Environmental Sciences: Renewable Resource Reclamation Major

Every wind farm, solar field and geothermal loop disturbs soil and water before it produces a single kilowatt. Lakeland’s Environmental Sciences: Renewable Resource Reclamation Major teaches you to plan that work well and put the land back afterwards. It is a two-year diploma at Lakeland’s Vermilion campus, taught mostly face to face.

First-year Environmental Sciences courses give you ecology, soils, plant identification and mapping. The Renewable Resource Reclamation year then adds the basics of renewable energy and two introductory courses chosen from Wind Energy, Solar Energy, Geoenergy Exchange Installation and Biofuels. Alongside these you learn to recognise, manage and decrease soil and water disturbance from building energy infrastructure, apply reclamation criteria, assess renewable energy potential, understand energy distribution infrastructure, and use site design, construction, sampling and analysis techniques.

The three renewable energy courses in this major are delivered online, while the reclamation and soils work stays in Vermilion classrooms and the field from the first weeks. Environmental Sciences Field Week, a reclamation tour of the TransAlta Highvale coal mine and field tickets such as ground disturbance and H2S Alive round out the training. You may take a workplace practicum between years. Graduates can apply for Biological Technician in Training with the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists, Environmental Professional in Training with ECO Canada and Level III Water and Wastewater Operator Certification, add a second major in one more year, or enter the Bachelor of Applied Science: Environmental Management.

Renewable Resource Reclamation graduates plan and reclaim solar, wind and geothermal projects as renewable energy site reclamation technicians, environmental technicians, environmental monitors for energy construction and reclamation coordinators with developers, consultants and utilities. The major suits students drawn to clean energy who also want solid soil and reclamation skills.