A talk given by Dr. Andrew Jones on Sep 24, 2010, in the Biology Colloquium at California State University, Fresno. He presents a historical overview of how Sociology came to discover its place within a broader ecological context and began addressing the metabolic rift resulting from human activities on this planet. He also presents the conecptual framework for analysis being developed under the new Urban Long-Term Research Area - Fresno And Clovis Ecosocial Study (ULTRA-FACES) project.