First year undergraduate students at the University of Edinburgh hone their enquiry skills and learn to investigate current environmental issues by carrying out research projects. A list of 60 possible projects has been compiled and is available on a website, to be used directly or adapted to suit the requirements of other educators. This paper describes the educational philosophy behind this approach, our experiences with the logistics of the exercise, sets out the assessment criteria, discusses the goals and evaluates students' and instructors' feedback and reactions. (Contains 1 table.)