Ecological Footprint Update and Course Reflection

Prior to beginning work on this journal, read Chapters 1 and 2 in your course textbook.

Welcome to course! Throughout this course, you will be asked to keep a journal about your experience in the class. The purpose of this activity is to enable you to reflect on your learning: what new things you have discovered, what surprises you have encountered, what topics or ideas you have found particularly challenging, and how the course is going for you. During the five weeks in which you are participating in the Environmental Footprint Reduction Project, in Week 2 through Week 4 you will also use this journal as a space for a progress report on your efforts. Your entries will be evaluated in terms of how well they met the topic and length requirements, and your writing clarity. Your entries should be a minimum of one typed page each (double-spaced, Times New Roman, and 12-point font) and will be submitted through Waypoint.

Complete the following:

• In the first paragraph or two of your first journal entry, please reflect on your previous experiences, if any, with environmental science and environmental issues. What new things do you hope to learn in this course? What concerns or fears do you have about this class? What strategies to you plan to put in place to address them?
• In another one or two paragraphs, share your thoughts about the first week of class. What did you learn? What experiences stand out for you? What tasks or content did you find difficult or frustrating? What activities did you find surprising or exciting? Looking ahead, what are your intrigued or concerned by in the second week of the course?
• Finally, make a list of at least five lifestyle changes you plan to commit to making for your course-long Ecological Footprint Reduction Project. Once you have recorded them in your journal, you should begin taking those steps and keeping a weekly journal record of your efforts. You will report on the results in a class discussion in Week 5.