What are the top
environmental problems that
we face today?
Resource Depletion
Natural resource = natural material
used by humans
– renewable and nonrenewable
Depletion = large fraction of the
resource is used up
Tragedy of the Commons
What is it?
Commons = areas of land
that belong to whole village
People grazed cows/sheep there
– put as many animals as they could
“If I don’t use this resource someone
else will”
So, what’s the problem?
Short term interests of individuals
vs.
Long term well being of society
Discussion questions
Did everyone try to take as many as
possible? Why or Why not? Does
society reward those with the “most”?
Did anyone sacrifice the # of fish, for the
good of the community? Why or why
not? Does society ever reward that
type of person?
Analysis Questions
What other common resources might be
represented by the paperclips?
What happened to all the paperclips in
the first year of game one? Why?
How does this relate to these words:
infinite/finite, depletion, sustainability?
Our “commons”
= Earth’s natural resources
– Soil, water, air, biodiversity, forests
Sustainability
meeting the needs of the present
without damaging the environment or
depleting a resource for future
generations
Easter
Island
But trees are
renewable…
Rewrite history…
How could the
island’s resources
been used
sustainably?
Easter Island - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfbQA-Krx9Q
Easter Island Song - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuIxDMj3DNA
Man-made products are
composed of natural resources
Can you figure out what your products are made of?
Materials
Natural
Resource
Nonrenewable Disposal
or Renewable?
Poll : http://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/LTE3OTA0OTExMzU
This…
Using our
resources
sustainably!
Instead of this…
Using resources sustainably
How could you make your item more
sustainably?
Can you make it a circle?