Environmental Sustainability    3 s.h

Catalog description

This course will introduce students to the science of sustainability. It includes an overview of the origins of the concept of environmental sustainability and the development of sustainability science as an independent discipline and investigates the methodologies used by scientists to develop sustainable systems. The course also will explore the sustainability of technological advances in global food production. Topics include the origins of agriculture, soil energy and conservation, industrial vs. organic agriculture, integrated pest management, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and biofuels. An overview of various renewable and non-renewable energy resources, their distribution, availability, patterns of use, and impact on the environment will be addressed. Students will evaluate relative energy efficiencies, as well as political and economic impacts on energy. Prereq.: None.