World Environment Day

At the Intersection of Human Health and Environmental Protection

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A community’s health, safety, and productiveness is dependent on the protection of its environment. This intersection, between environmental stewardship and community growth, is one of the most important aspects of the work we do every day at EPA. That’s why one of Administrator McCarthy’s key themes is making a visible difference in communities across the country. However, it’s not just cities and towns here in the U.S. that benefit from environmental protection. Worldwide, our homes are safer, our children are healthier, and our economies are stronger when we invest in environmental stewardship.

During my time at EPA, I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing the impact of environmental protection in communities worldwide. When I traveled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, I saw firsthand the environmental challenges that communities were facing in Africa and other parts of the world. More

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In Celebration of World Environment Day

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By Michelle DePass

June 5 marks World Environment Day, reminding us that pollution knows no national boundaries; mercury is found in fish from the Gulf Coast to the Arctic, airborne particulates travel thousands of miles, and environmental impacts are felt by people across the globe, from Alaskan Native Villages to urban centers in Kenya and Indonesia. On World Environment Day, I am glad to be the messenger for EPA as we recognize efforts around the world to provide people with access to clean, safe, healthy places to live, work, learn and play.

EPA’s six international priorities aim to expand our partnerships in key areas so we can share the techniques we’re using here at home, and learn from our partners around the world. To commemorate World Environment Day, I am glad to highlight our partnerships and priorities in action:

To combat climate change, EPA is leading an initiative to help mitigate black carbon from diesel emissions in the Arctic; and is working with UNEP to help support community adaptation to strained water resources in South Asia.

Michelle DePass visiting with a local community in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Michelle DePass visiting with a local community in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Last year I visited communities in Jakarta, Indonesia where I saw children struggling to breathe in heavy smog conditions. To help, we’ve launched a program, Breathe Easy, Jakarta, which will serve as a model for how cities around the world can improve urban air quality.

To expand access to clean water, we are teaming up with the International Water Association to improve water and sanitation programs in urban areas across Africa.

We are working with Argonne Labs in order to reduce exposure to toxic chemicals by supporting the installation of EPA developed Mercury Capture Systems inside gold shops, which reduce exposure to mercury by up to 80 percent!

Administrator Jackson and Michelle DePass with their counterparts from Mexico and Canada at the 2010 CEC Council session in Guanajuato, Mexico

Administrator Jackson and Michelle DePass with their counterparts from Mexico and Canada at the 2010 CEC Council Session in Guanajuato, Mexico

We collaborated with Canada and Mexico to launch a new North American Partnership for Environmental Community Action through the Commission on Environmental Cooperation to support on-the-ground projects and our joint efforts help build strong environmental institutions and legal structures.

As part of a U.S. Government strategy to promote electronics stewardship, we are cleaning up e-waste with the United Nations University’s StEP Initiative by expanding our cooperation with China and nations in West Africa and improving data on e-waste flows from the US.

Linking our domestic and international efforts is essential to meet our goals for healthier communities and greener

Workers Administrator Jackson and Michelle DePass met at an electronic waste processing facility in Guiyu, China

Workers Administrator Jackson and Michelle DePass met at an electronic waste processing facility in Guiyu, China

economies in today’s globalized world. At EPA, we are proud to join our international partners on World Environment Day, to promote positive

About the author: Michelle DePass, Assistant Administrator for International and Tribal Affairs, US EPA.  Michelle DePass has spent her career working to support environmental progress here at home and around the world, at EPA she remains committed to expanding the conversation on environmentalism and ensuring access to clean, safe and healthy communities.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.


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.