Instructor: Ken Bagstad
E-mail: kbagstad@uvm.edu
Office: Aiken 205
Phone: 656-2496
Ecology: from the Greek oikos (house) and -logy (study)
Economics: from the Greek oikos (house) and -nomics (management)
Despite their common linguistic roots, ecologists and economists have
traditionally viewed the natural world and the choices we make about
the human and natural economy in far different ways. Today, we
recognize that the choices we make about what we eat, where we live,
and what products we buy have real and large cumulative effects on our
natural environment.
Ecological economics is a transdisciplinary field that seeks to bridge
the gap between economics and the biophysical world upon which the
human economy depends. For years the myth of a “economy
versus the environment” trade-off have existed in the popular
media and much of the public’s mindset. In this course, we
will evaluate the size, geography, goals, and importance of the human
economy and the economy of nature, and examine policy tools to
reconcile the “economy vs. environment” standoff while
creating a more sustainable future for the world.
