USING THE FEW (FOOD, ENERGY, WATER) NEXUS AS A FRAMEWORK FOR INCREASING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND LEARNING IN UNDERGRADUATE EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE COURSES

The FEW Nexus was first introduced in 2012 at the RIO+20 Summit. The FEW model integrates Food, Energy, and Water, providing a framework centered around people, landscapes, and ecosystems, within which to address sustainable development and management of natural resources that are critical to human survival. Today's college students may find emergent resource challenges overwhelming, but a systems approach and practice with systems tools and techniques can help reduce anxieties, encourage creative solutions, and engender hope for the future. In undergraduate earth and environmental science courses, use of the FEW Nexus helps students identify tradeoffs and more accurately analyze natural resource issues and conflicts, as well as proposed solutions. A number of examples of classroom activities will be shared, along with resources for further support, including the National Collaborative for Research on Food, Energy, and Water Education (NC-FEW).