CNS World Studies Hybrid 2014-15

5/18 - Environmental Geography

1. Prepare to share a sustainable development program or idea to the UN Global
Sustainable Development Conference. Each student will represent a country in
the developing world, will present their idea, and the other countries will vote on
whether or not to implement the program or idea in their own country. View the
clips below for an explanation and examples of sustainable development. The
simulation will take place in class on Wednesday & Thursday 5/20 & 5/21.
3. Crop Rotation
The online dictionary defines crop rotation as the successive planting of different crops
on the same land to improve soil fertility and help control insects and diseases. This
farming practice is beneficial in several ways, most notably because it is is chemical-free.
Crop rotation has been proven to maximize the growth potential of land, while also
preventing disease and insects in the soil. Not only can this form of development benefit
commercial farmers, but it can also aid those who garden at home. IN developing
countries especially it is important for farmers who do not have access to chemicals so
that crops will continue to grow plentifully season after season. There are many types of
rotations based on the crops you plant and you have to pick one that works for your
topographical area.
Take potatoes. In the course of a season, the fungi that cause scabby skin patches may
proliferate, along with root-killing verticillium fungi (which also damage tomatoes and
eggplant) and tiny nematodes that injure potatoes. If you plant potatoes again in the same
place, these pathogens will be ready and waiting to sabotage the crop. Rotating the space
to another unrelated crop deprives the potato pathogens of the host plant they require.
Most pests and diseases can damage plants of the same botanical family, but cannot hurt
unrelated crops
In addition to interrupting disease cycles, rotating crops prevents the depletion of
nutrients. For example, tomatoes need plenty of calcium the same way beans and beets
crave manganese. But the exact benefits of effective rotations vary with crop sequence.
Broad-leafed greens are great for suppressing weeds, and the deep roots of sweet corn do
a good job of penetrating compacted subsoil. Nitrogen-fixing legumes often take no more
nitrogen from the soil than they replace, and their presence stimulates the growth of
beneficial soil microorganisms

Sustainable Development Resources

The Route to a Sustainable Future
Ideas from worldchanging.com

CNS World Studies Hybrid 2014-15

5/18 - Environmental Geography
The Story of Stuff
Sustainable Development at the UN