conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me a description for a book titled Introduction to Sustainability about Introduction, Sustainability with the genre: Engineering & Transportation, Engineering.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Introduction to Sustainability is the first major textbook to review major themes in the cutting-edge field of sustainability. The book is suitable for introductory interdisciplinary courses on sustainability, as well as those in the fields of geography, geology, sociology, planning, political science, and anthropology. the authors book allows students to see the world in new ways while also encouraging them to become part of the change needed to ensure the long-term sustainability of the planet. The text includes material on the development of the field of sustainability; environmental sustainability issues like water, food, and energy; social sustainability themes like environmental justice and transportation; and economic sustainability topics like green businesses and economic development. The book concludes with a chapter on sustainability issues in college and universities. the author intersperses many fascinating case studies and text boxes that encourage students to deeply explore the material. This is a book that not only organizes the complex field of sustainability, but also encourages students to take action to make the world a better place.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me the first five paragraphs for this book.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Introduction to Sustainability
  In the last decade, much more significant attention has been given to the development of photovoltaic solar energy. A photovoltaic cell converts basic solar energy into electrical energy using converters. In the early stages of photovoltaic development, solar cells were highly inefficient and required significant investment that made them relatively cost prohibitive. Today, photovoltaic energy is approaching the costs of conventional energy, particularly with incentives that are given by many governments to advance the use of them.
  Photovoltaic solar panels can be installed on homes or businesses to reduce the overall cost of conventional energy. In recent years, there has been considerable attention given to concentrating the number of cells on large buildings, parking lots, or vacant land to create managed large energy operations. There are also some large photovoltaic power plants that have been built in recent years. These are called solar farms and they are growing in importance throughout the world.
  Cloudy Germany is by far the largest producer of solar energy in the world. The second largest producer, Italy, produces half of the amount of electricity as Germany. Other large producers include Japan, Spain, the United States, and China. It must be noted, however, that many small countries have moved strongly into solar energy, particularly in rural areas and rapidly developing regions far from main power grids. Kenya, for example, is one of the largest per capita producers of solar energy in the world.
  The development of solar energy is aided by the advent of high-tech solar tracking devices that can automatically subtly change the position of solar collectors throughout the day in order to take advantage of the best angle to collect the sun's radiation. These tracking systems utilize energy collected by the solar panels, so there is no net energy cost to this improved efficiency. However, because these panels require electronics and equipment that moves the panels automatically, there are some inherent maintenance costs.
  One of the other significant innovations in solar energy is the development of concentrated solar power stations. These systems utilize arrays of mirrors to concentrate solar energy into a beam of light that is utilized to produce heat. The heat is used to create steam that is used to produce electricity. The development of these concentrated solar power plants is advancing rapidly. The amount of power generated by these plants is roughly doubling every year. Most of these plants are located in Spain and the United States.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me five more paragraphs.. End with the sentence ' Of course, concerns over global climate change have highlighted other health and environmental problems that are emerging as a result of global environmental change.'.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: There is great concern over pollution released after the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster that occurred in 2011. However, radioactive pollutants are present in many areas besides Fukushima. Nuclear waste and pollution is produced through nuclear power generation, medical applications, atomic bomb testing, and research. Table 10.1 lists elements that can be nuclear pollutants when they are in particular isotopic forms. An isotope is a form of an element that has a different number of neutrons from the standard atomic number. The atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus of the atom. Many isotopes are unstable and break down into more stable forms within a set amount of time called a half-life.
  The proliferation of readily available pharmaceutical products around the world has led to concerns over their pollution of water. Testing has found elevated levels of hormones, anti-depressants, and a range of other products in surface waters in many areas. Some of these materials pass through the human waste stream and enter surface waters via releases from sewage treatment plants. Others find their way into surface waters from animal farms that inject or feed animals with pharmaceutical products. In the environment, it is believed that some pharmaceutical products, particularly hormones, are disrupting reproductive systems and causing birth defects in some animals. The challenge for managing this pollutant class is that pharmaceuticals are difficult to remove from wastewater. Most treatment regimes for drinking water do not remove pharmaceuticals, much less test for them.
  Many of our industrial processes create excess heat that is released into the air, water, or ground. This heat is considered a pollutant when it causes environmental problems. Because water is used so frequently for cooling in industrial processes, there are many examples of heat pollution in lakes, rivers, and estuaries throughout the world. Ecosystems that evolved within particular thermal regimes are harmed when they heat up. Often, non-native species are drawn to the warmer waters, thereby disrupting normal ecosystem processes. In addition, the warmer waters can change normal migratory patterns, thereby putting some species at risk.
  Local heating of air in cities from the burning of fossil fuels and the release of long wave radiation stored in concrete and other materials has been well documented in a phenomenon called an urban heat island. These islands act like bubbles over cities throughout the world. The differences in heat are most noted at night. When surrounding rural areas cool after sunset, urban areas remain warm due to the slow release of long wave radiation (heat) that was stored in roads and other non-vegetated areas during the day, when they received solar radiation.
  Heat islands create their own weather patterns. Researchers throughout the last century have documented changes in wind, cloud cover, precipitation, and humidity. The added heat can lead to extreme health problems during heat waves. Of course, concerns over global climate change have highlighted other health and environmental problems that are emerging as a result of global environmental change.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me the last five paragraphs.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Goldstein and her team have found not only artifacts from the nearly 200-year history of the campus, but have also found Native American artifacts from those that lived in the area prior to the establishment of MSU. By finding, recording, and publishing this information in scholarly venues as well as social media outlets, Goldstein is able to educate the campus community about how different people lived during different eras of time.
  Prior to the contact with Europeans, the Native Americans that lived on the site were hunters and gatherers who lived in semi-permanent settlements. They hunted for game in the surrounding wooded landscape of the region and took advantage of nearby prairies and waterways for food sources. They also worked the ground to grow crops. They lived simply and certainly had an impact on the region. However, their overall footprint was very small.
  Goldstein and her crew excavated the site of the earliest dormitory on campus, interestingly called Saints' Rest. This building was eventually abandoned and collapsed. However, Goldstein and her crew excavated the site and studied university archives to learn that some of the first students at MSU had a relatively large impact on the environment. They cut trees, hunted, and grew food. They heated the residence halls with wood cut from the surrounding forests. They had a much larger impact on the surrounding landscape than the Native Americans.
  Of course, today's students have a much larger impact on the campuses. We now have extensively landscaped campuses that in many cases are fertilized and treated for pests. Our residence halls are often heated with fuels imported from many miles away, often across the world. We also import huge amounts of food from far distant lands. Students no longer hunt on campuses and rarely grow their food.
  Each period of time provides a window into understanding the lifestyles of people who came before us. We can estimate their carbon footprint and calculate their impact on the environment. We can map the extent of their impacts and assess how they have changed the world. Think about your own campus. How has the campus sustainability changed through its history? What archaeological or archival information is available about people who lived on your campus grounds in the past? Campuses are always undergoing changes. What evidence are you leaving behind about your time on campus? What will this information tell future generations about the sustainability of your campus today?