Courses offered by the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies are described below. The letters “a” and “b” following the course numbers indicate fall- and spring-term courses respectively. Bracketed courses will not be offered during the academic year.

Project courses embrace individually assigned advanced field or laboratory work, or literature review, on topics of special interest to the student; credits and hours for these projects are determined for each student in consultation with the instructor.

Courses throughout the University are generally open to students enrolled in the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, subject to limitations on class size and requirements for prerequisites. Courses numbered 500 and above are graduate courses.

The sequence of numbers does not reflect level of advancement.

Environmental Management and Technology

F&ES 96006a Greening the Industrial Facility (500a)
F&ES 96007b Industrial Ecology (501b)
F&ES 90108b Seminar in Industrial Ecology: Topic to Be Announced (504b)
F&ES 96112b Corporate Environmental Management and Strategy (812b)
F&ES 94110a Public and Private Management of the Environment (905b)
F&ES 90009a Modern Capitalism and the Environment: Pathways to Sustainability
[F&ES 90011b] World Agriculture and the Environment (875b)
F&ES 900113 Sustainable Development of Brownfield Sites

Environmental Management and Technology

F&ES 96006a, Greening the Industrial Facility. 4 credits. Industrial environmental managers need to be familiar with the technological processes by which modern society accomplishes its purposes, their potential to cause environmental damage, prospects for improvement, and anticipated change, and to do so in local, regional, and global perspectives. This course intersperses lectures and field trips to provide an introduction to the environmental aspects of the production of materials, the manufacture of products, the construction of buildings and roadways, and the recycling of objects, components, and materials. Thomas E. Graedel.

F&ES 96007b/ENAS 645b, Industrial Ecology. 3 credits. Industrial ecology is an organizing concept that is increasingly applied to define the interactions of today's technological society with natural and altered environments. Technology and its potential for change are central to this subject, as are implications for government policy and corporate response. The course discusses how industrial ecology serves as an environmentally related framework for technology, policy, and resource management in government and society. Thomas E. Graedel.

F&ES 90108b, Seminar in Industrial Ecology: Topic to Be Announced. 3 credits. A capstone course to explore industrial ecology topics in clinical settings. Students work on specific projects that blend industrial ecology with related topics in environmental science, policy, and management. Past themes explored industrial ecology in China, urban sustainability, emerging technologies, and multi-scale industrial ecology. Limited enrollment based on clinical assignments. One three-hour class per week. Thomas Graedel and IEM faculty.

F&ES 96112b/MGT 688b, Corporate Environmental Management and Strategy. 3 credits. The course focuses on understanding how adroit environmental management and strategy can enhance business opportunities and reduce environmental impact. The course seeks to analyze under what circumstances different competitive approaches are likely to be successful and to increase knowledge of programs, structures, and tools of environmental management. The course combines weekly lectures and class discussions on theory with sessions involving tools and applications. Marian R. Chertow.

F&ES 94110a/MGT 528a Public and Private Management of the Environment. 4 credits. This course explores environmental management from the perspectives of government regulators, private corporations, and nonprofit organizations. The first part of the course centers on innovative market-based approaches to environmental policy, such as tradable pollution permits. We also consider a variety of market-driven nongovernmental initiatives, such as eco-labeling and certification. In the second part of the course, we focus on proactive corporate environmental strategies through a series of case studies. Can firms shape regulation to secure competitive advantage? Can firms earn cost savings by reducing their environmental impacts? What is the potential for product differentiation along environmental lines? What is the role of "socially responsible investment" in the environmental realm? In short, does it "pay to be green"? We also examine the role played by nonprofit organizations in influencing corporate environmental actions, whether by confrontation or collaboration. While this course is concerned with environmental strategy and policy, the tools we develop will be useful to anyone interested in competitive strategy, corporate social responsibility, or the design of public policy. Prerequisite: Economic Analysis or the equivalent. Erin Mansur.

F&ES 90009a, Modern Capitalism and the Environment: Pathways to Sustainability. 3 Credits. Can modern capitalism sustain the environment, and can the environment sustain modern capitalism? A fundamental question facing societies today is whether the world economy as it now exists can be tamed to operate within constraints that protect and preserve natural assets. After examining some of the recent analyses of ongoing deterioration of natural assets, this seminar reviews from several perspectives the relationships among capitalism, growth, and the environment. It then critically analyzes a variety of prescriptions that have been offered to address this fundamental question. These prescriptions differ considerably in the degree of intervention or change proposed. Whether one urges modest adjustments to modern capitalism or deep change depends on the degree to which one believes today's economic and political system is seriously or irreparably destructive and also on the analysis offered of the underlying systemic problems. James Gustave Speth.

[F&ES 90011b, World Agriculture and the Environment. 3 credits. A seminar exploring the global environmental impacts of the production of food and fiber. Agriculture and ranching have more environmental impacts than any other human activity. This course explores the global impacts of agriculture on biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and climate change. Readings focus on the impacts of subsistence and commercial agriculture as well as the impacts of specific food and fiber crops such as sugar, cotton, soy, palm oil, and shrimp produced from aquaculture. There is an emphasis on the different tools used to reduce impacts–zoning and land use planning, certification and ecolabel programs, better management practices, private sector procurement requirements, conservation easements, and payments for environmental services. Participatory discussion, class presentation, and research paper required. Jason Clay.]

F&ES 90113b, Sustainable Development of Brownfield Sites. 3 credits. A seminar that investigates biophysical and design components of environmentally sound restoration and redevelopment of brownfield sites. A major portion of the course is the design of two brownfield redevelopment projects, one of which is the New Haven landfill. This course is coordinated with a studio course in the Architecture School; however, students are not expected to take both courses. Prerequisites: knowledge of basic principles of environmental chemistry, hydrology, earth science, or ecology. Three hours seminar class. Class projects. Gaboury Benoit, Diana Balmori.

Undergraduate Courses

F&ES 300b, Technology and Environment. An introduction to the environmental aspects of the production of materials, the manufacture of products, the construction of buildings and roadways, the provisioning of services, and the recycling of objects, components, and materials. Examination of the technological processes by which modern society accomplishes its purposes, their potential to cause environmental damage, and prospects for improvement, using local, regional, and global perspectives. Thomas E. Graedel.