Introduction to Environmental Science

Course Description

EVR1001C – Introduction to Environmental Science is a 3-credit-hour combined lecture and laboratory course that introduces students to the scientific study of how natural systems function and how human activities affect the environment. The course is interdisciplinary in nature, drawing from biology, chemistry, geology, atmospheric science, ecology, and the social sciences to address contemporary environmental challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, water and air pollution, energy choices, and sustainability.

The "C" lab indicator denotes integrated lecture and laboratory components, with hands-on laboratory exercises, fieldwork (where institutional location allows), and data analysis exercises that develop students' scientific reasoning and quantitative literacy. Florida-specific environmental issues — the Everglades, sea level rise, coastal ecosystems, water quality, hurricanes, and the state's exceptional biodiversity — provide rich case-study material throughout.

EVR1001C is a Florida common course offered at approximately 31 Florida institutions and satisfies general-education natural-science (with laboratory) requirements at most Florida public colleges and universities. It transfers as the equivalent course at all Florida public postsecondary institutions per SCNS articulation policy. It is required or recommended for environmental science, environmental studies, and many sustainability-related programs.

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Apply the scientific method to environmental questions, including hypothesis formation, data collection, analysis, and the interpretation of empirical results.
• Describe foundational ecological principles, including energy flow through ecosystems, biogeochemical cycles (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, water), trophic structure, biodiversity, and community ecology.
• Describe major biomes and ecosystem types, including their characteristic species, climate, and ecological functioning, with attention to Florida ecosystems (Everglades, mangroves, coral reefs, pine flatwoods, hardwood hammocks).
• Analyze human population dynamics, including demographic transitions, age structure, urbanization, and the implications of population growth for resource use.
• Analyze water resources and water quality, including the hydrologic cycle, surface and groundwater, water pollution sources and types, and water management challenges (with Florida-specific application to aquifers, springs, and wetlands).
• Analyze air quality and atmospheric science, including atmospheric structure, major pollutants (criteria air pollutants, greenhouse gases), the ozone layer, and air pollution control.
• Analyze climate and climate change, including the greenhouse effect, the scientific evidence for anthropogenic climate change, observed and projected impacts, mitigation strategies, and adaptation strategies (with Florida-specific application to sea level rise and hurricane risk).
• Analyze energy resources, including fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas), nuclear, and renewable sources (solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass), along with the environmental implications of each.
• Analyze land use and soil resources, including agriculture, urbanization, deforestation, soil degradation, and conservation strategies.
• Analyze biodiversity and conservation, including the value of biodiversity, threats to biodiversity, endangered species, and conservation approaches (with attention to Florida's exceptional biodiversity and conservation challenges).
• Analyze solid and hazardous waste, including waste generation, disposal methods, recycling, and hazardous waste regulation.
• Apply principles of sustainability and environmental ethics, including frameworks for environmental decision-making, intergenerational equity, and environmental justice.
• Analyze environmental policy and law at the introductory level, including major U.S. environmental legislation (NEPA, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act) and Florida-specific environmental regulation.
• Demonstrate laboratory skills appropriate to environmental science, including measurement techniques, data collection and recording, basic chemical and biological analyses, and graphical analysis of environmental data.

Optional Outcomes

• Conduct fieldwork in local Florida environments, including water sampling, biodiversity assessment, or ecosystem characterization (where institutional location allows).
• Apply geographic information systems (GIS) at the introductory level for environmental data visualization.
• Engage in service-learning or community-based environmental projects.
• Engage with environmental careers exploration, including pathways in environmental consulting, environmental science, conservation, and environmental policy.
• Examine contemporary Florida environmental issues in depth (Everglades restoration, springs protection, sea level rise adaptation, harmful algal blooms, beach renourishment).

Major Topics

Required Topics

• Foundations of Environmental Science: The scientific method; environmental science as interdisciplinary study; environmental worldviews; sustainability principles; ecological footprints.
• Ecosystem Structure and Function: Energy flow (food chains, food webs, trophic levels, energy pyramids); biogeochemical cycles (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, water, sulfur); productivity; ecosystem services.
• Population, Community, and Evolutionary Ecology: Population growth (exponential, logistic); carrying capacity; species interactions (competition, predation, mutualism, commensalism, parasitism); community structure; succession; the role of evolution in shaping ecosystems.
• Biomes and Aquatic Systems: Major terrestrial biomes; freshwater systems (rivers, lakes, wetlands); marine systems (estuaries, coastal zones, open ocean, coral reefs); Florida ecosystems (Everglades, pine flatwoods, hardwood hammocks, mangroves, salt marshes, springs, coral reefs).
• Human Population: Demographic transitions; age structure; population pyramids; urbanization; sustainability implications of population growth; Florida population dynamics.
• Water Resources and Quality: The hydrologic cycle; surface water; groundwater and aquifers (including Florida's Floridan Aquifer); water pollution sources (point and non-point); types of pollutants (organic, inorganic, biological); water treatment; Florida water issues (springs degradation, harmful algal blooms, saltwater intrusion).
• Air Quality and Atmosphere: Atmospheric structure (troposphere, stratosphere); criteria air pollutants (CO, SO2, NOx, particulate matter, ozone, lead); indoor air quality; the ozone layer; acid deposition; air pollution control technology.
• Climate and Climate Change: The greenhouse effect (natural and enhanced); evidence for anthropogenic climate change; the IPCC and its assessments; observed climate impacts (temperature trends, sea level rise, ice loss, ocean acidification); projected impacts; Florida-specific climate concerns (sea level rise, hurricane intensity, coral bleaching); mitigation (energy transition, carbon pricing); adaptation strategies.
• Energy Resources: Fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) — formation, extraction, use, environmental impact; nuclear energy — physics, advantages, challenges, waste; renewable energy — solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass; energy efficiency and conservation; the energy transition.
• Soil and Land Use: Soil formation and structure; soil degradation (erosion, salinization, compaction, contamination); agricultural systems (industrial, organic, sustainable); deforestation; urbanization and land use change; Florida land use issues.
• Biodiversity and Conservation: Levels of biodiversity (genetic, species, ecosystem); biodiversity hotspots; threats (HIPPO: Habitat loss, Invasive species, Pollution, Population, Overharvesting); endangered species; conservation strategies (protected areas, captive breeding, restoration); Florida's biodiversity (Everglades, Florida panther, manatees, sea turtles, gopher tortoises) and its conservation.
• Solid and Hazardous Waste: Municipal solid waste; landfills; incineration; recycling; composting; e-waste; hazardous waste regulation (RCRA, CERCLA/Superfund); Florida waste management.
• Environmental Health and Toxicology: Toxicology principles (dose-response); exposure pathways; environmental health risks (chemicals, pathogens); risk assessment.
• Sustainability, Ethics, and Justice: Definitions of sustainability; environmental ethics frameworks; environmental justice; intergenerational equity; ecological economics.
• Environmental Policy and Law: Major U.S. environmental laws (NEPA, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Endangered Species Act, RCRA, CERCLA); the role of EPA, DOI, USDA; international environmental agreements (Paris Agreement, Montreal Protocol); Florida environmental regulation (Florida DEP, water management districts).

Optional Topics

• Florida Environmental Issues in Depth: Everglades restoration; springs protection; sea level rise adaptation in Miami and the Keys; harmful algal blooms; beach renourishment; Lake Okeechobee management.
• GIS for Environmental Science: Mapping; spatial analysis; data visualization at the introductory level.
• Field Studies: Local fieldwork — water sampling, biodiversity assessment, plot studies (where institutional location allows).
• Service-Learning: Community partnerships with local environmental organizations.
• Environmental Careers: Career exploration in environmental consulting, environmental agencies, conservation, environmental engineering, environmental law, environmental education.

Resources & Tools

• Common Textbooks: Environmental Science: A Global Concern (Cunningham/Cunningham), Living in the Environment (Miller/Spoolman), Environmental Science: Toward a Sustainable Future (Wright/Boorse), Environmental Science for the AP Course (Friedland/Relyea — popular at institutions serving dual-enrollment students), Sustaining the Earth (Miller)
• Open Educational Resources: Environmental Biology by Lumen Learning; OpenStax biology and ecology resources; Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation (Theis/Tomkin); CK-12 Foundation environmental science materials
• Online Platforms: Connect (McGraw-Hill), Mastering Environmental Science (Pearson), MindTap (Cengage)
• Lab Equipment: Standard environmental science lab equipment — water quality test kits (pH, DO, turbidity, nutrients); soil testing supplies; microscopes; sampling equipment; data loggers; GIS-capable computers; field equipment for institutions with field components
• Reference Resources: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (epa.gov); USGS (usgs.gov); NOAA (noaa.gov); Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (ipcc.ch); Florida Department of Environmental Protection (floridadep.gov); South Florida Water Management District; Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (myfwc.com); IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
• Multimedia: PBS environmental documentaries; Crash Course Ecology; major streaming-service environmental documentaries; NASA visualization resources for climate

Career Pathways

EVR1001C develops scientific literacy and environmental awareness applicable across many fields. Specific career pathways supported include:

• Environmental Scientist and Specialist (SOC 19-2041) — Environmental consulting; environmental impact assessment; site remediation; water quality monitoring.
• Environmental Engineering Technician — Supporting environmental engineering with applied lab and field skills.
• Conservation Scientist (SOC 19-1031) — Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; National Park Service (Everglades, Biscayne, Dry Tortugas); state and county park systems; nonprofit conservation (Audubon, Conservancy of Southwest Florida, etc.).
• Environmental Educator — Nature centers, museums, schools, environmental nonprofits.
• Environmental Health Specialist — Florida Department of Health environmental health roles.
• Sustainability Coordinator — Corporate, nonprofit, and government sustainability roles.
• Environmental Policy and Planning — Policy analyst, planner, regulatory specialist with state and local agencies (Florida DEP, water management districts, county planning).
• Pre-Professional Pathways — Foundation for environmental engineering, environmental law, environmental health, and graduate study in environmental science.

Florida's environmental challenges and opportunities — particularly Everglades restoration (one of the world's largest ecological restoration projects), sea level rise adaptation in coastal communities, water quality protection, and conservation in one of the most biodiverse states in the U.S. — sustain strong demand for environmentally literate professionals across government, consulting, nonprofit, and private sectors.

Special Information

General Education and Transfer

EVR1001C is a Florida common course number that satisfies general-education natural-science (with laboratory) requirements at most Florida public colleges and universities. It transfers as the equivalent course at all Florida public postsecondary institutions per SCNS articulation policy.

Course Sequence

EVR1001C is the introductory course; students continuing in environmental science typically progress to discipline-specific courses (general biology, ecology, chemistry, earth science) and major-specific environmental science coursework. The course is appropriate as a terminal natural-science general-education course for non-science majors and as a foundational course for environmental science majors.

Course Format

EVR1001C is offered in face-to-face, hybrid, and increasingly fully online formats. Online versions typically use virtual laboratory exercises and locally-conducted field observations. Face-to-face offerings often include field trips to local Florida environmental sites (state parks, water management facilities, nature centers) where institutional location allows.

Florida Environmental Field Resources

Florida is home to many internationally important environmental sites that enrich EVR1001C study. Florida programs commonly engage with Everglades National Park, Biscayne National Park, the Dry Tortugas, the Florida Springs system (e.g., Wakulla, Silver, Ichetucknee, Manatee), the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, the Caloosahatchee and Indian River Lagoon estuaries, state parks across the state, and water management district facilities.

Related Courses

Students continuing in environmental study typically progress to BSC1010C/1011C (Principles of Biology I/II), CHM1045C (General Chemistry I), GLY1010C (Physical Geology), or specialty courses in ecology, environmental policy, and conservation biology.