LIVING GREEN
Price: $125 | Credits: 5 | Dept: Science (Elective)
This course is no longer available, it has been replaced by Environmental Science.
It has become more and more obvious that our planet and the resources found on it are not unlimited and a growing field of concern and study has been in how to live “green.” This course is designed to educate students on how to make decisions that will lead to a more sustainable lifestyle, from what we do at home to how we move around society. This course is excellent for the eco-conscious individual as well anyone that considers this planet to be their home.
Upon completion of this course, the student is awarded 5 credits. Each credit corresponds to 15 hours of study. Of course, some students work more quickly than others, and some can devote more hours to study, so some students are able to complete the course in an accelerated rate.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
In this module, students gain a comprehension of the following:
- The understanding of what ‘sustainability’ is and the root causes of unsustainability, including studying the ‘life cycle analysis.’
- How to alter one’s home to be more efficient, including water use, temperature control, efficient appliances, weatherizing, and solar panels.
- The knowledge regarding LEED certification and the concept of a passive and zero energy house.
- The fundamentals of eco-friendly gardening, including going native, attracting pollinators, how to use water wisely, growing groceries, and using water catchment systems.
- How food forest vegetable gardens work and how to build one.
- The ability to shop wisely, including the ‘organic’ label, free range and grass fed animal products, fair trade products, farmers’ markets, and how to avoid plastic bags.
- How meat affects the environment and what community supported agriculture is.
- How to effectively recycle, including composting, upcycling, dealing with E-waste, and knowing what is and isn’t recyclable.
- The knowledge of how landfills actually work as well as how to deal with an old junker car.
- The fundamentals of ‘green cleaning’ including what products are more eco-friendly, what is okay to put down the drain, how to dispose of chemicals and medicines, as well as how to recycle used motor oil.
- Understanding one’s own carbon footprint, the best and worst cars for fuel consumption, and how to ‘green’ one’s commute.
- The understanding of carbon offsets and how they work.
- The basics of helping to make one’s community more ‘green,’ including community gardens, cleanups, and guerilla gardening.
- The knowledge about eco-living, including permaculture, transition towns, ecovillages, and ecocities.
