Online courses directory (10358)

In the free online course Sustainable Business – Managing the Triple Bottom Line learn how modern businesses are adopting sustainable business practices to become resilient over time by being connected to healthy economic, social and environmental systems.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to the concept of sustainability and sustainable business practices and explains why running a sustainable business is an increasingly popular and beneficial venture. Next, you will learn about the Triple Bottom Line; a business’s contribution to social justice, environmental quality, and economic prosperity. You will learn how all businesses rely on the sustainability of the world’s resources in order to succeed and thrive so it is in their long-term interest to address the Triple Bottom Line. You will learn different ways in which sustainable businesses improve their social, environmental and economic impact and how that can help the business itself and the wider community surrounding the business. <br /><br />Finally, you are introduced to the science behind sustainable businesses. You will learn about different theories that relate to economic growth and impact on business sustainability. You will learn how sustainability involves having an understanding of the relationship between business, humanity, and nature. You will also learn about the Earth’s ecosystems and the importance of healthy ecosystems to human society. You will be introduced to key resources that support the earth and why a sustainable business should consider the impact of their actions on those key resources. You will learn about different threats to ecosystems that have been caused by human activities, thus emphasising the importance of running a sustainable business. <br /><br />This free course will be of great interest to business professionals and eco-entrepreneurs who would like to learn how sustainable business practices can benefit the economic activity of the business itself and also the wider social community and ecosystems.<br />

This workshop investigates the current state of sustainability in regards to architecture, from the level of the tectonic detail to the urban environment. Current research and case studies will be investigated, and students will propose their own solutions as part of the final project.

This course examines alternative conceptions and theoretical underpinnings of the notion of "sustainable development." It focuses on the sustainability problems of industrial countries (i.e., aging of populations, sustainable consumption, institutional adjustments, etc.); and of developing states and economies in transition (i.e., managing growth, sustainability of production patterns, pressures of population change, etc.). It also explores the sociology of knowledge around sustainability, the economic and technological dimensions and institutional imperatives along with implications for political constitution of economic performance.

This course examines alternative conceptions and theoretical underpinnings of the notion of "sustainable development." It focuses on the sustainability problems of industrial countries (i.e., aging of populations, sustainable consumption, institutional adjustments, etc.); and of developing states and economies in transition (i.e., managing growth, sustainability of production patterns, pressures of population change, etc.). It also explores the sociology of knowledge around sustainability, the economic and technological dimensions and institutional imperatives along with implications for political constitution of economic performance.

Here is your chance to change the course of history! In this eight-week experience, you will begin developing profitable social and technological innovations to tackle our pressing energy and climate obligations. Course content includes videos and short readings carefully selected and organized to be accessible to a wide audience regardless of nationality, educational background, professional interests, or academic focus. All of the assigned work in this course is designed to help you dream up and begin developing your own sustainable energy innovation. Your innovation may be a physical product, or a service. It may be a technical innovation, or a social one. It need not make you rich, but you will be challenged to at least make your project self-supporting. The course materials, my feedback, and, most importantly, interactions with your classmates, will all help as you try to make your ideas real. You can complete the coursework in two to four hours per week, and any additional time you spend will just improve the chances your project is successful. Students should have completed the Intro to Sustainable Energy course on Canvas Network, or something similar, prior to taking this course. The "Introduction" course is publicly viewable with a CC Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license.

A transition to sustainable energy is needed for our climate and welfare. In this engineering course, you will learn how to assess the potential for energy reduction and the potential of renewable energy sources like wind, solar and biomass. You’ll learn how to integrate these sources in an energy system, like an electricity network and take an engineering approach to look for solutions and design a 100% sustainable energy system.

This course is an introduction to the Master Programme Sustainable Energy Technology at TU Delft and is aimed at Bachelor students from science and engineering disciplines.

LICENSE

The course materials of this course are Copyright Delft University of Technology and are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC-BY-NC-SA) 4.0 International License.

Learn about the impact of infectious disease on sustainable animal-based food production by understanding the science of growth, immunity, and infection and by learning the problem-solving skills needed to advance animal health and food production through optimal management practices.

Crop production: learn about agriculture and food production for the future

How much food will be available for humankind in the future? Feeding nine billion people in 2050 without exhausting the planetary reserves is perhaps the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced.

In this course of the XSeries in environmental studies, you will examine the principles of crop production. You will learn about the ‘availability pillar’ of global food security that lies at the heart of food production, applicable to both crops and animal production. This course will discuss why yields in some parts of the world are lagging behind and identify the agro-ecological drivers that shape the broad diversity of production systems. Also, key issues relating to the closing of yield gaps and the difference in visions of sustainability will be explored.

Systems-based approach at Wageningen University

The University of Wageningen offers an excellent combination of conducting research worldwide and educating in the area of ‘healthy food and living environment’. Through its unique systems-based approach to food systems, the institute adds the phase of primary production to the broad context of global food security.

This is why you should sign up

If you want to enrich your views and action perspectives related to global food security and food systems, you can sign up as a:

• international student
• professional with a varied educational background

After successful completion of both practice and graded questions related to this course, you will:

• Understand the basic concept of plant production
• Be able to value central issues related to global food production and consumption
• Understand the influences of water scarcity and water availability on crop production, as well as measures suppressing pests, diseases, and weeds
• Be able to identify processes that cause significant environmental problems and evaluate measures to solve and prevent those problems be able to judge innovations in food crop production on their merits for the rural population in the different geographical regions

A verified edX certificate provides proof for an employer, school, or other institution that you have successfully completed this online course.

Food access: Learn about food supply and food security

Have you ever considered that you’re not the only one who decides what food ends up on your plate? In this environmental studies course, you’ll explore how key actors at household, local, national and international levels negotiate and make choices on access to food. You will understand why the choices you make have been predestined. And you will learn what it takes to provide access to a safe and nutritious food supply every day.

In this course you will learn that food access:

• And food manufacturing has changed during the past century
• Depends on social and economic dynamics at the household level for everyone
• Is shaped at a local level by the interactions between traders, retailers, producers and buyers in the markets
• Is influenced on a national scale by politics and policies by negotiating and aligning goals, instruments, and modes of governance ¥ is impacted by debates and negotiations creating conditions in food trade by international organizations

Wageningen University is specialized

The University of Wageningen offers an excellent combination of conducting research worldwide and educating in the area of ‘healthy food and living environment’. The institute ranks among the top Dutch universities and has scored the third place in the Times Higher Education (THE) World Ranking 2017 for research performance. Learn from professors who have gained decades of experience from both teaching at a specialized university and real life projects about access to food worldwide.

This is why you should sign up

If you want to understand the basics of access to food and food decision-making from a multilevel perspective, you can sign up as a:

• student
• food and nutrition policy maker
• development practitioner and trainer at international, national, household and individual level

A verified edX certificate provides proof for an employer, school, or other institution that you have successfully completed this online course.

Systems thinking and environmental sustainability: solve the Rubik’s cube

Have you ever considered how many aspects of food production affect the natural environment? Every aspect needs to be considered in attaining the future goal to produce enough food for the growing population while at the same time preserving our planet. It’s as difficult as solving a Rubik’s cube; changing one aspect may affect the environment in a major way.

Systems theory, or systems thinking, is a way of understanding and working with the complexity of sustainable food production systems, which requires training in different disciplines and an approach that can address this complexity. This environmental studies course enables participants to apply the principles of a systems approach to food production with a focus on environmental sustainability.

The professors at Wageningen University

The University of Wageningen offers an excellent combination of conducting research worldwide and educating in the area of ‘healthy food and living environment’. For each course, professors from specific fields of expertise are eager to teach and share the University’s mission: “Explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”.

This is why you should sign up

Sign up as a student if you want to acquire knowledge about environmental sustainability and the way systems thinking helps in decision-making in the complexity of food production. After successful completion of both practice and graded assignments related to this course, you will:

• Understand the complexity and diversity of food production systems
• Understand the principles of system analysis and apply it to environmental issues in food production
• Understand evaluation methods for the environmental impact of food production systems in different contexts and levels (e.g. farm, regional and global) Be able to evaluate strong and weak points of different food production systems regarding environmental sustainability
• Be able to contribute to a discussion about environmental sustainability and food production and ask relevant questions

This course introduces you to sustainable diets as a concept (what might a sustainable diet look like, what does it not look like?) and then takes you through some of the challenges involved in choosing food...

By Dariush Rafinejad

Environmental sustainability has emerged as the imperative management undertaking for business sustainability in the face of rising global demand for natural resources and environment services and of environmental problems such as climate change. This course will examine how regulatory and...

Soil is the earth’s fragile skin that anchors all life. We depend on soil to build our homes and cities, to grow crops for food and raise livestock, to support transportation and enable recreation. Yet we disregard this crucial and precious resource that lies right under our feet.

This introductory environmental studies course will explore the importance of soil to life on earth, the issues, processes and societal challenges underlying soil degradation – and what can be done to ensure sustainable soil management for the future. The threats to our soil span deforestation, erosion, overgrazing, use of agrochemicals, pollution and climate change. Learn what you can do to make a difference in protecting this vital natural resource.

Did you know that cities take up less than 3% of the earth’s land surface, but more than 50% of the world’s population live in them? And, cities generate more than 70% of the global emissions? Large cities and their hinterlands (jointly called metropolitan regions) greatly contribute to global urbanization and sustainability challenges, yet are also key to resolving these same challenges.

If you are interested in the challenges of the 21^st century metropolitan regions and how these can be solved from within the city and by its inhabitants, then this Sustainable Urban Development course is for you!

There are no simple solutions to these grand challenges! Rather the challenges cities face today require a holistic, systemic and transdisciplinary approach that spans different fields of expertise and disciplines such as urban planning, urban design, urban engineering, systems analysis, policy making, social sciences and entrepreneurship.

This MOOC is all about this integration of different fields of knowledge within the metropolitan context. The course is set up in a unique matrix format that lets you pursue your line of interest along a specific metropolitan challenge or a specific theme.

Because we are all part of the challenges as well as the solutions, we encourage you to participate actively! You will have the opportunity to explore the living conditions in your own city and compare your living environment with that of the global community.

You will discover possible solutions for your city’s challenges and what it takes to implement these solutions. Your participation will also contribute to wider research into metropolitan regions as complex systems.

We invite you to take the first steps in understanding the principles that will be essential to transform metropolitan regions into just, prosperous and sustainable places to live in!

This course forms a part of the educational programme of the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions and is developed by Wageningen UR and TU Delft, two of the founding universities of AMS Institute.

How can we strengthen sustainability? By empowering individuals and communities to transform and balance dynamic natural resources, economic prosperity, and healthy populations.

In this course, you’ll explore productive and disruptive social, ecological, and economic intersections – the “triple bottom line.” You’ll investigate a spectrum of global, national, regional, municipal and personal relationships that are increasing resiliency. Most importantly, you’ll learn how to effectively locate your interests, and to leverage optimistic change within emerging 21st century urban environments.

This course will describe fundamental paradigm shifts that are shaping sustainability. These include connectivity, diversity, citizen engagement, collaboration source tracing, mapping, transportation, and integrative, regenerative design. We will take examples from cities around the globe; making particular use of the complex evolution of site-specific conditions within the Connecticut River watershed. In addition we will present tools and strategies that can be utilized by individuals, communities, and corporations to orchestrate effective and collective change.

Each week, lessons will highlight the significance of clean water as a key indication of ecosystem, community and human health. Learners will be asked to investigate and share information about their local environment.

Finally, we will note the impact of such disruptive forces as industrial pollution, changing governance, privatization of public services, mining of natural resources, public awareness, and climate change. A fundamental course goal will be to characterize indicators of economic prosperity and happiness that relate to environmental sustainability – and the capacity of individuals to create change.

Let me help you reach your dreams by teaching you how to revolutionize your diet and live high quality, healthy life!

China’s past, present, and future: through history, geography, philosophies, literature, politics, economy, art, and ecology.

This course will enhance the knowledge of any person involved in the administration of medicines to patients with dysphagia.

In this course, you’ll begin learning Swift, Apple's programming language for building iOS applications. You'll start with fundamentals and work your way towards understanding all the core principles necessary to get started creating your first app. At the end of the course, you'll complete a problem set of exercises designed to challenge your understanding of Swift and give you the opportunity to apply what you've learned.