Summer Assignment 2014-2015
AP Environmental Science ( APES)
General Information:
 What is Environmental Science?
Although there is not one definition, the following definition is one most
environmental scientists would agree upon:
 Environmental science is the study of the natural sciences in an
interdisciplinary context that always includes consideration of people and how
they have influenced the systems under examination. It includes many aspects
of biology, earth, and atmospheric sciences, fundamental principles of
chemistry and physics, human population dynamics, and appreciation for
biological and natural resources.

The purpose of APES is to promote the development of citizens who can make
informed, knowledgeable decisions concerning environmental issues.

The goal of APES is to provide you with scientific principles and concepts
required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world. It should
help you to identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and
human-made and aid you in assessing the risks associated with these problems
and evaluating alternative solutions for resolving or preventing them.
(Hopefully, not just while you are taking this course, but for your entire
lifetime!!)

As with any college-level course, a tremendous amount of material must be
covered in a limited amount of time. The course is rigorous and very
challenging. You must have motivation, creativity, and a good work ethic.

Because it is designed to be a course in environmental science rather than
environmental studies, the APES course must include a strong laboratory and
field investigation component. The goal of this component is to complement the
classroom portion of the course by allowing you to learn about the environment
through firsthand observation.
Summer Assignment
There are 4 parts to your assignment. Parts 1-3 are due on the FIRST DAY OF
SCHOOL. Part 4 will be due the first week of school.
Should you have any questions my email is khaines@whrhs.org.
Have a great summer and “THINK GREEN”
1. A LITTLE MATH…
You will be required to use math frequently in this course. you do not need any outside
sources to complete these problems), they are just a sample of the type of math
problems you will be doing this year. Note: calculators may not be used during the AP
exam or during unit tests for this course, so try to complete it without a calculator.
Please review the rules for using scientific notation. Most problems in this course assume
you know how to use scientific notation without a calculator. Visit my website for some
power points and tutorials to help.
Show your work (set up and units)!!! No work=no credit
West Freemont is a community of 3,000 homes. A small coal burning power plant
currently supplies electricity for the town. The capacity of the power plant is 12
megawatts(MW) and the average household consumes 8000kilowatt hours (kWh) of
electrical energy each year. The price paid to the electric utility by the residents is
$0.10 per kWh. The town leaders are considering a plan, the West Fremont Wind
Project(WFWP) , to generate their own electricity using 10 wind turbines that would be
located on the edge of town. Each turbine would have a capacity of 1.2 MW and each
would cost $3 million to purchase and operate for 25 years.
A. Assuming that existing power plant can operate at full capacity for 8000hrs/year,
how many kWh of electricity can be produced by the plant in a year?
B. At the current rate of electrical energy use per household, how many kWh or
electrical energy does the community consume in one year?
C. Compare your answers in a and b and explain why you would or would not expect
the numbers to be the same.
D. Assuming the electrical energy needs of the community do not change during the
25 year period, what would be the cost tot the community of electricity supplied
by the WFWP over 25 years? Express answer in dollars/kWh.
E. Identify and explain two environmental benefits to switching from coal to wind and
two environmental costs to switching from coal to wind.
2. Watch the video Home http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU on
Youtube.com and write a reflection. ( at least one typed page, include three topics
that are addressed in the video.)
3. Fill in a chart similar to the one below for each of the following pieces of
legislation or treaties. There will be a quiz on these laws the second week of
school.
Name
Function of Legislation or Treaty
Established primary and secondary air quality standards. Required states to
Clean
develop implementation plans. Sets limits and goals to reduce mobile source
Air Act
air pollution and ambient air quality standards.
Clean Air Act
Clean Water Acts
Comprehensive
Environmental Response,
Compensation Liability Act
Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species
Energy Policy Act
Federal Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic Act
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide
and Rodenticide Act
Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Act
Unit
Air
Food, Drug, and Cosmetics
Acts
Oil Spill Prevention and
Liability Act
Kyoto Protocol
Occupational Safety and
Health Act
Ocean Dumping Ban Act
Endangered Species Act
Pollution Prevention Act
Montreal Protocol
Soil and Water Conservation
Act
Solid Waste Disposal Act
National Energy Act
National Environmental
Policy Act
Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act
Oil Pollution Act
Surface Mining Control and
Reclamation Act
Safe Drinking Water Act
Food Quality Protection Act
Nuclear Waste Policy Act
Wilderness Act
4. I hope you will have a great summer. To get you in the right mental frame of mind for
APES and expand your mind, there is a summer reading assignment. Reading is an
essential component of higher education, and, therefore, we do a GREAT DEAL of it in
APES. Please read the following instructions carefully. This is due the first week of school.
PART 1
 You must read the book Visit Sunny Chernobyl by Andrew Blackwell. You can get it at your
local library or order it on amazon.com.
Take handwritten notes on each section as you read.
PART 2
 To your reading notes from Part 1, you must staple 4 newspaper articles glued on paper
concerning the environmental issues presented in the chapters in the book, each article should
have a paragraph summary (at LEAST five sentences) of the article.
***BE PREPARED TO TAKE A QUIZ OVER THE IDEAS PRESENTED IN THE BOOK
YOU READ THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL. ***
TAKE NOTES WHILE YOU READ. YOU WILL BE ALLOWED TO USE HANDWRITTEN
NOTES ONLY ON THE QUIZ. YOU WILL TURN IN THE NOTES FROM THE BOOK
AND THE ARTICLES THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL, NO EXCEPTIONS.