POTE
“THE COMMONS” AN ENVIRONMENTAL DILEMMA
Name:______________
Date:_______________
Hour:_______________
To Access the CD:
Click the “Start” menu on the bottom left hand of your screen. Go to “Programs” and then find
“The Commons” under the Program menu. Once the CD loads, open the “Content Map” and click the 4th
picture over the top right titled “A Personal Challenge”. Next, click on the square “A Challenge” and the
CD will take you through “Back on the Scoop” and then to “The Straw Model”. After completing these
videos and information, continue by going to the square titled, “Having an Impact”. Answer the
following questions from the above videos.
QUESTIONS:
1.) What is P x C x T = El ?
2.) What factor (population size or energy consumption) is primarily responsible for the
environmental impact of the top 2 countries?
3.) What are the differences between the U.S. and China?
4.) Could the Earth sustain these impacts? Explain.
a. China-American lifestyle?
b. If the U.S. population grew to the size of China?
c. All the world’s people living an American lifestyle?
THINKING ABOUT PASTURE PROFITS:
This activity allows you to explore the concept of a commons by assuming the role of a dairy
farmer who supports his or her family by selling milk. You graze your cows on a commonly owned
pasture along with another dairy farmer who supports his or her family as you do. Your personal
objective is to make as much profit as possible by selling your milk. You may use your profits from the
milk to purchase more cows for your herd on market day, which is held every six months.
INSTRUCTIONS:
1.) Read the opening screen of the Pasture Profits simulation carefully and follow the instructions
provided.
2.) As the simulation proceeds, notice the 36-month timeline at the top of the screen. At the end of
each 6-month period, you will receive a status report that shows how many cows you have, how
much money you have in your bank account, and the condition of the pasture. Monitor this
information carefully so you can adjust your strategy if necessary.
3.) When you have finished running the simulation, you will receive individual reports that show
how well you and the other farmer did. You’ll also receive a combined summary report that
shows the total number if cows present, the percentage of pasture area covered by grass, the
number of units of milk produced per cow at the end of each 6-month period, and the total
amount of milk produced by the cows during the simulation. Graph these four sets of data on
the following graph.
Answer the following questions according to your graph.
1.) What happened to the number of cows during the simulation?
2.) What happened to the total production of milk? To the production of milk per cow?
3.) What happened to the condition of the pasture?
4.) Offer a biological explanation for the outcome of the simulation.
5.) Now offer a social/economic explanation for the outcome.
6.) Do you think you maximized your profits? Why or why not?
Run the Pasture Profits simulation a second time. This time you might consider trying another strategy
for maximizing your personal profits. When you finish playing, graph the data on the same graph as you
did earlier.
1.) What differences do you see between the results of the first and second times through the
simulation?
2.) What do you think caused these differences?
3.) Do you think you maximized your profits this time?
The maximum number of cows that the pasture can support without destroying its ability to renew itself
is called its carrying capacity.
1.) What do you think the carrying capacity of this pasture is?
2.) On what evidence do you base your answer?
3.) How does knowing the pasture’s carrying capacity for cows relate to maximizing your profits?
4.) What are the consequences of exceeding carrying capacity?
Next, access and run the simulations titled A Larger Pasture, A Different Breed, Private Pastures, and
Pay to Graze. Each of these simulations allows you and your partner to explore alternative ways of
managing the commons.
1.) Which scenario(s) protect the pasture and why?
2.) Which scenario(s) do not protect the pasture?
3.) Why do you think they are not effective?
FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS:
1.) In what ways is the Pasture Profits simulation a realistic model of a pasture owned and used in
common? In what ways is it unrealistic?
2.) Write a paragraph that summarizes the challenges you and your partner faced in maximizing
personal profits on a pasture owned in common. What do you have to know and do to maximize
those profits?
3.) Name some other examples of commonly owned resources. What insights have you gained from
Pasture Profits about how such resources can best be used?