Illinois Sustainability MOOC

Illinois Sustainability MOOC FREE Introduction to Sustainability course offered on Coursera.org from the University of Illinois. How can we make our world sustainable? Pessimism vs. optimism.

A MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: http://illinois.edu/
The course: https://www.coursera.org/course/sustain

This course introduces the academic discipline of sustainability and explores how today’s human societies can endure in the face of global change, ecosystem degradation and resource limitations

. About the Course
This course introduces the academic approach of Sustainability and explores how today’s human societies can endure in the face of global change, ecosystem degradation and resource limitations. The course focuses on key knowledge areas of sustainability theory and practice, including population, ecosystems, global change, energy, agriculture, water, environmental economics and policy, ethics, and cultural history. This subject is of vital importance, seeking as it does to uncover the principles of the long-term welfare of all the peoples of the planet. As sustainability is a cross-disciplinary field of study, this foundation requires intellectual breadth: as I describe it in the class text, understanding our motivations requires the humanities, measuring the challenges of sustainability requires knowledge of the sciences (both natural and social), and building solutions requires technical insight into systems (such as provided by engineering, planning, and management). Course Syllabus
Week 1: Introduction. Neo-malthusians, J-curves, S-curves and the IPAT equation
Week 2: Population. Demographics and the disappearance of the third world
Demographics, population trends. Week 3: Tragedy of the Commons. Fisheries, pastures, public vs private solutions
Week 4: Climate Change. The climate of the near future: hot, hotter, or hottest? Weather vs. Climate, Proxy and data climate evidence, Climate projections
Week 5 : Energy. What happens when we reach “Peak Oil” Renewable energy: is there enough to make the switch? Peak Oil/Fossil Fuel, Energy survey, availability, and density, EROI
Week 6: Agriculture and Water. Is there enough water and food for the 21st Century? GMOs and the Green Revolution, water stocks and flows - physical and social constraints
Week 7: Environmental Economics and Policy. Can economists lead the way to sustainability? Environmental Evaluation, project and policy evaluation, Incentive policies
Week 8: Ethics and Culture and Measurement. The long view. NeCarbon Footprints, Energy and water efficiency metrics, Sustainability Ethics, Environmental ideology and conservation movements

05/01/2017

How do you think global population affects climate change?

Did you know the University of Illinois has a large variety of online courses you can take? Check them out at https://ww...
04/16/2017

Did you know the University of Illinois has a large variety of online courses you can take? Check them out at https://www.coursera.org/illinois! Demographic Transitions are among the topics for this week! Like and share please!

1000+ courses from schools like Stanford and Yale - no application required. Build career skills in data science, computer science, business, and more.

What are your thoughts on the new On-Demand platform? How can we improve the experience to make learning better? We appr...
10/01/2015

What are your thoughts on the new On-Demand platform? How can we improve the experience to make learning better? We appreciate your feedback! https://www.coursera.org/learn/sustainability/home/welcome

Introduction to Sustainability from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This course introduces the academic approach of Sustainability and explores how today’s human societies can endure in the face of global change, ecosystem degradation and resource limitations. The course focuses on key k…

Check out what the U.S. government & the EPA are doing to support sustainability in its methods: http://www2.epa.gov/sus...
09/02/2015

Check out what the U.S. government & the EPA are doing to support sustainability in its methods: http://www2.epa.gov/sustainability/learn-about-sustainability

Sustainability is based on a simple principle: Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. To pursue sustainability is to create and maintain the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony t…

Thanks for participating in the course! How will you apply what you learned to your life?
03/20/2015

Thanks for participating in the course! How will you apply what you learned to your life?

A final reminder that the final exam closes today at 11:55 PM CT. Don't forget to complete it.Good Luck!
03/18/2015

A final reminder that the final exam closes today at 11:55 PM CT.
Don't forget to complete it.
Good Luck!

Take free online classes from 115+ top universities and educational organizations. We partner with schools like Stanford, Yale, Princeton, and others to offer courses in dozens of topics, from computer science to teaching and beyond. Whether you are pursuing a passion or looking to advance your care…

Take a look at this article shared by a fellow learner. What does this mean for sustainability in the future?
03/17/2015

Take a look at this article shared by a fellow learner. What does this mean for sustainability in the future?

The growth in global carbon emissions stalled last year, according to data from the International Energy Agency.

How does this impact sustainability?
03/05/2015

How does this impact sustainability?

The cost of exhaust is steep.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign made Mother Nature Network's list of 17 amazing green college campuses!Ch...
03/04/2015

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign made Mother Nature Network's list of 17 amazing green college campuses!
Check out the other colleges that made the list.

The state's flagship public university is aggressively setting and meeting sustainability goals including a commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050. The campus features nine LEED-certified buildings (three platinum) with eight more seeking certification. In spring of 2015, construction will star…

Take a look at this study posted by one of your fellow students. How will river salinity impact our water resources?
03/04/2015

Take a look at this study posted by one of your fellow students. How will river salinity impact our water resources?

Recent studies suggest that the coastal population in Bangladesh will become more vulnerable to salinity intrusion in a changing climate.

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