My office held our second Video Town Hall two weeks ago, and I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion. The session covered two topics: reducing your carbon footprint through reducing, reusing, and recycling, and EPA’s recent decision to conduct an environmental justice analysis of the definition of the solid waste rule. We had an excellent conversation. We answered a question from a man in California who wanted to see us do more to promote energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs, and one from a Minnesota woman who wanted to build an environmentally-friendly house. A Brooklyn non-profit wanted to know how we balance our focus on environmental justice with preserving industrial jobs and the tax base in urban areas. These are just a few examples, and you can watch the whole session on our Video Town Hall page.

As was the case with our first Video Town Hall, we were able to answer every question we received on the topics we were discussing. That’s gratifying to me. Anyone who had an internet connection or a phone could ask me a question. That didn’t used to be possible, and I’m glad that technology is enabling people outside of Washington to speak directly with their government.

We plan to hold more Video Town Halls in the near future. Check our Video Town Hall page for future sessions.

About the author: Mathy Stanislaus is EPA’s Assistant Administrator for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response.
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.

logo_iaea.jpg

My report on IAEA's Technical Meeting in Vienna, Austria is available on Page 9 of the February 2010 CRCPD Newsbrief. The report is available to read here.

Excerpt:
Representatives of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission invited CRCPD and an EPA representative to participate in the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) technical meeting in Vienna, Austria, on December 15 & 16, 2009. The purpose of the meeting was the revision of the Basic Safety Standards (BSS) on radon and the impact on current regulatory requirements.

This is part of the reason why there is a childhood obesity epidemic taking over the county. Kids are simply eating the foods that they like best, most of these foods being processed and lacking the essential nutrients that their bodies need.

Unhealthy diets do not only reside in the school, however. With the increasing amounts of microwavable meals and packaged foods, a home-cooked meal is quickly becoming a rarity and a thing of the past. We are trading health for convenience. Popping something into the microwave or oven takes less energy and time than making a home-cooked meal. The nutrients that we could be getting from fruits and vegetable are overshadowed by these extremely processed foods. Theses foods are often high in fat, sugars, and calories and lacking important nutrients that aren’t only harmful to the health of children, but to adults as well. Adults must then serve as an example. If they are eating well then their children will eat well also.

Children are almost completely reliant on their authority figures to provide them with appropriate meals. Therefore, it is important that we go to those authority figures, the school administrators and the parents, to encourage healthy diets for children. There must be a shift in the way that children are eating. No more should their staple foods be that of pizza, hotdogs, and hamburgers. More fresh and prepared meals must be given to children.

It may take a little more time and effort to make home-cooked meals or pack a child’s lunch, but the small amount of time and effort added to preparing healthy foods should not be overridden by the health benefits. Also, the packing of a school lunch and preparation of a meal can be a learning experience for children as they can learn how to cook and pack their own lunches while learning about what foods are wholesome.

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.

To meet an increasing need for radon mitigation of homes in Northeast Colorado, Colorado State University Extension has two scholarships available to become a certified radon mitigator.

Each scholarship covers the $595 cost of the mitigation course through the Center for Environmental Research and Technology Institute.

When course work and the certification test are completed, membership to the American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists will be paid for the first year as part of the scholarship.

Radon is a colorless, odorless radioactive gas which is considered the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.

During the past three years, CSU Extension has provided educational programs which include radon screening tests.

When was the last time you fixed a leak?

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.ea

¿Cuándo fue la última vez que reparó un goteo?

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.

Unfortunately, many communities across the nation, particularly low-income, minority, and tribal populations, live in unhealthy conditions because they are located near factories, ports, agricultural land, or are exposed to chemicals in the home. The understanding that environmental and public health impacts affect some communities more than others is what started the Environmental Justice movement in the 1990s. And, children in these communities are more vulnerable to environmental conditions than adults.

My interest in environmental justice began growing up in Houghton, a former mining town in the poor, rural, northern most part of Michigan. The mining industry there began in the 1890s and once was home to the largest copper milling operation in North America. But, long after the mining operations and jobs ceased, the heavy metals and chemicals from the mines persisted and some lands were designated as Brownfields and Superfund sites. The lakes and streams my friends and I played in as children could have been polluted with toxins we know are harmful to children, and my story is not unique.

Fortunately, many cleanup activities are underway or have been completed since I left home and my vision of a nation of clean, healthy communities is closer than ever. Communities, where people can live without the threat of environmental factors causing asthma and respiratory diseases, where everyone has the opportunity to work and earn a living wage in a job that supports a green economy, and where children can play and attend schools located in safe, healthy places that encourage learning. Luckily, I work for an EPA that shares that vision. In fact, environmental justice has become one of Administrator Lisa Jackson’s highest priorities.

I just shared my story of the environmental concerns where I grew up and my hope for a better tomorrow, now it’s your turn. 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 the faces of the grassroots, the environmental justice stories that matter to you, the solutions that have made your community a better place to live, or tell us your vision of a sustainable, healthy future. The Faces of the Grassroots contest is your chance to put to video the realities you have experienced, the very stories that drive us at EPA to work harder. We can’t develop lasting solutions without you. Join the conversation!

For more info, visit: http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice

About the Author: Christine Guitar works in EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and focuses on outreach and community involvement.

AlexiaWorkman_Share_Your_Story_030510.jpg

Now that National Radon Action Month (NRAM) has come to a close, we are very eager to hear about your outreach and experiences in greater detail. We want you to Share Your Story from NRAM 2010, and sharing your story couldn’t be easier! Just visit www.radonleaders.org/nram/share and tell us about your experience. The stories we receive will be featured right here in the RadonLeaders.org InFocus. Stories may also appear on EPA's National Radon Action Month website and in outreach materials along with other success stories.

ORIGINAL POST

Reitz advances proposal to increase radon awareness

RANDOLPH COUNTY, IL -
Last week, state Rep. Dan Reitz (D-Steeleville) passed legislation through the House Environmental Health Committee to raise awareness of radon and increase reporting of radon between landlords and tenants.

House Bill 5224 would require a landlord to disclose to each tenant any information about any prior radon testing or mitigation. Furthermore, if a tenant chooses to have their unit tested for radon and hazardous levels are found to be present, they must inform the landlord within ten days of the results. The landlord would then be required to have mitigation performed on the unit or allow the tenant to terminate the lease.