Sustaining Indigenous Cultures
Tori Saneda, Cascadia Community College
Student teams will research an indigenous culture focusing on issues of both cultural and environmental sustainability as they are related to modern development.

Malaria & Global Warming
Dale Blum, Pierce College
This is a group mapping exercise that examines the many factors that affect the distribution and possible future distribution of malaria in North and South America.

Renewable - But Is It Sustainable?
Carol Burton, Bellevue Community College
Production of biofuels as an alternative energy source is not as simple as the media portray. This exercise enables students to practice critical thinking skills in evaluating the "value" of biofuels - a somewhat ambiguous concept.

Nature and Food
Liz Campbell, Seattle Central Community College
In this activity students read articles or excerpts of books to explore the topic of sustainability in terms of food webs, roles of plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria and their own food choices. Students continue their exploration of these kingdoms with a visit to a farmers' market and a grocery store to compare locally grown foods and grocery store selections.

An Assessment of Riparian Vegetation in a Human-Influenced Landscape
Lisa Carlson, Centralia College
Given that humans historically have heavily used rivers and the lands along them for agriculture, transportation and other activities, how does human impact currently affect riparian ecosystems in a rural region? Students will address this question through several activities.

Catching Cheaters: Using Salmon Phylogenetic Analysis to Identify Atlantic Salmon Mislabeled in Local Stores as Pacific Salmon
Erica Cline, University of Washington Tacoma
Students use phylogenetic analysis to identify farmed Atlantic salmon mislabeled as wild Pacific salmon by local stores and suppliers. This project allows students to apply molecular methods such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing to a real- world issue.

Climate Instability and Disease
Clarissa Dirks, The Evergreen State College
The module was designed to introduce students to a variety of biological processes of infectious disease that are connected through human activities and climate instability.

Is The Water Safe for Aquatic Life?
Sue Habeck, Tacoma Community College
In this field activity students ponder sustainability issues such as point and non-point sources of pollution (including personal contributions), impacts of pollution, and potential mitigations.

Skeleton Keys: Bonified Biology
J. Brian Hauge, Peninsula College
This series of exercises focuses on: the importance of observation in science; the proper use of scientific terminology and writing; the interrelationships between anatomy and position in a food web or energy pyramid; the biology of exotic species; toxins in the environment; animal use; and, the evolutionary significance of each of these topics.

State of Your Own Backyard
Ardi Kveven, Ocean Research College Academy at Everett Community College
Students evaluate water quality data as indicators of the health of an ecosystem and manage, graph and analyze data from an online database. This activity is designed to facilitate student interest in their ecosystem, focusing on where they live.