The Four Laws of EcologyFormulated by physicist and ecologist, Barry

Commoner.

Source: http://emilymorash07.tripod.com/id12.html

1st Law: Everything is connected to everything else

Humans and other species are connected (dependent) on a number of other species.

http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/Click on this link:

1st Law: Everything is connected to everything else

Making connections:

1. What is the connection between the rise of McDonalds outlets in China and the massive deforestation in the Amazon forest in Brazil.

Farming the Amazon http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/last-of-amazon/#page=4

•World’s second largest producer of beef •3rd largest exporter• 2nd largest producer and exporter of soy bean

2nd Law: Everything must go somewhere

For example, when you burn wood, it doesn't disappear, it turns into smoke which rises into the air, and ash, which falls back down to the earth.

No matter what you do, and no matter what you use, it has to go somewhere.

http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/earthguide/diagrams/watercycle/

Animation- Water Cycle

Image source: http://www.co2logic.com/

Carbon Sinks:

3rd Law: Nature knows bestLike it says, nature knows best.

Mothers milk vs. milk formula

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pW93kKZYMM

Nature knows best: How the natural world is inspiring new innovations

• When we look at the world around us, we see what has survived the test of time. In other words, nature doesn't just show us results - it shows us the most optimal ideas available.

• As a result, scientists are creating more products that are inspired by nature.

The BlackBerry phone was inspired by a butterfly's

wing.

Nature-inspired designs

Bio-inspiration, also known as biomimicry, is a discipline that studies and learns from nature's best ideas to generate breakthrough products and technologies.

Solar Leaf

A Speedo swimsuit line

inspired by shark's skin

Nature knows best: How the natural world is inspiring new innovations

• Go to the Following Website for Examples: http://www.biotrue.com/world.html

http://brainz.org/15-coolest-cases-biomimicry/

A new car design

inspired by a boxfish

3rd Law: Nature knows best

Artificial Foods anyone?

http://www.theonion.com/video/taco-bells-new-green-menu-takes-no-ingredients-fro,14348/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfTQergr29M

The Store Wars - Organic food vs. chemicals and GMOs

4th Law: “There is no such thing as a free lunch”

This law basically means you have to do something in order to get

something in return.OR

Everything has consequences.

Everything you do, must have a reason behind it.

For example, a “free” pizza party. In order to win the party, you have to fill out a survey.Survey info gets sold off… you get annoying texts from companies ….

“There is no such thing as a free lunch”

Because the global ecosystem is a connected whole, in which nothing can be gained or lost,

This ecological law embodies the previous 3 laws.

Payment of this price cannot be avoided; it can only be delayed.

anything extracted from it by human effortmust be replaced.

Hidden Costs

• Free phones with a 3

year plan.

• Free samples at grocery stores.

Things may seem free, but have hidden “costs”.

World Watch magazine reported that 18 percent of worldwide greenhouse gas

emissions attributable to livestock -cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, camels, pigs and poultry (chicken) and their byproducts

actually account for at least 32.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year,

or 51 percent of annual worldwide GHG emissions

“A shocking 45 percent of all land on Earth is today used for raising

livestock and growing crops to feed them. But most land used for

livestock and crops can grow trees instead. - Robert Goodland, World Bank Group environmental adviser

It takes about 12,000 liters of water to produce one kg of

beef, compared with just 850 liters to produce the same

weight of wheat.

4th Law: “There is no such thing as a free

lunch”

Livestock’s carbon footprint ‘catastrophic,’ say climate experts

Read full article…

PLANET IN PERIL

Why does DEFORESTATION have such a huge impact on the ecosystem? Why is it so important to save our TREES?

1st and 2nd Law

Why should we limit the use of FOSSIL FUELS (carbon-based)?

4th Law

How is CARBON cycled in your E-column? 1st and 2nd law

CARRYING CAPACITY

is the population size of the species that the environment can sustain indefinitely, given the food, habitat, water and other necessities available in the environment.

LIMITING FACTORS

factor that controls a process, such as organism growth or species population, size, or distribution.

Source:http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange2/current/lectures/human_pop/human_pop.html

http://www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/sustain/popdyn.pdf