The entries in this blog have been researched and written by students. This project began in the spring 2014 semester, when class members were asked to identify contemporary environmental issues of their choice. Then, each student wrote a blog entry that: a) briefly describes the issue; b) explains its significance to the state of Michigan; and c) proposes a location affected by the issue that he/she would like to explore more deeply in a research paper. As such, the blog entry is the beginning of much larger individual projects and is intended to help students narrow down their research paper topics, as well as provide them with a forum for conversation about the issues and opportunities for feedback from peers, the instructor, and/or online community.