INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

Catalog description

The main objective of this class is to introduce students to the most common forms of environmental pollution, their sources, persistence in the environment, pollution prevention, and regulation and clean-up of contaminated sites. The class will survey pollution topics in the three environmental media (air, soil, and water) using case studies, where possible, to demonstrate how different communities have dealt with specific kinds of pollution. Demonstrations will include the use of Geographical Information Systems software in determining contaminated sites in students' hometowns. Students are required to write a term paper outlining a case study dealing with pollution of a medium of their choice and how local and federal laws were used in effective remediation.