Jobs for the Environmental Protection Agency are plentiful, as they need qualified people to help keep an eye on many different aspects of their role in the community. The role of environmental compliance inspector is a role that is sorely needed throughout many diverse areas.

In order to fully explore careers in environmental science, it might be best to understand what type of education is required in order for employment to be considered. In most cases, an applicant will need an undergraduate degree as well as completion of the appropriate graduate degree. This requirement naturally varies as the job description applies.

The environmental sciences are a highly regarded area of study that can lead to some interesting job opportunities. You can find yourself in the position of an Ecotourism guide or a zoo keeper or you can aim for specialized work like a geological engineer or the ocean sciences. What makes environmental careers so interesting is the vast and broad spectrum of potential careers that they encompass.

There are numerous areas of law enforcement that are combined with environmental science careers. Fish and Wildlife and Fish and Game employ agents to oversea and enforce legal issues surrounding the natural environment including the animals that live within it.

Many of the scientific jobs such as ocean sciences, paleontology, zoology, or herpetology require higher education degrees and entail environmental sampling, testing, and a dedicated scientific effort to determine damage done to presenting alternatives to damaging practices.

These fields involve a great deal of collecting scientific data and applying it to everyday life. Scientific environmental careers are the backbone of developing environmentally sound products and practices.

It is possible to land a career in environmental science without a college degree. Many of these ecojobs include services like building the wind generators and solar panels that are required to offer the consumer green energy.

Green energy jobs are expected to grow considerably. If the green energy plans are done correctly, there will be jobs for the construction of alternative energy sources as well as the landscape repair needed after the construction is complete. It is speculated that green energy jobs will be the future of construction.

For any career in environmental sciences, the qualifications will change over the years. It is recommended to finish out the educational degree that corresponds with your field of interest. The environmental careers that are developing now will need fresh skills in another five years.

These ecojobs are essential to conservation efforts and protection efforts. Without these jobs the environmental issues that we face today would not receive its due attention, funding, or public understanding. Air quality testing , is a pefect example of a career in environmental science.

Nearly every career in environmental sciences involves educating. Whether you are educating just one person about the impact of their behavior or congress about the impact of the world’s behavior, evidence leads to education, which eventually leads to change.

In order to completely stop the production of all manufactured materials, stop the use of cars, air conditioners, heat sources, and basically deconstruct the basic staples of our society. This is not exactly practical, so we have to look at other air pollution solutions that can put a serious dent on our current situation.

Governmental plans to help cut down on air pollution are slow to take effect. Many industrial businesses have (under the current legislation) the next 50 years to cut down on their emissions by 80%. A lot of damage can be done in 50 years. Yet the immediate changes would be a very high financial burden on most companies and simply can not be completed without the introduction of environmentally friendly alternatives. These alternatives are well known but are not widely available.

Fuels derived from alternative resources could cut down on our pollution statistics and become a cornerstone of air pollution solutions. Wind energy, landfill gas energy, and other green methods of powering many of our industrial businesses are a good start, but the practical application is still years away at our current rate of progress.

We cannot force people to buy new cars. However, several documentaries have shown that it was the United States car companies and the oil companies that shot down the production and use of cars that run solely on electricity. The production of electric cars that were highly effective and family friendly was underway.

In fact, several cities in California were starting the strategic implementation of charging stations when the project was interrupted. The project was then scrapped and the remaining cars were either shipped overseas for use or destroyed. A society that doesn’t use oil or petrol for their daily commute is a society that is no longer dependant on the oil resources of other countries. Interesting.

Cars are not just a major contributor to the air pollution problems and are a major oil dependency culprit in the US. Why the destruction of the electric car was kept so secret is really not a mystery. How far we could have come with the acceptance of this one invention. For more information on this topic, one should watch the well documented and the very accurate documentary, Who Killed the Electric Car?

Public education only goes so far when the government does not help the educated follow through on ecological choices. While our basic economy requires a standard of status quo for the development of our own resources, we still need to look harder at air pollution solutions that address our problems now rather than in 50 years.

Recycling communities need to become more aware of what happens to their recyclables. Many cities, including Norfolk, VA and the three major cities of California, burn the recyclables rather than recycling in the usual fashion. Those cities that participate fully in recycling efforts are still releasing gases into the atmosphere that are destroying the ozone.

The everyday people of many communities are coming together to improve our options for air pollution solutions. Hybrid cars, choosing fabric grocery bags over plastics or paper, and finding ways to reuse and recycle one’s own products are helping too cut down on the overload of air pollutants we are experience.

Placing ecological concerns higher on the list of priorities at the polls will help as well. Right now we have sent a very strong message to Washington that the economy and war are our top priorities.

Green jobs have the ability to offer more economic stability while addressing some of the air pollution solutions that are available to us.

We can not ignore the effects of deforestation and our need to get out into the world and plant trees. While individuals can take on tree planting projects of their own, which is very helpful, companies that destroy trees need to be forced to replace what they destroy. It won’t do us much good to start limiting the pollutants that enter the air while we continue to deplete the world of it main source of breathable oxygen.

Moreover, alternative heating and cooling methods, the replacement of old furnaces and air conditioners, and finding ways around driving to the corner store are all imperative to finding air pollution solutions.

It’s going to take the government and the individuals working together with the plan of immediate results as the primary goal. By now the industrial companies should see the writing on the wall and should be taking the initiative to start curbing their own emissions before the government starts a crackdown on emissions.

Most industrial companies only do what they are forced to do by regulation. It’s a rather sad state of affairs that is forcing the solution into the hands of a government over loaded by too many issues to deal with. We need to only build green cars, green companies, and green industries in order to start dealing realistically with the potential air pollution solutions.

A quick google on the web for air pollution articles will perhaps help you to realise that concerns around the globe are raised, air pollution solutions are high on many peoples list.

However, we live in a world where water pollution is ever present due to actions of both industrial plants and unconcerned neighbors.

Tougher pollution laws are slowly helping to correct the actions of industrial plants to limit pollution.

Education and increased awareness is helping to curb the actions of the unconcerned neighbor.

However, much damage has already been done and damage is still being done every day, even if it is on a smaller scale. In order to truly clean up the waterways and the groundwater of the planet, the problem needs to be attacked by two angles.

Prevention and education is key to creating a better environment in the future while water pollution treatment is necessary to start cleaning up the damage of years past and giving the water the chance to become healthy.

Nature has a built in system to help deter the oversaturation of nitrogen in the water. The ecological version of water pollution treatment is known as dentrification. This is a natural process that helps take the pollution filtered into the ground and water and convert it into harmless organic matter.

There is a completely natural process that happens over time. The fertilizers that farmers and gardeners tend to use leech into the ground through rainwater runoff, over use, and spills. This is where an overabundance of nitrogen in the water comes from and can be highly dangerous in the water.

Once the high level of nitrogen enters the water, dentrification happens when natural bacteria found in the ground turns the nitrogen into nitrates, which is much easier on the plant life and the organic life in aquatic ecosystems.

One of the more interesting and more popular methods of water pollution treatment is known as ozone wastewater treatment. It has its benefits and its drawbacks, but it is one of the effective methods of treating pollution to keep it out of the water sources.

Ozone wastewater treatment involves the use of an ozone generator which can effectively break down the wastewater pollutants to prevent the continuous spread of pollution throughout natural water sources.

Ultraviolet radiation is the most common type of ozone generator used in the break down process. Oxygen in the ozone is used to in turn oxidize the organic matter, the bacteria, infectious molds, and of course other human generated pollutants through the natural reactive nature of the ozone oxygen.

Ozone water pollution treatment is so popular these days because it is very effective at neutralizing pollutants in the water and then can generate itself back into oxygen for the ozone as though it had never been touched.

The drawbacks of this method are not many and can usually be well controlled if the water pollution treatment is taken seriously and is used in conjunction with well educated efforts. While this type of treatment requires the use of electricity, it can also leave behind a small amount of by products that require additional treatment in order to avoid additional pollution.

If the by products are well cared for and dealt with swiftly, then it is perfectly possible for ozone wastewater treatment to have little to no impact on the surrounding environment.

Septic tanks are still used in outlying areas for the treatment of pollutants, usually those resulting from a single residence or a single structure. Everything that goes down the toilet or the drain that enters into a septic tank is filtered out based on waste weight. Anything that is heavy sinks to the bottom of the tank while light discharge ends up on the top of the tank.

The filtering process may vary from older tanks to newer tanks, but the basic premise is that the rate of filtration is based entirely on the weight of the material that would contaminate the surrounding land and water sources.

Any type of water pollution treatment is still much more costly and tome consuming than the average ounce of preventative action. Keeping the waters that we play in and drink clean and healthy requires help from everyone in any given community.

By keeping oils, chemicals, pesticides, and wastewater as clean as possible through responsible actions, the water that we depend on for our survival is much more likely to be free from harmful pollutants.

Storm water refers to the water from rain or melting snow that “runs” downhill, usually into a storm drain, stream, lake, bay, river, ocean, or another body of water.

As the storm water runs toward its destination it is likely to pick up various pollutants from the ground.

Since the water is not running where it can be filtered whatever it picks up along the way will become part of the storm water runoff.

This means that water which runs through a contaminated area, such as a road construction site, can bring the tainted pollutants into the body of water causing pollution for the natural environment.

You can’t stop the storm water from running and you can not very well redirect it to avoid a specific area. Storm water pollution prevention is all about the cohesive efforts and responsible behaviors of everyone. It is necessary to cut polluted water off where it starts, which would be at the ground level.

Storm water pollution prevention is necessary for a variety of reasons. Pollutants can cause harm to the natural environment and the wildlife within the environment. It takes a surprisingly small amount of toxic pollutants to ruin the drinking water that is available for the surrounding wildlife as well as create an unhealthy environment for recreational or even commercial fishing.

Swimming areas can be closed down. In fact, at any given time of the year in the United States nearly 25% of recreational swimming beaches are closed due to poor storm water pollution prevention. That very same storm water can additionally throw of the balance of natural bodies of water and cause the growth of algae that is harmful to wildlife and to humans.

The Environmental Protection Agency, casually referred to as the EPA, has implemented some much needed guidelines for developing storm water pollution prevention plans. These plans developed by the EPA include a registry program for any business or industry that emits potential storm water runoff. This registry process serves several purposes.

For starters, it helps the EPA keep track of the industries that are discharging potentially toxic waste into our waterways. It also helps the EPA establish which pollutants are most likely to show up in various regions based on the industries that have applied for a permit. This can help accelerate the process of water testing and assist in developing in depth studies of the effects of the pollution.

Additionally, the permit registration process helps to raise funds for the clean up operations that are continuously taking place. With a system in place to help fund the clean up operations and keep close tabs on the level of pollution being pumped onto the ground for the next rain or snow event.

Storm water pollution prevention requires more than just buying a permit. All industries and businesses regardless of their size need to put forth their own environmental clean up effort.

Assembling a team for clean up of the discharge is not difficult. One person needs to stay on top of the plans and oversee that the prevention plan is well maintained. Small businesses that discharge waste are just as culpable for the condition of the waterways and surface pollution.

Businesses that deal with any type of discharge that can be spilled, such as antifreeze, need to be vigilant about teaching employees the proper clean up procedures for polluted storm water.

There is a very narrow window of time that a chemically based spill can be efficiently cleaned up. One of the most important aspects of storm water pollution prevention is fast action when spills happen, although spill prevention is always preferable.

Storm water pollution is one of the biggest pollutant problems that can occur. With simple pollutants covering the roadways, construction sites, industry, and even household projects all contribute to the growing problems of water pollution. The solution lies in the promise of each and every individual to intentionally and purposefully combat the contaminants that end up in our natural resources.

Over the years there have been many amendments and alterations to address more specific issues as our society grows and our industry flourishes.

When it was first introduced, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act designated that each state had the responsibility of finding ways to reduce or eliminate pollution, leaving the responsibility of joining forces with local or federal agencies in order to best accomplish the task in the hands of the state agencies.

The act was passed to start improving the level of awareness within communities, industries, and governmental agencies.

The initial draft of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act indicated that throughout the necessary improvements that were to be made, conservation and specialized segregation of the various water uses. Conservation of waters for aquatic ecosystems, agriculture, recreational purposes, as well as industry needs were indicated as a necessary focal point for the act.

Water conservation practices were put into place to be sure that public water supplies were not only available but that the public water supply was sanitary. This act was the first real effort to improve the quality of drinking water, protect the sanctity of natural ecosystems, and attempt to incorporate the needs of industry all in the same act.

While the ideas and motivations behind the original Federal Water Pollution Control Act were of the best intentions, the limitations set were not stringent enough to prevent further pollution from entering all the water sources.

One of the main focuses of the original draft of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act was the appropriate treatment of raw sewage. The bacteria from raw sewage entering the waterways can lead to a vast array of potential diseases.

Raw sewage from land based buildings, institutions, and towns were once permitted to flow directly into the nearest body of water. While these issues were dealt with in the original draft of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, raw sewage discharge from pleasure boats was not officially outlawed until the 1990s. Discharging is still permitted 5 or more miles offshore.

Aside from raw sewage issues, the clean water act also attempted to deal with the contamination of waterways incurred when industries disposed of wastes via the closest body of water. With the enhanced development of industry it didn’t take long for natural bodies of water to become overwhelmed with pollutants.

Because industry developed faster than the agencies could keep up with the environmental impact, the environment as well as the ground water supply was affected for the long term.

Tainted ground water meant that the pollution that was found in the waterways was now being found in drinking water of families throughout the country. The potential for serious illness was great and the current trend of bottled water dispensers and water filters was unheard of.

This situation led to a more aggressive stand on the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. The first changes came with the amendments to the act, allowing for quality testing of ground water, pollution testing for all bodies of water, and the development of standards and the determination of allowable discharges.

In early December of 1970 an amendment to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act created the governmental agency known as the EPA.

The Environmental Protection Agency replaced the Federal Water Quality Administration to take on all issues of pollution and issues related to the health and wellbeing of environmental factors. The EPA has become the single most vital agency when it comes to preventing and correcting all issues of pollution.

Since its inception the Federal Water Pollution Control Act has been amended to include studies of pollution effects on the Chesapeake Bay, Great Lakes, and the shores of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Amendments were made to check the pollution levels of the waterway against the pollution levels in the sediment.

Because of all of these amendments the information that has been gathered over the past 6 decades has opened up a wealth of information on how pollution works and its overall impact on the environment and drinking water. These various studies were the backbone of all of the basic information that we know today about pollution.

Passing the clean water act not only educated the appropriate agencies in the United States about the serious implications of pollution, but that education has been able to be taken around the world to help people in other countries find clean water management skills.

While there is still a great deal of pollution to deal with in the United States, the chronic efforts of the EPA and adjoining agencies continue to combat the pollutant wars. With more education and a renewed dedication to cleaning up our polluted waters, the clean water act has the potential to continue to grow and continue to develop new laws that benefit the planet.

There are many laws in place to help protect the waters from pollution. However, enforcement of these laws is very slim.

Since the ocean is a vast territory, many vessels are still discharging and dumping directly into our oceans and poisoning them with contaminants.

In 1970 the Clean Water Act was passed to eliminate the discharge of all contaminants throughout the waterways. Discharging can mean anything from human waste to bilge waters contaminated with diesel, oil, or chemical residue or spills. In some cases it means biological and hazardous waste with lethal potential.

Factories and plants are still discharging harmful contaminants into streets, alleyways, and the ground which all have the potential to become dangerous to our groundwater or our waterways.

While there are laws to prevent these discharges, the likelihood of getting caught and the associated fine is often not steep enough to prevent the companies from repeating the action. These laws were put into place to encourage water pollution solutions and yet are rarely enforced throughout some of the most populated areas.

Fortunately, some cities are starting to crack down on violations of pollution laws. New York is a leader in emissions testing and spot checking factories and plants for violations of dumping and discharging laws.

The environmental police have taken charge of enforcing water pollution solutions. They have targeted everyone from delivery vehicles to the largest and wealthiest companies in the city. If more cities would follow suit, we would be well on our way to protecting our planet from intolerable water supplies.

Solutions To Water Pollution – What You Can Do

Outside of enforcing the current laws and creating even tougher regulations to prevent the continued pollution of water, there are dedicated and relatively simple objectives that everyone can participate in so that we can provide water pollution solutions to the average citizen.

Simple steps like driving hybrid cars and using home water coolers can reduce water pollution. Littering in any form can also create additional pollution. Conserving clean water supplies can be beneficial in many ways, including preventing the need for use of tainted water supplies.

For instance, if everyone supported clean agriculture there would no longer be a market for agriculture that is responsible for poisonous runoff and ground water pollution. Clean agriculture is easier than ever to recognize because of the new standards for organic labeling.

Organic foods mean that there were no pesticides or other harmful contaminants used in the growing of the food. When a food product is labeled organic, federal law requires that it meets the criteria for being 75% organic or better.

When a food product is labeled 100% organic it meets the criteria for being 99% organic or better. 100% organic foods include the soil in which the product was grown as well as the process of which the product was packaged, shipped, and distributed.  But supporting organic foods you are supporting water pollution solutions through clean agriculture.

The preservation of natural wetlands provides a relatively simple water pollution solution. Wetlands serve as nature’s filter and create a natural buffering zone between the water and the land. The vast amount of various plant life, naturally occurring bacteria and algae, and microorganisms help to filter destructive pollutants.

Wetlands can be easily preserved through replanting efforts. Planting appropriate foliage can help a wetland survive. While some wetlands have been filled and developed, wetlands tend to make rather poor environments to build upon.

Discouraging wetland development and encouraging wetland replanting is one way that everyone can get involved in finding solutions to water pollution.

Since water contamination comes from many different sources and has numerous effects, every aspect of water pollution needs to be addressed.

One of the main reasons why water pollution is still such a threat to our planet’s health is because the governments of the world either choose to ignore the pollution that business is responsible for or because they want to give businesses ten years to change their industry.

By allowing for slow industry changes, water pollution continues to be a growing problem. Water pollution prevention requires drastic and swift action rather than a slow and progressive change.

Many businesses find the much needed changes to be cost prohibitive and thus are given many years to become in compliance with new water pollution prevention regulations.

Some countries have refused to implement any regulations as poverty and joblessness seems to be a bigger problem that the extreme pollutants that are reaching the waters of the world.

These politics are only opening up more avenues for more pollution and will create a much more dire situation over the next ten years. While maintaining jobs and preventing job loss is important as well, jobs can be created through the clean up, education, and managing regulations side of the problem.

While individual citizens need to become aware and involved in the prevention of water pollution, the majority of the issue rests on large businesses. This is especially true of manufacturing businesses.

Dumping has been a very large pollution problem since the early stages of production factories. Dumping waste in the oceans is not a reasonable or effective method of getting rid of manufacturing waste. While national and international dumping regulations have required that dumping be carried off further offshore, the act alone is enough to contaminate out oceans.

It doesn’t matter whether these companies dump their waste (which is often hazardous waste) five miles offshore or fifty miles offshore, dumping waste into the water is a clear problem. All countries need to disallow the dumping of wastes in the oceans, enforce these new regulations, and impose stiff and harsh penalties for ignoring the new and existing regulations.

Public education is also necessary to find an everlasting solution to water pollution. The use of pesticides and chemicals around or near streams, rivers, lakes, and even small springs can have an effect on the ecology of the waterways. Whether these chemicals enter the groundwater or they are carried off to larger bodies of water, chemical contamination through the use of pollutants is destroying the water of the planet.

The emissions from cars have a profound impact of the waterways. A vehicle’s emissions are not just determined by the amount of driving one does. Large vehicles with gas guzzling mileage issues emit more hazardous and toxic pollutants into the air where they then filter down to the ground, and our waterways.

Water pollution prevention requires a heightened level of consciousness, including what type of vehicle and how far or often the vehicle is driven. Driving less is part of a quality water pollution prevention program as the vehicles on the road are responsible for at least 1/3 of the nitrogen pollution in the Earth’s water.

The Chesapeake Bay, which is directly connected to the Atlantic Ocean, has been hit especially hard by car induced nitrogen pollution. Choosing the type of car we drive with care, driving less, and implementing stricter emission regulations for cars on the road can help make water pollution prevention a viable and likely goal.

Air and water pollution are growing concerns of governments, because the threats of environmental pollution are real and the effects are already felt world-wide.

The latest swine flu pandemic is one example showing what pollution caused by unsanitary pig farm management can do with its far-reaching consequences.

Water and air pollution therefore are not something to dismiss lightly just because you have not seen the big picture.

Scipeeps.com therefore reveals the true causes and effects of air, land and water pollution and suggests what solutions are possible for all of us to act on.

The Effects of Pollution

Pollution is the contamination of water, air, and soil by substances harmful to life.  It can occur naturally such as gases from volcanic eruptions that pollute the air.  Types of water pollution include man-made such as oil and chemicals that spill on oceans and the industrial waste that seeps into the soil and both are equally destructive to the environment.

The biggest threats the planet and its inhabitants face are air and water pollution. These are the very elements that give life to all life forms.  Plants need air and water but absorb toxins, oceans that are home to marine life become acidic, life-giving air is heavy with noxious gases – all are threats to humans and all forms of living organisms.

According to World Bank statistics on air pollution, an estimated 800,000 people die prematurely from lung cancer, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases caused by outdoor pollution…other adverse health effects include increased cases of chronic bronchitis and acute respiratory disorders, asthma complications and diminished lung function.

Soil, Ocean and Water Pollution

The oceans and all sources of water have not been spared. Bacteria from sewage, poison from fertilizers and pesticides have seeped from the soil to reach water sources. Drilling for natural gas also contributed to water pollution.

Again, according to the World Bank, water quality degradation can pose serious threats to public health, agricultural and industrial production, ecological functions, and biodiversity.

In their introduction to water pollution, Water Pollution and Society, David Krantz and Brad Kifferstein of the University of Michigan presented estimates that at least 5 million people die of water borne diseases while 1.5 billion people do not have adequate safe drinking water.  This is how far gone the planet where the effects of water pollution are concerned.

Ocean pollution is another type of contamination the planet faces.  The vast oceans have become the biggest garbage pit.  According to Greenpeace, 45000 man-made chemicals have found their way to the oceans and there is a floating trash the size of Texas.  Plastic wastes, old tires, bottles, sludge from sewage and every imaginable waste are out there swirling along with the vortex that is the North Pacific Gyre.

Global Pollution Challenges

The top 10 most polluted country are Linfen – China, Haina – Dominican Republic, Ranipet – India,  Mailuu-Suu – Kyrgyzstan, La Oroya – Peru, Dzerzinsk – Russia, Rudnaya Pristan – Russia, Chernobyl – Ukraine, Kabwe – Zambia.

Here people and children are dying or getting seriously ill from drinking chemically contaminated water and breathing in coal and sulfuric air.  The contaminated water can get around and contaminate more water sources, spreading the danger of water pollution.

Governments are hurrying up to save the planet by enacting laws to control or eliminate air and water pollution.  Researchers are developing risk assessment tools, monitoring technologies, and remediation techniques of water pollution prevention to minimize or avoid pollution problems.  Governments and science are working together with industries to combat the problem at the root by understanding the effects of contaminants as these diffuse through water, land, and air.

In the US the first federal environmental legislation to control air pollution was the Air Pollution Control Act of 1955.  This established research on monitoring and containing air pollution caused by interstate air transport.  There were several changes in the said law and the last was the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments.

Sharing concerns over environmental pollution, specifically ocean pollution the US Congress also enacted the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. On a global scale, awareness of environment issues has given rise to global environmental law.

This will change the way world tackles environmental pollution.  But governments need the political will to carry out these laws because these laws will affect big industries.

What You Can Do

You can do your share by eliminating the use chemical based cleaners, repairing your car leaks, reporting dumping of toxic waste, and disposing hazardous waste at hazardous waste collection centers.

Set up green power in your home to minimize the use of electricity which is one of the biggest pollutant of the environment.

And of course, follow Scipeeps.com for the latest news and articles on air, land and water pollution solutions and help us spread the word!