A ONE-OF-A-KIND ENVIRONMENTAL COURSE
Students who study this course benefit from the unique blend of disciplines that will provide them with the skills necessary to work in the field of environmental sustainability.
This course provides a foundation in environmental ecology and conservation as well as an understanding of sustainability in relation to water, agriculture, development and energy.
Environmental Sustainability has become a hot topic in contemporary times. It is now a common guiding principle for government, business, individuals all over the world.
The term 'Ecologically Sustainable Development' has been coined to represent the concept of making use of our environment in a way that allows us to meet our needs without compromising what is handed on to future generations.
Environmental sustainability is a field of expected continuous growth and innovative development.
This is an experiential learning-based course. Throughout your studies you will have the opportunity to network with and learn from a variety of industry professionals. Establishing real-world relationships and confidence is key to career success.
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Modules
Note that each module in the Certificate in Environmental Sustainability is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.
Outlines of Selected Modules
Introduction to Ecology
1. Ecosystems & Populations
- Components of an ecosystem
- Biomes
- Detrital and grazing webs
- Trophic levels within a food web
- Energy flow through an ecosystem
2. The development of life
- Life spans
- Natural selection
- Genetics
- Theories of evolution
3. Animals, Parasites and Endangered Species
- Comparative anatomy
- Animal niches within an ecosystem
- Parasites
- Animal and human interactions and coexistence
4. Fungi, Tundra, Rain forests and Marshlands
- Physiology
- Anatomy
- Classification
- Ecology
- Location and
- Climate
5. Mountains, Rivers and Desert
- Formation, e.g., erosion, volcanic formation of mountains
- Ecology
- Importance
6. Shallow Waters
- Shorelines
- Coral reefs
- Intermediate reefs
- Estuaries
- Sandy shores
7. Ecological Problems
- Global Warming
- The Role of the Ozone Layer
- The effects of Poisons and Waste Materials
Sustainable Agriculture
1. Introduction
- Scope
- Nature of Sustainability
- Whole Farming
- Hydroponics
2. Soil
- Soil Quality
- Growing Media
- Problems with Soils
- Water Erosion
- Wind Erosion
- Salinity
- Soil Acidification
3. Water
- Water Storage
- Livestock Requirements
- Water Quality
- Water Saving Measures
- Recycling Water
- Swales and Keylines
4. Land Care
- Weeds
- Weed Control
- Grazing
- Tree Management
- Plantations
- Windbreaks
5. Financial Sustainability
- Economic Principles
- Scale of Economics
- Financial Planning
- Value Adding
- Financial Records
6. Broad Management Strategies
- Towards better planning
- Analysing the Marketplace and Industry
- Production
7. Enterprise Selection & Management: Plants
- Crop Management
- Hay and Silage
- Considering New Crops
- Site Preparation
- Production
8. Enterprise Selection & Management: Animals
- Choosing the right species, e.g., deer, alpacas, goats, emu
- Aquaculture
- Intensive Production
Water Conservation and Management
1. Introduction to Water Conservation
- The water cycle
- Effective rainfall
- Evaporation
- Importance of water
- Water sources and storage
- Water uses
- Water conservation
2. Water conservation at home
- In Australia, UK and US
- How we can save water at home
- Water saving equipment
3. Water conservation in the workplace
- General principles
- Implementing water saving strategies
- Appliances for saving water
- Waterwise industry
- Waterwise workplace
4. Water Management
- Maintaining water quality
- Salinity
- Chemical contamination
- Controlling use and quality of water
- Testing water quality
- Minimising water loss
- Water audits
- Water management plans
5. Water conservation in Primary Production I
- Strategies for water conservation
- Water saving measures
- Waterwise landscaping
- Waterwise irrigation systems
- Wquipments, structures and tools to save water
6. Water conservation in Primary Production 2
- Use of water in primary production
- Methods of water storage
- Rainwater collection and storage
- Bore water
- Farm dams
- Farm water requirements
- Contamination and disposal of water
- Reduce/reuse/recycle
- Irrigation system design
- Surface/flood irrigation
- Sprinkler irrigation
- Swales and keylines
- Maintenance procedures and scheduling
7. Water conservation in the Services Industry
- Use of water in service industry
- Contamination and disposal of water
- Reduce/reuse/recycle
- Technologies available
8. Water conservation and Health
- Water use in the Health Industry
- Laboratories, Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Clinics, Research
- Characteristics of water use in health industry
- Water efficiency
9. Water conservation in other industry sectors
- Use of water in manufacturing, construction and heavy industries
- Examples of water use including cooling towers, ponds, dust control
- Cleaner production
- Benefits of cleaner production
10. Water treatment, reuse and recycling
- Water sanitation
- Water reuse and recycling
- Waste water and sewage treatment
- Classification and composition of waste water
- Waste water treatment
- Constructed wetlands
- Plants for wetlands
- Treating saline water
- Tastes and odours
Permaculture Systems
1. Permaculture Principles
- Nature and scope
- Function
- Diversity
- Sustainability
- Organics
- Composting
- Crop rotation
- Pests and disease prevention and management
2. Design Principles
- Ecosystems
- Abiotic and biotic components
- Understanding climate
- Minimising water needs
- Irrigation
- Arid landscapes
- Rainfall
- Succession
3. Zone and Sector Planning
- Five standard zones
- Landscape profiles
- Site selection
- Pre-planning
- Concept design
- Recording site and locality details
4. Permaculture Techniques
- Forests and Trees
- Establishment
- Fire-resistant plants
- Water body design
- Water containment
5. Animals in Permaculture
- Location for animals
- Functions of animals in permaculture systems
- Bees, poultry, pigs and cattle
- Grazing animals
- Fencing
- Water supply for animals
- Shelter for animals
- Birds
- Aquaculture - scope, production systems, species and management
- Harvesting fish
6. Plants in Permaculture
- Growing organic vegetables
- Physical characteristics of soil
- Chemical characteristics of soil
- Soil nutrition and fertilisation
- Nitrogen fixation
- Identifying nutrient deficiencies
- Mulch types
- Weed management
- Plant culture
- Pest and disease management
7. Appropriate Techniques
- Solar energy
- Wind energy
- Methane
- Biofuel power
- Composting toilets
- Energy efficent housing
- Living fences
- Water recycling
- Alternative energy and management
- Waste disposal
- Biological filtration systems
- Waste water
- Conservation and recycling
- Solar energy
- Solar greenhouses
8. Preparing a plan
- Scope, nature and methods
- Designing for natural disasters
- Drawing a plan
- Developing the final design
Healthy Buildings I (Building Construction and Health)
1. Introduction to Building Biology
- Building Biology
- Environmental considerations when building
- Clean interiors
- Attitudes and trends towards building biology
2. Building Materials
- Dangerous building materials
- Asbestos
- Paints and finishes
- Cladding, timber, weatherboard
- Health concerns with initial installation
3. Construction
- Roofs
- Floors
- Pests in Buildings
- Hygiene
- Building design factors
4. Services
- Water
- Electricity
- Waste Disposal
- Temperature Control
5. Temperature: Heating and Cooling
- Heating and Cooling methods
- Energy conservation
- Solar energy
- Impact of building design on interior building temperature
6. The Internal Environment: Ventilation
- Air Filtration
- Carbon Dioxide
- Interior Ventilation Characteristics
- Health Impacts of Air Conditioning
7. Light
- Internal light in buildings
- Natural light
- Combustion systems
- Electric Lights
- Location of light sources
- Impact of building design on interior light
8. Acoustics
- Impact of construction on how noise is absorbed
- Echo and Clarity
- Management of noise in buildings
9. Ergonomic Considerations
- Relationship between human body and surroundings
- Ergonomics
- How ergonomics impact productivity
10. Psychological Considerations
- Psychological Considerations of building design
- Colour
- Psychology of building interiors
Alternative Energy
1. Introduction: The Problems and the Energy Sources
- Scope and Nature
- Terminology
- Energy consumption throughout history
- Climate Change
- Energy units
- Problems with Fossil Fuels
- Problems with other energy sources
2. Understanding Energy
- Terminology
- Understanding Electricity
- Conductors and Non-conductors
- Measuring Electricity
- Ohm's Law
- Kirchoff's Law
- Circuits
- Power
- Magnetism
- Electromagnetism and Solenoids
- Inductors
- Lenz's Law
3. Generating Electricity
- Turbines
- Generators
- Fuel Cells
- Solar Energy
- Positioning Solar Cells
- Small scale Solar
- Future developments in Solar
- Wind Power
- Large- and Small-Scale Wind System Design
- Geothermal energy
- Steam Power Plants - dry and flash
- Binary Cycle Power Plants
- Hydropower
- Geothermal heat pumps
- Tide and Current power
- Tide barrage and turbines
- Wave power
- Nuclear energy
- Fission reactors
- Fusion
- Half-lives and radioactivity
- Waste to energy
4. Storage and Use of Electricity
- Terminology
- Cells
- Batteries and their requirements
- Inverters
- Alternators and regulators
- Converters
- System types
- EMR and Electricity Use
- Recommended Exposure Limits
- Safety with Electricity
5. Non-electric Systems
- Passive solar
- Firewood
- Creosote formation
- Biofuels
- Ethanol
- Passive solar energy
- Solar hot water
- Greenhouses
- Night insulation
6. Energy Consumption
- Pricing
- Population growth
- Large scale reduction of energy consumption
7. Energy Conservation
- Reducing energy consumption in the home
- Temperature control
- Minimising light energy consumption
- Minimising appliance energy consumption
- Insulation
- Water conservation
- Solar house design
8. Converting to Alternative Systems
- Estimating energy needs
- Building efficiency
- System design
- System designers
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