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Good luck in your exams next week. You may like to read through some revision tips here. The main things are to study hard, without distractions and look after yourself, with healthy food, adequate sleep and a calm attitude.

Enjoy work experience in Melbourne and I will see you at the beginning of Term 3. Next semester we will be starting Unit 4 – Pollution and Environmental Management Systems.

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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?

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

I asked the students from my Environmental Science class why they think it is an important subject to study. You can listen to their responses here:

enviro-science-students2