ABSTRACT
This chapter represents the absolute minimum level of knowledge needed to begin to see the state of our environment and to form a foundation for sustainable design. It offers additional resources to encourage the reader to delve more deeply into the topics that are most interesting or alarming. The chapter reviews the primary ecosystems goods and services, and then explores their relationship through a brief study of energy and climate systems. Ecosystem services also include intangible benefits such as natural beauty. While the study of biodiversity is an important part of environmental literacy, an exploration of food systems is also in order because of the tremendous negative environmental impacts from the industrialized production of food. Ecosystem goods and services are based on the essential elements of the earth: air, water, earth, and fire, as well as all living things – flora and fauna.
