ENV 111 - Social-Ecological Systems and Sustainability

This course will cover the unprecedented environmental challenges largely as a consequence of unsustainable interactions with nature. In this course we will explore themes related to the essentiality of biodiversity to ecosystem services, working with nature, biophilic design, permaculture and multifunctional agricultural landscapes, and collaborative decision making, and use the tools of systems thinking and dynamics to explore linked socio-ecological systems. The class will explore the unintended environmental consequences of modern life after historical industrialization.  The unintended consequences at the expense of natural resources, energy-and-pollution-intensive food production, and economic system failure to work effectively within a socio-ecological system will be explored. Using evidence-based science, students will identify actionable strategies for sustainability. 

Theory: 3 Credits