Human ecology

NAME: GRADE:

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING ESSAY QUESTIONS ON THIS DOCUMENT – 20% each. Type your answers after each of the questions. They each should be about 1 page (600 words), at least. Use quotes from your assigned readings to support your points. Cite the book and page numbers after each quote that you use. Note, this is an individual effort, no collaborations are allowed. Cite all sources used. Print out your completed final and turn it in no later than the last night of class.

1. Compare and Contrast the “Respect Nature”, “Ownership and Control of Environments”, and “Landscapes in the Service of Remote Consumers” paradigms.

Include:

· The effects on the environment of each paradigm.

· The social justice and human equity implications of each paradigm.

· From a Human-Ecological perspective, what are the good and bad points of each paradigm?

2. Explain how eating less meat or becoming vegetarian or vegan could solve many human-ecological problems.

· What does this have to do with the laws of energy (thermodynamics)?

· Draw diagrams to support your ideas.

· How would buying local organic produce help even more?

· Include cited quotes from your text to support your ideas.

3. Discuss the Human-Ecological problems of industrial commodification of food systems – and their solutions.

· Explain how engaged ecological citizens who are prepared to demand local sustainable food systems, could cause relevant ethical principles and standards to be extended to the distant lands and remote land managers.

· Explain how engaged ecological citizens that have expectations that the systems of production that supply them should be just and sustainable could cause change in the world.

· Find examples of the above.

· What could you, personally do?

4. Discuss the need for modern society to shift to a paradigm of Sufficiency, within which just and sustainable wellbeing for all of creation becomes the norm.

· How can this be achieved on an Earth that is Full?

· Include consideration of ecological issues.

· Include consideration of social justice and human equity issues.

· Include cited quotes from your text to support your ideas.

5. Critique the book, The Collapse of Western Civilization: A View From the Future.

· How realistic is it? Explain.

· How much of it reflects the current situation? Explain.

· What are the chances, in your opinion, that this will, indeed be our future? Explain.

· What must we do, as both individuals and as societies, to avoid such a future?

· Use cited quotes from the book to substantiate your arguments.

EXTRA CREDIT (10 points/1 point each):

a. What are 10 things that you, personally, could do to live well in the Anthropocene? b. How would they improve ecological sustainability and social and environmental justice and human equity?