is shown illustrates that rates of recycling have been steadily increasing however the amount of trash being generated is also increasing dramatically. It is a tricky balance because in order to grow our economy, people must buy things and when those things are no

longer being used, they get thrown away, usually to a landfill.

Landfills 2:00-3:04 x Gapminder graph is used to draw sanitation comparisons between Kenya, Brazil, and the United States.

Data plotted in the Gapminder graph compares improved access to sanitation and income per person. The data from Kenya, Brazil, and The United States draw the conclusion that as income increases, access to sanitation increases as well. Kenya, Brazil, and The United States are the three countries that will be explored further in this video.

Landfills 3:05-4:03 x This segment centers around Nakuru, a village in Kenya and how their sanitation system functions.

Daniel Nzengya shared insights and photos of small homes surrounded by trash to emphasize the lack of an organized sanitation system for many people in Nakuru. The wealthy areas of the city have regular sweeps to pick up trash from homes and bring it out to an uncovered landfill in a poor area of town. The poor simply throw their trash in the streets. Men, women, children, and even animals pick through the trash to find food, items of use, and anything to burn for heating and cooking. This is an informal waste management system, mainly brought on by the poverty caused by colonialism.

There are video and picture footage to show the severity of the poverty described in this city.

Landfills 4:04-9:47 x This segment centers around the Jardim Gramacho Landfill in Brazil. The Gramacho Landfill is one of the largest landfills in the world. The video "Wasteland" is used to tell the story of the garbage pickers.

Valter dos Santos, who has no formal education and has been a picker for 26 years, is the Vice President of the Association of Pickers of Jardim Gramacho and is interviewed for the video. He describes that the garbage pickers collect everything from the landfill for example cardboard, paper, plastics, glass, and metal. The items are sold at the landfills to recycling wholesalers who take the materials to be processed and made into new products. Pickers remove over 200 tons of recyclable materials each day, which is the equivalent to the garbage produced by a city of 400,000 daily. Valter represents the over 2,500 pickers that work at the landfill. It is not clean, safe, or desirable but it provides these people with economic opportunities and removes unnecessary items from the landfill.

This segment is filmed at the Jardim Gramacho Landfill and you can see the vastness of the site and the pickers gathering items.

Landfills 9:48-11:13 x This segment focuses on the United States and where our trash goes when it is sent "away".

Since the 1990's, the United States has had access to 100% sanitation services. In Phoenix specifically, the Route 85 Landfill receives about 3,500 tons of municipal solid waste per day. In the desert, landfilling is the cheapest and easiest way to get rid of waste. There are specific landfilling standards in the U.S. including a 1/4 inch thick double plastic liner, dirt covering over the daily waste, once filled completely the landfill is covered with a layer of clay to prevent rain from seeping through, and perforated pipes must be placed at the bottom to pump toxic water from the bottom. This toxic water is called leachate and is an accumulation of water mixed with the toxins and chemicals from the waste. Landfills also produce methane gas, a powerful greenhouse gas, which is either burned off or captured to produce power.

A video animation of a landfill being filled with a step by step description is a great visual aid for understanding a concept that most people have never seen before.

Landfills 11:14-13:29 x To recap the information from this video, the narrator and animation walks through the components of a landfill and the risks involved.

Despite the precautions involved with landfill construction, rain and snow will seep through the liners and clay and will percolate through the waste. When this water mixes with the chemicals, metals, and toxins, the leachate will pool at the bottom. Leachate can burn holes in the plastic liners and the liners can get punctured and leak. When a leak is detected, it is too late to fix the liner and it is impossible to know how much ground water will be infected. The EPA and Casella Zone experts admit that all liners leak. Not all methane gas can be captured thus some is released into

the air. Currently there is no solution to the liner issues.

Jeans 0:10-1:05 x This video focuses on alternatives to throwing away items such as clothing when we are finished using them.

We must consider values thinking when deciding if an item we want to throw away might have value to someone else. If an item is in fairly good condition, most likely there is someone out there who would value it. In 2005, clothing and jeans accounted for 17% of all landfill waste.

Jeans 1:06-2:50 x This segment focuses on the resale options available when getting rid of old clothes and jeans.

Because people have different fashion values from one another, if clothing and jeans are in good condition they can be donated or even resold for money. Many companies both online and in person offer resale opportunities. Production and disposal are an interconnected system so donating or reselling clothing eliminated many of the impacts of the production system. This eliminates space in landfills and the materials, water, and electricity needed to process the raw materials of jeans and other clothing.

Jeans 2:51-5:09 x Donating or reselling unwanted clothing is a great option for clothing that is in good condition but if the items are in unwearable condition there are still options besides the landfill.

Clothing in poor condition still has valuable uses. In particular, jeans and other clothing can be donated to companies that shred the materials and turn them into industry and environmental cleanup rags. Old clothing can also be shredded into a finer material and turned into insulation for homes and buildings. Replacing petroleum or silica based insulations with donated cloth eliminates all the negative impacts of extraction. This is an example of a strategic use of our economic production and disposal systems. Citizens have more choices than just disposing into a landfill. By using the four ways of thinking, one can determine that there are much better alternatives to throwing clothes into the trash bound for the landfill.

eWaste 0:09-1:10 x The eWaste video focuses on where our electronics, specifically cell phones, go when we are finished with them or they break.

This segment uses a Gapminder graph to illustrate the increased global use of cell phones. The wealthier countries adopted cell phones sooner but by 2010 almost all countries in the world were using cell phones regardless of income. The issue with increased cell phone use is that the old cell phones must go somewhere when we are finished using them.

eWaste 1:11-1:42 x This segment demonstrates how the people of Kenya are utilizing old cell phones.

Kenyans are thriving off the access to older models of cell phones. They are valuable tools for banking, internet access, their economy, and communicating in villages that never had access to even landline phones.

eWaste 1:43-7:55 x This segment demonstrates how the people of China are utilizing old cell phones.

The scene in China is completely different than in Kenya. When old cell phones or other electronics stop working, they are shipped to China for the precious metals to be extracted from the devices. Gold, copper, and zinc for example, are welded into the circuit boards during the production process and can be removed for profit. The documentary "Manufactured Landscapes" uses powerful video and photo footage to capture the mountains of eWaste piled high. About 50% of the world's computers end up in China to be recycled. During the process of breaking apart these electronics, the boards are heated causing the toxic smell of burning electronics to travel up to five kilometers away. eWaste also has negative consequences for groundwater sources. Phosphors, lead, and other toxic metals are inside many monitors and when these monitors are broke, the metals mix with the rain to end up in rivers, groundwater sources, and contaminating the whole water table.

Powerful images of the 2004 documentary capture the severity of this issue. There are photos of children playing on the mountains of metals, an elderly woman sitting on her porch next to a pile of eWaste, and assembly lines of people dismantling the electronics.

eWaste 7:56-9:44 x The final segment of this video discusses what is being done to change this informal recycling system.

Advocacy groups have begun trying to enforce regulations in the U.S. and Europe to keep workers and the environment safe while recovering precious metals and recyclables. The problem is that it is a very labor intensive and expensive process if a formal, regulated electronic recycling system were developed in the U.S. For example, many corporations seek the cheapest companies to dispose of their eWaste which has resulted in illegal dumping. Some have even intentionally sunk boats filled with old electronics.

Plastics 0:12-0:49 x Examples illustrate the ways plastics can be disposed of, beginning with the worst option- littering.

Littering is the worst way to dispose of plastic water bottles because they will end up polluting our oceans. Plastic bottles are carried by storm water into storm drains which meet with streams, lakes, or rivers which all end up in the ocean.

This process is illustrated by following a plastic water bottle from the street, through the storm drains, and into the ocean.

Plastics 0:50-5:32 x Part of the documentary "Addicted to Plastic" is used to show the audience how filled with plastics the ocean has become. Most people do not get to go out to the gyres where plastics collect so the documentary sheds light on an almost hidden crisis.

In the documentary, a group was gathering samples from the large concentration of plastics in the Pacific Ocean garbage patch. This gyre where the plastics collect is about 1,000 miles away from the United States mainland. Only about half of all plastics float but even so, the documentary shows many large plastic objects floating. The United Nations reports that there are over 46,000 pieces of plastic per square mile of ocean. Because plastic pieces can resemble food, many animals end up consuming the plastic. The group gathering data discovered that there is ten times more plastic than naturally

The gyre is created by high atmospheric pressure zones causing a depression on the water creating a swirling effect where plastics collect.

occurring food by investigating the plastic to plankton ratio by weight.

Plastics 5:33-6:17 x The next segment discusses another option for disposing of plastics- landfilling.

Only 2.1 million tons of plastics are recycled each year. This means that 29.8 million tons of plastics end up in municipal solid waste, or landfills, each year. This is a very low rate of recycling and the reasons for that are discussed in the following segment.

Plastics 6:18-8:55 x The reason behind the low recycling rates are analyzed by looking at container deposit legislature and curbside pickup programs.

There are currently only 11 states that have container deposit legislature. This is when consumers pay a small deposit fee when purchasing plastic bottles and they receive the deposit back when they return the bottles to recycling designated recycling programs. Rather than relying on taxpayer money, this program completely funds itself. States with a 5 cent deposit have a 70% return rate while states with a 10 cent deposit have a 97% return rate. These states have been running successful recycling programs for the past 25 years, however only 6 states have legislature covering plastic water bottles. This is because 25 years ago when the laws were established, plastic water bottles did not exist. Therefore, the other states' bills only include soft drink and beer bottles. Bottling corporations are proponents of curbside pick up programs because the container deposit programs would require the companies to pay a few extra cents per bottle. Yet only 50% of all Americans have curbside recycling pick up programs.

Plastics 8:56-12:25 x Plastic bottles can also be processed into thread for the textile industry.

After plastic bottles are sorted out of the other recyclables from curbside pick up programs, they are shredded and sent to recycling facilities in China, for example. At the factories, the shreds go through processes to remove the stickers and labels, become melted and pushed through a mold to get thread-like pieces. Those strands of plastic are combined, stretched and heated to bond the fibers. The fibers are torn apart once more to become fluffy pieces to then become thread that can be used to make polyester clothing.

Being able to visually see the step by step process in the factory brings the complex idea of turning plastic water bottles into clothing to life.

Plastics 12:26-14:34 x Plastic water bottle recycling, landfilling, and purchasing impacts are reviewed.

Rather than disposing of plastic bottles via landfills, recycling the bottles will eliminate all the processing steps including oil extraction, energy usage, and other resources and instead will jump straight to clothing processing. The only thing better than recycling plastic bottles is not buying the plastics in the first place. A graph is included to demonstrate the energy impact of metal water bottles compared to plastic water bottles. The graph illustrates that by re-using a metal water bottle 25 times, you can eliminate the energy used in creating 25 plastic water bottles. In the long run, this saves energy, waste, and money.