Professor of Environmental Health Sciences
Sustainable Consumption and Health
What You'll Learn
- Analyze health impacts of global trade and of major risk factors
- Identify goals and steps for achieving sustainable consumption
3 Modules
12 Hours
4 hrs per module (approx.)
Rating
About Sustainable Consumption and Health
This course is an introductory and foundational course on sustainable consumption and health. In the first part of this course, we briefly review definitions of sustainability and the relationship between the three dimensions of sustainability and the UN-Environment Sustainable Environment Goals (SDGs), target and indicators. We then look at frameworks, indicators and footprint requirements to adequately measure sustainability, offering the opportunity to the participants to assess their own carbon and environmental footprint and make recommendation on how to reduce it. We then address the theme of sustainable consumption, looking at our main domains of consumption and at the key conditions to reach sustainable consumption and avoid rebounds effects that tend to reduce the benefits of increased product efficiency. We finally look at "what is good enough" for a given product or activity, in relationship with absolute sustainability and planetary boundaries.
In the second part focusing on health, we will first identify the main factors affecting health, define DALYs (disability-adjusted life years) as a key metric to measure health burden, and use the rich information made available by the Global Burden of Disease (GBD). We will then use the GBD visualization tool to quantify and compare the respective burdens associated with 70 risks factors and numerous disease causes, in every country of the world and even at the state level for the US. We finally analyze the health impact associated with global trade, evaluating the fraction of the health impacts due to fine particulate in Asia, that are induced by Western consumption.
Skills You'll Gain
- Community Health Improvement
- Environmental Health
- Environmental Justice
- Problem Solving
- Sustainability Initiatives
- Sustainability Procedures
What You'll Earn
- Certificate of Completion:
- Certificates of completion acknowledge knowledge acquired upon completion of a non-credit course or program.
Welcome Message
Welcome to Sustainable Consumption and Health, a course exploring how consumption patterns affect both human health and the environment. Learners use quantitative tools and real-world data to assess impacts and develop strategies for more sustainable lifestyles.
This abbreviated syllabus description was created with the help of AI tools and reviewed by staff. The full syllabus is available to those who enroll in the course.
Course Schedule
Module 1: Introduction to Sustainable Consumption
- Video: Meet Your Instructors
- Video: Course Introduction
- Reading: Course Syllabus & Roadmap
- Reading: Pre-Survey
- Graded Assignment: Your Interests and Expectations
- Reading: Week 1 Slides
- Reading: Exploration of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Discussion Prompt: Reflecting on the SDGs
- Video: How Do We Define Sustainability?
- Reading: Activity: Aligning SDGs to Sustainability Pillars
- Discussion Prompt: Connecting SDGs and the Sustainability Pillars
- Video: How Do We Measure Sustainability?
- Graded Assignment: DPSIR Framework Practice
- Reading: Activity: My Personal Footprint
- Discussion Prompt: Reflecting on My Personal Footprint Activity
- Video: Sustainable Consumption - Part A
- Video: Sustainable Consumption - Part B
- Video: Sustainable Consumption - Part C
- Graded Assignment: Knowledge Check: Sustainable Consumption
- Graded: Week 1 Assessment
Module 2: Consumption Environmental Impacts vs. Costs, and Absolute Sustainability
- Reading: Week 2 Slides
- Video: Environmental Impacts and Costs - Part A
- Video: Environmental Impacts and Costs - Part B
- Reading: Activity: Impacts vs. Costs
- Discussion Prompt: Reflecting on Impacts vs. Costs
- Video: Rebounds Effect
- Video: Decoupling Growth and GHG Emissions - Part A
- Video: Decoupling Growth and GHG Emissions - Part B
- Graded Assignment: Knowledge Check: Impacts, Costs, and Trends
- Reading: (Optional)Luderer et al. 2019 and UNECE, 2016
- Video: Concept Definition - What is good enough?
- Video: Planetary Boundaries - What are they?
- Video: Absolute Environmental Sustainability Assessment
- Reading: Absolute Sustainability Practice
- Graded Assignment: Knowledge check absolute sustainability practice - protein example
- Graded: Week 2 Assessment
Module 3: Main Risk Factors Affecting Health
- Reading: Week 3 Slides
- Video: Main Factors Impacting Health
- Graded Assignment: Activity: Ranking of Global Burden of Disease Risk Factors
- Discussion Prompt: Reflection on the Ranking of GBD Risk Factors
- Video: Introduction to the Global Burden of Disease (Part A) - Purpose of the GBD
- Video: Introduction to the Global Burden of Disease (Part B) - Metrics and main results
- Graded Assignment: Knowledge Check: Global Burden of Disease
- Reading: Knowledge Check: GBD Review
- Discussion Prompt: GBD Calculation Check-In
- Graded Assignment: Activity: Exploring the Global Burden of Disease Visualization
- Video: Interesting Findings and Limitations of the GBD: Which Impacts are Missing?
- Graded Assignment: Knowledge Check: Findings and Limitations of the GBD
- Reading: (Optional) GBD Readings
- Reading: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Particulate Matter (PM) Primer
- Video: Global Trade - Part A
- Video: Global Trade - Part B
- Graded Assignment: Knowledge Check - Global Trade
- Reading: Introduction to Develop an Action Plan Task
- Reading: Post-Course Survey
- Graded: Week 3 Assessment
- Graded: Action Plan: Toward Sustainability
Grading Policy
Learners must earn at least 70% overall, and you have two quiz attempts every three days to pass each quiz. Three module assessments are worth 75% of your final grade, and the peer-reviewed assessment is worth 25% of your final grade.
Course content developed by U-M faculty and managed by the university. Faculty titles and affiliations are updated periodically.
Intermediate Level
Some related experience required
