1) How has your relationship with water changed in your lifetime? Did you drink from streams when you were younger? Did water used taste better in your home town than it does now? Are there places you could swim, where you would not swim now. Do a little research to find out if something really changed about the water in a place where you have lived. Your sources can include your own memories, interviews of other residents (elderly people would be good), or search local news archives. Try to find out if and how the water did change, and report on how that affected your life? Share your story, and be sure to cite your sources of information.

2) Pollution of water and air results from activities that make us more comfortable. We burn fuels to control the temperature and humidity in our buildings and cars, we travel in vehicles with speed and comfort, we have an abundance of food within reach, and we have access to constant electronic entertainment. Despite this increase in prosperity, and the increase in population, we have actually reduced some pollution by using innovative regulatory schemes and technology. What if our innovations can no longer offset the effects of population increase, and we deplete of the capacity for renewal in our ecosystems? What would you be willing to give up to maintain your other comforts? How can you reduce your contribution to pollution? What might be the consequences if you or a classmate are unwilling to give up something?