In response to changing curricular requirements, industrial concerns and student retention problems, more and more institutions of higher learning are embracing the concept of introducing engineering freshman to design problems during the first year of study. The discipline of Environmental Engineering can provide numerous examples which are suitable for entering engineering freshman to study as a design exercise. At New Jersey Institute of Technology, faculty from the Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and Environmental Science team teach a freshman engineering design course in which student teams site and design a proposed roadway connecting two existing highways with the objective of minimizing adverse environmental impacts.