NCSSM Online

Honors Energy and Sustainability

Reading Questions -- Sustainability Primer

Reading questions will often be assigned in this course. The purpose

of reading questions is to help students to identify key or important
points within the context of a report, article or primer. It is not a test
of reading retention or your memorizing skills. A grade is assigned
but that is for completion and an honest effort to understand and
reformulate information in your own way, using your own words and
your own experiences. Use reading question assignments to focus
on the parts of the assigned reading that are worth exploring in more
depth perhaps even through additional Internet or other research on
your part.

1. What was the Brundtland Commission? How did that

commission define sustainability?
Was created by the UN to address growing concern about the decline of
environmental systems and the consequences for economic and human
development. It defined sustainability as Development that meets the needs of
the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
own needs.

2. What fields of academic study are important to finding

sustainable solutions globally?
The fields of academic study that are important include various science fields
such as biology and environmental science.

3. How are we contributing to these problems even now, even 28

years after the Brundtland Commission Report? What are the
basic problems that make our current ways of living
unsustainable? (describe 3 key problems).
- Global consumption of resources is extremely uneven and inefficient.
- Natural resources are decreasing and our demand for them is increasing.
- Humans ecological footprint has alarmingly increased

4. How well does the Funnel Metaphor work for you? Does it help
you to understand the problem better? Would you use it to

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Honors Energy and Sustainability
explain sustainability to a friend or a colleague? Why or why
not?
I think the funnel metaphor does a good job in describing the accumulation of
pressure on the Earth over time. I feel that if I was trying to explain an issues
such as decreasing natural resources along with increasing demand, the funnel
metaphor would be a good thing to use.

5. What is a system and how will understanding how systems

functions help us to build a more sustainable world?
A system is a set of connected parts that helps create a whole. Understanding
environmental systems could help us build a more sustainable world because we
can learn the integral parts of a system and try to reduce any adverse effects that
would compromise its production, or help out sustainability with new technologies
specified to certain parts of that system.

6. What Max-Neefs nine human needs? Do you think this list

covers all of your own and your familys needs? Are there
some needs on the list that you think are not essential?
Max-Neefs nine human needs are subsistence, protection, affection,
understanding, participation, leisure, creation, identity and freedom. I think this
list does a good job of covering both me and my familys needs. I want to say
leisure isnt essential, but after pondering it, I think leisure is a human necessity
that prevents the body and mind from being overworked.

7. What is the Triple Bottom Line? What does it mean for

creating a more sustainable world?
The triple bottom line is the concept that environment, economy, and society
all support the Earth. These three facets are interconnected and must work
effectively with one another to create a more sustainable world.

8. How does the concentration of wealth in the hands of a small

portion of society make us less sustainable? Can you provide
an example from your own experience or from something you
have read other than this Sustainability Primer?
The concentration of wealth in the hands of a small group allows this group to
manipulate society and our world. This thirst for money and greed gets in the way
of the will to do the right things, one of those being creating a sustainable world.
One example would be many third world countries where the richest people do
little for not only the lower class, but also the sustainable good of their world.

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Honors Energy and Sustainability
9. What is backcasting? Have you ever used this method to
accomplish goals before? Describe an experience where you
have used backcasting. Was it helpful?
Backcasting is a strategy where you start with the end in mind. Most of the time, I
use backcasting as a form of motivation to accomplish goals. One time I really
wanted to win a spelling bee when I was in the 4 th grade. Instead of simply
studying, I prepared by letting myself know what the end goal was, which greatly
helped me because I ended up winning.

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