Environmental Studies

Sustainability is explored at the nexus of a local business, the local government, and local citizens. A case method approach is used to help students acquire the skills necessary to develop a sustainability management system for a local business. Which tools and concepts are most useful? We examine how improving processes can reduce waste, improve health and safety, and increase profitability. Students discover how various internationally accepted guidelines can be combined into a customized management system for small- and medium-sized businesses. Cases are used to reinforce the concepts and sharpen skills. (4 credits)

This course provides students with a "window to the underwater world" while taking them on a virtual tour of the world's oceans and their environments. Topics include coral reef ecology, marshes and bays, the open ocean, the deep sea, aquaculture, ocean research at sea, marine fouling organisms, ocean pollution, sustainability and management of oceanic resources, and a special presentation on seashells of the world. Students have the opportunity to participate in local ocean conferences and field trips to the New England Aquarium and Cape Cod National Seashore. Distance students can participate virtually or conduct independent local field trips. (4 credits)

A new field of greenhouse gas emissions management has emerged, which specializes in helping institutions and corporations identify and mitigate their contributions to climate change. This course reviews the tools and strategies necessary to set and achieve a carbon reduction goal. (4 credits)

This course lays out specific methodologies for managing tourism sustainably worldwide. The industry's business and supply chain models preface questions of management of air, water, waste water, and solid waste for hotels, tour operations, airlines, and cruise lines. Industry leaders make guest presentations to the class. Sustainable destination planning techniques are reviewed. (4 credits)

This course examines the ethical dilemmas faced by human cultures throughout history in their use of land and natural resources. Topics include the environmental ethics of game and wildlife management, natural resource use, water management, biological diversity, fisheries, ocean protection, and agricultural production. Emphasis is given to the different perceptions of the environment and the different strategies that cultures have employed to resolve ethical disputes over land management and resource use. The tensions between urban, suburban, agricultural, ranching, and mining communities over the management of federal land, water projects, national wildlife areas, national forests, and national parks receive particular emphasis. Special attention is devoted to the problem of suburban sprawl. (4 credits)

Everyday decisions surrounding food and diet have important ramifications at the individual, local, and global levels. This course examines the implications of food choices from a multi-disciplinary perspective, covering a broad range of topics from nutrition and human health to agriculture and food production to environmental degradation, climate change, and sustainability. In this course, students learn how food production and food choices affect our planet and lives. (4 credits)

The world is in a race to replace carbon fuels with non-CO₂ emitting renewable energy sources (wind, solar, tidal, geothermal, hydro) before global climate change and oil depletion create socioeconomic disaster. This course deals with energy-environment-economy relationships in a world of growing environmental threats and conventional energy depletion as total energy demand doubles in the next 40 years. It also covers the necessary transition to alternative renewable energy sources in homes, work, and transport. (4 credits)

This course introduces basic concepts in the ecology of individual organisms, their populations, and the biological communities in which they live. Emphasis is on terrestrial plant and animal ecology. The historical, evolutionary, and ecological processes determining the distribution of ecosystems, habitats, and species are introduced. Evolutionary processes responsible for the adaptations of individuals are examined to understand the diversity of species and their features. Theories of competition, predation, disease, and mutualism help explain the functioning of biological communities. These fundamentals establish a basis for examining the challenges imposed by humans on the functioning of natural ecosystems. The sustainable harvesting and use of natural resources, the implications of human population growth and size, and the transformation of natural communities through human activities and policies are examined in this ecological context. The course features a weekend field trip and other activities. (4 credits)

This course examines the interplay of race, socioeconomic status, and interest group politics and the formulation and implementation of US federal and state environmental policies. Students consider the proposition that low income and minority populations, whether residing in urban or rural communities, bear a disproportionate burden of environmental pollution and its health consequences. Attention is given to the evidence and opinion that there exists within the United States, as well as globally, a pattern of environmental inequity, injustice, and racism. Further, we evaluate the contention that underlying this pattern is a historical failure of the mainstream environmental movement to provide for the needs of traditionally marginalized communities. Recent proposals to address the problems of environmental racism and injustice are discussed and analyzed. (4 credits)

The earth is a dynamic system governed by physical, chemical, and biological processes. Biogeochemistry is the study of these processes, with special attention to the exchange of energy and elements between the biosphere and geosphere. This course examines principal biogeochemical cycles including the hydrological, carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen cycles. Focus is on both the microscale underpinnings of these cycles and the global implications of the processes. For example, knowledge about the hydrological cycle is essential to understanding drinking water as a finite resource. Similarly, understanding the carbon cycle is required to understand global climate change and to evaluate possible solutions. This topic incorporates concepts of geology, biology, and environmental science and is appropriate for students in those disciplines, as well as anyone wanting to learn more about the process and function of the world. Prerequisites: high school algebra, chemistry, and physics. (4 credits)

The course introduces students to the principles and methods used to determine whether a causal relationship exists between an agent and an adverse effect in humans and to independently carry out a risk assessment. Students develop an understanding of current approaches to risk management and risk communication. (4 credits)

This course explores the human health dimensions of global environmental change, such as climate change and the loss of biodiversity, and considers, in particular, their relevance to nutrition, the emergence and spread of infectious disease, and population displacement. Identifying solutions to these public health challenges is also considered. The recorded lectures are from the Harvard School of Public Health course Environmental Health 278-01, which meets March 19-May 11. Spring registration deadlines (January 22, February 5 for late registration) apply. The last day to withdraw for 100% tuition refund is March 25. Prerequisite: bachelor's degree or permission of the instructor. (4 credits)

Understanding the dynamics of complex ecological and environmental systems and designing policies to promote their sustainability is a formidable challenge. Both the practitioner and policy maker must be able to evaluate scientific research, recognizing fundamental pitfalls in research design and data interpretation. Moreover, most important environmental problems involve interactions among variables as dynamic systems, so forecasting the impacts of potential environmental changes or policy interventions is critical. To develop these skills, student conduct practical exercises illustrating a range of modeling techniques, including statistical analysis of ecological and environmental data, and systems dynamics modeling. Computer simulation modeling ranges across diverse issues in sustainability science, such as climate change, human population dynamics, population viability analysis of endangered species, and economic appraisal of projects that impact natural resources. The course also focuses on developing skills in scientific writing, critiquing primary research literature, and communicating about environmental science. Quantitative techniques are taught at an introductory level; some data analysis and simulation modeling is conducted using Excel spreadsheets. Prerequisites: a satisfactory score on the mandatory test of critical reading and writing skills; experience manipulating data and algebraic equations on spreadsheets is helpful. Open to students interested in applying to the ALM in sustainability and environmental management program and admitted candidates who will be eligible to register for ENVR S-200 or ENVR S-599 in the 2012 Harvard Summer School. (4 credits)