Steilacoom Valley

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Steilacoom Valley

• A Thought Experiment For Learning About
  Sustainability Within Any Discipline

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Math 107

• Math in Society
• lowest level math class that meets the
  quantitative skills requirement for a degree.
• terminal math class it is not a prerequisite
  for other classes.

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Quantitative Assessment of the World

• Assignment Select a category, then find a graph
  that shows the current status of that category
  along with historical data so we can see if the
  category is improving or getting worse.
• Use your score card to evaluate the following.

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3. World PopulationAbout 6.7 Billion
Global Population Growth is Driven By Developing
Countries.                                     
                                                  
                                                  
                 Source United Nations, World
Population Prospects The 2006 Revision (2007).
Population Growth
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5. US Poverty Rates
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16. Marine Fisheries
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17. Farms
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19. Honeybees
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20. US Peak Oil (1)
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20. Peak Oil (2)
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30. National Debt (1)
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30. National Debt (2)
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32. Wealth DistributionGini Coefficient
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Give your Assessment

• Student Assessment
• Excellent 0
• Improving 4
• Stationary 3
• Declining 10
• Critical - 2

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Steilacoom Valley

• After QAW, I explain sustainability
• Then give students the welcome letter
• Steilacoom Valley Basics
• A creation of college researchers
• A place to learn to live without oil but without
  losing all humankind has learned
• Isolated Pacific Northwest coastal community
  surrounded by mountains and water
• Contains 80 square kilometers of which only 20
  can be developed.
• After initial construction, life must continue
  without trade.

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The Algebra of Sustainability

• Homes Ideal home shape see handout.
• View dome homes.

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Thin-Shelled Concrete Domes
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Winning Design Domes for the World ContestCost
lt 2,500.
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Other Domes


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The Algebra of Sustainability(continued)

• Homes Ideal home shape
• Carrying Capacity how many people can SV
  support? Based on calories.
• Energy how many windmills?

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Projects

• Determine the minimum size house you think a
  family of 3 would need, based on your home size.
• Create a plan for making Tacoma into a
  sustainable community in 5 years, assuming no
  more affordable gas or other fossil fuels.