PubH 3190 Sustainable Energy and Env Health (Oct 30, 2012)

School of Public Health and HealthServices Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sustainable Energy and Environmental Health 3 cr PubH 3190.10 Spring 2013 Monday 10-12:30,

School of Public Health and Health

Services Department of Environmental and

Occupational Health Sustainable Energy and Environmental

Health (3 cr)

PubH 3190.10

Spring 2013

Monday 10-12:30, ???

Instructor

Peter LaPuma, PhD, PE, CIH

Associate Professor of Environmental & Occupational Health, SPHHS

2100 M Street NW, Suite 203, Washington, DC 20037

Phone: 202-994-5185 Email: plapuma@gwu.edu

Office Hours: Before or After class (for brief issues) OR by appointment

Course Description

This course will explore the popular theme of “thinking sustainably” from the

perspective of environmental health and our energy-intensive lifestyle Many emerging issues surround how we will continue to provide basic human needs such as water, food, energy and security while balancing the realities of

resource depletion, air and water contaminants and climate change Technical, socio-political, and health implications of each renewable and non-renewable energy source will be discussed, as will energy conservation and efficiency, in the context of broader issues such as population growth, food and water

resources, climate change and the importance of maintaining a healthy

environment for future generations The course will involve several small exercises designed to reinforce concepts as well as a tour of sustainable

features on campus

Course Prerequisites: None This course targets junior and senior undergraduate

students

Course Learning Objectives: Upon completion of the course, students will be

able to:

1 Explain the science and politics that govern energy production and

consumption in the U.S

2 Describe the practical contributions and limitations of alternative energy sources

3 Explain the importance of using sustainable thinking to drive policy

4 Explain how each potential energy source impacts public health through its life cycle

5 Explain the causes and health ramifications of climate change

Required Texts

Reading assignments as noted in the schedule

Methods of Instruction

X Lectures

X Class Discussions

X Case Studies

X Written Assignments

X Film/Video

X Required Reading

About the Assignments (detailed guidance will be provided on Blackboard)

 Sustainable Field Trip – The new GWU Public Health building will be under

construction in spring and is planned for LEED Gold certification or higher

We hope to meet with the LEED building architect along with a site visit to discuss the buildings features We will also tour the sustainable features around the Foggy Bottom Campus to include the community gardens and

rooftop solar tubes Students will select a green feature to research and

write about the advantages, disadvantages, cost and realistic policies that

may encourage its adoption

 Air Pollution Project – Students will use website tools to assess ground level

ozone trends in their home town The student will identify if their area is in attainment with EPA ozone standards and identify the major emission sources that contribute to ozone They will also identify an article that discusses an air pollution issue in their home town or state and write a brief summary of the article

 Personal Energy Assessment – Students will track their use of energy for 2

days to include all electrical devices, room lighting, heat, transportation etc that they consumed Students will measure the kilowatt-hour consumption of select appliances using a power meter Students will calculate their carbon emissions using an online calculator

(http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/calculators/)

 Hydrofracking Paper – Students will prepare a letter to the New York Governor

on whether to allow natural gas hydrofracking in New York The first

paragraph introduces you and your position, the next 3-4 paragraph makes a point that backs up your position The last paragraph is your

recommendation to the Governor The student will not be penalized for any position taken The quality and clarity of the talking points along with proper grammar and spelling will be assessed for grading purposes The paper

requires at least 3 reputable references (citations will not be counted in your page count

 Personal Food Journal – Students will inventory their food and beverage

consumption for 3 days along with manufacturer, type of food packaging and wastes etc The student will select one food item to research and research the origin of the food, where the food was prepared and packaged Also the student will identify how it was stored (refrigeration, freezer, etc) for how long and how you personally prepared it (stove, microwave etc) The student will make note of the energy consumption through the process

 Group Presentation – Students will be assigned to groups of 3-4 students and

each group will provide a 15-20 min presentation to the class on a

pre-approved sustainable energy presentation A grade will be assigned to the entire group for the quality of the presentation but 10% of the group

presentation grade will depend on confidential scores provided by the other members of your group

CLASS POLICIES:

Class Policy Regarding Attendance/Participation: In order to complete this

course successfully, you should prepare for each class session by completing the assigned readings and/or assignments, attend every session and take responsibility for your own learning experience Public health practice requires developing

professional relationships We encourage you to engage each other in discussions about the topics, and rely on each other for materials, notes or assistance

Blackboard: We will use Blackboard to post course information and to

communicate with the class You are already “signed-up” for Blackboard because it

is linked with the course registration system It is your responsibility to check

Blackboard regularly for course information, including discussion threads related to course operations and assignments

Grading Scale and Standards: Written assignments will be evaluated based on

the content and clarity of the response and writing quality

For each assignment and exam, the instructor will use discretion to determine

whether to apply a curve to the distribution of scores At the completion of the semester, grades will be based on the following:

A 100 – 93 (exceptional performance) B- 83 – 80

F < 60.0

Class Policy Regarding Late Work and Examinations: In order to pass this

course, you must turn in the written assignment and exams in class on the due date Unexcused late assignments will be deducted 5 percent points for each day beyond the due date Assignments beyond 5 days late will not be accepted and

assigned a zero without legitimate written notice in advance of the due date and receiving written permission for an alternative due date Legitimate excuses

include severe illness, death in the family, etc Students are expected to take the exams on the assigned dates If you have a serious problem or schedule conflict that will prevent you from taking an exam, you must notify the instructor in writing

no later than 72 hours before the scheduled date

Religious Holidays: We respect an individual’s observance of religious holidays,

and will accommodate requests to reschedule assignment due dates and exams dates if they conflict with religious holidays Please notify me in writing (by email) during the first week of the semester of your need for a religious holiday

accommodation

Academic Integrity: University policy on academic integrity located at:

http://www.gwu.edu/~ntegrity/code.html. Some examples of academic dishonesty include:

- Cheating: Intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials,

information or study aids in any academic exercise; copying from another

student’s assignment or examination; submitting work for an in-class exam that was prepared in advance; representing material prepared by another as one’s own work; submitting the same work in more than one course without receiving prior permission from both course instructors; violating rules governing

administration of examinations; violating any rules relating to academic conduct

of a course or program

- Fabrication: Intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any data, information or citation in an academic exercise

- Plagiarism: Intentionally representing the words, ideas, or sequence of ideas of another as one’s own in any academic exercise; failure to attribute any of the following: quotations, paraphrases or borrowed information

Students with Disabilities: If you need an accommodation based upon the

impact of a disability, please contact the instructor privately to discuss your specific needs Please contact the Disability Support Services Office at 202-994-8250, Suite

242 Marvin Center, http://gwired.gwu.edu/dss, to establish eligibility and to

coordinate reasonable accommodations

Adverse Weather/Class Cancellation: In the advent of inclement weather or

any other emergency, the School of Public Health and Health Services will follow the decision of the University, and we will follow the SPHHS decision Call the University hotline at (202) 994-5050 or check the GWUMC status button at www.gwumc.edu

In the event of class cancellation, we will email you about rescheduling the lecture and/or assignments

* * * * * Emergency Preparedness and Response Procedures: The University has

asked all faculty to inform students of these procedures, prepared by the GW Office

of Public Safety and Emergency Management in collaboration with the Office of the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

To Report an Emergency or Suspicious Activity: Call the University Police

Department at 202-994-6111 (Foggy Bottom) or 202-242-6111 (Mount Vernon)

Shelter in Place – General Guidance: Although it is unlikely that we will ever

need to shelter in place, it is helpful to know what to do just in case No matter where you are, the basic steps of shelter in place will generally remain the same

1 • If you are inside, stay where you are unless the building you are in is affected

If it is affected, you should evacuate If you are outdoors, proceed into the

closest building or follow instructions from emergency personnel on the scene

2 • Locate an interior room to shelter inside If possible, it should be above ground level and have the fewest number of windows If sheltering in a room with

windows, move away from the windows If there is a large group of people inside

a particular building, several rooms maybe necessary

3 • Shut and lock all windows (for a tighter seal) and close exterior doors

4 • Turn off air conditioners, heaters, and fans Close vents to ventilation systems

as you are able (University staff will turn off ventilation systems as quickly as possible)

5 • Make a list of the people with you and ask someone to call the list in to UPD so they know where you are sheltering and who is with you If only students are present, one of the students should call in the list

1 • Await further instructions If possible, visit GW Campus Advisories for incident updates (http://CampusAdvisories.gwu.edu) or call the GW Information Line 202-994-5050

0 • Make yourself comfortable and look after one other You will get word as soon

as it is safe to come out

Evacuation: An evacuation will be considered if the building we are in is affected

or we must move to a location of greater safety We will always evacuate if the fire alarm sounds In the event of an evacuation, please gather your personal

belongings quickly (purse, keys, GWorld card, etc.) and proceed to the nearest exit

Do not use the elevator

Once you have evacuated the building, proceed to our PRIMARY rendezvous

location: the courtyard area at 24 th Street and New Hampshire Avenue

(across from the 7-11 shop) In the event that this location is not available, our

SECONDARY rendezvous location is at the corner of 22nd and I Street (GWU

Ambulatory Care Center) From our rendezvous location, we will await instructions

to re-enter Ross Hall

Alert DC: Alert DC provides free notification by e-mail or text message during

an emergency Visit GW Campus Advisories for a link and instructions on how to sign up for alerts pertaining to GW If you receive an Alert DC notification during class, you are encouraged to share the information immediately

GW Alert: GW Alert provides popup notification to desktop and laptop

computers during an emergency In the event that we receive an alert to the computer in our classroom, we will follow the instructions given You are also encouraged to download this application to your personal computer Visit GW Campus Advisories to learn how

* * * * *

Session Outline: The required readings listed for each session should be

completed before the beginning of each class session

Course Outline

1 Jan 14Human Population and Petroleum

Jan 21 MLK Day – no class

2 Jan 28 Coal and Natural Gas Frumkin, Energy and Public Health: Peak Oil.EIA, Coal and the Environment

3 Feb 4Class Exercise: Townhall Meeting

Nuclear Energy – Pros and Cons

Finkle, The Rush to Drill for Gas Walsh, The Gas Dilemma

Project Due: Hydrofracking Paper Due

4 Feb11 Electricity and Transmission

Feb

18 Presidents Day - no class

5 Feb25 Air Pollution Impacts from Fossil Energy Atlanta Olympics EPA, Six Criteria Air Pollutants

6 Mar 4Renewable Energy – Pros and Cons Project Due: Hometown Air Pollution DueZeller, For Those Near The Hum of Clean

Energy Mar

7 Mar18 Personal Energy Use (Second 1 Midterm Exam (First 1.5 hrs)

hr)

8 Mar25 Sustainable Buildings and Communities

9 Apr 1 Global Climate Change Impacts

Movie “How the Earth Was Made” (History Channel)

Economist, How to Live with Climate Change WHO, Protecting Health from Climate

Change

Project Due: Personal Energy Assessment

10 Apr 8 Climate Change Policy Class Discussion: The Carbon

Tax

Cooney, Climate and Infectious Disease

UN, The Implications of Climate Change on Water

11 Apr15 Tour: LEED Building and GW Campus Tour with Office of

Sustainability

Lead by Sophie Waskow at Sustainability Office

12 Apr22

Water Availability and Quality

Industrialization of Food (by Dr

Price)

Hoerling, Past Peak Water in the Southwest

Gilmer: Nev.'s water fight

Project Due: Green Features Paper

13 Apr29 Transportation

APHA, Intersection of Public Health &

Transportation

Project Due: Personal Food Assessment

Project

15 May ?? Final Exam

Reading List

1 Frumkin, H, Hess, J., Vindigni, S., Energy and Public Health: Challenge of Peak Petroleum, Pub Health

Reports Vol 124, pp 5-19, 2009 (Available at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2602925/pdf/phr124000005.pdf","http://www.ncbi.nlm nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2602925/pdf/ )

2 U.S Energy Information Administration (U.S Department of Energy), Coal Explained: Coal and the Environment Last Reviewed: October 20, 2011 (Available at:

http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/print.cfm?page=coal_environment )

3 Smith, R., U.S Foresees a Thinner Cushion of Coal, Wall Street Journal: Business Section, June 8,

2009 (Available at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124414770220386457.html )

4.Finkel ML, Law A, The Rush to Drill for Natural Gas: A Public Health Cautionary Tale, Am J of Public

Health, Vol 101, No.5, pp 784-785, May 2011 (Available at:

http://ajph.aphapublications.org/cgi/reprint/101/5/784 )

5. Walsh, B Could Shale Gas Power the World ?, Time Mar 31, 2011 (Available at:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2062456,00.html )

6 U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Air and Radiation (OAR) What Are the Six

Common Air Pollutants? (Basic Information and Health for Each Pollutant) Last Revised on July 1,

2010 Available at: ( http://www.epa.gov/oaqps001/urbanair/ )

7 Zeller, Jr., T For Those Near, the Miserable Hum of Clean Energy, The New York Times: Business Section (Energy and Environment), October 5, 2010 Available at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/06/business/energy-environment/06noise.html?scp=1&sq=turbine

%20noise&st=Search

8 American Public Health Association (APHA), At the Intersection of Public Health and Transportation: Promoting Healthy Transportation Policy 2010-2011 Available at:

(

http://www.apha.org/NR/rdonlyres/43F10382-FB68-4112-8C75-49DCB10F8ECF/0/TransportationBrief.pdf )

9 VIDEO - History Channel, “How the Earth was Made” (

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOW5A7t5-Zo

)

10.The Economist, “How to Live with Climate Change: It won’t be stopped, but its effects can be made

less bad”, November 27, 2010 (Available at: http://www.economist.com/node/17575027 ) 11.World Health Organization (WHO), Protecting Health from Climate Change: World Health Day 2008 (Available at: http://www.who.int/world-health-day/toolkit/report_web.pdf )

12 Cooney, CM, Climate Change and Infectious Disease: Is the Future Here ?, Env Health Persp 119:9,

Sep 2011

13.United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) United Nations World Water Assessment Programme, The Implications of Climate Change on Water: Highlights on climate change from the UN World Water Development Report 3: Water in a Changing World, SC-2010/WS/4,

2010 (Available at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001863/186317e.pdf )

14.Hoerling, M and Eischeid, J., Past Peak Water in the Southwest, Southwest Hydrology, Jan 2007

(Available at: http://www.swhydro.arizona.edu/archive/V6_N1/feature2.pdf )

15.Gilmer E, CITIES: Nev.'s water fight slow-motion war over a thirsty future, ClimateWire, Jan 11,

2012 (Available at: http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2012/01/11/1)

Learning Objectives (First Half)

Petroleum

1. Explain how each major energy source is used and their relative contribution in the US energy mix

2. Explain the definition of sustainable development according to the Brundtland Commission

3. Identify when global oil discoveries peaked

4 Identify how much oil the US consumes in a day (in mbo)

5 Explain the many ways petroleum is used in your everyday lives

Coal and Natural Gas

1 Explain Mountain top coal removal and its environmental hazards

2 Identify the air pollutants of highest concern regarding coal plants (Hg, SOx, NOx, CO2)

3 Explain the shale gas “hydrofracking” process and the potential environmental issues

4 List the types of air pollutants associated with natural gas and coal

5 Explain the relative influence of methane and CO2 on warming

6 Explain the pros and cons of nuclear power and the three ways water is used in a traditional nuclear plant

Electricity and Transmission

1 Know how many kWh a typical house uses per month

2 Convert between watts, volts and amps

3 Explain your circuits in your house electrical box

4 Explain the difference between gross energy and useful (net) energy

5. Explain the difference between peak and base power and the preferred sources for each

6 Explain the impact of renewable energy on spinning reserves

7. Rank order the relative cost of different energy sources

8. Explain the transmission and distribution structure and their environmental health impacts

Air Pollution

1 Describe each of the six (6) criteria air pollutants to include how they are

emitted, their human health effects and general corrective actions taken to mitigate the hazard

2 Explain how air dispersion complicates air pollution monitoring

Renewable Energy

1 Explain the concept of a renewable portfolio standard

2 Calculate power production from the capacity factor for any generation source

3 Distinguish the pros and cons of the two different types of solar power

4 Explain the pros and cons of the space based solar concept

5 Explain the challenges of wind power on a large scale

6 Explain the two different types of geothermal energy

7 Explain the role of hydroelectric power and the environmental effects of large dams

There will be exam questions on the assigned articles that may not be covered in class so be sure to keep up on the readings.

Learning Objectives (Second Half)

Personal Energy Use

1. List the (3) three largest energy consumers in residential and commercial

buildings

2. List the order of the LEED colors (not the point structure)

3. Explain the concept of a passive solar home design

Built Environment

1 Match a process description to one of the five phases of the life cycle

assessment framework

2 Explain the importance of life cycle assessment (LCA) in alternative energy decision making

3 Discuss the links between building efficiency and environmental/human health

4 Explain ways that the built environment impacts health and fitness

Climate Change

1 Explain the greenhouse effect and the influence of short-wave and long-wave radiation

2 Characterize the major greenhouse gases and their relative influence on climate

3. Identify the current CO2 concentration and the pre-industrial CO2 concentration

4 Identify the temperature and CO2 concentration cap agreed to in Copenhagen

2010 by the US and the European Union

5 Know the general environmental and health implications of climate change

6 Distinguish between mitigation and adaptation efforts

7 Discuss take-back effects and the importance of health in making sustainable choices

8 Explain carbon capture and sequestration

9 Know what Scope 1, 2 and 3 means in GHG emissions for federal organizations 10.Explain strategies in how public health professionals can play a major role in shifting behavior to abate climate change, reduce energy /water consumption and live a healthier lifestyle

Water and Food

1 Explain the two primary ways water is used in a thermal power generation plant

2 Explain the environmental implications of cooling tower water discharges

3 Explain how NOx emissions impacts the Chesapeake Bay and create “dead zones”

4 Know that once through cooling, hydropower and energy crops are the highest water consumers in making electricity

5 Explain the link between the Ogallala Aquifer and sustainable food production

6 Explain the environmental health issues with industrial farming and dependency with fossil energy