Hey everybody! Know what week it is? It's Pollution Prevention Week! Launched by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this week September 15-21, is dedicated to preventing and reducing pollution. According to the EPA, the US annually produces millions of tons of pollution and spends tens of billions of dollars per year controlling it in the form of clean ups, stormwater management, and education to name a few.
Hey everybody! Know what week it is? It's Pollution Prevention Week!
Launched by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this week September 15-21, is dedicated to preventing and reducing pollution.
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According to the EPA, the US annually produces millions of tons of pollution and spends tens of billions of dollars per year controlling it in the form of clean ups, stormwater management, and education to name a few.
This week long event comes three months after President Obama's speech at Georgetown University where he outlined his Climate Action Plan to reduce carbon pollution that causes climate change. In addition to the Climate Action Plan, which outlines a number of common sense steps the administration is taking to reduce carbon pollution like increasing renewable energy and fuel efficiency, there are also a number of steps Americans can take to reduce carbon pollution.
The EPA encourages us to look at our lifestyles this week and brainstorm changes we can make in our daily lives. Some examples include saving energy and money by looking for the Energy Star label to find energy efficient electronics and appliances. Also, we can save water by looking for the WaterSense label to find water efficient products, which can save over 5,000 gallons of water per year per household and keep water supplies at safe levels. The EPA also urges us to pick safer products by looking for the EPA's Design for the Environment (DfE) Safer Product Label.
The EPA Pollution Prevention (P2) program is dedicated to providing resources to help reduce or eliminate waste by modifying production processes, promoting the use of less-toxic substances, and re-using materials rather than putting them into the waste stream.
The EPA provides various resources to help us achieve these goals based on where we live which includes grants and funding, business partnerships that promote sustainable practices, and online calculators that demonstrate how the reduction of greenhouse gases can lead to cost savings.
Each year, the third full week in September dedicated to pollution prevention which consequently allows businesses, environmental groups, and citizens to get together and share information on their practices. This can help individuals and the competition between businesses by realizing cost savings while at the same time enhance our environmental quality.
Read more at the US EPA Newsroom.
Stop pollution image via Shutterstock.
