ENVS582

039870

We are now living the in Anthropocene, meaning human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment. Humans have impacted the land in numerous of ways, such as mining and other resource extraction activities, agriculture, urban development, industrial activities, and waste production. For example, in the U.S. alone, there are approximately 235,000-355,000 hazardous waste sites (USEPA, 2004). These activities have impacted our ecosystem and the services they provide for human health and well-being. It is critical to reclaim and redevelop these lands in order to improve ecosystem and public health. There is much work to be done and this is a time for innovation! It is critical to generate salient solutions to managing and redeveloping human impacted lands. This course will introduce the concepts and methods governing the sustainable management, restoration, and redevelopment of human-impacted lands. The topics covered include: soil quality concepts; the energy-water-food nexus; redevelopment of brownfields and other impacted lands; reclamation of mining and other resource-extraction sites; natural-disaster cleanup; urban agriculture and community gardens. Using an inquiry-based approach, students will learn how to develop solutions based on environmental science, ecological principles, and management efficacy. Through class projects and case studies, students will work through a multi-step process, including: site assessment, setting remediation/reclamation/restoration goals, developing possible solutions, and methods to determine effectiveness/indicators of success. Graduate-level requirements include an additional report and a demonstration of undergraduate mentoring and team leadership. At the graduate-level there is a higher level of expectation with regards to writing and peer review. These activities are worth 30 points.

GRD - Regular Grades A, B, C, D, E

Graduate

GIDP - GC (Global Change)

It is recommended that ENVS 305 Pollution Science be taken prior to this course.

ENVS482