Author: EPA.gov

El 2010 marca cuarenta años desde el primer Día del Planeta Tierra y la creación de la Agencia de Protección Ambiental (EPA, por sus siglas en inglés). Esta semana, queremos saber cómo la protección ambiental ha hecho una diferencia en su vida. Sea un cambio en el hogar o un proyecto de EPA en su comunidad, queremos escuchar su historia. Asegúrese de visitar nuestro sitio Web del Día del Planeta Tierra para ideas sobre cómo usted puede celebrar, participar y continuar haciendo una diferencia!

¿Cómo ha mejorado su vida como resultado de pasos que usted u otros han tomado para proteger el medio ambiente?

My first cell phone was a clunky, monstrous thing that looked like a cross between a radio and a remote control. I barely ever used it, and as I upgraded to sleeker, more versatile phones year after year, Ol’ Clunky sat in a box in my closet, gathering dust. When my phone took a plunge into the sink recently, I took out my box of forgotten cell phones for a temporary replacement. To my dismay, the only cell phone that still worked was Ol’ Clunky.

My friends regarded my use of this decade-old device with awed reverence. “You realize that this should be in a museum, right?” They would ask. A better question to ask would be, “Why do you have a box-full of broken cell phones,” and “Why haven’t you bothered to recycle any of them?” I don’t have good answers to these questions, but I do know that for this year’s EPA National Cell Phone Recycling Week, which runs from Monday 4/5- Sunday 4/11, I’ll be dropping my old cell phones off at the nearest cell-phone recycling spot.

EPA and its Plug-In partners, including AT&T, Best Buy, LG Electronics, Samsung Mobile, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, and RecyleBank, are holding a series of activities across the country during National Cell Phone Recycling Week. From in-store collection events to mail-in opportunities, people can unload all their unwanted cellular devices and benefit the environment at the same time. By recycling cell phones, we conserve materials, prevent air and water pollution, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that occur during the manufacturing process. When cell phones are recycled, the precious metals, copper, and plastics are used to create new cell phones. Judging by how heavy Ol’ Clunky is, he might very well contain a decent amount of recyclable materials.

On average, only 10 percent of cell phones are recycled annually, with an estimated 58 million cell phones sitting in storage and not being used. While I know I should have recycled my devices eons ago, better late than never, right? I guess I’ll miss Ol’ Clunky, but I know he and I will meet again one day. Only this time, he’ll be part of a snazzier, upgraded phone, and not some forgotten relic in back of my closet.

About the author: Felicia Chou is a Program Analyst in EPA’s Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery and has been hoarding her old cell phones since 2002.

‘Old war movie’ gurus may recognize the reference. While more is yet to come on the war relics that still refuse to dissolve into the jungle and out of sight, this highlights another issue that one might not expect to find in paradise.

Our third full day in Palau we found ourselves out again with Ron Leidich, biologist and founder of Planet Blue. We wanted an opportunity to continue planning the possible kayaking routes we could take after a week of diving. We were graciously given the time as we explored Blue Devil’s Beach (a.k.a Lee Marvin Beach – named after the 60’s Hollywood heart throb). In addition to getting a chance to snorkel, we helped clean the beach for the arrival of some guests traveling through the World Wildlife Fund for a week long guided expedition with Ron.

I pick up trash anywhere out of habit, beaches, even parking lots. I can’t leave it! Palau’s shoreline was no exception. Despite the remoteness, Palau isn’t immune to the traces of human activity even oceans away. The currents carry debris from any number of sources. We grabbed flip flops, nylon rope, plastic scraps and cans. I had held out hope that we wouldn’t see litter but, pollution knows no bounds. Plastics never disappear; they just breakdown into smaller pieces. While you didn’t have to look as hard as I would’ve hoped to find garbage, it felt encouraging being among Palauans who work hard to leave no trace and pick up the traces of others.

We noticed more recycling bins around Koror than I see in Boston, and the dive operations promoted the same ideas. For a relatively new independent country, Palau appeared to be on the right path with environmental and conservation efforts. A friend of ours told us about a family picnic day where they came across a beach positioned at the receiving end of currents carrying forgotten and poorly disposed of trash, maybe from ships, or other continents. 7 full garbage bags later and there was even more.

That litter blowing down the street always ends up someplace – even if you don’t know where.

About the author: Jeanethe Falvery lives in Boston, working for EPA New England as a Public Affairs Specialist, doing Superfund  Community Involvement. Currently Jeanethe is also working on web and social media outreach for EPA’s Office of Web Communications in Washington D.C.

It was nearly three years ago when I met with scientists in EPA’s Office of Research and Development about “modernizing” their processes for producing science assessment documents. I remember that first meeting well — the table was piled high with huge documents with hundreds of word-processing tables representing data from published scientific journal articles, and many file cabinets full of associated paper reprints — and asked, “how do we make this into a database?”

My name is Ellen, and I am a “dataholic.” Although admittedly a dataholic, it was clear to even “non-dataholics” that this was a project ripe for an overhaul. With last week’s launch of the Health and Environmental Research Online (HERO) database,  scientists have an efficient way to identify the science available to produce these documents.

Modernizing the science assessment process had another bonus – it enabled easy access to the science used to inform EPA’s decision-making in a way not possible when the research was tucked in file drawers and buried in reams of tables. We threw in another bonus — thanks to the hyperlink model of the World Wide Web.

It took some adjustment to get used to those blue links throughout the documents. This paradigm shift highlights a major effort on the part of EPA to give open access to the data used. While reading an assessment, these direct links allow the reader immediate access to bibliographic information and summaries of the science used in each assessment. (Go to http://www.epa.gov/iris/subst/0286.htm to see an example.) Teams of expert scientists use expanded versions of this same information to distill the knowledge into a finished assessment. It’s like having a thousand documents standing right behind the assessments, with on-demand viewing capabilities, ready to be understood by other scientists and the public.

The project that was conceived to convert a paper process to a digital one has found a natural fit with the Administration’s initiative for Open Government. HERO is designed to put into practice this commitment to transparency by sharing the research, methodologies and guidelines that inform the risk assessment process. EPA uses risk assessments to characterize the nature and magnitude of health risks to humans and the ecosystem from pollutants and chemicals in the environment.

“Giving the public easy access to the same information EPA uses will help open the lines of communication, increase knowledge and understanding, and open the doors of EPA,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson when HERO was announced.

This is an exciting time to be a “dataholic” at the EPA.

About the author: Ellen Lorang is project lead for HERO (http://epa.gov/hero) in EPA’s National Center for Environmental Assessment. This blog is part of an ongoing series about the EPA’s efforts toward the Open Government Directive that lays out the Obama Administration’s commitment to Open Government and the principles of transparency, participation and collaboration.

After the winter storms, it’s truly a wonder to see how Mother Nature comes to life during springtime. As the hours of sunlight get longer and temperatures get warmer, you see the first signs of spring in sprouting bulbs such as daffodils and early bloomers like forsythia bushes. Hints of color interrupt the gray outdoors practically overnight. Chirping birds and singing frogs also contribute to the awakening of the new season.

I confess that my backyard is a sorry sight nowadays. The trees survived the wintry onslaught, but the bushes and perennials did not fare as well. The garden will need some major care that will span several weeks maybe even months. Even though I do not have a green thumb, the time invested in gardening definitely will be rewarding on the personal and environmental level.

Since April is gardening month, it’s a nice time to roll up your sleeves and have fun planting in your back yard. Here are some green tips to take care of your garden with minimal use of chemicals. Selecting native plants is also a way to reduce the need for chemicals to control pests and use water efficiently. You might have to go to the Web to identify nurseries in your area that sell native plants or visit USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service for state/territory specific information. Simple actions can go a long way to protect the environment.

Another “tradition” that I have tried to adopt at home has been to plant a tree on Earth Day. Our Earth Day trees have survived in spite of the winter storms this year. If you don’t have a back yard to plant a tree, maybe you can buy a good house plant for your apartment. Every environment counts—whether indoors or the great outdoors.

Are you planning anything special to revamp your garden this month?

About the author: Lina Younes has been working for EPA since 2002 and chairs EPA’s Multilingual Communications Task Force. Prior to joining EPA, she was the Washington bureau chief for two Puerto Rican newspapers and she has worked for several government agencies.

Después de las tormentas invernales, es realmente una maravilla ver cómo la Madre Naturaleza revive durante la primavera. A medida de que las horas de luz solar se extienden y que las temperaturas van subiendo, vemos las primeras señales de primavera cuando los bulbos empiezan a brotar y los arbustos empiezan a retoñar. Destellos de color interrumpen los monótonos grises en el exterior prácticamente de un día al otro. Los cantos de aves y ranas también contribuyen al despertar de la nueva temporada.

Confieso que mi jardín está hecho un desastre. Los árboles sobrevivieron los azotes invernales, pero la mayoría de los arbustos y plantas perennes no tuvieron la misma suerte. El jardín requerirá una atención especial durante las próximas semanas y quizás meses. Aunque no tengo buena mano para las plantas, el tiempo que invertiré en la jardinería definitivamente tendrá recompensas tanto a nivel personal como ambiental.

Como abril es el mes dedicado a la jardinería, es un buen momento para enrollarse las mangas y divertirse sembrando plantas en el jardín. He aquí algunos consejos verdes para cuidar de su patio con el uso mínimo de sustancias químicas. El seleccionar plantas nativas también es una manera de reducir la necesidad de sustancias químicas para controlar plagas y poder usar el agua el agua de manera eficiente. Probablemente tendrá que visitar varias páginas Web para identificar los sitios donde venden plantas autóctonas en su área. También puede visitar el sitio del Servicio de Conservación de Recursos Naturales [http://plants.usda.gov/ ] del Departamento de Agricultura Federal para información específica para su estado o territorio. Acciones sencillas pueden tener repercusiones positivas y a largo plazo para proteger el medio ambiente.

Otra “tradición” que he tratado de adoptar en mi hogar consiste en sembrar un árbol para el Día del Planeta Tierra. Aquellos árboles que sembramos para ese día han sobrevivido las tormentas este año. Ahora, si no tiene un jardín para sembrar un árbol, también puede comprar una planta para su hogar si vive en un apartamento. Cada medio ambiente cuenta, sea en entornos interiores como al aire libre.

¿Acaso está planificando algo especial para darle nueva vida a su jardín este mes?

Sobre la autor: Lina M. F. Younes ha trabajado en la EPA desde el 2002 y está a cargo del Grupo de Trabajo sobre Comunicaciones Multilingües. Como periodista, dirigió la oficina en Washington de dos periódicos puertorriqueños y ha laborado en varias agencias gubernamentales.

Last summer I was a lifeguard on Myrtle Beach. It was a fun yet stressful job to say the least. I was constantly asked about the presence of jellyfish and, of course, sharks, but was rarely asked of the quality of the water. Only once sections of the beach were closed were questions raised, indirectly, towards water quality.

The answer as to why beaches were being closed was easy to answer: the waters in the areas closed down were unsafe because of environmental degradation. Streams of water leading from the land beyond the beach to the ocean are caused by “swashes.” Swashes are areas of the beach where water has washed onshore after an incoming wave has broken, causing sand and other light particles to cover the beach. There are signs around the swashes warning beach-goers that it is not safe to play in the streams for fear of health concerns, as the water in the streams harbor bacteria caused by pollution. However, the shallow, calm waters and large, rounded rocks provide a seemingly harmless playground to children and families.

The pipelines that surge run-off from the land to the ocean create an easy access for pollution to reach the water on our beaches. Sections of the beach close down usually after periods of rainfall, as rain moves ample amounts of pollutants into the ocean. Most of the pollutants that are in the water are caused by what people are doing on land. Some actions that cause ocean contamination and pollution include:

• Automobile and boat use
• Pesticide use
• Garbage dumping
• Land-clearing
• Toxic waste dumping
• Oil spills

The bacteria, pollutions, wastes, and pesticides in oceans and on beaches can have detrimental health effects to humans, especially children. These health effects include:

• Sore Throat
• Gastroenteritis
• Meningitis
• Encephalitis
• Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)

The problem in our coastal waters is one that should concern us. Children like to play on the sand and in the water, making them more susceptible to the health effects caused by pollution.

About the author: Nicole Reising is an intern at the Office of Children’s Health Protection. She is a sophomore studying non-profit management at Indiana University.

What kind of gardening plans have you made this year?

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? The warm weather is coming our way and our thoughts are turning to the great outdoors. Many of us will be planning and planting a vegetable or flower gardens or both, or even an herb garden in a balcony window box. Are you? Your name may not be Mary, but we’d still like to know. During your planning stages, don’t forget to set aside room for composting, it can really make a difference!

Each week we ask a question related to the environment. Please let us know your thoughts as comments. Feel free to respond to earlier comments or post new ideas. Previous questions.

Las temperaturas cálidas se avecinan y fijamos nuestra atención en las actividades al aire libre. Muchos de nosotros estaremos planificando para sembrar legumbres en el huerto o jardines de flores, o quizás tener tiestos con hierbas aromáticas en el balcón. ¿Y usted? ¿En qué está pensando en esta temporada? Nos encantaría saber. Durante la etapa de planificación, no se olvide de dejar un espacio para hacer compostaje ya que puede hacer una gran diferencia!

¿Qué tipo de planes de jardinería tiene para este año?

Cada semana hacemos una pregunta relacionada al medio ambiente. Por favor comparta con nosotros sus pensamientos y comentarios. Siéntase en libertad de responder a comentarios anteriores o plantear nuevas ideas. Preguntas previas.

Back in 1999, I attended a forum called the National Conference for Public Interest Lawyers, which was basically a job fair for new lawyers. I knew I wanted to do environmental work, but I wasn’t quite sure exactly what that would look like or what was available. As I walked to the different tables, I landed in front of one that had several informational sheets, but one said ‘Environmental Justice.’ What is Environmental Justice? As I read through the sheet it explained that working for environmental justice meant working with and in low income communities and communities of color that were overburdened by environmental pollution. And, that the concentration of facilities and pollution had deleterious health impacts for the people living and working in these communities. That was it. I knew I wanted to work with this group -only one problem: they didn’t have any jobs! I could have moved on, but I knew that no other job would be as rewarding. So, I did the only thing I could, I offered to work as a volunteer.

Working with communities I witnessed the burdens they were living with and met many great hard working citizens who had a passion and love for their home. As a legal advisor I worked together with community groups to advance their visions and address disproportionate impacts. This was very rewarding and it strengthened my commitment and desire to work hand in hand with communities.

In January 2010 the Administrator announced her seven priorities, one being to: Expand the Conversation on Environmentalism and Work for Environmental Justice. Now, in my new position I have the opportunity to continue to work with communities in implementing the Administrator’s priority to ensure all communities are healthy places for people to live, learn, work, and play.

One way we have been working to bring the voices of the communities to the forefront is through our Faces of the Grassroots: Environmental Justice Video Contest. You can share your environmental justice stories by submitting either a 30 or 60 second public service message or a longer 3 to 5 minute informational video that captures your environmental justice story. Our contest closes April 8th. We want you to join the conversation!

For more info, visit

About the author: Lisa Garcia , Senior Advisor to the Administrator for Environmental Justice

Como mencioné en uno de mis blogs anteriores, una de mis resoluciones verdes ha sido tratar de minimizar los desechos durante los almuerzos que preparo diariamente para mi hija menor y para mí. Por el momento, no he usado las pequeñas bolsas de sándwich plásticas desechables. He continuado usando envases reutilizables para los almuerzos que preparamos para la escuela y el trabajo. Cuando estaba de compras en el supermercado la semana pasada buscando opciones más verdes, encontré una bolsa de papitas fritas que era “100 por ciento compostable”. Me sorprendió su alegación verde. No obstante, leí la envoltura y visité su sitio Web para información adicional. Conforme a la compañía, la envoltura está hecha a base de plantas y se descompone totalmente en el compostaje. Incluso la compañía insiste que la bolsa puede desaparecer en menos de cuatro meses si se coloca en el compostaje. ¡Increíble! La única desventaja de la bolsa es que el material es demasiado ruidoso. Francamente, ese es un pequeño precio a pagar si consideramos que la bolsa puede ayudar a reducir desechos.

Hay numerosos beneficios medioambientales en el compostaje (abono orgánico. Mientras los desechos de alimentos y recortes de hierbas son las cosas en las que pensamos cuando estamos hablando del contenido del compostaje, estas nuevas bolsas y envolturas definitivamente añaden una nueva dimensión.

Con mayor frecuencia, un mayor número de compañías están desarrollando nuevas tecnologías para asegurar que sus productos sean más “verdes”. Otro esfuerzo innovador consiste en reemplazar la espuma de poliestireno (Styrofoam ) en el embalaje y la construcción con materiales biodegradables elaborados con el micelio de hongos benignos.

Diariamente las compañías están utilizando la tecnología para beneficiar al medio ambiente. En muchas ocasiones, las compañías emprenden estos esfuerzos no tan sólo porque quieren ser buenos ciudadanos corporativos, sino porque se están dando cuenta que el contenido y el mercadeo verde también atrae más clientes. Es muy rentable. Esperamos encontrar soluciones innovadoras para muchos de nuestros retos ambientales.

Sobre la autor: Lina M. F. Younes ha trabajado en la EPA desde el 2002 y está a cargo del Grupo de Trabajo sobre Comunicaciones Multilingües. Como periodista, dirigió la oficina en Washington de dos periódicos puertorriqueños y ha laborado en varias agencias gubernamentales.

As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, one of my green resolutions for the year has been to strive for “waste free lunches.” So far, I have not used any plastic sandwich bags and I have been using reusable containers regularly both for my daughter’s and my lunches. So, as I was grocery shopping last week looking for greener options, I came across a bag of chips that was made of “100% compostable packaging.” I was completely surprised by their green claim. Nonetheless, I read the label on the bag and visited their website for additional information. According to the company, the package is plant-based which makes it completely compostable. The company claims that the bag will disappear in less than four months after placing in a composter. Incredible! The only drawback that I found was that the bag was very noisy. Frankly, that’s a small price to pay when you consider how the bag can help reduce waste.

There are numerous environmental benefits to composting. While certain food scraps and yard trimmings are usually what you think of when adding contents to a composter, these packages add a whole different dimension.

Increasingly, more companies are developing new technologies to green their products. Another innovative green effort to replace Styrofoam in packaging and construction also uses biodegradable material developed from the mycelium of benign fungus.

Every day we see how more companies are using technology to go green. Not only are some of these companies trying to be good corporate citizens, they are realizing that green contents and marketing definitely sell. Hopefully, we’ll find innovative solutions to many of our environmental challenges.

About the author: Lina Younes has been working for EPA since 2002 and chairs EPA’s Multilingual Communications Task Force. Prior to joining EPA, she was the Washington bureau chief for two Puerto Rican newspapers and she has worked for several government agencies.

Earlier today, I posted a picture of a guy named Bill Ryan to EPA’s AIRNow Facebook page. Bill teaches air quality forecasting at Penn State University, and he’s been a big supporter over the years as EPA has worked to share air quality information with people all across the United States. Last week, we named him the 2010 AIRNow Partner of the Year.

As I was uploading Bill’s picture, it struck me: the great partnerships we have in the AIRNow program, combined with today’s technology, have created powerful tools for letting all of us know what we’re breathing right now – and what tomorrow’s air quality could mean for us.

EPA launched AIRNow.gov nearly 12 years ago, building off a mapping program started by EPA’s New England office to share real-time information about ozone pollution. As technology and our partnerships have expanded, so have the ways you find out about air quality where you live.

Today, in the Research Triangle, N.C., area where I work, I can get air quality forecasts pretty much any way you can imagine: on the AIRNow Web site, on local TV, from a state telephone hotline, in my local newspaper, or through EnviroFlash e-mails or tweets. If ozone or particle pollution levels are high, I can quickly find out how I can protect my health. And I can get a list of simple steps to take to help improve air quality where I live.

So can you! AIRNow forcasts and real-time data are available for more than 300 cities across the country. The engine behind this info is powered by more than 170 state, local and federal partners – all committed to sharing monitoring data and information so you can make decisions that affect your daily lives.

Every day, all year, our partner agencies feed real-time air quality data and forecasts to the AIRNow system. We send it back out to weather service providers and to national media such as the Weather Channel and USA Today. The National Weather Service uses the data in the air quality models it makes available to state and local forecasters, like Bill Ryan, who start the process all over again.

My local air quality forecast for Tuesday is Code Green – or good – for both ozone and particle pollution. What’s yours?

About the author: Alison Davis is a Sr. Advisor for Public Affairs in EPA’s Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards. This blog is part of an ongoing series about the EPA’s efforts toward the Open Government Directive that lays out the Obama Administration’s commitment to Open Government and the principles of transparency, participation and collaboration.

In high school I volunteered for a non-profit organization called “Stepping Stones,” a program that provides transitional housing for children. I set up a table outside of the cafeteria to help raise money and spread information about the organization. There was another student helping me. I didn’t know her very well, but I decided to start a conversation with her as I knew I would be volunteering with her for the day. I soon learned that she was a part of the Stepping Stones program. At that moment I realized that homelessness does not always have the usual, negative stereotype. The truth is that that the majority of homeless people in America are children.

The recession has caused many single parents to lose their jobs and remain unemployed, making the problem worse. This leaves families unable to pay bills and to lose their homes. Children are forced to live in undesirable conditions because their parents are unable to bring in a sufficient income. It is a somewhat silent issue because of the embarrassment that comes with being homeless. Families will only turn to homeless shelters and soup kitchens as a last resort because the embarrassment is more hurtful than living in adverse environments.

These children must deal with stress on a daily basis. Even those who are not yet homeless but rather in jeopardy of becoming homeless or living in poverty must face the stress of potential homelessness. Children under such conditions worry about getting enough food, whether or when they will be kicked out of the house, how friends will react once homelessness is announced, and whether the child will be kicked out of school because of the lack of residency.

The stressors of being homeless can lead to many homeless children feeling depressed, causing detrimental health effects. Stress over long periods of time can cause the immune system, digestion system, and growth and reproductive systems to slow down or stop. Children are more at risk as they are still in the growing process. This is when psychological issues turn into physical. Not only is a child feeling depressed, stressed, and isolated, but the child is now suffering from health problems as well.

About the author: Nicole Reising is an intern at the Office of Children’s Health Protection. She is a sophomore studying non-profit management at Indiana University.

We’re constantly looking for ways to make it easier for you to do what you want on our Web site, and we’re just starting a major overhaul. But epa.gov is large (500,000 pages) and complex (hundreds of smaller sites), so it’ll take time.

We’re taking small steps, though, and the first is a new home page. The main issue with the current home page is that it lacks visual and content prioritization, which makes it challenging to use.

Our design goals are straightforward: help you do what you want while sharing what we’re up to. To figure out your top tasks, we used a lot of data:

• popular search terms both here and in external search engines
• a question about top tasks in our online customer satisfaction survey
• scans that showed where people are clicking on the current home page
• surveys and focus groups that went into our information strategy

The top tasks, both across all audiences and within specific audiences, are remarkably consistent:

• learn about environmental issues
• find out what EPA is doing about an issue (this aligns well with our need to report what we’re up to)
• learn about your local community

Within the business community, an additional concern is to learn about requirements they have to follow. For parents, finding out what they can do to help and finding information for kids are also top tasks. Nothing overly surprising in these results, but it’s good to have data to confirm what we thought.

Our design approach was to greatly simplify the home page, focusing on these tasks and not trying to do everything.

New features include:

• A section linking directly to the subjects you search for most. We’ll update this section as things change.
• A new section on what you can do to protect the environment. We’ll change the contents of this section to match current efforts.
• New banner layouts that give us more flexibility to tell you what we’re doing.
• New sections showing our latest announcements and our highest-priority efforts.

We retained several elements that match your top tasks, like MyEnvironment, which lets you search for information about your community. And the tabs at the top will still be there (stay tuned for major enhancements to the content behind all of them). You’ll still be able to quickly link to our social media efforts, information about working here, and other information in the footer.

Again, this is just the first step, and we’ll adjust as we go. We’ve posted the new home page as a sneak peek, and we’d appreciate hearing your thoughts. Have we missed something big? Does it work? Are we achieving our goals? Keep in mind the complexity of our mission and our multiple audiences as you consider the new design. And remember, this is just the home page; we’re also working to improve the entire site.

I’m excited to finally be able to share the hard work of many folks here, and I look forward to hearing your suggestions for how we can do even better!

Check out the sneak peek.

About the author: Jeffrey Levy is EPA’s Director of Web Communications

Spring has sprung (at least meteorologically), the days will be getting longer and warmer. This new season offers much for many of us, including the ability to get outdoors to exercise and play, visit a park or zoo, or just to breathe in the fresh air and enjoy your environment. While you’re at it, why not check out our new video project, “It’s My Environment”, and be a part of something new and innovative.

What outdoor plans have you made to enjoy your environment this Spring?

Each week we ask a question related to the environment. Please let us know your thoughts as comments. Feel free to respond to earlier comments or post new ideas. Previous questions.

La primavera ha comenzado (al menos meteorológicamente hablando), los días empiezan a ser más largos y cálidos. Esta nueva temporada nos ofrece mucho, inclusive la habilidad para salir al aire libre a hacer ejercicios y jugar, visitar un parque o zoológico, o hasta respirar el aire fresco y disfrutar de nuestro medio ambiente. Mientras tanto, por qué no se entera de nuestro nuevo proyecto de video, “Es mi medio ambiente”, y participe en un esfuerzo nuevo e innovador.

¿Qué tipo de planes al aire libre tiene para disfrutar de su medio ambiente esta primavera?

Cada semana hacemos una pregunta relacionada al medio ambiente. Por favor comparta con nosotros sus pensamientos y comentarios. Siéntase en libertad de responder a comentarios anteriores o plantear nuevas ideas. Preguntas previas.

The third Saturday in September is recognized across language and cultural barriers as a day to support and protect our waters as the International Coastal Clean-up (ICC). At last year’s Cleanup, nearly 400,000 volunteers collected over 6.8 million pounds of trash in 100 countries and 42 US states; the largest volunteer effort of its kind. Beginning 23 years ago in Texas, the event has grown into a premiere service event around the world and echoes President Obama’s call to service. Many of the locations are located directly in the heart of large urban populations and serve as sources of education on important water issues. The events’ impact is evidenced by the reduction of trash in the waterways that participate and demonstrates how other clean up efforts around the country can help revitalize the water.

I joined the EPA several summers ago as an intern, while a student at Howard University in Washington, DC. This is when I was first introduced to this annual event, and more importantly the cleanup was my first real experience with water issues and the concept of protecting America’s urban waters. At the time my sole job was managing the partnership EPA had with Howard University, and one of my areas of focus was community service. The two seemed like a perfect a fit since one of the sites designated for a cleanup was here in DC at the Anacostia River. The first year in 2008, we lead a group of about 20 students. With a great response, they were able to develop a sense of ownership responsibility for the waters in their community. In 2009, the amount of support more than doubled, with a little over 50 volunteers from the University and presence at two sites within the city.

I have witnessed the impact that clean ups like this have on our water and in the hearts of the volunteers through my work with EPA and Howard University firsthand. It also brought Environmental issues and more importantly issues with urban waters (like trash and runoff) to both students at Howard and the general population of DC. As this particular event approaches its 25 year anniversary there is still more that can be done especially on our urban waterfronts. Unfortunately trash may always find its way into our waters, but our clean up efforts make a large difference to communities that leave in these areas.

Link about the coastal cleanup.

About the Author: Jarred McKee is a Fellow in the Oceans & Coastal Protection Division in the Office of Wetlands, Oceans & Watersheds. He has been with the EPA for several years now and annually works on the Agency’s Partnership with the Ocean Conservancy and International Coastal Clean Up.

Next week, I’ll have the exciting opportunity to spend time amongst the best and brightest air pollution scientists in the world at the 2010 AAAR “Air Pollution and Health” specialty conference in San Diego.

The conference is co-sponsored by EPA and this year the theme is “bridging the gap from sources to health outcomes”, a topic relevant to protecting human health both within the U.S. and abroad.

According to the conference website, I can expect to find “rigorous debates,” “state-of-the-art products” and “the latest information on linking adverse health effects of air pollution to emissions sources and atmospheric pollutants.”

During my 5 days navigating a sea of posters, talks, panels, and vendor fairs, I will plan to share daily photos and posts on the exciting EPA-relevant science I encounter. This is a unique opportunity to communicate up-to-the-minute information on science that is happening now.

Hot topics to look out for:

1. Cardiovascular disease, asthma, and diabetes as air pollution risk factors: What underlying health problems put you at higher risk?
2. Mortality and long-term particle exposure: Can pollution exposure lead to an earlier death?
3. Genetics and air pollution: Is our capacity to deal with air pollution written in our DNA?
4. Multi-pollutants: How can scientists study particle mixtures that contain hundreds of chemicals?
5. Atmospheric transport and transformation: What happens to pollutants once they are in the air?
6. Successes and challenges: Have actions to improve air quality been successful? Have there been unintended consequences?

Stay tuned…

About the Author: Becky Fried is a student contractor with EPA’s National Center for Environmental Research, part of the Office of Research and Development.

Paradise greeted us at 4 a.m. with the sound of roosters serenading outside our window. Friends we made later on told us we’d eventually just stop hearing them. We had no idea how true that was (amusing story… part IV).

Day 1 was spent walking Koror to get the lay of the land. Got breakfast – chicken stir fry, (we offered a nearby rooster) and a cheese/egg burger for me. It was indeed an egg on a burger. We started following the locals to dine shortly thereafter.

For the ‘main drag,’ Koror was quiet. The speed limit gave dogs and chickens ample time to go about their days crossing The road that went through town. We sought out the Palau Conservation Society (PCS) to meet a friend of a friend – missed him, so we snorkeled across the street. (Yep, it was clean enough.) Still blister-free, we continued onto what would become our second home there: Sam’s Tours to plan finishing up my diving certification!

Later that night at Kramer’s (go if you’re there!), we met up with our friend Scott (PCS), for the first time in person. As we came in he said; “I KNEW I drove by you guys three times today!” I guess we slightly stuck out… small place. Talking that night, it already began to feel like we were home away from home.

The next day we explored the island of Ulong (where contestants ‘roughed it’ on Survivor) with Scott’s family, and other new friends including Ron Leidich, a biologist and founder of Planet Blue Kayak Tours. Talking with Ron was like being back at camp, only way cooler. We were learning (alongside the actual kids there with us) how some of Palau’s plants were pollinated, and which ones wouldn’t kill you, should you ever get sick of coconuts. Helpful, since we were scheming to kayak and camp on the Rock Islands and beyond for a week on our own.

Watching a stunning sunset on the boat ride back that day it hit us: one trip, a few weeks, would never be enough.

About the author: Jeanethe lives in Boston, working for EPA’s New England Office as a Public Affairs Specialist, and a Superfund Community Involvement Coordinator. Currently Jeanethe is also working on web and social media outreach for EPA’s Office of Web Communications in Washington D.C.