Ecosystem services is a term that is likely unfamiliar to most non-science majors, and these students likely underestimate the value of ecosystem services in their lives. The addition of field trips to classroom discussions, videos, and experimental labs, significantly enriched students’ understanding of these services. Using non-science disciplines as a hook to generate interest, students were asked to identify how their respective disciplines were needed to facilitate delivery and management of ecosystem services, e.g., recycling centers, compost facilities and water/wastewater treatment plants. Local field trips were designed around two specific course goals: 1) discussing how resource management (and mismanagement) impacted ecosystem services, and 2) identifying the role of technology in addressing contemporary environmental challenges.
Results/Conclusions
Touring businesses providing ecosystem services provided students authentic experiences that engaged all of their senses, and prompted them to think more deeply about how they, and society, depend on these services. After the tours students acknowledged they had not previously considered the steps required in the production of ecosystem services, and they had vastly underestimated the interplay of natural processes and technological resources required for the management and delivery of select services. Prior to the field trips, most students had not thought about how their own respective non-science disciplines served vital roles in the delivery of services. During the tours students gained insight into the diversity of jobs needed to manage and deliver ecosystem services. Discussions naturally went far beyond scientific processes and typically included educational requirements for jobs in the respective businesses, employee wages, taxes, and how government regulations impact both businesses providing ecosystem services as well as naturally occurring ecosystem services. In summary, the ultimate goal of producing environmentally aware and responsible citizens may be enhanced by touring businesses and non-profits engaged in ecosystem services.