The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has long been the “cop on the beat” and “judge & jury” regarding environmental enforcement in the U.S. During about the past 15 years, EPA has been moving beyond compliance and joining the sustainability or green movement.
The most recent example of this is its request for stakeholder input on EPA’s role in the development, manufacture, designation and use of sustainable products. The EPA is requesting comments on its future role in a number of areas including assembling databases, identifying sustainability “hotspots,” generating standards, stimulating the market, and measuring results/evaluating programs. As with many of EPA’s other sustainability initiatives, this request for input is authorized by the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990.
EPA has gone beyond compliance and into sustainability in many ways, including the following examples:
ENERGY STAR – ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.
Green Building – Green, or sustainable, building is the practice of creating and using healthier and more resource-efficient models of construction, renovation, operation, maintenance and demolition.
Design for the Environment – EPA’s Design for the Environment (DfE) works in partnership with industry, environmental groups, and academia to reduce risk to people and the environment by finding ways to prevent pollution.
Partnership for Sustainable Healthcare – EPA’s Partnership for Sustainable Healthcare (PSH) evolved from the agency’s previous partnership program, Hospitals for a Healthy Environment.
Interested in finding out more about how your organization can benefit from the sustainability movement? I’d be glad to review your concerns and ideas, so call me at 215-881-9401. For EPA resources and contacts in Region 3, click here!
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