Students are asked to reach down deep into their "green" soul and figure out where they fit in the environmental equation. 

Lessons on global population and global development take place. The "wealth gap" is factored in. Those who have may be more responsible for planet use and abuse than those who have not as much.

Many in developing countries have a tougher time gathering essentials like food, fuel, and water; therefore, they do not appear to use these resources frivolously. In places like the United States, modern convenience gives easy access to resources, which may be contributing to overuse. 

Terms like renewable resources and carbon footprint come into play in the early going of this class. Then, the test that gives students a sense of global reality at myfootprint.org. If the whole world lived like you, how many Earths would it take to keep the population going? 

Information like the chart below guides you through the global testing.

In the case of our student in this AP class, it would take five...yep, five...planet Earths for us all to survive. Someone needs to turn off the water sooner, not drive when it is possible to bicycle, turn off lights, and so on.

According to our student AP Environmentalist before this class, "green" meant recycling and not much more. The class has given at least one person pause to consider a more Earth-friendly way.

A lot of book learning the first three weeks. The book is "Living in the Environment" 10th Edition by G.Tyler Miller, Jr.