This site describes what sinkholes are, how they form, problems associated with sinkholes such as flooding and pollution, and sinkhole locations. It discusses the two types of sinkholes, the main differences between karst and non-karst groundwater aquifer systems, and the six main areas of potential concern about sinkholes.

By tracing the movement of radiation released during an accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, students see how air pollution, like particulate matter, can become a global issue.

Students design and build model landfills using materials similar to those used by engineers for full-scale landfills. Their completed small-size landfills are "rained" on and subjected to other erosion processes. The goal is to create landfills that hold the most garbage, minimize the cost to build and keep trash and contaminated water inside the landfill to prevent it from causing environmental damage. Teams create designs within given budgets, test the landfills' performance, and graph and compare designs for capacity, cost and performance.

In this activity, students investigate different methods (aeration and filtering) for removing pollutants from water. They will design and build their own water filters.

Find the current air quality in Massachusettes, and learn more about air pollution, air quality forecast, and governmental guidelines on air.

This site from the Environmental Education for Kids contains colorful and detailed information on water resources. Site covers fascinating tips and facts, as well as engaging quizzes on the wonderful world of water. Best suited for grades 3-6.

Market-based regulatory programs designed by the EPA, with information for consumers and industry cap-and-trade policies, Clean Air Act, and other government-sponsored efforts to reduce air pollution.

Using zip codes, this site allows students to locate businesses in their communities that are producing wastes.

A complete history of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency including a timeline, publications, biographies of administrators, origins of the Agency, and photographs.

This official site for the EPA describes the issues of the day. Learn about topics such as water, air, climate, wastes and pollution, green living, and more. Find important ways that you can get involved in protecting the environment.

Find an array of environmental and science-based lesson plans, activities and ideas from the EPA, other federal agencies, and external organizations.

EPA site offers answers to what nonpoint source pollution is as well as provides links and information as to what concerned citizens can do about it.

Learn about the Great Lakes by reading detailed facts and data about each of the five lakes. Presents information about management plans, environmental issues, and physical features.

Through this EPA resource, explore your environment and discover the animals, plants, air, and water around you. Learn how to protect the world we live in with fun games.

This concise site discusses the fact that wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, play an integral part in the ecology of the watershed, and also have a role in atmospheric maintenance.

This site details the signing and revision of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement by the United States and Canada. Includes a copy of the revised agreement of 1978.

Students construct model landfill liners using tape and strips of plastic, within resource constraints. The challenge is to construct a bag that is able to hold a cup of water without leaking. This represents similar challenges that environmental engineers face when piecing together liners for real landfills that are acres and acres in size.

Students begin by reading Dr. Seuss' "The Lorax" as an example of how overdevelopment can cause long-lasting environmental destruction. Students discuss how to balance the needs of the environment with the needs of human industry. Student teams are asked to serve as natural resource engineers, city planning engineers and civil engineers with the task to replant the nearly destroyed forest and develop a sustainable community design that can co-exist with the re-established natural area.

Students learn about the wonderful and fascinating country of China, and its environmental challenges that require engineering solutions, many in the form of increased energy efficiency, the incorporation of renewable energy, and new engineering developments for urban and rural areas. China is fast becoming an extremely influential factor in our world today, and will likely have a large role in shaping the decades ahead. China is the world's largest energy consumer and the largest producer of carbon dioxide emissions, leading engineers and scientists to be concerned about the role these emissions play in rural and urban public and environmental health, as well as in global climate change. Through exploring some sources of air pollution, appropriate housing for different climate zones, and the types of renewable energy, the lessons and activities of this unit present ways that engineers are helping people in China, using an approach to cleaner, smarter, healthier and more-efficient ways of living that apply to people wherever they live.

In this unit, students explore the various roles of environmental engineers, including: environmental cleanup, water quality, groundwater resources, surface water and groundwater flow, water contamination, waste disposal and air pollution. Specifically, students learn about the factors that affect water quality and the conditions that enable different animals and plants to survive in their environments. Next, students learn about groundwater and how environmental engineers study groundwater to predict the distribution of surface pollution. Students also learn how water flows through the ground, what an aquifer is and what soil properties are used to predict groundwater flow. Additionally, students discover that the water they drink everyday comes from many different sources, including surface water and groundwater. They investigate possible scenarios of drinking water contamination and how contaminants can negatively affect the organisms that come in contact with them. Students learn about the three most common methods of waste disposal and how environmental engineers continue to develop technologies to dispose of trash. Lastly, students learn what causes air pollution and how to investigate the different pollutants that exist, such as toxic gases and particulate matter. Also, they investigate the technologies developed by engineers to reduce air pollution.