Resources: Protecting the Environment
In Your Community
Resources for Concerned Citizens
Search for volunteer opportunities in your community at Serve.gov
Learn about Your Right to Know
Right-to-know laws provide information about possible chemical exposures. Discover resources EPA provides the public in the spirit of right-to-know.
Search for and Comment on Regulations
Our proposed regulations are almost always open to the public for comment. Your participation leads to better regulations.
At Home and in the Garden
Tips for home safety, avoiding potential risks, and preventing pollution by recycling and conserving water and energy.
At Work
Information about preventing pollution in your workplace, and raising awareness of health and safety issues.
On the Road
Consumer information about the environmental impacts of transportation plus tips on cleaner cars, saving gas and improving mileage, boating pollution prevention tips, and more.
At School
Whether you are a student or a teacher in a class about the environment, EPA has lots of educational resources to offer you.
While Shopping
Find helpful information on how to choose purchases that will reduce pollution, save energy and money.
In Your Community
Learn how to protect your neighborhood's natural resources, and get information on air and water quality in your community.
Think Globally, Act Locally
Learn about environmental issues that impact our world, and about programs, opportunities, and tools to help you get involved and make a difference in your community.
More on thinking globally and acting locally >>
Report a Violation or Emergency
Information on potential environmental violations and how to report a suspicious situation. To report oil and chemical spills, call the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802.
Learn how to report violations and emergencies | Information on natural disasters >>
Children's Health
Information on how to protect children from toxins, the sun, lead, and other potential environmental health threats.
How do I learn about environmental conditions in my community?
How can I help my community answer questions about environmental health concerns?
How can I help to prevent pollution?
How can I help manage waste?
Is the air outside healthy?
How can I learn about toxic releases?
How can I help manage water progressively in my community?
How can I protect my drinking water?
Is it safe to swim at my favorite beach?
How can I prevent marine engine pollution?
How can I protect my watershed and/or my coastline?
How can I get resources to improve my local environment?
Where can I find information on environmental issues and solutions for my community?
How can I learn about the greenhouse gases released in my state or region that contribute to global warming and climate change?
How do I learn about environmental conditions in my community?
MyEnvironment is a mapping tool that features a wide range of information about environmental conditions in an area of your choice. Enter your zip code, address, or a nearby water body, and MyEnvironment will show you sites nearby that report to EPA the storage, handling or emission of pollutants into land, air or water. It offers refined searching by industry (such as manufacturing), media (emissions to land, air or water), pollutant, or geographic location.
For more information:
How can I help my community answer questions about environmental health concerns?
The Community Action for Environmental Public Health web page is a one-stop shop providing resources to communities working on environmental and environmental public health action. It is designed to service communities in general, and specifically grant recipients such as Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) projects and environmental justice leadership communities, as well as communities otherwise engaged with particular EPA programs.
How can I help to prevent pollution?
Now you can prevent pollution in lots of environmentally
and economically beneficial ways. Extracting and using
raw materials creates pollution and uses energy. By
changing the way you use products and resources you
can prevent pollution and save money. Preventing pollution
provides cleaner air and water, less waste in landfills,
conservation of natural resources, reduced soil erosion,
lower electricity and water bills, and increased property
values.
For more information:
How can I help manage waste?
Citizens in every community - including schools, businesses, and
local governments - must work together to reduce and better manage
our waste.
For more information:
- The What You Can Do Web site provides resources that explain solid and hazardous waste issues at the local level, and help you improve your community environment.
- El reciclaje
Is the air outside healthy?
EPA's Air Quality Index (AQI) provides daily air quality
reports. The AQI tells you how clean or polluted your
outdoor air is, and what associated health effects
might be a concern for you. The AQI focuses on health
effects you may experience within a few hours or days
after breathing polluted air.
For more information:
- Learn more about your air quality at the AIRNow Web site.
- Hoja de datos sobre el índice de calidad aéreo
How can I learn about toxic releases?
EPA's Toxics Release Inventory
contains information on releases of nearly 650 chemicals
and chemical substances from facilities including
manufacturing, metal and coal mining, electric utilities,
and commercial hazardous waste treatment, among others.
For more information:
- Use the TRI Explorer to make your own report on the sources of toxics releases in your community, county or state.
- Learn more about toxic releases in your community
How can I help manage water progressively in my community?
Communities work to develop and implement sustainable water management programs to meet the present and future water needs of residents and businesses. By promoting water-efficient practices and services through incentive programs and educating residents and businesses about water efficiency, you can help protect water resources for future generations.
For more information:
How can I protect my drinking water?
There are lots of ways that you can
help keep your local water supply safe. You can help
to protect the watershed that surrounds it.
For more information:
Is it safe to swim at my favorite beach?
Find out whether your favorite beach water quality is being monitored, who is responsible for the monitoring, the pollutants that are being monitored, and whether advisories or closures have been issued.
For more information:
How can I prevent marine engine pollution?
If you’re one of 12 million
boat owners in the United States, you can find ways
to reduce hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxides emissions
from your engine.
For more information:
How can I protect my watershed and/or my coastline?
Discover what you can do to make a difference in your watershed, and learn more about nearby estuaries, lakes, streams, and rivers. Learn what you can do to protect our oceans and coasts.
For more information:
- A watershed approach
- Fifteen Things You Can Do to Make a Difference in Your Watershed
- Protect our oceans and coasts
How can I get resources to improve my local environment?
The Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) program offers grants to fund collaborative partnerships of local residents, governments and businesses that reduce toxic pollutants in their local environments and minimize people's exposure to those pollutants.
Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE)
Where can I find information on environmental issues and solutions for my community?
The CARE Resource Guide will help you navigate EPA's Web site to find information that can help you improve the environment in your community.
How can I learn about the greenhouse gases released in my state or region that contribute to global warming and climate change?
EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program provides data from facilities that emit large amounts of greenhouse gases across the country. Explore the data in our easy-to-use map interface and find out what is happening in your neighborhood.
For more information: