Introduction to Sustainability

The study of sustainability-the long term viability of humans in harmony with the environment-has been identified as a critical issue for society and industry and is evolving to examine how society should conduct itself in order to survive.There are a number of aspects to how society organizes its activities that will be reviewed. Issues such as sustainable products, sustainable agriculture, sustainable forestry, sustainable fisheries, and sustainable communities, to name just a few, are areas that are the focus of the need for change. This course will review the various aspects of sustainability in society and ask each student to conduct a qualitative comparison of the life cycle impacts of two products that provide the same function to determine which is more sustainable and if and how they could both be made sustainable for the long term.