PNNL

Abstract

In both business training and academic courses, students value a clear connection between the theoretical concepts they are learning and their application in the ‘real’ world. In subjects like pollution prevention, design for sustainability, and cleaner production, where their application in industry is the measure of their true value, it becomes even more important for students to get direct personal experience. The challenges, barriers, and incentives of conducting an environmental assessment cannot be easily simulated in a classroom setting, even with case studies or games. Additionally, engineers and business managers in industrial training often want to work directly on their own problem. One approach is to incorporate an environmental assessment of an actual industry or small business directly into the training. The assessment can range from a simple site visit followed by in-class discussion to multiple site visits with written analytical reports.