We have adopted an open textbook for this course. An open textbook is free to retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute. Using the link below, you will find that the textbook is available in several formats and can be printed at home or in our bookstore.

Fisher, Matthew (editor). 2018. Environmental Biology. 2nd Edition. Open Oregon. http://bit.ly/EnvironmentalBiology

This additional open textbook from OpenStax may be used to supplement readings in our current textbook above.

All posted lectures and activities can be downloaded here.

• • Wastewater treatment tour. 

• • Environmental Data Analysis 

• • Ecological Efficiency

• • Daisyworld | Daisyworld video (NASA)

• • Ecological Footprint

• • Green Roof | Green Roof Reading |Green Roof Video 

• • Carbon Cycle

• Wind Power Lab

You can download all our labs here as they are updated over the semester.

Topic: Introduction to Environmental Science

This week we overview course logistics and introduce ourselves. We begin to overview the field of environmental science and introduce some of the environmental issues that we will confront over the course of the semester.

Required Readings:

• Chapter 01
• Course Outline

Topic: Introduction to Environmental Science

This week we continue to overview the field of environmental science and introduce some of the environmental issues that we will confront over the course of the semester. We will define the term environment, describe several types of natural resources and explain their importance, discuss some of the pressures on the global environment, and examine the concepts of sustainability and sustainable development.

Required Readings:

• Chapter 01
• Read Forget Shorter Showers https://orionmagazine.org/article/forget-shorter-showers/

Activity Forget Shorter Showers (we will do this in class)

Topic: Matter, Energy, and Life

This week we will describe how scientists use the scientific method to investigate environmental issues; summarize the basic properties of matter; differentiate among various types of energy, the fundamental properties of energy, and the role of energy in environmental systems; explain how plate tectonics and the rock cycle shape the landscape around us and Earth beneath our feet; and summarize the characteristics of early Earth and the main hypotheses for the origin of life.

Required Readings:

• Chapter 02
• Listen to Radiolab’s Cell Mates: http://www.radiolab.org/story/cellmates/

The below podcast explores theories of the origin of life and the possible relation to energy canyons and DNA. In their words, they explore “one of the most underrated mysteries of all time, and present one possible answer that takes us from an unexpected house guest to a tiny bolt of lightning to every critter you hold dear. It’s the story of one cosmic oops moment that changed the game of life forever.” How did life on Earth get out of the energy canyon?

Activity Science, Matter, Energy Questions

Topic: Ecosystems and Environmental Systems

This week we introduce systems theory and overview the earth system, ecosystems, and different natural cycles.

Required Readings:

• Chapter 03

Activity Marine Systems

Topic: Community and Population Ecology

This week we overview evolution, ways of understanding and measuring biodiversity, and examine principles and patterns of population ecology, community ecology, and species interaction.

Required Readings:

• Chapter 04

Activity Evolution, Biodiversity, and Population Ecology Questions

Topic: Conservation & Biodiversity

This week we examine biodiversity, the benefits of biodiversity for ecosystems and for humans, and common management strategies for maintaining biodiversity. We’ll examine forest ecosystems.

Required Readings:

• Chapter 05
• Watch CBC The Nature of Things The Beetles Are Coming (45 minutes long, only available in Canada): http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/episodes/the-beetles-are-coming
• Listen to Radiolab’s From Tree to Shining Tree: http://www.radiolab.org/story/from-tree-to-shining-tree/

Topic:  Conservation & Biodiversity (cont.) Water Systems

This week we finish our examination of conservation and biodiversity.  Then we’ll begin to examine water systems, the hydrologic cycle, water pollution, fisheries, and aquifers. We will overview midterm preparation strategies.

Required Readings:

• Chapter 05
• Chapter 07

Topic: Water

This week we examine water systems, the hydrologic cycle, water pollution, fisheries, and aquifers. We will visit the Kelowna Water Treatment facility on Monday. This trip will count as a lab. Materials for the trip can be found underneath the Lab tab above.

The Midterm Exam is this week. Midterm Exam review notes can be found under the Lecture Notes & Course Materials tab above.

Required Readings:

• Chapter 07

Topic: Environmental Hazards & Human Health

This week we will finish examining marine systems. Then  we will start to work on Environmental Hazards & Human Health.

• Chapter 07
• Chapter 06

Activity Water Issues

Activity sign up sheet

Topic: Food and Hunger

This week we will finish examining Environmental Hazards & Human Health. Then we will turn our attention to the major drivers of food insecurity,  the role of women in food and nutritional security, how to classify key food and nutritional sources, and benefits and risks of genetic engineering.

Required Readings:

• Chapter 08

Topic: Agriculture

 This wee we examine the history of agriculture, the Green Revolution, the debate over genetic engineering, agricultural impacts on the environment, and agrobiodiversity.

Required Readings:

• Chapter 09

Topic: Air Pollution, Climate Change, & Ozone Depletion

This week we examine global environmental change, how to make a carbon credit, the science underlying international agreements like the UNFCCC Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement, fossil fuels, hydraulic fracturing, geoengineering, and the implementation of pipelines – with particular focus on issues relevant to British Columbia.

Required Readings:

• Chapter 10
• https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/08/should-we-dim-the-skies-to-save-the-world/568969/

Topic: Conventional & Sustainable Energy

This week we examine the positives and negatives of alternatives to fossil fuel, such as wind, hydroelectric, solar, nuclear, and other sources of energy. This week we will also examine mineral resources, mining methods, and options for turning current waste into resources that we can reuse without mining new areas. We examine the social, economic, and ecological impacts of mining through case studies from several countries.

Required Readings:

• Chapter 11

The final exam is this week. A review for the final exam can be found in the Lecture Notes & Course Materials tab above. There is no lab, but your lab exam project is due. Details for the lab exam are below in the Lab Final Project tab.

Clear and creative communication of ideas and research is an important skill in any career, whether it be in academia, government, industry or any other sector.  Sometimes, how you deliver information is as important, or even more important, than what you want to communicate. Different approaches to communicating information are required to reach different audiences, with some audiences being much harder to reach than others. When it comes to educating the general public about complex environmental issues, simple infographics that help tell a story through visual storytelling supported by data visualization can be an effective approach.

For your project, you will create a visually-appealing and informative summary of your research in the form of an infographic. These graphic representations are designed to present data and information quickly to a broad audience. Well-made infographics combine text, imagery, graphs and charts and are organized to flow naturally in the order you want to present them. This will require deciding what information (and data sets) you will use and careful planning of the best way to display it.

You will be graded on the design of your infographic (data presentation), on your selection of data and information, on your use of non-copyrighted images, and on the overall coverage of the topic area you choose. A grading rubric for the infographic is provided below.

• Detailed instructions can be accessed here.
• Resources for the project are here.