The purpose of the Module 1 Lab is to get an introduction to Environmental Science and specifically, the foundational Tragedy of the Commons concept behind environmental problems.

You will have the opportunity to develop skills/knowledge in:

• exploring the interdisciplinary nature of environmental science
• reflecting on how this course fits in to your academic plan
• defining sustainability and identifying the underlying causes of societal collapse
• identifying the steps in the scientific method and designing an experiment
• researching and building a timeline of environmental science and sustainability that acknowledges the diversity of environmental knowledge

In order to complete this module, you will complete the following tasks:

• Open the word document assignment Actions
  for Module 1 Lab.

• Watch the following video about the Tragedy of the Commons concept

https://youtu.be/CxC161GvMPc

Module 1 Lab

Instructions

Follow instructions on the Module 1 Lab page on Canvas.

Questions

Part 1. Sustainability, Collapse and Tragedy of the Commons

1. What are the five causes of societal collapse, according to anthropologist Jared Diamond? (5 pts)

Answer:

2. How did one of those causes of collapse apply to the Greenland Norse Viking society? (5 pts)

Answer:

3. What is a “Tragedy of the Commons”? Provide at least two examples in your description. (5 pts)

Answer:

4. What is one area of overlap between Jared Diamond’s causes of collapse and the concept of the Tragedy of the Commons? (10 pts)

Answer:

5. How does the article about plastic off the coast of the Philippines demonstrate the Tragedy of the Commons concept? (5 pts)

Answer:

6. How can Tragedy of the Commons be solved in the case of plastics in the ocean? Recall the suggestions in the video: social contractions (such as accepted behaviors), communal agreements (such as community engagement) and pass laws (policies, regulations, etc.). Describe one solution for each of these three methods. (5 pts)

Answer:

Part 2. The Scientific Method

Use the scientific method to design an environmental science experiment. Choose one of the following prompts to create your experiment:

• Toxic pollutants are causing high mortality for young orca whales in Puget Sound (water pollution)
• Wolf reintroduction helps tree populations in the American West (community ecology)
• Greater support for women in the workforce lowers a country’s average number of children per woman, also known as the fertility rate (human population dynamics)
• Warmer atmospheric temperatures are leading to a longer wildfire season (climate science)
• Poor urban air quality leads aggravates heart and respiratory conditions, a situation that plagues poor communities of color (environmental justice)

7. What is your question? (5 pts)

Answer:

8. What is your hypothesis? (5 pts)

Answer:

9. What is the independent variable? (5 pts)

Answer:

10. What is the dependent variable? (5 pts)

Answer:

11. What are a few of the control variables in your experiment? (5 pts)

Answer:

12. What is your control group? (5 pts)

Answer:

13. How could you present your data? (5 pts)

Answer:

Part 3. Timeline of Environmental Understanding

Research 5 important data points in the history of environmental understanding with a goal of representing the diverse contributions to this field by gender, age, culture, religion, race, ethnicity, ability and age. By “understanding”, I am referring to economic, political, social and/or ecological developments or turning points in history. Do not repeat points already on the list! Unfortunately, it is difficult to find as much information as you would hope/expect on how humans have studied and interacted with the environment. Some resources to get you started include:

• Environmental History Timeline by Professor Bill Kovarik
• History of Sustainability, Wikipedia
• History of Environmentalism, Wikipedia

14. Add your 5 people/place/time points to the class timeline of environmental understanding wiki document on Canvas. (5 pts)

Answer:

15. Copy and paste the same 5 points below. (25 pts)

Answer:

16. Reflect on your search for people/place/time points. What kinds of points did you want to find and what did you actually find? Was it difficult to find diverse points of view? Which points of view tend to be recorded? (5 pts)

Answer: