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Outreach Initiatives

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What You Can Do

Consumer Tips | en Español

EPA is challenging you to join the fight against waste. Accepting individual responsibility for improving our environment means changing habits, processes, and practices. Everyone has a role. Businesses, consumers, and governments work together to make changes across the whole supply chain-from better product and packaging design to easier product reuse and recyclability. Manufacturers can make products less toxic and more recyclable and prevent and recycle waste. Individuals and businesses can change their purchasing, recycling, reuse, and disposal habits.

EPA is reaching out to Hispanic, urban African American, and Native American communities to foster environmental awareness and encourage waste reduction, recycling, and neighborhood revitalization.

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Hispanic Outreach

EPA aims to expand outreach activities and build community partnerships within the Hispanic community, the fastest growing minority population in the United States.

The first initiative is the "You Dump It, You Drink It" program designed for owners, operators, and employees of automotive repair and service stations and for the general public. These materials are available in Spanish and engage the Hispanic community in environmental protection by promoting the proper management of used motor oil.

Erik Estrada-who gained fame as a motorcycle cop in the 1970s television series CHiPs-is on the airwaves helping Hispanic Americans to recycle their used motor oil. Estrada worked with EPA to produce two public service announcements that are being aired on Spanish-language radio stations in some of the country's largest cities. The ads were recorded in both Spanish and in English. Listen to audio clips and read transcripts of Erik's used oil public service announcements in English and Spanish.

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Urban African American Outreach

EPA is currently reaching out to the urban African American community in an effort to build neighborhood support for recycling and sound waste management. The Resource Conservation Challenge program is enlisting the help of nationally known African American personalities to produce Public Service Announcements (PSAs).

The message of the PSAs, "This is our Neighborhood. Recycle", encourages those who live in urban communities to reuse, recycle, and make choices that make a real environmental difference.

EPA's first Public Service Announcement is airing in 10 of the largest African American radio markets and features Shauntay Hinton, Miss USA 2002. Read the transcripts to Shauntay's public service announcements.

The "Mighty Clouds of Joy," a gospel musical group, have also sung the praises of environmental awareness on 50 radio stations across the country. Listen to the audio clip and read the transcripts to the public service announcements recorded by the Mighty Clouds of Joy.

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Native American Outreach

EPA is working with tribal governments and Native American organizations, such as the Tribal Association for Solid Waste and Emergency Response, to implement innovative outreach strategies for waste reduction, recycling, and neighborhood revitalization on tribal lands. Outreach materials include a journal on solid waste issues on tribal lands, a guide to solid waste management, and case studies documenting successful programs for source reduction, recycling, and prevention of illegal dumping, and education efforts on sound environmental practices for Native American small businesses.

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Aging Americans Outreach

EPA launched the new "Power of Change: Protecting the Environment for the Next Generation" campaign to encourage older Americans to manage materials and reduce waste. It lays out simple, everyday changes that will reduce waste, conserve our natural resources, and save energy.

The cornerstone of the Power of Change campaign is a free kit which contains a number of innovative resources providing information on:

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Youth Outreach

American teenagers spend more and more money every year on consumer products, so it becomes increasingly important to inform them about the environmental and economic benefits of reusing, recycling, and buying recycled-content products.

The EPA has developed two campaigns aimed at students. The goal of each campaign is educating and engaging young people in resource conservation and environmental protection.

Each campaign encourages youth to make informed decisions in their day-to-day lives to help protect the environment. For more information about how youth can make a difference, visit the following links:

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