VCE Environmental Science

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Over the two week study break and before you return to school on Monday 13th July, you need to have read Chapters 1 and 2 from the “Issues of Sustainability” textbook. This is an introduction to human health and the environmental effects of pollution in the air, water and soil. Try this worksheet to match various terms with their definitions: environmental-pollutants-worksheet.

Use the following to write notes about mercury, sulphur dioxide and fluoride: unit-4-pollutants-table

Cartoon Image reproduced with permission from http://www.nicholsoncartoons.com.au/

I love this cartoon by Nicholson, who sketches for the Australian newspaper. It was printed on 22nd June, 2006, when the then Environment Minister, Senator Ian Campbell vetoed a $200 million wind farm development due to the risk to the critically endangered Orange Bellied Parrot. What is the significance of the Red-tailed Black Cockatoo in the cartoon?

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While I am away at Professional Development on Monday and Tuesday you have plenty of work to do! Firstly you need to finish the short answer section of the 2005 exam we started this week – the questions about Environmental Management Systems and Ecotourism. Secondly, you need to take notes about Great Western Vineyards as a case study of EMS. Remember, careful evaluation requires qualitative and quantitative data to support your asessment. What are they doing well? How could they improve? What are the economic, social and environmental issues?

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This is a reverse osmosis water treatment plant in Korea, similar to the desalination plant proposed for a site near Wonthaggi, Victoria. The state government has recently released an Environmental Effects Statement that included detailed studies of the effects on local flora and fauna, significant indigenous and fossil sites, land values, coastal views and the community. The EES concluded that there would be no serious, irreversible damage caused by the desalination plant, although over 1 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions will be produced each year of operation. Read the article here.

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While I’m away for the first few days of this week you have plenty of work to do! Firstly, finish reading the last couple of chapters in the text book. Make sure you understand what all the acronyms that relate to Ecologically Sustainable Development mean: ERA, EIA, LCA, EES. Review the Environmental Improvement Plan at Portland Aluminium – write short notes under the headings Water, Waste, Energy and Biodiversity. Look at at some past exam papers and answer the multiple choice questions that relate to Area of Study 1: Pollutants.

If you finish that, you might like to try ‘virtual’ environmental management of a water catchment. Go to Catchment Detox, an on-line game where you play the role of a Catcment Management Authority – remove environmental hazards that reduce water quality and increase salinity and revegetate. Choose sound agricultural and tourist options that will improve catchment health, provide employment and boost the economy.

When you’ve had a couple of games and registered your score, write a review of the game on our VCE Environmental Science Ning – What did you have to do to be successful at the game? How many games did it take for you to work out how to play successfully? What was the most difficult parts?

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 “On Borrowed Time” is an on-line resource for learning how to manage our environment. The CSIRO has developed two interactive eco-challenges for students. You can play the role of a farmer managing a sustainable farm while still making a profit or be a forest ranger balancing the needs of five vulnerable species while preserving the jobs of local people. These challenges are ideal for learning about the factors that need to be considered when making management decisions and give students an understanding of the process of environmental management.

As well as the interactive challenges (EcoFarm and EcoForest) there are four inquiry-based teaching and learning units (Adaptations, Forests, Fire and Farming) each with English, Maths and Science activities. David Lindenmayer has based this learning resource on his book titled “On Borrowed Time”.

Story of Stuff

This 20-minute animation video is a great introduction to Environmental Management Systems (EMS), Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD). Annie Leonard explains the unsustainable five-step production system (Extraction, Production, Distribution, Consumption and Disposal) that drives global economies.

I asked our Year 11 and 12 students why Environmental Science was a good subject choice:

(1) You can get good marks if you work hard

(2) Good chance to get a year 12 subject under your belt in Year 11

(3) It has a bit of all the sciences – biology, chemistry, physics and earth science.

(4) A science subject is good for university pre-requisites

(5) It is an interesting subject that includes a lot of important environmental issues frequently in the media

(6) You learn how to advocate for a sustainable future

(7) You go on great excursions

(8) You learn about how the earth works, which is important, even if you don’t make a career out of it.

(9) Really interesting local case studies – wind farm, geothermal exploration, Portland Alcoa, orange bellied parrot and eastern barred bandicoots.

(10) Gives you opportunities to improve the environment for future generations

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If you didn’t see the recent program on a special edition of “Catalyst” about the problems of the Murray Darling River Basin, you can still view the show as well as some extra interviews and slideshows at the ABC: http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/murraydarling/ This excellent program shows how regulating the water flows have caused the water pH to drop to below 2, forming a toxic acid mud with heavy metal contamination.