Summer Class of 2016
Some quiz questions and answers from summer school students
1. Yes, this was the first time that I saw the "Story of Stuff" video.
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2. Some of the most interesting point that I took from the video are: The fact that we each use approximately 4.5 pounds of trash per day. Also that for every one can of trash it takes approximately 70 cans of trash to produce the items in that one can of trash. I also though it was interesting that the US accounts for 5% of the world population, but uses 30% of the world's resources. The concept of "planned obsolescence", or designed for "the dumb" and "perceived obsolescence", changing the way stuff looks and the idea of "keeping up with the Jones" or the cyclical changes in "fashion" was extremely informative. I also liked her story about the radio and the "external price", how the corporation charges the employees, the planet, and people in the third world in order to maintain the low price of its products. That in fact we are not paying for the radio, but many others are also paying for the radio in order for us to be able to buy the radio at the low price. This video made me sad because the issue is so large, but the ending quote is epic... it was people that made the system like this, so we are PEOPLE that can change this system and make a new system that is effective for a sustainable future.
***T. Boyle***
Ecosystem services are critical to human well-being and sufficiently diverse and numerous to justify classification into four major categories. What are the 4 classifications? List the 4 ecosystem services classifications AND a brief explaination or example of each here.
(Note point value for this question.)
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Your Answer:
An Ecosystem is a dynamic complex of plant, animal, and microorganism communities and the nonliving environment interacting as a functional unit, while Ecosystem services are “the benefits people obtain from ecosystems.” Ecosystem services are critical to human well-being and sufficiently diverse and numerous to justify classification into four major categories:
1. Provisioning ecosystem services are actively harvested by us from the natural world to meet our resource needs, e.g. food, water, timber, and fiber,
2. Regulating ecosystem services are processes in the Earth system that control key physical and biological elements of our environment, e.g. climate regulation, flood regulation, disease regulation, water purification.
3. Cultural ecosystem services reflect the aesthetic and spiritual values we place on nature, as well as the educational and recreational activities dependent on ecosystems.
4. Supporting ecosystem services are the biogeochemical cycles, as well as biological and physical processes that drive ecosystem function, e.g. soil formation, nutrient cycling, and photosynthesis.
~~~H. Herman
