Sustainability Foundations Mid-term, Final Exam Intro to Sustainability
c
A brownfield is... a. a site with bare soil b. a previously undeveloped site c. a former industrial site d. a site affected by smog accumulations e. none of the above
d
A food desert... a. is a final course of a meal typically sweets e.g., pies, cookies, ice cream, cake, etc. b. is a place with little or no food c. is a place with inadequate water for growing food d. is a place that lacks healthy food e. is a place with too much food
202
About how many species of bees does St. Louis have?
1800CE
Anthropocene is generally understood to have begun around ___________.
280ppm
Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations before the Industrial revolution were approximately ______
d
Biophilia is... a. a fear of snakes b. a love for wild animals c. a love of plants d. the genetically encoded emotional need of humans to affiliate with nature e. none of the above
c
Biophilia relates to childhood education because... a. children need to understand the natural world b. educating without a lot of technology lowers cost c. genetic biophilic tendencies can atrophy if not developed d. being outdoors reduces risk of obesity e. none of the above
fragmentation
Building roads into previously inaccessible forests is a problem because of ______________.
the maximum number of individuals an environment can support
Carrying capacity is....
b
Conserving and restoring ecosystem health involves all of the following fields except: a. conservation b. preservation c. restoration d. reconciliation
a
DDT was so cheap and abundant in the early 20th century because: a. DDT is made up of some of the readily available by-products of refineries aiming to make gasoline b. DDT is more energy dense than oil c. DDT is made of renewable resources d. DDT was easily produced in labs
April 22
Earth Day is now celebrated on what day every year?
e
Food security worldwide is threatened by: a. rising population b. rising water consumption c. peak oil d. collapse of fisheries e. all of the above
e
For a product to be Cradle to Cradle (C2C) certified, it must be assessed for its, a. Material Health and Material Reutilization b. renewable energy use c. water stewardship d. social responsibility e. all of the above
e
Green infrastructure creates safe, interconnected opportunities to walk or bicycle, reduces urban heat island effect, and cleanses stormwater and recharge groundwater. Green infrastructure can also: a. make urban air cleaner b. provide movement corridors for wildlife c. provide pathways for pollinators d. provide food for animals e. all of the above
d
Groundwater is... a. water that runs off the surface in a rainstorm b. soil moisture c. flowing water in a streambed d. the zone of saturated soil or rock e. water inaccessible to wells
4,500
How many species of bees are in the US?
impact, population, affluence, technology
IPAT stands for...
b
If all humans were vegetarians... a. Earth's carrying capacity would be reduced b. the Earth's could support a larger population c. the Earth could support fewer people d. none of the above e. all of the above
e
One example of servicizing is... a. designing a computer for disassembly b. making smaller refrigerators c. designing an automobile to be recycled d. designing a printer to be repairable e. leasing instead of buying carpeting
c
Petroleum originated primarily from: a. dinosaurs b. peat dogs c. marine plankton d. liquified coal e. igneous rock
b
Phantom power refers to... a. voltage drop in transmission lines b. energy consumed by devices when they are turned off c. current that crosses between two legs of a circuit d. increased cost of power during peak-load periods e. none of the above
d
Potable water is water that: a. has been boiled b. cannot be used for drinking c. has evaporated from a holding area d. is suitable for drinking
United Nations Brundtland report "Our Common Future"
Produced by the World Commission on Environment and Development; points at the connection between environment, economics, and equity
c
Stormwater is... a. water that exceeds storm capacity b. polluted runoff c. water that falls as rain d. water that reaches storm drains e. none of above
e
Sustainable urbanism includes... a. broad streets with expensive block sizes b. networks of streets with small blocks and frequent intersections c. increased distances between streets for more open space d. wide streets to anticipate future growth e. all of the above
d
The Green Revolution was... a. the invention of agriculture b. peasant farmer movement in southeast Asian nations reclaiming land once taken by colonialism c. the development of fossil fuels d. advances in fertilizer and plant breeding e. the beginning of the environmental movement
b
The Industrial economy shifted from coal to petroleum because: a. we have much larger reserves of oil than coal b. petroleum contains more energy per unit volume than coal c. petroleum costs less per unit than coal d. petroleum is easier to extract than coal
kilowatt hours
The amount of electricity used by a household or business per month is measured in ______
corn
The biofuel which produces the most greenhouse gas emissions comes from _______
1931-1971
The cheap oil window, as outlined by Eric Sanderson, occurred from _____________
c
The largest volume of waste is in the category of... a. construction and demolition waste b. municipal solid waste c. industrial waste d. medical waste e. hazardous waste
d
The lowest cost alternative to fossil fuel energy is... a. offshore wind b. land-based wind c. solar d. efficiency improvements
bacteria
The majority of the work of treating wastewater is accomplished by _________________.
c
The most sustainable land-use patterns result from... a. zoning b. increased open space around buildings c. mixed use d. greenfields e. bluefields
HIPPO
The primary causes of biodiversity loss are sometimes abbreviated using the acronym ___________
True
True or False? The Gaia theory led to the field of study known as Earth system science.
false
True or false? A vegetarian diet has a relatively high virtual water content.
true
True or false? Bees have 4 wings and flies have two wings.
true
True or false? Communication is wrought with failures.
false
True or false? Eco-labels are always greenwashing.
true
True or false? Greenwashing is the use of deliberately misleading terms in order to portray an environmentally responsible image.
true
True or false? Growing a food garden is an example of experiential learning.
true
True or false? Increased density decreases greenhouse gas emissions because it reduces the need for automobiles.
true
True or false? Life cycle analysis measures a product's impact from cradle to grave.
false
True or false? On our planet, matter flows through a system and is not reused.
true
True or false? Once wind turbines have been manufactured, generating electricity with wind power does not emit greenhouse gases.
true
True or false? One important goal of restoration efforts is to reconnect fragmented habitat patches.
true
True or false? Reconciliation ecology is an approach to restoration which helps humans and other species live together.
true
True or false? Resilience is the ability of a system to spring back to its original condition without changing at all.
true
True or false? Semantic vagueness is the use of words with unclear or indefinite meanings, such as the word "natural."
false
True or false? Symbiosis means evolution through survival of the fittest.
true
True or false? Virtual water is the quantity of water embedded in the production of food or products.
Keystone species
What are crucial to the maintenance and function of an ecosystem?
environment, economy, equity
What are the three things in the "triple bottom line"?
c
What is an approach to living and learning that focuses on the particular bioregion where a person or group of people live? a. biophilia b. green purchasing c. bioregionalism d. all of the above e. none of the above
biofuels
What is made from plant material?
70%
What percent of bees are ground nesters?
90%
What percent of bees are solitary?
a
What was developed to reduce the movement of hazardous waste from industrialized countries to developing countries? a. Basel Convention b. electronic waste c. E-Stewards d. All of the above e. none of the above
c
Which best describes the primary advantage of pumped hydrologic storage (PHS)? a. it is a carbon neutral energy source b. it is as energy efficient as petroleum c. it stores electric energy allowing otherwise "intermittent" energy sources to be as steady and reliable as coal and radioactivity d. it has little to no environmental impacts
d
Which of the following is NOT part of the triple bottom line? a. profit b. planet c. people d. progress e. all of the above
d
Which of the following is a type of trophic level? a. producer b. consumer c. decomposer d. all of the above e. none of the above
John D. Rockefeller
Who became the wealthiest person in the history of the world due to their stake in the early oil industry? From 1870-1890 their company, Standard Oil Company, captured 90% of the U.S market for oil.
b
a greenfield is... a. a site planted with agricultural crops b. a previously undeveloped site c. a LEED-certified site d. a zoning designation under sustainable urbanism e. a site with a water feature
Anthropocene
a time in which human activity has become such a powerful force that it has major, planet-scale impact on climate and on every living system
development
an improvement in the quality of goods and services, with or without growth
resilience
the capacity of a system to accommodate disturbance and still retain its basic and structure
net metering
the practice of giving credit to a customer for the electricity they generate
false
true or false? 55% of U.S contemporary oil consumption comes from the middle east.
true
true or false? A generator converts mechanical energy into electrical energy.
true
true or false? A landfill is a long-term storage site but it is not a technology for treating or transforming waste.
false
true or false? All non-native species are considered invasive.
false
true or false? Because fossil fuels are continuously forming in the oceans, they are considered to be renewable energy sources.
false
true or false? Bees have bigger eyes and longer antennae than flies.
true
true or false? Climate is changing more rapidly in the Arctic than in other regions of the place.
false
true or false? Compostable bioplastic breaks down quickly in backyard composters.
true
true or false? Data from the Vostok ice core in Antarctica shows that when temperature is up, carbon dioxide is up.
false
true or false? Desert soil contains no water.
False
true or false? Disturbances such as fire or flood in an ecosystem are considered to be problems which limit biodiversity.
true
true or false? Eco-efficiency means generating more value with less negative environmental impact.
true
true or false? Ecolinguistics studies the role of language in environmental problems and solutions.
true
true or false? Homo sapiens is an invasive species.
false
true or false? If your company wants to minimize waste, the best step is a recycling program.
false
true or false? Impervious surfaces help to keep pollutants out of groundwater.
false
true or false? Incineration is a preferable method of waste treatment because it transforms toxic materials into nontoxic ash.
true
true or false? James Lovelock, developer of the Gaia theory said, that the presence of life on another planet could be inferred from the composition of its atmosphere.
true
true or false? Most freshwater on the planet is frozen.
false
true or false? Net-metering is used for solar power but cannot be used for wind power.
false
true or false? Once a species is so at risk that it becomes endangered, it cannot be removed from the endangered species list.
false
true or false? Plastic beverage bottles are recycled into plastic for more beverage bottles.
false
true or false? Research shows that the most effective way to motivate people to make behavioral changes is to teach them about the crisis facing the planet.
true
true or false? The atmosphere is responsible for regulating conditions on the surface of the planet that make them right for life.
true
true or false? The most essential organisms in soil are the bacteria.
true
true or false? Transit-oriented development, in which Neighborhood development is clustered around convenient transit stations and located along transit corridors, is a central element in smart growth.
false
true or false? When trying to preserve habitat, two small patches are as valuable as one large patch as long as the total area is the same.
