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Framework
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Topic outline
Click the linked topics below for additional
resources
| Human
Systems |
| 1. Human well-being and environmental
quality |
a. Interdependence
b. Sustainability |
| 2. Consumption and natural resources |
a. Population -
world population,
exponential growth,
birth/death rate,
age
structure, migration,
historical patterns |
| 3. Effects of natural resource
consumption |
a. Social development - affluence,
health,
culture, economic growth
b. Resource distribution - food/water
distribution, nourishment, wealth gap
c. Waste - reduce, reuse,
recycle, refuse;
toxic waste; pollution
d. Cultural diversity threats
e. Variability - socioeconomic status, race,
culture, ethnicity, etc. |
| 4. Addressing effects |
a. Education -
empowerment of women,
needs hierarchy
b. Political action -
laws,
lobbying,
environmental justice
c. Ecomanagement - trail building,
recycling,
ecosystem restoration
d. Legal action - lawsuits, law enforcement
e. Lifestyle choices - ecological footprint,
consumer choices
f. Community involvement -
service learning,
ecomunicipalities |
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RESOURCES
| Consumption and natural resources |
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Buy, Use, Toss? (activity guide)
Source: Facing the Future
Web site (free download)
Buy, Use, Toss? A Closer Look at
the Things We Buy is an interdisciplinary unit that includes ten
fully-planned lessons. This unit is correlated with national
science and social studies standards and will lead your students
through an exploration of the system of producing and consuming
goods that is called the materials economy. Students will learn
about the five major steps of the materials economy; Extraction,
Production, Distribution, Consumption, and Disposal. They will
also be asked to analyze the sustainability of these steps,
determining how consumption can benefit people, economies, and
environments. |
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CIA World Factbook (web site)
Source: Central Intelligence Agency
Web site
Statistics about every country in the world including
population, environmental issues, economy, life expectancy,
transportation, communication, and more. |
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Material World: A Global Family Portrait
(book)
Source: Sierra Club Books
Book: $16.50
from
Amazon.com
Borrow from
WCEE EE Resources Library
A fascinating look at the
material possessions of families throughout the world. "Average"
families from around the world agreed to have photographers move
the contents of their houses outside in order to create visible
representations of their relative standards of living. The dirt
house and few possessions of Mali residents contrast with the 4
cars, 45-foot long sofa, and 12+ oriental carpets lined up
outside a luxury home in Kuwait. Students can create comparison
charts and graphs to illustrate resource use information to
bring awareness to the availability and use of natural
resources. |
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The Story of Stuff (video)
Source:
Annie Leonard
Web site
From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the
stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet
most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a
20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our
production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes
the connections between a huge number of environmental and
social issues, and calls us together to create a more
sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll
make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at the
stuff in your life forever. |
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The Story of Stuff - Analyzing the Message
(activity)
Source: Facing the Future
Web site (free download)
Students critically analyze The
Story of Stuff by identifying the overall message of the film,
persuasive techniques used, and bias. In an extension activity,
students further examine data presented in the film,
cross-checking references to analyze the accuracy and
reliability of the film. |
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Why Buy?
(activity)
Source: Facing the Future
Web site (free download)
Students begin by considering
the purpose of advertising. Each student critically analyzes an
advertisement that appeals to him or her, weighing advertised
information against their needs as consumers. Students discuss
whether additional information should be included in product
advertisements and how advertising connects to consumption
choices. |
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