Earth Education: Vision 2020

Ecological Footprint Go to www.earthed.ns.ca. Click on Vision 2020. (If you want to see what the rest of us are doing, take a detour and click on About Vision 2020). Click on Links. Select Ecological Footprint (the fourth sun). Follow the directions at http://www.myfootprint.org/ , and then answer the following questions:

1. What is an ecological footprint? 2. How many Earths would be required to support each member of the current human population at your standard of living? Does this make your think you need to change some habits? 3. What can you do to reduce your consumption?

Global Warming Go back to the Links page and click on Cool Global Warming sites. Click Study Hall, then Just For Fun, and Scavenger Hunt. Answer 3 questions from each section

Energy Pyramids Go back to the Links page and click on Beneath Canadian Waters. Click on Plants, then Introductions and finally on food webs. After you’ve read through all the pages in food webs, answer the following questions: 1. Draw and label a good pyramid. Explain what an autotroph is. 2. What are the three reasons energy is lost on the way up the food pyramid? 3. What percentage of energy from primary producers reaches the first consumer level? 4. Does the answer to number 3 give you any ideas about how you could change some of your food consumption habits and thereby reduce your eco footprint? Write at least a paragraph in answer to this question. Think about what you had for supper last night and where it fits in the food pyramid. What could you have tonight that would be nutritious but perhaps make a smaller eco footprint? 5. What’s the difference between a Terrestrial and an Aquatic biomass pyramid? What accounts for this difference?

Management of Waters

Go back to the Links page. Click on Beneath Canadian Waters, the human interactions and finally on Mangaement of Water. Read through all the material you find under each of the following headings: Water Quality, Water Conservation, Water Use, Water Pollution, and Bulk Water Removal. Answer the following questions: 1. List at least 10 interesting facts. 2. What can you do to increase water conservation 3. What can you do to reduce water pollution? 4. What’s your position on bulk water removal?