In the late 20th Century, the explosion of technological innovations have enhanced the wealth of acquired information on the environment and have made this eclectic science an activist paradise. In general, citizens of the world with access to these information are either firmly entrenched in one or more camps or are straddling the fence, waiting for additional insights from research results or policies. With this backdrop, students are required to engaged in an information gathering activity using an unresolved or problematic issue to developed an opinion on the selected issue.

Some of these issues are local. Others are national issues. Depending on your project of choice, your initial contact might be a state agency such as the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), or the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), or a Federal agency such as the United States Environmental Agency (USEPA), or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) etc. Below are examples of such issues, to which you are not limited, but should provide you with sufficient basis to scope a potential project of similar value, interest, or worth:

1). Bottled Drinking Water Industry

The bottled drinking water business has proliferated since the early 1990s because of the increased awareness that new environmental policies have provided to enlighten the public about potential problems with drinking water resources. However, a paradox continues to exist over regulating bottled drinking water (BDW). BDW is regulated by the FDA which is not versed in contamination issues. The USEPA, which is the premier agency for contaminated water, regulates only public drinking water facilities. As a result of this questionable assignment, the requirements for BDW is same as for food.

So on drinking water bottle labels, one is informed about the nutritional components of the water, such as, protein, sugar, fat, carbohydrate, sodium, etc. instead of toxic chemical constituents that are human health risks. For such a critical item such as drinking water, the level of scrutiny should be more intense. But apparently, it is not. Your task as a community activist is to contact the appropriate agencies and investigate the nature of this hoax. What is the level of regulation? How reliable is the present level of regulation? Why is the USEPA not in charge? Why is the public not informed of the critical health-risk components. Why are the sources of all BDW not indicated on the labels? etc.

2) Contaminated Fruits and Vegetables

Some vegetables and fruits are well-known to contains levels of pesticide residues that are not removable by washing or even peeling. According to the Environmental Working Group (an advocacy organization), the list common vegetables and fruits sold at grocery stores, in order of the decreasing contamination, include: Strawberries, Bell peppers, Spinach, Cherries, Peaches, Cantaloupe (from Mexico), Celery, Apples, Apricots, Green beans, Grapes (from Chile), and Cucumbers. The risk of ingesting undetermined quantities of pesticides over the long-term is yet unknown. But one thing is certainly known - the capacity of pesticide compounds to bioaccumulate in body tissues.

Remember that Florida is a major producer of strawberries. As a community activist, your initial contacts should be the FDA or the Federal Dept. of Agriculture. You could also interview the people in your community such as on campus, at home or work. However, you should read up about the pesticide present on each fruit/vegetable so that your questions can be tailored to the facts. Begin your search with the website http://www.ewg.org

3).Gas Station/Fast Food Combines

The is a recent phenomenon that appear to have sprouted in Florida and other southeastern states. The issue here is should food be exposed to air containing benzene, a known carcinogen present in gasoline as an anti-knock agent? In water, benzene is considered such a critical health risk that it was assigned one of the lowest Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL) of 5 ppb (parts per billion) nationally. In Florida, if benzene exceeds 1 ppb in water, it is considered contaminated.

So why has the State of Florida curiously switched it's red flag to a green flag for benzene when it comes to food exposure? Find out from the FDACS if airborne benzene is monitored at these gas stations with permits to sell cooked food. What is the permissible levels of benzene that one can safely ingest? How often is it monitored? Who does the monitoring? How reliable are their equipment? Why are signs not posted to warn the public? etc. You can also write to the USEPA and FDEP seeking answers to these questions.

4). Irradiated Fruits and Vegetables - Some farmers have been lobbying for certain foods to be irradiated so they can last longer. Find out the status of the lobbying? What foods are targeted? What kinds of radiation is used? What are the dangers of ingesting the levels of radiation used? etc. Are these food items already on the market? Do they have warning labels? Etc. FDA and the FDACS the obvious initial contacts.

5) IMC Phosphate Mining in Manatee County - There has been some serious debates between the local phosphate mining company, IMC, and well-meaning citizens groups such as the Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida and other groups. IMC wishes to extend its strip mining acreage at its Four Corners Mine in northeast Manatee County by 2,500 acres but opponents insists that water pollution will be inevitable and there will also be consumed water associated with the mining,too. You can write to the FDEP''s Bureau of Mine Reclamation, the company, and some of the environmental groups and summarize their views. There has been lots of debate on this issue in the local newspapers. What do you think?

6) Oil Mining and Impact on Florida's Tourist Industry - there has been renewed debate on the risk of drilling for oil and gas too close to the coast of Florida. However, President Bush and Governor Bush has agreed on something. Find out what it is and communicate via email etc., on how this might ruin the most important industry in Florida - the tourist industry. Which action or inaction would be more beneficial to the state?

7) Cigarette Smoking and Passive Tobacco - you can interview smokers of your community, such as students on campus, about the effects of smoking on their own bodies and on others. But first, you must read up about the effects of smoking. Then make up a set of questions and write down the responses to the questions. From these, you can summarize the information collected, plus your own opinions.

Additional CAP Guidance: Summarize and submit your findings for the CAP of your choice as a double-spaced, typed paper of at least 4 pages. Also, add a title page, and all sources of information compiled on a separate reference page. Those who fail to interview or make verifiable contacts for their CAP investigations will automatically lose 15 % points from their CAP score. Submission deadline is two weeks (14 calendar days) prior to the end of the semester. The instructor can be consulted for a specific date of submission. Email me for topic approval if you do not select one of the listed issues on this page.