GVMEWM: Environmental and Waste Management

Module code: GVMEWM

Module provider: Geography and Environmental Science; School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science

Credits: 20

Level: Postgraduate Masters

When you'll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Dr Steve Robinson, email: j.s.robinson@reading.ac.uk

Module co-convenor: Professor Martin Lukac, email: m.lukac@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 20 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

Learn how the principles of environmental and waste management are applied in professional settings. Using a series of lectures, case studies and site visits, we will examine the motivations for a range of businesses and organisations to carry out environmental and waste management, the ways in which environmental impacts are assessed and the systems employed to minimise environmental problems.

The lectures include contributions from external speakers on a range of technical and political challenges facing the waste industry and will be complemented by external visits to illustrate environmental and waste management in a range of contexts.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Explore the potential environmental consequences of a range of business activities, explain the relationship between regulation of business and corporate responsibility in managing environmental impact and outline approaches to environmental impact assessment and assess the carbon footprints of organisations
2. Investigate environmental and waste management practices in a range of businesses including Environmental Management Systems
3. Describe and explain the regulatory processes governing the management of waste-to-land in England and critique and compare the sustainability of different strategies for processing and disposing of waste
4. Outline the main economic and environmental issues surrounding climate change and discuss mitigation and adaptation approaches and apply above principles to practice for a real client organisation

Module content

1. Overview of environmental impacts from human activities.
2. Assessing impacts including an introduction to the Environmental Impact Assessment process.
3. Regulatory processes governing environmental and waste management in industry.
4. Corporate perspectives – corporate responsibility and sustainability.
5. Environmental management project for an external client.
6. Field visits related to waste management and environmental protection.
7. Case studies in environmental and waste management in the food and non-food industries – external speakers.
8. Managing environmental change: mitigation and adaption.
9. Implementing environmental management in organisations: policies, systems and governance.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

18 x 2-hour lectures cover the principles of corporate environmental responsibility, waste regulation, Environmental Impact Assessment, environmental auditing and Environmental Management Systems.

3 or 4 half- or full-day external visits to local businesses and organisations to illustrate environmental and waste management in a range of contexts. 

Study hours

At least 52 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 50% to pass this module

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

• In-class discussions and Q&A sessions
• Verbal feedback from peers and instructors during the external visits

Reassessment

Additional costs