7 PRINCIPLES

1. Nature knows best – humans should not go against the natural processes if we want to sustained
yield of natural resources. (Food chain, Energy flow, Diversity, Evolution, Ecological Succession)

2. All forms of life are Important

Ecosystems diversity - the variety of different habitats, communities and ecological processes; there is
interdependence within species

Species diversity - basic unit of biological classification; the number and relative abundance of species
found in a given biological organization (population, ecosystem, Earth)

Genetic Diversity -the range of different inherited traits within a species variation within species

Biodiversity - the variety of all life forms on Earth - plants, animals, microorganisms.

3. Everything is connected to everything else

Ecosystem - is the basic functional unit of nature. The interaction of the community (living components)
and the non-living environment.

4. Everything changes

Linear change - evolution of species; the changes or progresses is straight from one stage to another,
and has a starting and ending point.

Cyclical Change - influenced by time such as seasons; happening as a complete set of events that repeat
themselves regularly in the same order or in a regularly repeated period of time

Random Change - it happened due to catastrophe; e.g. the eruption of Mt Pinatubo

5. Everything must go somewhere

We need effective and sustainable: Waste Management, Environmental Management Systems

6. Ours is a finite earth

Renewable resources - are those that can be easily replenished by natural cycles (e.g. water, air, plants,
animals)

Non-renewable resources - are those that cannot be replenished through natural cycles.

7. Nature is beautiful and we are stewards of God's creation - Divinity in all forms of life
 NATURES PATTERN

1. Networks - All living things in an ecosystem are interconnected through networks of relationship.
They depend on this web of life to survive.

2. Nested Systems - Nature is made up of systems that are nested within systems. Each individual
system is an integrated whole and at the same time - part of larger systems.

3. Cycles - Members of an ecological community depend on the exchange of resources in continual

cycles.

4. Flows - The constant flow of energy from the sun to Earth sustains life and drives most ecological
cycles.

5. Development All life - from individual organisms to species to ecosystems - changes over time.

6. Dynamic Balance - feedback loops, continual fluctuations.

TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS

Tragedy of the commons - refers to a situation in which individuals with access to a public resource act
in their own interest and, in doing so, ultimately deplete the resource/

Made popular by the American ecologist Garrett Hardin, who used the analogy of ranchers grazing their
animals on a common field.

The tragedy of the commons is a problem in economics that occurs when individuals neglect the well-
being of society in the pursuit of personal gain.

Solutions to the tragedy of the commons include the imposition of private property rights, government
regulation, or the development of a collective action arrangement.
The water molecule – A tasteless and odourless liquid at room temperature, composed of the hydrogen
atoms each linked by a single chemical bond to an oxygen atom.

Polarity – It dictates how water interacts with other molecules.

LIFE SUSTAINING PROPERTIES OF WATER

1. Solvent - Water is a solvent that can dissolve many substances

Hydrophilic - Molecules that attract water

Hydrophobic - molecules that cannot attract water

Polar non-ionic substances: chemical compounds that are held together by polar covalent bonds
(sharing of electrons to form electron pairs between atoms).

Ions: an atom or molecule that has a positive (cations) or negative (anions) electrical charge.

Some non-polar gases: molecules that do not have positive or negative ends.

Hydrogen Bond - The attraction between individual water molecules creates a bond

2. Adhesion - Attraction of water molecules to other surfaces

3. Cohesion - Attraction of water molecules to themselves

4. Surface Tension - is the property of the surface of a liquid that allows it to resist an external force,
due to the cohesive nature of the water molecules.

5. Heat Capacity - The amount of heat required to change the temperature of a given amount of water
by 1 degree Celsius.

6. Density – The weight of a substance for a specific volume. The density of water is roughly 1 gram per
milliliter but this changes with temperature or if there are substances dissolved in it.

7. Acid / Alkaline – The buffering capacity of a water body; a measure of the ability of the water body to
neutralize acids and bases and thus maintain a fairly stable pH level.

pH is a measure of how acidic/basic water is

pH is the abbreviation for Latin "pondus hydrogenii; pondus stands for power, and hydrogenii stands for
hydrogen.

Auto-pyrolysis of water - The process of self-ionization of water molecules to produce hydronium ion
and hydroxide ion.

8. Metabolism – The process by which the body changes food and drink into energy.

9. Supports Cellular Structure – Water fills cells to help maintain shape and structure.
The six most abundant ions of seawater are:

- Chloride, sodium, sulfate, magnesium, calcium and potassium.

KINDS OF WATER

Salt water - contains great amounts of salt

Freshwater has a dissolved salt concentration of less than 1%. Only freshwater can be applied as
drinking water.

TYPES OF WATER

1. Potable water - or drinking water is water fit for human consumption, which has undergone
appropriate treatment and can be consumed without any risks.

2. Fresh water - is found naturally on the Earth's surface as ice, as water in wetlands, ponds, lakes, rivers
and streams, and as groundwater in aquifers.

3. Salt water - It is also called seawater, found in the Earth's oceans and seas. It has a concentration of
dissolved salts of about 3.5%.

4. Brackish water - The salinity of brackish water is somewhere between that of fresh water and
seawater.

5. Hard water - has a high mineral content, particularly magnesium and calcium salts. It is also known as
calcareous water.

6. Soft water - contains very small amounts of dissolved salts. It may be defined as water with less than
50 mg per litre of calcium carbonate.

7. Distilled water - is composed of H20 molecules, having been purified or cleaned through distillation

8. Wastewater - is any type of water whose quality has been negatively affected by human activity.

9. Black water - Within the different kinds of used water, black waters are those that have been polluted
with faces or urine.

10. Grey water - is domestic wastewater. It has less nitrogen and phosphorous than black water, and
contains organic and inorganic material, and microorganisms.

11. Raw water - is water that has not undergone any treatment. It is found in natural sources and
reserves, in surface and groundwater bodies.