Level 1 Guiding Question: What is Sustainability?
Definition of sustainable1: capable of being sustained
2a : of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged
sustainably play \sə-ˈstā-nə-blē\ adverb
Ecological sustainability means that whatever activity is taking place must be able to continue virtually forever. This can only happen if the activity does not 'use up' or otherwise destroy any of the lifeforms or resources which exist where the activity takes place, or--more particularly--on which the activity relies in order to continue.
For example, the lumber industry is sustainable when trees are selectively cut down, thus allowing the habitat for thousands of species to remain intact--and for the forest to continue so you can come back and cut down more trees. Clear-cutting is not sustainable as it destroys the habitat for all those species and removes all the trees.
"Where" something takes place can be as broad as the entire globe since some of our actions can affect the earth as a whole (such as the release of green house gases which cause overall global warming).
Sustainable tourism is the same idea applied to the tourist industry. If the item of interest to tourists is harmed by them in the course of their 'touring' it then eventually it will no longer be of interest, or worse yet, it could be destroyed and no longer available to tourists.
Ecotourism developed to try to save valuable environments by making them economically useful in their natural state. Tourists visit these sites for the sake of their beauty or uniqueness. (The Galapagos Islands are a good example of this.) Of course, many of these sites have a sustainability problem.
The National Policy for The Environment Act of 1969: committed the United States to sustainability, declaring it a national policy “to create and maintain conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations.”
2a : of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged
- sustainable techniques
- sustainable agriculture
- sustainable society
sustainably play \sə-ˈstā-nə-blē\ adverb
Ecological sustainability means that whatever activity is taking place must be able to continue virtually forever. This can only happen if the activity does not 'use up' or otherwise destroy any of the lifeforms or resources which exist where the activity takes place, or--more particularly--on which the activity relies in order to continue.
For example, the lumber industry is sustainable when trees are selectively cut down, thus allowing the habitat for thousands of species to remain intact--and for the forest to continue so you can come back and cut down more trees. Clear-cutting is not sustainable as it destroys the habitat for all those species and removes all the trees.
"Where" something takes place can be as broad as the entire globe since some of our actions can affect the earth as a whole (such as the release of green house gases which cause overall global warming).
Sustainable tourism is the same idea applied to the tourist industry. If the item of interest to tourists is harmed by them in the course of their 'touring' it then eventually it will no longer be of interest, or worse yet, it could be destroyed and no longer available to tourists.
Ecotourism developed to try to save valuable environments by making them economically useful in their natural state. Tourists visit these sites for the sake of their beauty or uniqueness. (The Galapagos Islands are a good example of this.) Of course, many of these sites have a sustainability problem.
The National Policy for The Environment Act of 1969: committed the United States to sustainability, declaring it a national policy “to create and maintain conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations.”
Level 1 Investigation: How can Sustainability be measured?
Bottled Water PH Lab
1. Collect ten water samples from your teacher and label each water sample.
2. Connect to the pH, conductivity and temperature sensor.
4. Rinse the pH sensor with distilled water and calibrate it according to the product manual.
5. Place the pH sensor and conductivity sensor into the beaker of vinegar. Wait until the pH reading stabilizes and record the reading in the Bottled Water Characteristics worksheet. Rinse the sensors with distilled water.
6. Place the pH sensor and conductivity sensor into the beaker of distilled water. Wait until the pH reading stabilizes. Rinse the sensors with distilled water.
7. Measure the pH and conductivity of the ten water samples and record the measurements in the Bottled Water Characteristics worksheet. Be sure to rinse the sensors with distilled water between samples.
8. Rinse the sensors with distilled water., Measure and record the pH and conductivity for the each of the ten water samples.
9. Calculate the change in pH and conductivity after the acid was added to each sample.
2. Connect to the pH, conductivity and temperature sensor.
- If the file is not available create a data table to record the conductivity and pH of the water samples. Use manual sampling mode to collect the data.
4. Rinse the pH sensor with distilled water and calibrate it according to the product manual.
5. Place the pH sensor and conductivity sensor into the beaker of vinegar. Wait until the pH reading stabilizes and record the reading in the Bottled Water Characteristics worksheet. Rinse the sensors with distilled water.
6. Place the pH sensor and conductivity sensor into the beaker of distilled water. Wait until the pH reading stabilizes. Rinse the sensors with distilled water.
7. Measure the pH and conductivity of the ten water samples and record the measurements in the Bottled Water Characteristics worksheet. Be sure to rinse the sensors with distilled water between samples.
8. Rinse the sensors with distilled water., Measure and record the pH and conductivity for the each of the ten water samples.
9. Calculate the change in pH and conductivity after the acid was added to each sample.
Data Collection
Level1 Videos: Sustainable Agriculture defined.
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Level 1 Elaborate: Bottled water pH and Measuring water quality
After you and your lab partner have completed the Bottled Water pH Lab make sure you upload your data to the Google Form provided. Once complete post your thoughts on the Google Classroom "public comment section" on what parameters do we need to monitor when determining water quality. Don't forget to elaborate why the parameters you chose are important when considering water quality.
Level 1 Review: Reviewing Vocabulary on Sustainability
Click the button below to learn the vocabulary we have used when discussing topics on Sustainable Agriculture.
Level 1 Summary: Unit Test
The test will be posted the day you take your test!