VAST 203 - Sustainability of Built Systems-UGrad

Course Description:


Textbook: No required texts; readings provided as needed as exerpts from books, articles, and other sources. This is a seminar/discussion-based class - thus you are encouraged to bring additional news, articles, observations, commentary to class that relates to sustainability of built systems.

Location and Hours: Tuesday & Thursdays,
Sec.01: 8:00-9:15am, AEC 325, WA: Shannon Noll (nolls@)
Sec.02 11:00-12:15pm, AEC 325, WA: Matthew Warrener (warrenem@)

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Syllabus |

Handouts |

Assignments |

Term Projects |

Links

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Course Related Links

Environment - Energy - Degradation

• Moving Beyond GPD (Qunatifying natural captial towards ecosystem accounting and decision making)link
• UN climate change action is a major goal for Secreary-General Ban Ki-Moon in 2013 link and pdf
• National Climate Assessment Details Stronger Evidence of Global Warming & Its Impacts Link and PDF
• Nations Agree on Legally Binding Mercury Rules Link and PDF
• CFL light bulbs - Mercury Youtube link: link
• A decision on the XL pipeline could define Obama's green agenda: link and PDF
• World Economic Forum: Climate Change Curbing Efforts Could Cost $700 Billion A Year: link and PDF
• Refusal over Arctic drilling ban: link and PDF
• $20 trillion shale oil find surrounding Coober Pedy 'can fuel Australia': link and PDF
  
  Shale gas and Fracking
  
• EPA's Study of Hyd. Fracturing Potential Impact on Drinking Water, EPA
• Shale Gas in PA, watch the intro movie.
• Shale Gas Insight 2013, Conference in Philadelphia (September 25-26).
• Shale gas in US, Wiki
• Natural Gas from Shale, Chevron.
• Shale gas and fracking, The Guardian
• Shale Gas, Center for Energy Economics and Policy.
• Shale Gas, movie
• Shale Gas, movie PA, Bradford County
• Shale Gas, Cornell Lecture.
  
  Oil Sands
  
• Oil Sands, Canada, movie
  
  Methane Hydrates (methane ice, fire ice)
  
• Japan extracts gas from methane hydrate in world first
• Undersea fuel of future
• USGS Gas Hydrates Lab
• Lecture, Miriam Kastner

Economy and Growth

• Moving Beyond GPD (Qunatifying natural captial towards ecosystem accounting and decision making)link
• Governments urged to prepare for worst (global risk 2013) Link and PDF
• Global Risk 2013 report, SUMMARY Link
• Global Risk 2013 report, FULL REPORT Link and PDF
• Global Agenda Outlook 2013: Link and PDF
• EU Carbon price emissions trading system hits all-time low: Link and PDF

Social & Human (Health and Women other)

• Sustainable Health Systems - Visions, Strategies, Critical Uncertainties and Scenarios, 2013 Report: Link and PDF
• Global Economic Recession causing poverty, deaths for females than males: Report Link and PDF
• Quadruple helix' DNA seen in human cells: Link and PDF
• HIV Prevention: Nobel Laureate David Baltimore Talks VIP, New Developments (VIDEO) : Link and PDF

Materials and Technology

• Savings needed to meet future demand for resources: Link and PDF
• Greenland rare earths: No special favours for EU: Link and PDF
• Is graphene really a wonder-material? Link and PDF
• Graphene: Patent surge reveals global race: Link and PDF

Sustainability

• Sustainable Infrastructure Rating System Link
  
  Sustainability News Sites:
  
• Sustainability Newsletter
• Environmental News Network
• NPR-Environment
  
  Sustainability Podcasts:
  
• Sense & Sustainability
• Ceres Sustainability Podcast on iTunes.

Student Suggestions

• 1-hour documentary (McDonough W., & Braungart, M.) vision for biodegradable products: Link, by Sarah Hardy
• McDonough TED Tatlk Link, by Sarah Hardy
• McDonough might not be the visionary: Link, by Sarah Hardy
• Billboard designed to make drinking water from humid air in Lima, Peru: Link, by Sarah Hardy
• Role of desertification in releasing Carbon as fast as burning fossil fuels Link, by Sarah Hardy
• Texas is turning treated wastewater into drinking water: Link, by Sarah Hardy
• NYC is going to ban styrofoam! Link, by Sarah Hardy
• Are current sustainable fishing efforst useless? Link, by Sarah Hardy