AP Environmental Science Summer Assignment 1. Join the AP Environmental Science Google Classroom using the code: vchkh1 All work will (including the Summer Assignment) will be turned in through Google Classroom. 2. Read the book The World Without Us by Alan Weisman. a. Available from Amazon in both Kindle and hard copy formats. b. Available from Barnes and Noble c. ISBN: 9780312427900 3. Answer the questions below and submit your answers in PDF format to the appropriate place in Google Classroom on or before the first day of class (Tuesday September 5, 2017). Any work submitted after the deadline will receive no credit. Use quotes from the book as needed to illustrate your answers. Be sure to correctly cite all quotes. a. Weisman’s reasons for probing the idea of a ‘world without us’ are unstated. Why do you suppose he didn’t offer an introductory chapter, or even paragraph, on his reasons for exploring this idea? b. Do you agree with Weisman that a way to understand how the world may evolve without us is to picture how the world was before us? It seems some of the scientists interviewed believe the earth will actually change in new, heretofore unseen ways in a world without us, rather than return to a pre-human state. (For example, the Spanish conservation biologist who studies reefs and oceans seems to believe that.) Were there other compelling concepts in the book of a new earth that could emerge in part because of our presence, then disappearance? c. Some reviewers have found in The World Without Us doomsday plotlines (New York Times and others), while another (New York Times Book Review) called it the equivalent of a “Hollywood-worthy, slow-motion disaster spectacular and feel good movie rolled into one.” What was your emotional connection to the book? d. While some of the worst ecological damage is known to us all (Chernobyl, for example) some examples here were surprising. Which of his discoveries of damaging products were unknown or most shocking to you? Plastic pellets from skin exfoliants on the beach? By-products from embalming? The chemicals used in Kenya’s cut-flower industry? Others? Why? e. Pick a common household item and think about its origins, manufacture, uses, and lifespan. For instance, what will eventually happen to a music CD? How might such knowledge inform future choices you make about what to buy, use, store, etc? f. Holes, hills, and seams of reddish rock. What does Weisman discuss about these features, i.e. where will they be and from where did they come? g. What was the most surprising thing you learned from this book? What did you take away from it that made you glad you read it? h. Has there been a change in your perception of the way that popular culture and the media treat environmental issues? DO you feel that it has become more “mainstream” or “popular”? If so, what do you think accounts for this change? i. What do you think about the style that the book is written in? How would you describe his style? Is it more descriptive than argumentative? Is that effective as a choice for the book? Why is it organized the way that it is? Why do you think that Weisman chose not to be overly prescriptive and tell us what to do? j. If you had to choose one chapter that best represents what the book is about, which one would you choose and why? k. In your opinion, are humans, their societies, and their structures part of or separate from what is popularly known as the natural environment? What is our best course of action for the future of the environment and of humanity? l. Based on your own observations and what you read in the book, what species will thrive and which will decline in the future? Which threatened species should we concentrate on saving? m. What kinds of things did we once do that we should start doing again? For instance, might it be time that we rediscover walking as a means of transportation, exercise, and socialization? n. To what extent does valuing nature in a purely aesthetic sense distract us from nature in a more holistic, complete sense? Do we undervalue some places (for instance, swamps, prairies, or cities) because we overvalue others (such as mountains, lakes, or beaches)? 4. Find a quote or passage from the book that made the largest impression on you. Post this quote (cite the page number) along with a brief statement of explaining why you chose it to the appropriate spot on Google Classroom. 5. During the first week of class, comment on at least 3 of your classmates posted quotes. Be polite and respectful.