Fall Books:

Evt 201 - Environmental Science (Withgott & Brennan, Pearson, 2nd ed, ISBN 0-8053-0640-4)

Evt 206 - Intro to Environmental Compliance (Kubasek & Silverman, Pearson, 5th ed, ISBN 0-13-147921-0)

Evt 215 - Limnology (Gerald Mackie, Kendall Hunt, 2nd ed, ISBN 0-7575-0883-9)

Evt 224 - Environmental Chemistry Analysis* (Zumdahl & Decoste, Brooks/Cole, 7th ed, ISBN 978-0-538-73637-4)

Evt 225 - Best Management Practices (Shah, Blackwell, ISBN 1-4051-3557-3)

Evt 254 - Industrial Safety and Emergenct Response# (HMTRI, HMTRI, ISBN 1-58035-029-1)

* Lab dates for 224 are all day 8/27, 9/17, 10/22, 11/19, and 12/10
# If you are having a hard time finding the book for EVT 254 contact HMTRI directly (919-872-6601) and get the ECAT 240 book

2010 SC Envirothon Special Topics Training

I can't tell you how excited I was when I heard the Special Topic for this year's Envirothon. For those of you who aren't aware, the host state for the national competition gets to choose the Special Topic for the year. Last year we studies Biodiversity for the Competition in North Carolina. This year California chose "Protection of Groundwater Through Urban, Agricultural, and Environmental Planning". This is a topic that I harp on in every class that I teach...so I assumed that it would be an easy topic to prepare. I was wrong.

Once again this year I worked with my counterpart from across the hedge. The problem that we ran into was that this topic required a fairly substantial foundation of knowledge before the students could actually begin to understand the intricate interactions; the cause and effect. If you know anything about environmental studies you understand that it requires teasing apart complex juxtapositions of science, society, nature, and politics.

Well, enough ranting. What you really want is the video of the presentation that Jeff and I did at the Clemson Sandhills REC. I finally had to cut it into six smaller videos so that I could put it on YouTube. I apologize for the lowish quality. It was the best I could do with what I had. As always feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. Good luck training those students!

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

Video 4

Video 5

Video 6

Finally, I will get the Powerpoint up. Just as soon as I figure out how.

New Year’s Resolutions

Well, we made it. We are now well into 2010. I really don’t know the significance of that, other than the fact that we made it one more trip around the sun. That’s pretty good news, I guess. Of course if the Nostradamus seers are to be believed then we have a scant two years before the end of the world.
At any rate, we have a tradition of making resolutions at the beginning of the New Year. I don’t know how or why the tradition started, or even why we do it. I saw one statistic that 90% of all New Year’s Resolutions are dropped before February (remember that 96.374% of all statistics are made up on the spot). This is likely because most Americans resolve to lose weight (or some bad habit that they have held for the last two decades) and we rarely look at the root cause of what we are trying to get rid of. Occasionally we resolve to do something GOOD for the year, but these resolutions are often dropped because they were unreasonable in the first place. People usually try for the grand slam when all they need is a single to win the game. I have just two resolutions for the year:
1. Update this blog more often (I’m doing better – I only missed posting this on New Year’s Day by 10 days)
2. Finally put in that solar water heater that I have been talking about since I bought my house (about a decade ago – dang I’m getting old)
Somebody once told me that the best way to keep a resolution is to tell people about it…that way they can hold you to it. Well I have now blogged my intentions, so the two of you that read this can hold me to them. In the mean time, why don’t you resolve to do a little something for the planet? It doesn’t have to be a grand slam (like building that LEED Platinum house that you’ve wanted all these years). You may only need a single to win the game (try a programmable thermostat, Bring Your Own Bags, turn off lights, walk when you can, plant a few trees, pick up some trash). Go ahead and tell me your resolutions…I’ll try to hold you to them.

This worked well last semester, so lets give it a go again.

CourseBook TitleAuthorISBN
BIO 205/206 Ecology & Lab - Elements of Ecology by Smith & Smith (ISBN 0-8053-4830-1)
EVT 102 Basic Water Treatment* - Water Treatment Plant Operation Vol I Sacramento (ISBN 1-5971-004-6)
EVT 108 Basic Physical/Chemical Wastewater Treatment* - Industrial Waste Treatment Vol I Sacramento (1-59371-028-3)
EVT 255 Solid & Hazardous Waste - Basics of Solid & Hazardous Waste Management Technology by Shah (ISBN 0-13-960378-6); OPTIONAL Hazardous Waste Chemistry, Toxicology, and Treatment by Manahan (ISBN 0-87371-209-9)
EVT 260 Air Pollution Control Systems - Air Quality by Godish (ISBN 1-56670-586-X)
EVT 261 Special Topics - No book, but don't worry...I'm going to make you WORK!!

* Students enrolled in the certificate classes (EVT 102 & 108) can call Sue at the SCETC to order their books. (803) 778-6656

The second question is a little more complicated. Gone are the days when you walked into a stale smelling university bookstore with your class schedule to pay exorbitant prices for shiny new books. Now you can pay those exorbitant prices from the comfort of your own home! Actually, there is a world of options out there for those in the know. Here are just a few of them:
Traditional - for those of you who really enjoy that 'real college' experience, we do still have a bookstore. Depending on availability the bookstore sometimes carries used books with a discounted pricetag. While you're in there don't forget to pick up some awesome CCTC swag. The jackets are hot this semester.

A slightly more popular method for those of you who can't just drop everything and drive to Sumter (although I'm sure I'd enjoy your visit) is to buy books online. There are several sights that you can visit, and I'm not sure one is any better than the other. Because you're shopping online, you can take a little time and shop around for the best deal. The two most often mentioned pages are Amazon and Ebay's Half.com.

Don't feel like buying a book that you will only use for a semester before you go through the hassle of selling it? (I didn't even mention it in the previous sections, but you can sell your books by either of the previous methods...with various levels of difficulty and return on investment) Have you considered renting? Several sites (such as Chegg) allow you rent books for the semester that you need them.

You could just not bother with books at all. I mean who needs them?! If you want I can simply cut the top of your skull off and inject the knowledge directly into your frontal lobe. You'd never have to worry about reading or studying again.

The Bountiful Ocean

I know...it's been a while since I posted. What can I say? I'm just a slacker.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go shrimping in Beaufort with my dad and brother(We put in near the historic Penn Center). I have to tell you...it was like a homecoming. I hadn't been back in those creeks in years, yet the shore birds, Spartina, and fluff mud seemed as if I'd never left. As we all got into that familiar rhythm of poling and casting, it was as if I was 10 again. I rarely find that place...I was completely at peace.

After about four hours of intense work we had about 20 quarts of shrimp (well below the legal limit of 48 quarts). We decided we'd had enough 'hard work' for one day (my arm felt like it was going to fall off), so we sat down, fired up the Mercury, and headed to a larger channel that looked promising for some fishing. We set anchor near the mouth of a creek and sacrificed a few of our shrimp (plus a finger mullet or two that we had caught). Fishing was slow, with the exception of a couple of bluntnose stingrays that Dad and Bubba landed after a brief fight. Mostly I just stared at the creek, memories of awe from the past washing over me like a tide. I remembered why I loved this so much. Each cast of the net; each tug at the line held the promise of a marvelous surprise. Would your net come up empty, brimming with shrimp, or with some strange fish that looked like it came from the set of Star Trek? When your line finally broke the surface would your adversary be a stingray, guitar fish, flounder, drum, or (my favorite) a shark? Most of the time we just landed the fish, admired the amazing attributes that fit it perfectly for its environment, and sent it on its merry way (although Mom would kill us if we let a good looking flounder go. I think it's her favorite).

As we loaded the boat and got back into the truck to head home, the pleasant haze of memory was slowly replaced with a harsher reality. The shrimping and fishing, though fun, hadn't really been that productive. Why? Maybe we just didn't have a stellar day, but then maybe something more sinister was going on. When I was fishing in the boat as a 10 year old, I imagined the channels to be hundreds of feet deep, brimming with innumerable fish of every description. Even now when I gaze into the ocean it's not too hard to think that. Even wordly explorers like Alexander von Humboldt (On par with Charles Darwin as far as I'm concerned) thought that the ocean's bounty was without end. How could little ol' Homo sapiens have an effect on ANYTHING as vast as the estuaries of the Atlantic Coast, let alone the oceans of the world?

I'm a little older now, so I can look at numbers and have a better sense of reality. Those fathomless channels are only a few meters deep. And the innumerable fish are declining. Prime spawning habitat is being lost at an alarming rate. Marshes are viewed by the general public as worthless, smelly, wastes of space. Wouldn't they be much nicer if we filled them with sand and built a beach house on it? Marshes are also EXCELLENT for natural pollution remediation...but they are being severly overworked. Our world fisheries are also being fished intensively. According to one report from the World Resource Institute the average world citizen consumes 13.4 kg (~30 pounds) of fish annually. If you do the math that works out to being 198 BILLION pounds of fish being harvested from our waters every year. I can hear the interjections now..."but we have laws in place to protect fish. We can't over harvest them." Yes, we do have laws, but no, that doesn't prevent overfishing. For an excellent read on that you should try Hooked: Pirates, Poaching, and the Perfect Fish by G. Bruce Knecht. It's a true story, and it's an interesting and fast read.

I guess I can't blame my small catch ENTIRELY on a weakened fishery. But I must say that the reality of fisheries collapsing is a sobering one. If you are interested in learning more or becoming a part of the solution, get involved. There are plenty of good conservation groups that focus on these critical marine resources. Try your local Coastal Conservation Associtation (CCA) chapter, or visit the SC Aquarium's Sustainable Seafood page. Until next time...happy fishing.

Books! Books! Books!

Every semester I get the same question, so I'm giving this a try. The two most common questions that I get this time of year (other than 'How can I pass your class?') are "what books do I need for next semester?" and "Where can I get my books?". The first answer is easy enough: just look at the list below to determine which books you will need for the particular classes that you are registered for (don't forget to REGISTER!!).

Course
Book Title
Author
ISBN

EVT 105
Environmental Sampling and Analysis Lab Manual
Csuros
1-56670-178-3

EVT 201
Essential Environment: The science behind the stories
Withgott & Brennan
978-0-13-604531-1

EVT 206
Environmental Law 6th ed
Kubasek & Silverman
978-0-13-614216-4

EVT 215
Applied Aquatic Ecosystem Concepts
Mackie
0-7575-0883-9

EVT 225
Sustainable Practice for the Facilities Manager
Shah
1-4051-3557-3

EVT 253
Occupational Safety & Health for Technologists, Engineers, and Managers
Goetsch
978-0-13-239760-5

EVT 254
Industrial Safety and Emergency Resp
HMTRI
HMTRI

The second question is a little more complicated. Gone are the days when you walked into a stale smelling university bookstore with your class schedule to pay exorbitant prices for shiny new books. Now you can pay those exorbitant prices from the comfort of your own home! Actually, there is a world of options out there for those in the know. Here are just a few of them:

1. Traditional - for those of you who really enjoy that 'real college' experience, we do still have a bookstore. Depending on availability the bookstore sometimes carries used books with a discounted pricetag. While you're in there don't forget to pick up some awesome CCTC swag. The t-shirts are smokin' this semester.


2. A slightly more popular method for those of you who can't just drop everything and drive to Sumter (although I'm sure I'd enjoy your visit) is to buy books online. There are several sights that you can visit, and I'm not sure one is any better than the other. Because you're shopping online, you can take a little time and shop around for the best deal. The two most often mentioned pages are Amazon and Ebay's Half.com.


3. Don't feel like buying a book that you will only use for a semester before you go through the hassle of selling it*? (I didn't even mention it in the previous sections, but you can sell your books by either of the previous methods...with various levels of difficulty and return on investment) Have you considered renting? Several sites (such as Chegg) allow you rent books for the semester that you need them.


4. You could just not bother with books at all. I mean who needs them?! If you want I can simply cut the top of your skull off and inject the knowledge directly into your frontal lobe. You'd never have to worry about reading or studying again.

*Side note - I know you would never do that to any of the books for my classes. They make such good reference material. :-)

Ramblings on Rights and Responsibilities

“I have gained this by philosophy: that I do without being commanded what others do only from fear of the law.” – Aristotle
“The people's good is the highest law.” – Cicero
“The great can protect themselves, but the poor and humble require the arm and shield of the law.” – Andrew Jackson

Prior to my vacation last week I had been in several discussions with various people about rights, The Constitution, law, and our roles as citizens in a Representative Democracy. Next semester many of you will be taking my Environmental Law course. While at the beach I read a good book - The Death of Common Sense: How Law is Suffocating America by Phillip K. Howard. Saturday we all celebrated Independence Day. Do you sense a common theme here?

Of course the topic of Law in America is far too expansive for me to cover in one blog, or even in a lifetime of blogs. But I will share with you some thoughts that I had while baking in the Sandlapper Sun. (But first a disclaimer – I am not now, nor have I ever been, nor do I plan on being a Lawyer. I am just an Environmental Program Manager who also happens to think about the Law of the Land). I will begin with a story that I am certain at least a few of you are familiar with.

Daniel was a very wise man, and was also honest and hard working. These qualities were as uncommon in Daniel’s time as they are in ours, so King Darius took note and placed Daniel in the highest of positions where Daniel served him very well. Of course where there is position, there is jealousy. The Kings other wise men sought to get rid of Daniel … but how? Knowing that Daniel was a religious man the other governors tricked King Darius into making a law that they knew Daniel would break (a side note here – religious intolerance has been around for a long time…but very few people notice it unless it is intolerance against their own religion – just something to think about). "O great king, you are so wonderful that no one should pray to anyone but you." They said. The king gave in to his conceit (a trait that is as common now as it ever has been) not thinking about the ramifications. Anybody who didn’t worship the king was to be thrown into the lions den. The king made his decree in such a way that nobody, not even he, could change it. As soon as Daniel knelt for evening prayer, his enemies had him arrested. The king was distraught and ashamed, because he knew that he had been tricked into sacrificing his best and most loyal subject.

Luckily for Daniel, the story has a happy ending. Daniel’s God knew that he was a righteous man, and saved him from the lions. Justice was served when the King found Daniel alive the next day; he ordered the other Governors be thrown into the lions den. A good preacher could deliver a lot of sermons on this topic, but luckily for you I’m not a good preacher. My purpose for introducing this to you is the concept of Common Sense in Law. We are lucky enough to live in a country where people are not thrown to the lions for their religious (or political, social, or other) views. We have a system. It’s far from perfect, but it is arguably the best in the world. But I am going to have to go with Philip Howard…we need a little more common sense infused in our system. As King Darius discovered, rigid laws lead to bad situations.

Surely, the USA doesn’t have such asinine and rigid rules, right? Our founding fathers framed our Constitution in such a way as to allow maximum freedoms (speech, religion, bear arms, assembly, etc.) while still allowing for future changes (the Bill of Rights being a major one). That’s not too rigid at all. Since the time of our independence, though, we have put the yoke of law on ourselves, sometimes to a fault. Two perfect examples – In 1988 Nuns of the Missionaries of Charity (an order headed by Mother Teresa herself) planned on building a homeless shelter in South Bronx. When they found a Madonna in a fire gutted building they thought that perhaps their mission was being blessed by The Almighty Himself. They met with the Mayor, bought the building (and one right beside it) for $1 each from New York City, and set aside $500,000 (a large sum, especially in 1988) for renovations. All was going well until their building permit was denied. The nuns, in addition to their vow of poverty, avoid the use of modern conveniences. Thus there were no appliances in the plan…and no elevators. New York City requires elevators in any new or renovated multistory building. The additional cost (plus the hassle of all of the hearings to get a waiver) caused the nuns to reconsider. Their efforts could be spent helping people elsewhere, without the hindrance of bureaucracy. Thus the homeless of South Bronx remained homeless, for want of an elevator.

The EPA usually does a fine job protecting the environment, but occasionally even they miss the mark. In one case they tried desperately to control benzene emissions. After much debate between scientists and technicians, they required specific equipment to be placed in the smokestack of particular facilities to control the benzene. One particular company was glad to comply, but to the tune of $31 Million at one of their refineries. A chance encounter a few years later led to an EPA agent sitting on the dock talking with an official from the company. The company had significant benzene emissions, but not from the smoke stack. The fugitive emissions were coming from the dock where the fuel was transferred. A simple (and relatively inexpensive) fix later, and the problem was abated. The goal of that Law (cleaner and safer air) was noble by anyone’s standard. The specifics of the law, however, totally missed the mark. They were specific, costly, and failed to solve the problem. Rigidity, as Darius discovered, is usually doomed to failure.

Philip Howard summarizes it nicely in his book when he says “Conquering human nature was not the idea when our founders devised a new nation around the freedom of each human. Avoiding coercion by making law into a detailed manual only assures another form of coercion. Modernizing democracy with a huge legal document crushes what may be one of democracy’s most important qualities, continual trial and error”. So I think it is high time that we start injecting a little of that common sense back into our system. We can start by educating the general public. Then we can start holding people responsible for their decisions. That includes holding ourselves responsible for our own actions. For every right that we claim, we must claim an equal responsibility. The Right to Bear Arms must be tempered with the responsibility to carry them safely, using them for the purposes of food or protection. The right to keep pets must be tempered with the responsibility to keep them safely, securely, and humanely. The right to speak freely must be tempered by the responsibility of thinking about the consequences of our words before they leave us. And the right to live in this free nation comes with the responsibility of working for it. To quote Ralf Nader “The only place where democracy comes before work is in the dictionary.”