What is the EPA?

The United States Environmental Protection Agency, established in 1970, says this about its mission:
Our Mission
The mission of EPA is to protect human health and the environment.

EPA works to ensure that:

• Americans have clean air, land and water;
• National efforts to reduce environmental risks are based on the best available scientific information;
• Federal laws protecting human health and the environment are administered and enforced fairly, effectively and as Congress intended;
• Environmental stewardship is integral to U.S. policies concerning natural resources, human health, economic growth, energy, transportation, agriculture, industry, and international trade, and these factors are similarly considered in establishing environmental policy;
• All parts of society--communities, individuals, businesses, and state, local and tribal governments--have access to accurate information sufficient to effectively participate in managing human health and environmental risks;
• Contaminated lands and toxic sites are cleaned up by potentially responsible parties and revitalized; and
• Chemicals in the marketplace are reviewed for safety.

Visit their website for more info: https://www.epa.gov/

Keeping the environment clean and safe includes...

• Cutting down on dangerous emissions from vehicles, from cars to buses to trains to planes
• Eliminating substances such as lead from drinking water, and updating old underground infrastructure of pipes as well as water processing plants
• Setting standards for monitoring and removing mold from homes
• Encouraging testing for Radon in homes
• Making sure soil is safe for growing food
• Prohibiting waste emissions from businesses that pollute the air we breathe
• Promoting alternate energy such as electric-powered cars, large windmills, or solar energy for homes

 

We can thank the EPA for....

• A ban on lead in paint, and standards to remove lead paint from existing homes
• A ban on the pesticide DDT
• Protection of the Great Lakes from pollution
• Removing lead from gasoline
• Clamping down on factory pollution
• The Clean Air Act
• Safer storage of toxic chemicals
• Studying the efffects of second-hand smoke

There are some areas not covered by the EPA but by other agencies, such as workplace environments (handled by OSHA) or testing of cosmetics (handled by the FDA). Here are some further examples: https://publicaccess.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/212071687-Does-EPA-handle-all-environmental-concerns-


Possible career paths with the EPA

• Science: Biology/Marine Biology, geology
• EPA Law
• Education
• Statistics/trends
• Engineering - finding ways to combat pollution with technology
• Alternative energy
• Communications
• Meteorologist
• Public affairs
• Budget management

https://www.epa.gov/careers This part of their website also talks about student internships!


Did you know they have a Pinterest page? They do, and it's called Green Your Dorm or Your Home https://www.pinterest.com/epagov/green-your-dorm-or-your-home/