ENVS674 - LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT

Status
O
Activity
SEM
Title (text only)
LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT
Term session
0
Term
2018A
Subject area
ENVS
Section number only
660
Section ID
ENVS674660
Meeting times
T 0530PM-0810PM
Meeting location
CHEMISTRY BUILDING 109
Instructors
HAGAN, JAMESENGLISH, NANCY
Description
In order to make sensible decisions on products or projects, people need to understand the environmental impacts of these actions. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a process to assess environmental impacts throughout the different stages of a product or project's life. This seminar is intended to be comprehensive and covers material extraction, processing, manufacture, distribution, use and end of life reuse, recovery or disposal. The objective of conducting an LCA is to compare the full range of environmental impacts that emanate from the provision of these products or services and then use that information to improve the situation to minimize or eliminate harm. The focus of this class will be to understand the phases of an LCA as well as conduct LCAs that compare the impacts of two related options. This course will enable the student to conduct LCAs and examine the use of software that could be used in this regard.The classic examples are cloth vs. disposable diapers, paper vs. ceramic cups, and so on. This course will enable the student to conduct LCAs and examine the use of software that could be used in this regard.


Course number only
674
Cross listings
    Use local description
    No

    ENVS669 - Corporate Sustainability Strategies

    Status
    C
    Activity
    SEM
    Title (text only)
    Corporate Sustainability Strategies
    Term session
    0
    Term
    2018A
    Subject area
    ENVS
    Section number only
    660
    Section ID
    ENVS669660
    Meeting times
    M 0530PM-0810PM
    Meeting location
    MEYERSON HALL B13
    Instructors
    SURVIS, GARY
    Description
    Before the year 2000, "environmental management" for a business was typically driven by the need to respond to restrictions imposed by environmental regulation. But, at the dawn of the new millennium, leading businesses began to change their concept of environmental management to look beyond simply meeting governmental dictates. These organizations began to evolve and utilize "environmental strategy" to create new ways of growing their businesses by bringing sustainability to the core of their business strategies. This seismic shift in view was accompanied by a bottom line emphasis that, in some cases, turned sustainability efforts into profit centers. Sustainability increasingly is not hidden within the silo of environmental, health, and safety departments but has become much more seamlessly integrated into the operations of corporate functional disciplines.


    Today, to effectively work in senior management, an executive needs to be knowledgeable not only about his or her specific business function but also how his or her business will be impacted by governmental regulations, policies, corporate sustainability initiatives, green marketing regulations, industry guidelines or 'best practices', new sustainable technologies, energy planning, environmental performance metrics, and required reporting on the environmental impact of their business unit.


    Course number only
    669
    Cross listings
      Use local description
      No

      ENVS665 - INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY

      Status
      O
      Activity
      SEM
      Title (text only)
      INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY
      Term session
      0
      Term
      2018A
      Subject area
      ENVS
      Section number only
      660
      Section ID
      ENVS665660
      Meeting times
      R 0530PM-0810PM
      Meeting location
      HAYDEN HALL 358
      Instructors
      HAGAN, JAMES
      Description
      Industrial Ecology is the multidisciplinary study of industrial systems and economic activities and their links to natural systems. The word "industrial" represents how humans use natural resources in the production of goods and services. "Ecology" refers to the concept that our industrial systems need to operate within sustainable natural ecosystems. The application of industrial ecology requires a movement of industrial processes from open loop business processes, where resource and capital investments move through the system to create products and waste, to a closed loop system where wastes (aka by-products) become inputs for new processes. This approach will allow to move to a circular economy. The implementation of industrial ecology, which aligns business operations with the natural cycle, creates the opportunity for a circular economy and has the potential for significant benefit for industry as well as for the long term viability of the human population and the natural ecosystem.


      Course number only
      665
      Cross listings
        Use local description
        No

        ENVS644 - ENERGY, WASTE & ENV

        Status
        O
        Activity
        SEM
        Title (text only)
        ENERGY, WASTE & ENV
        Term session
        0
        Term
        2018A
        Subject area
        ENVS
        Section number only
        660
        Section ID
        ENVS644660
        Meeting times
        W 0530PM-0810PM
        Meeting location
        TOWNE BUILDING 321
        Instructors
        GIERE, RETO
        Description
        The aim of this course is to provide an incentive to use geochemical and mineralogical principles to address and solve major environmental problems. The students identify the problems that are associated with different types of waste. This course covers a wide range of problems associated with the waste arising from the generation of electricity. The main topics will be the uranium cycle, characterization of nuclear waste, and the containment and disposal of nuclear waste. Based on insights from the nuclear fuel cycle, solutions are presented that diminish the environmental impacts of coal and biomass combustion products, incineration of municipal solid waste, toxic waste due to refuse incineration, and landfills and landfill gases.


        Course number only
        644
        Cross listings
          Use local description
          No

          ENVS640 - RECITATION

          Status
          O
          Activity
          REC
          Title (text only)
          RECITATION
          Term session
          0
          Term
          2018A
          Subject area
          ENVS
          Section number only
          402
          Section ID
          ENVS640402
          Meeting times
          W 0330PM-0500PM
          Meeting location
          CHEMISTRY BUILDING 119
          Instructors
          MARINOV, IRINA
          Description
          This course covers the fundamentals of atmosphere and ocean dynamics, and aims to put these in the context of climate change in the 21st century. large-scale atmospheric and oceanic circulation, the global energy balance, and the global energy balance, and the global hydrological cycle. We will introduce concepts of fluid dynamics and we will apply these to the vertical and horizontal motions in the atmosphere and ocean. Concepts covered include: hydrostatic law, buoyancy and convection, basic equations of fluid motions, Hadley and Ferrel cells in the atmosphere, thermohaline circulation, Sverdrup ocean flow, modes of climate variability (El-Nino, North Atlantic Oscillation, Southern Annular Mode). The course will incorporate student led discussions based on readings of the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report and recent literature on climate change. Aimed at undergraduate or graduate students who have no prior knowledge of meteorology or oceanography or training in fluid mechanics. Previous background in calculus and/or introductory physics is helpful. This is a general course which spans many subdisciplines (fluid mechanics, atmospheric science, oceanography, hydrology).


          Course number only
          640
          Cross listings
            Use local description
            No

            ENVS640 - OCEAN-ATMOSPHERE DYNAMICS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE CLIMATE CHANGE

            Status
            O
            Activity
            LEC
            Title (text only)
            OCEAN-ATMOSPHERE DYNAMICS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE CLIMATE CHANGE
            Term session
            0
            Term
            2018A
            Subject area
            ENVS
            Section number only
            401
            Section ID
            ENVS640401
            Meeting times
            M 0200PM-0500PM
            Meeting location
            HAYDEN HALL 358
            Instructors
            MARINOV, IRINA
            Description
            This course covers the fundamentals of atmosphere and ocean dynamics, and aims to put these in the context of climate change in the 21st century. large-scale atmospheric and oceanic circulation, the global energy balance, and the global energy balance, and the global hydrological cycle. We will introduce concepts of fluid dynamics and we will apply these to the vertical and horizontal motions in the atmosphere and ocean. Concepts covered include: hydrostatic law, buoyancy and convection, basic equations of fluid motions, Hadley and Ferrel cells in the atmosphere, thermohaline circulation, Sverdrup ocean flow, modes of climate variability (El-Nino, North Atlantic Oscillation, Southern Annular Mode). The course will incorporate student led discussions based on readings of the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report and recent literature on climate change. Aimed at undergraduate or graduate students who have no prior knowledge of meteorology or oceanography or training in fluid mechanics. Previous background in calculus and/or introductory physics is helpful. This is a general course which spans many subdisciplines (fluid mechanics, atmospheric science, oceanography, hydrology).


            Course number only
            640
            Cross listings
              Use local description
              No

              ENVS620 - DEVELOPING ENV POLICY

              Status
              C
              Activity
              SEM
              Title (text only)
              DEVELOPING ENV POLICY
              Term session
              0
              Term
              2018A
              Subject area
              ENVS
              Section number only
              660
              Section ID
              ENVS620660
              Meeting times
              T 0530PM-0810PM
              Meeting location
              FISHER-BENNETT HALL 231
              Instructors
              KULIK, MICHAEL
              Description
              When we think of environmental policies in the USA, we may think of one or more laws geared to improve our nation's air, water, ecosystems, and biodiversity. However, environmental policies and policy-making comprise more than just specific laws and regulations. Making and implementing environmental policy is a process influenced by multiple political, cultural, and economic factors in addition to scientific factors, all of which impact the ability of policies to be effective, that is, to actually improve the environment. In this course, we develop a framework to analyze the effectiveness of the social actors, process and outcomes of environmental policy-making. We ask questions such as: How do policy makers define environmental problems and solutions? Who are the social actors involved in the process? How are policies created and negotiated? What underlying assumptions and realities about the roles of government and society shape policy instruments and design? Are science and risk accurate or distorted? How are social and environmental justice intertwined?


              To answer these complex questions, we contextualize and critically analyze policies to determine how both government and society impact on regulatory approaches. We study the institutions involved and examine social and ecological outcomes of environmental policies. We also discuss contemporary issues and policy situations that arise throughout the course of the semester, and comment on them in a class blog. Finally, students will select an environmental issue and formulate a policy proposal to recommend to decisionmakers.


              Course number only
              620
              Cross listings
                Use local description
                No

                ENVS616 - Risk Assessment: Science & Policy Challenges

                Status
                O
                Activity
                SEM
                Title (text only)
                Risk Assessment: Science & Policy Challenges
                Term session
                0
                Term
                2018A
                Subject area
                ENVS
                Section number only
                660
                Section ID
                ENVS616660
                Meeting times
                R 0530PM-0810PM
                Meeting location
                HAYDEN HALL 360
                Instructors
                PEPINO, RICHARD
                Description
                How do government policy-makers make decisions about potential threats to human health and the environment in the face of scientific uncertainty? The course develops the concept of Risk Assessment from the publication of the 1983 National Research Council (NRC) report commonly known as the "Red Book" which was used to rank the initial hazardous waste sites under the Superfund program. Using a variety of teaching tools, including lectures, panel discussions, and case studies, the course examines how public policy decisions regarding environmental risk are made and how effective those decisions are at reducing risks to affected populations. The course focuses on the complex interaction of science, economics, politics, laws, and regulations in dealing with environmental and public health risks. The course will begin with a review of the policy process and methods used in evaluating human health and environmental risks, including the traditional steps in the risk assessment process, including quantitative and qualitative aspects of hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment, and risk characterization.


                The course will then focus on how scientific uncertainty, risk perceptions, socio-economic disparities, risk communication, and politics influence environmental risk-based decision-making. Issues such as special populations (e.g., children, elderly, immune-compromised, woman of pregnancy age, etc.) must be considered when developing risk reduction strategies. The use of the "precautionary principle" will be discussed in the context of different types of environmental stressors (e.g., pesticides, chemicals, climate change, air pollution, water quality, and land use) and how this important controversial principle is applied differently in contrasting national and European risk management policies.


                Course number only
                616
                Cross listings
                  Use local description
                  No

                  ENVS607 - PUERTO RICO'S ECOLOGY

                  Status
                  X
                  Activity
                  LEC
                  Title (text only)
                  PUERTO RICO'S ECOLOGY
                  Term session
                  0
                  Term
                  2018A
                  Subject area
                  ENVS
                  Section number only
                  660
                  Section ID
                  ENVS607660
                  Meeting times
                  CANCELED
                  Instructors
                  WILLIG, SARAH
                  Description
                  Puerto Rico has a varied climate, geology, and topography that combine with with periodic disturbance from hurricanes, landslides, and floods to produce a rich diversity of ecological systems (see Miller and Lugo, 2009). Extraction of the island's natural resources, agricultural production, and industrial, commercial, and residential development have greatly reduced the area of intact systems and put pressure on surviving remnants. Fortunately, there are protected natural areas (see map by Gould et al., 2011) that provide the opportunity to observe ecological patterns and processes of the tropics. We will spend a week exploring the island to capture its varied climate and bedrock represented in the wet forests of El Yunque on igneous rock, dry forests of Guanica on limestone, and dry to moist forests of Susua on serpentinite and Guajataca on limestone. We will also investigate the coastal systems of the Northeast Ecological Corridor, Guanica, and Cabo Rojo including coral reef, seagrass bed, beach, mangrove, rocky headland, and bioluminescent bay.


                  The course will include regular Wednesday night classes leading up to the spring break trip during which we will review the literature and learn about the ecological systems of the island, including Penn research in the Luquillo Experimental Forest (see Harris et al., 2012), and view Taino artifacts from from the Penn Museum collection. Students will research a specific system or location that we will visit and present information on the interaction of abiotic and biotic factors to the class before we leave. Upon our return, students will complete a research project on a topic of interest related to the field trip and present findings and analysis in a class presentation and paper.


                  Course number only
                  607
                  Cross listings
                    Use local description
                    No

                    ENVS606 - Studying Ornithological Principles & Behaviors to Indicate Ecosystem Health

                    Status
                    O
                    Activity
                    SEM
                    Title (text only)
                    Studying Ornithological Principles & Behaviors to Indicate Ecosystem Health
                    Term session
                    0
                    Term
                    2018A
                    Subject area
                    ENVS
                    Section number only
                    660
                    Section ID
                    ENVS606660
                    Meeting times
                    M 0530PM-0810PM
                    Meeting location
                    FISHER-BENNETT HALL 140
                    Instructors
                    MCGRAW, MICHAEL
                    Description
                    This class will explore the foundations of avifaunal biology and ecology using a combination of hands-on classroom and in-the-field experiences. Classroom content includes physiology, anatomy, and morphology of birds. The fall migration of birds in North America is an epic and often tragic event. Sampling birds in migration has resulted in foundational understandings about stopover habitats, species-specific energy budgets and has helped realize the complete life cycle of hundreds of species. We will enter the field and participate in actual ornithological research, explore avifaunal ecology through birdwatching, and meet with regional leaders in the ornithological field.


                    Course number only
                    606
                    Cross listings
                      Use local description
                      No