About Me

My name is Dan Ressler and I teach courses in soils, wetlands, environmental science and environmental chemistry.

I studied soil science in graduate school after working as an environmental consultant and seeing first-hand how many areas had been impaired or polluted by spilled oil, spilled gasoline, solvents or other chemicals. When these accidents happen, we usually dig up these contaminated soils and either bury them in a landfill, incinerate them, or is some cases, mix them with asphalt ingredients and convert a contaminated waste product into a usable material like paving.

I have been fascinated by other attempts to take society’s leftovers and cast-offs and try to take a waste that is good for nothing except consuming more valuable space elsewhere (like a landfill) and actually accomplish something useful with it.

So whether it is converting banana peels into garden compost with earthworms, or converting society’s worst rejected materials into an energy resource, I am convinced that these problems have to be tackled on a larger scale to make our society more sustainable. 

Courses Taught