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Marge Peters · (630) 942-2337 · petersm@cod.edu
Lab 1 | Lab 2 | Lab 3 | Lab 4 | Lab 5 | Alternative Labs
Lab 1: PERSPECTIVES ON THE ENVIRONMENT
This is an opinion paper reflecting your own ideas. No library research is needed.
Lab 2: ENVIRONMENT AND BUSINESS "ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE" ADVERTISING
| American Forests |
Mother Earth News |
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| Audubon |
National Geographic |
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| Backpacker |
National Parks |
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| Discover |
National Wildlife |
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| E: The Environmental Magazine |
Scientific American |
LAB 3: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF NATURAL AND MAN- MADE DISASTERS
Click on COD Library Catalog under Quick Links
Do a SUBJECT (S) search on topics such as Disasters, Natural Disasters, Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Acid Rain, Endangered Species, etc. Don't forget to look at "Related Subjects".
Click on "Databases" on Green Bar
Choose Academic OneFile (InfoTrac). Type in your topic and View results or Narrow by subdivision, especially "Environmental Aspects".
Another good database: Academic Search Premier. Can limit to Full Text articles.
Also consider these databases: Newspapers (Proquest) including Chicago Tribune for fulltext of articles on local issues.
TRY IT: Zebra mussels
LAB 4: CHEMICALS IN THE ENVIRONMENT: AGRICULTURE AND FOOD INDUSTRIES
PESTICIDES AND HERBICIDES
Go to your local hardware store or garden center and check the active ingredients in pesticides and herbicides to make a list of possibilities to explore. Use the Earth-Wise Guide below as well.
Books and ebooks to use:
**Kamrin, Michael A., ed Pesticide Profiles: Toxicity, Environmental Impact, and Fate. 1997. Call Number: Reference RA 1270 .P4 K285 1997
**Sittigs Handbook of Pesticides and Agricultural Chemicals. ebook from Knovel database. Need Library card to access from home.
Internet Sites:
Earth-Wise Guide to
Toxicity Ratings
From the Texas Cooperative Extension Service and City of Austin, a list of generally available pesticides with toxicity ratings.
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/growgreen/downloads/products.pdf
National Pesticide Information Center
Search the alphabetical listing for your pesticide active ingredient or go to the General Factsheets for easy-to-understand information on a number of pesticides, while the technical fact sheets give more advanced information, especially on health risks.
http://npic.orst.edu/
Database: Knovel
Chemical and Food Additive data from many respected reference works.
TRY IT: Resmethrin (active ingredient in Raid)
FOOD ADDITIVES
Check foods you eat regularly for preservatives and other additives listed or use the Federal Government's Generally Regarded as Safe List (GRAS) List, Code of Federal Regulations(CFR), Chapter 21 Parts 182, 184 and 186. Marge has copy of list or search "GRAS list" using Google or another search engine on the Internet.
Website that lists additive by use:
Pacific Health Sciences: http://www.pacifichealth.com/gras_list.htm
Books to use
• Encyclopedia of Food Science and Technology. 4 vols.
Call number: Reference TP 983 .W54 also ebook from Knovel Database
• Foods & Nutrition Encyclopedia. 2 vols. Call number: General TX 349 . F575
• Sax's Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials. 3 vols.
Call number:
Reference T 55.3 .H3 S3 also ebook from Knovel Database
Database: Micromedex
Marge can give you Login and Password to use from home. Type in name of chemical on search line. May get data on MSDS, poison considerations, reproductive effects, and other health issues.
Database: Knovel
Chemical and Food Additive data from many respected reference works.
Specific Internet Sites:
Materials Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for Chemicals
Gives access to company-provided information on the safety and health effects of thousands of chemicals when handled in bulk.
http://hazard.com/msds/index.php
Hazardous Substances Data Bank
Comprehensive, peer-reviewed toxicology data for about 5,000 chemicals. Excerpts of relevant data. Must locate original source for full information.
http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/htmlgen?HSDB
Search the Internet
If you want to see sites with information about an additive (or pesticide), use a search engine, such as Google or Yahoo or science gateway such as Scirus. http://www.scirus.com.
In most search engines, use quotation marks ("....") around phrases or + before words that must be present in any Internet site retrieved.
Example: + "sodium bisulfite" +health
LAB 5: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN THE NEWS
If you don't have access to enough newspapers and magazines on your chosen topic at home, you may want to use those in the library. See Lab 3 for ideas on how to research topics in magazines and newspapers. If using databases, watch for articles on your environmental topic that have fulltext or PDF so that you can print the articles for your project booklet. Please photocopy articles from Library periodicals that you want to include. Don't forget to take the information you need so that you can cite your source (Name of author, Title of Article, Journal name, Date, Pages)
Alternative Lab: ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES
See Lab 3 for ideas on how to research topics in magazines and newspapers. Some headings to use: Solar power, Wind energy, Geothermal Resources.
Alternative Lab: ENVIRONMENTAL COLLAGE POSTER
Be sure to have a theme for the collage elements you choose.
