Science affects every part of your life – from the screen you're now reading to the foods you ate for breakfast. It has intrigued our imagination since we first tried to understand how birds fly or why you look like your parents. So in 2009 we are celebrating all the knowledge we have and all the fascinating information we have yet to learn. So come with us and marvel at the wonders of science and how it protects you and your environment.

The Year of Science 2009

EPA is proud to be a participant in a nation-wide grassroots network called the Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS) whose goal is to engage the public and increase understanding of the nature of science and its value to society. The Year of Science 2009 will be a year-long, nationwide effort to engage the American public in activities that stimulate interest in, and appreciation of, the processes and nature of science.

May COPUS Theme – Sustainability and Environment

Sustainability is a new way of thinking about an age-old problem: ensuring that our children and grandchildren inherit a tomorrow that is at least as good as today, preferably better. We want to make sure that the way we live our lives is sustainable – that it can continue and keep improving for a long, long time. EPA aims to make sustainability the next level of environmental protection drawing on advances in science and technology, application of diverse government regulations and policies, and promoting green business practices.

Feeling Creative?

EPA Science of Sustainability Photo Project
Science and sustainability go hand in hand and what better way to illustrate that than with photographs! To celebrate May's theme of sustainability and the environment, EPA is hosting the Science of Sustainability Photo Project.

Can you find examples of how science informs our actions toward a more sustainable environment? Are you a researcher using science to address environmental problems? Are you an architect designing green buildings? Are you a parent or caregiver inspiring young people to explore and care for our environment? Are you a teacher, leading field trips to local parks to be curious, investigate and experiment in nature?

Capture interactions among science, sustainability, and the environment in a photograph and share it with others!

Visit the Projects page to learn more.

Rachel Carson Sense of Wonder Contest
EPA, Generations United, the Dance Exchange, and the Rachel Carson Council, Inc., are sponsoring a poetry, essay, photo and dance contest "that best expresses the Sense of Wonder that you feel for the sea, the night sky, forests, birds, wildlife, and all that is beautiful to your eyes." Participants will work across generations to share through one of these distinct mediums their own interactions with and reflections on the wonders of nature.

Visit the Projects page to learn more.

EPA's public events during the Year of Science will be highlighted on this page as well as the Year of Science 2009 web site.