EPA in the Arctic

Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortia, Alaska Native Villages, arctic, Arctic Council, Indian General Assistance Program, International and Tribal Affairs, National Strategy for the Arctic Region, Tribal Affairs, tribes 1 Comment

Ice breaking off the coast of Greenland. (Credit: Ben DeAngelo)

The Arctic is changing at a faster rate than the rest of the world. Warming air and sea temperatures mean melting ice, thawing permafrost, and unpredictable seasons. These changes in turn impact the marine and terrestrial ecosystems upon which many northern indigenous families depend for food, clothing, and shelter. My office works to engage these communities in building resilience in the face of a rapidly changing climate, while at the same time, we are working at home and abroad to address the causes of these changes.

Supporting Alaska Native Villages means taking action at home and abroad to address the impacts of global warming. EPA leads efforts under the President’s Climate Action Plan and the National Strategy for the Arctic Region to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases through domestic regulation, improve the monitoring and reporting of emissions, address sources of emissions with our international partners, and support capacity building for local governments, states, and American Indian and Alaska Native communities. More

Editor's Note: The views expressed here are intended to explain EPA policy. They do not change anyone's rights or obligations. You may share this post. However, please do not change the title or the content, or remove EPA’s identity as the author. If you do make substantive changes, please do not attribute the edited title or content to EPA or the author.

EPA's official web site is www.epa.gov. Some links on this page may redirect users from the EPA website to specific content on a non-EPA, third-party site. In doing so, EPA is directing you only to the specific content referenced at the time of publication, not to any other content that may appear on the same webpage or elsewhere on the third-party site, or be added at a later date.

EPA is providing this link for informational purposes only. EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of non-EPA information provided by any third-party sites or any other linked site. EPA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies, internet applications or any policies or information expressed therein.

Jul 22, 2013

Living Earth Festival

climate change, Smithsonian’s Living Earth Festival, Tribal Affairs, Tribal ecoAmbassadors Program, tribals 4 Comments

By Michelle DePass, Tribal ecoAmbassadors Presentation at NMAI-Living Earth Festival

As EPA’s Assistant Administrator for International and Tribal Affairs, my work connects me with interesting and innovative people on a daily basis.

This past Saturday, I had the privilege of introducing an amazing group of tribal college professors and students at the Smithsonian’s Living Earth Festival. Every year, dozens of native chefs, artists, writers, and activists showcase their knowledge and work at the National Museum of the American Indian on the Mall in DC. This year’s festival included a “Top Chef”-inspired native cook off, a goat cheese-making workshop, a drum and dance troupe, a green chili roast, a farmer’s market, and a ladybug release.

The focus of the festival is to celebrate indigenous contributions to environmental sustainability, knowledge, and activism. As we all know, so much of that celebration and sharing is focused on the next generation—the future environmental engineers, activists, and keepers of native culture. Watching my young son take in all the sights, sounds, and smells of the festival, I reaffirm that this passing on to the next generation isn’t an option—it’s a must.

I was so impressed with the great work done by the tribal professors who participated in our Tribal ecoAmbassadors Program this past year. David Stone and his students at Tohono O’odham Community College in Arizona took their research and development of a carbon-negative building material to a new level – they began creating larger structures for road barriers, sidewalks, and sculptures on the reservation. Neighboring tribal governments and local businesses are interested in their work and look forward to leveraging their research. This could provide much needed jobs and housing on the Tohono O’odham Reservation.

Climate change, something that disproportionately affects tribes, is being studied through a new course and data collection methods at Diné College in the Four-Corner region near Shiprock, New Mexico. Margaret Mayer and her students are also looking to expand their work and partner with larger universities, sharing equipment and creating a cohesive curriculum.

These ground-up approaches are allowing a small program like the EPA Tribal ecoAmbassadors Program to have a big impact on the people and communities surrounding these projects.

At the close of its second year, the Tribal ecoAmbassadors Program has given over 100 tribal college students the opportunity to work with their professors and EPA scientists while solving environmental problems in their communities. Projects have resulted in 3 transferable online courses ready to share with other TCUs, and over a dozen new partnerships.

If you’re interested in applying for the program, I encourage you to visit our website for links and more information.

About the author: Michelle DePass, EPA’s Assistant Administrator for International and Tribal Affairs

Editor's Note: The opinions expressed herein are those of the author alone. EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog, nor does EPA endorse the opinions or positions expressed. You may share this post. However, please do not change the title or the content. If you do make changes, please do not attribute the edited title or content to EPA or the author.

EPA's official web site is www.epa.gov. Some links on this page may redirect users from the EPA website to a non-EPA, third-party site. In doing so, EPA is directing you only to the specific content referenced at the time of publication, not to any other content that may appear on the same webpage or elsewhere on the third-party site, or be added at a later date.

EPA is providing this link for informational purposes only. EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of non-EPA information provided by any third-party sites or any other linked site. EPA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies, internet applications or any policies or information expressed therein.