- Description
SUS 300 Wk 1 Discussion – Sustainability
Post a total of 3 substantive responses over 2 separate days for full participation. This includes your initial post and 2 replies to other students.
Due Thursday
Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:
As we begin to explore the preservation and efficient use of resources, we start with sustainability and the need for local and global cooperation. Every human on earth depends on the earth’s life-support systems for food, shelter, clean water, air, energy, and other resources. Increasing the human population intensifies our demand on these resources and the need to work cooperatively as a species to ensure everyone’s basic needs can be met.
How does the world population growth affect sustainability in the United States? Which countries show the highest population growth and why? Many programs provide food aid to populations in need of food around the world. In terms of sustainability, what are the pros and cons to these programs?
Due Monday
Reply to at least 2 of your classmates. Be constructive and professional in your responses.
SUS 300 Wk 2 Discussion – Water Supply
Post a total of 3 substantive responses over 2 separate days for full participation. This includes your initial post and 2 replies to other students.
Due Thursday
Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:
In Week One you were introduced to sustainability and the need for local and global cooperation to ensure everyone’s basic needs can be met. Week Two focuses specifically on the sustainability of water, examining the importance of water, the effects of the hydrologic cycle, and basic treatment processes for contaminated waters.
What are three to four uses for water? How could these uses be affected if the water supply becomes contaminated? How does urban development affect groundwater replenishment? How does water movement, such as a tsunami, play a part in the hydrologic cycle? How does it affect the water supply? Which water management practice would work best in preserving and managing Earth’s water supply?
Due Monday
Reply to at least 2 of your classmates. Be constructive and professional in your responses.
SUS 300 Wk 3 Discussion – Sustainable Agricultural Systems
Post a total of 3 substantive responses over 2 separate days for full participation. This includes your initial post and 2 replies to other students.
Due Thursday
Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:
In Week Two we focused on the sustainability of water. This week we move on to the sustainability of land and food, examining threats to land sustainability as well as characteristics of a sustainable food supply. We need adequate land and food to ensure everyone’s basic needs can be met.
How does a sustainable agricultural system resemble a natural ecosystem? What are some major threats to the use of agricultural land and sustainability? Why do some countries have difficulty growing their own grains? According to the readings, what are the key considerations necessary for a sustainable food supply? Which one of these is the most critical?
Due Monday
Reply to at least 2 of your classmates. Be constructive and professional in your responses.
SUS 300 Wk 4 Discussion – Landfills
Post a total of 3 substantive responses over 2 separate days for full participation. This includes your initial post and 2 replies to other students.
Due Thursday
Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:
In the first three week we discussed sustainability, focusing first on water and then land and food. This week we move on to waste management, examining the impact of waste on global sustainability. What can we do to manage our waste? Recycling, reducing, and reusing waste is a vital part of ensuring a sustainable supply of resources, including water, land, and food.
What are the largest contributors to municipal solid waste and how would you decrease them? Do you think that land resources are negatively affected by landfills? How do landfills affect the environment and wildlife? The majority of municipal solid waste is 64% paper. What ways would you suggest to reduce paper waste? Is it more effective to reduce paper waste or recycle paper? Explain why.
Due Monday
Reply to at least 2 of your classmates. Be constructive and professional in your responses.
SUS 300 Wk 5 Discussion – Energy Conservation
Post a total of 3 substantive responses over 2 separate days for full participation. This includes your initial post and 2 replies to other students.
Due Thursday
Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:
Throughout the course we have investigated sustainability of resources and the impact of waste. Thank you for working hard and engaging in these discussions. In this final week we focus on ways humans can positively impact sustainability through alternative energies and sustainable design. Through utilizing alternative methods of energy production and conservation people can help to ensure we have enough resources to meet everyone’s basic needs, but are some methods more effective than others?
What energy conservation methods would have a substantial effect on sustainability? Explain why. For example, carpooling, buying a hybrid car, and taking shorter showers may have a big effect. Are there tradeoffs in all energy alternatives? If so, what are the tradeoffs? If not, explain. How do you determine if using a particular energy is worth the tradeoff? Do you think that LEED™ is a realistic standard for commercial real estate? Explain your answer.
Due Monday
Reply to at least 2 of your classmates. Be constructive and professional in your responses.