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We have developed a home energy conservation exercise that illustrates the ways in which heat energy is lost from a home and ultimately, how it can be conserved. Students are asked to calculate the heat loss from a model home before and after applying energy conserving modifications. The difference in these calculations represents the amount of heat energy that could be conserved by making the modifications. To calculate total heat loss for each version of the home, students must account for convection, (heat transfer via air movement), and conduction, (heat transfer through solid materials). Students are provided with a list of building material costs and a budget of $5,000 and are asked to retrofit the un-insulated home in such a way as to conserve the maximum amount of energy and heating cost per heating month. Introductory geology courses commonly include material on resources, energy, and the environment. Current news topics include discussion of the energy resources in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge and the shortage of natural gas. This exercise takes a practical approach to energy conservation and applies it directly to conservation of a geological resource. When used in conjunction with classroom discussions concerning the detrimental effects of the use of fossil fuels and their limited supply, it is an effective way of demonstrating the concept of conservation as a source of energy and a means to preserve the environment. It is also a practical way to incorporate quantitative reasoning into the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports that in February, the first negotiating sessions for a framework convention on global climate change will attempt to forge an international agreement aimed at limiting anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases. Gives details on a `Greenhouse Index,' which will facilitate comparison of national contributions to the warming potential of the atmosphere. INSET: Commitments to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions..

Presents a letter to the editor in response to speeches by Mikhail S. Gorbachev and George Bush about global environmental issues in the April issue.

Presents a response from Allen Hammond, Eric Rodenburg and William Moomaw to letters to the editor about their article on the Greenhouse Index.