Ontario Grade 11 SVN3E Environmental Science (Grade 11, Workplace Preparation)
Chapters: 6
1. A. Scientific Investigation Skills and Career Exploration
A1 Scientific Investigation Skills · A2 Career Exploration
- The Scientific Method – The scientific method is the careful way scientists find out how the world works. Observe something, ask a testable question, make a hypothesis (a clear, testable guess), test it with a fair experiment (change one variable, measure one, keep the rest the same), repeat and record data, analyse it, draw a conclusion and share it so others can check. Results that fail the test are useful too: they send you back to a new hypothesis.
2. B. Human Impact on the Environment
B1 Relating Science to Technology, Society, and the Environment · B2 Developing Skills of Investigation and Communication · B3 Understanding Basic Concepts
- Environmental Stewardship: Caring for the Planet as We Use Technology – Environmental stewardship means using the Earth's resources carefully so they last, and fixing harm where we can. Every product, from a phone to a hospital machine, has a life cycle: raw materials, making, transport, use and end of life. Each stage uses energy and makes waste. Good stewards keep products longer, choose efficient machines, follow the waste hierarchy (refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, then dispose), send e-waste to proper recyclers and support laws and company practices that protect nature. Technology can harm the environment, but it can also help: solar panels, LEDs and smart sensors cut waste.
3. C. Human Health and the Environment
C1 Relating Science to Technology, Society, and the Environment · C2 Developing Skills of Investigation and Communication · C3 Understanding Basic Concepts
- Environmental Stewardship: Caring for the Planet as We Use Technology – Environmental stewardship means using the Earth's resources carefully so they last, and fixing harm where we can. Every product, from a phone to a hospital machine, has a life cycle: raw materials, making, transport, use and end of life. Each stage uses energy and makes waste. Good stewards keep products longer, choose efficient machines, follow the waste hierarchy (refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, then dispose), send e-waste to proper recyclers and support laws and company practices that protect nature. Technology can harm the environment, but it can also help: solar panels, LEDs and smart sensors cut waste.
4. D. Energy Conservation
D1 Relating Science to Technology, Society, and the Environment · D2 Developing Skills of Investigation and Communication · D3 Understanding Basic Concepts
- Environmental Stewardship: Caring for the Planet as We Use Technology – Environmental stewardship means using the Earth's resources carefully so they last, and fixing harm where we can. Every product, from a phone to a hospital machine, has a life cycle: raw materials, making, transport, use and end of life. Each stage uses energy and makes waste. Good stewards keep products longer, choose efficient machines, follow the waste hierarchy (refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, then dispose), send e-waste to proper recyclers and support laws and company practices that protect nature. Technology can harm the environment, but it can also help: solar panels, LEDs and smart sensors cut waste.
- Energy Resources: Use, Global Mix and a Sustainable Future – Societies need energy to grow food, make goods, move people and run homes. Richer countries use far more energy per person. About 80% of the world's primary energy still comes from fossil fuels (oil, coal, gas), which are non-renewable and release CO₂. Renewable sources (solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, biomass) are flows that keep returning; nuclear is non-renewable but low-carbon. Each source differs in cost, reliability, location and pollution. Energy resources are unevenly spread, so countries work for energy security by diversifying sources, trading, storing energy, saving energy and investing in new technology such as hydrogen and fuel cells.
5. E. Natural Resource Science and Management
E1 Relating Science to Technology, Society, and the Environment · E2 Developing Skills of Investigation and Communication · E3 Understanding Basic Concepts
- Natural Resource Management: Using Nature Without Using It Up – Natural resources are things from nature that people use: water, soil, forests, fish, minerals and energy. Some are renewable stocks, some are non-renewable, and some are flows such as sunlight. They are spread unevenly, so some places have surplus and others shortage. Developing a resource brings jobs and income but also costs to land, water, air and people. Good management keeps use within sustainable yield, using tools like protected areas, quotas, recycling, pricing and community stewardship.
6. F. The Safe And Environmentally Responsible Workplace
F1 Relating Science to Technology, Society, and the Environment · F2 Developing Skills of Investigation and Communication · F3 Understanding Basic Concepts
- Environmental Stewardship: Caring for the Planet as We Use Technology – Environmental stewardship means using the Earth's resources carefully so they last, and fixing harm where we can. Every product, from a phone to a hospital machine, has a life cycle: raw materials, making, transport, use and end of life. Each stage uses energy and makes waste. Good stewards keep products longer, choose efficient machines, follow the waste hierarchy (refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, then dispose), send e-waste to proper recyclers and support laws and company practices that protect nature. Technology can harm the environment, but it can also help: solar panels, LEDs and smart sensors cut waste.