Pollution

The reduction of fossil-fuel consumption and exhaust pollution are two goals of present-day automobile design. Hybrid automobiles tackle this design issue by maintaining the range and re-fueling advantages of internal combustion engines, while incorporating the environmentally desirable characteristics of electric motors. In this lesson, students will learn the basic principles of engines, motors and generators, how hybrid vehicles work, and the pros and cons of both traditional and hybrid technology vehicles.

Students will use real data from morning rush hour on Chicago expressways to examine piece-wise regression. To make the scenario more interesting and relevant, students will discuss the problems caused by excessive traffic. The activity is written for use with a graphing calculator.

This lesson, created by the Earth Day Network specifically for EE Week will have students begin with a water audit pre-lesson to determine their own personal water usage. They will then learn how water's physical properties and chemical composition are essential to life on Earth.

This website developed by The Encyclopedia of Earth contains a full AP Environmental Science course complete with lessons and topics. After taking this course, students will understand ecological hierarchy, appreciate natural processes that govern the natural world, and understand the importance of sustaining a biosphere for the betterment of humanity.

Using raw data from the USGS, students will learn how scientists properly collect, analyze, and interpret findings using datasets Microsoft Excel. The curriculum also introduces students to themes of ecotoxicology and Bald Eagle populations from 1969-2000.

Learn about how many plants and trees can store massive amounts of carbon. Forests, such as the one depicted in Australia can reduce the amounts of carbon in the air if they are left standing. This video from Forecast Earth and The Weather Channel, show how some of our renewable resources can be put to use for fighting climate change.

All communities – urban, suburban, small town, rural – are experiencing growth and change, which has an impact on each community's environment. Places We Live provides educators with the tools to develop lessons that feature local community aspects to create a bond between students and their communities.

Through eight hands-on activities, students analyze, explore, discover, and learn about risk assessment, risk communication, risk perception, and risk management by exploring the different aspects of environmental and human health risks that affect their everyday lives.

By using hands-on experiences to show the interrelationships among waste generation, natural resource use, and disposal, students will begin to understand the issues and options surrounding waste management.

Students can calculate and determine how to reduce their Carbon Footprint by just making small changes in their daily habits. This site, provided by the EPA, also extrapolates the students' data to make it representative of the students' classroom and the United States.