Tag: Environmental Protection Agency

The Vision for the Environment and EPA’s Leadership

July 5, 2018 / / 0 Comments

By Suzanne Maxx © 

The Environment, our collective home and in the USA the leadership of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has undergone a much-needed change— Scott Pruitt has resigned. Read more here:

For me, this event touches both the personal and professional areas of my life. As I’ve shared in prior blogs “Growing Up With EPA” and “EPA in Action-Moving Forward” here:

Growing Up With EPA

EPA in Action-Moving Forward

The question I asked as a child under the age of 10 still remains unanswered, in honest. “Who is in charge of the Environment?” The answer brings up a huge inquiry that we are collectively beginning to prioritize and bear witness to—what role does humanity play with the environment? How important is the environment to humanity?

This controversy with the United States “Environmental Protection Agency” is serving to awaken more people to the challenge of how to manage governance of collective resources. Does it truly serve us all to have one agency that is influenced by national politics? We know that we humans can imagine better systems for our earth and our environment. We are so thankful more people are awakened to this issue, and unfortunately, it all too often takes a crisis or scandal, to arise to do better. Surely the investigation of the present EPA leadership will continue, and now the second in command will temporarily lead with the same mandate, but as the drama unfolds our hope is that more people will be engaged in understanding, participating and get into action to show respect for our common home.

Yet in contrast, on the other side of the planet in the Pacific Island Region, during the annual session of the Forum Fisheries Committee Ministers Meeting in Raratonga, Cook Islands, someone who brings knowledge and experience for the people and the environment was given an opportunity to serve. The next Director-General of the Forum Fisheries Agency was just awarded to a well-qualified dedicated professional woman, Dr Manumatavai Tupou-Roosen.  Secretary-General Dame Meg Taylor said, “I am very proud that a daughter of the Blue Pacific has been appointed Director General. The Forum Fisheries Agency plays an extremely important leadership role for our fisheries, one of the most important resources for our people.”

Our vision is that one day there will be a leader who can lead with the mandate of an agency like EPA—to protect the environment. Maybe they will even enroll others beyond country to follow. It brings to question, does it truly work to have our collective environment regulated by individual countries?

Perhaps there is a better model of a representative from each region of the world that could join together to address these collective challenges with our common oceans, sky, and earth.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are on a track to explore opportunities to unite beyond country through 2030. Can we address and organize quickly enough to respond to the changes happening in our environment through political structures?

Will people rise to explore what “We the People…” really means beyond country? What role will people play, with our environment ultimately?  These are questions our World Team project has been and continues to explore with our non-profit World Team Now, and in the future with World Team®.

Other blog postings that mention the EPA:

EPA in Action-Moving Forward

April 8, 2009 / / 1 Comment

picture-040By Suzanne Maxx


Obama Administration’s Environmental Protection Agency

Last week EPA continued to be in the limelight, moving faster now that they have the chance to reap the resources much needed for growth. They are not only getting financial support to be more effective, but also people are now re-awakening to the importance of our environmental resources for our world.

EPA’s Region 2 had a landmark week starting Monday March 30th with “Translating Science to Policy”- Protecting Children’s Environmental Health, a daylong power house event.  We all have a stake in children’s health, so when the science can translate to policy, change emerges.

• “Translating Science to Policy”- Protecting Children’s Environmental Health

March 30th 2009, Alfred Learner Hall, Columbia University,-New York City, USA
“We are guardians of the things we all value,” said Lisa Jackson Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during the key note for “Translating Science to Policy”: Protecting Children’s Environmental Health, a conference at Columbia University, hosted jointly by Columbia’s Center for Children’s Developmental Health and WE ACT for Environmental Justice. “EPA is an advocate for the people, and we are back on the job,” — obviously words the audience was ready to hear — from Administrator Jackson based on the standing ovation she received.

After a decade of research the all day event celebrated how scientific data gathered is being translated into public health policy for environmental justice. This is a joint effort to use science to prove the impact that environmental factors have on the health of children and now to generate policy to benefit people. The specific measureable results of community based research projects provided the data about how contaminates effect all of us.

“The conversion of New York City’s bus fleets to clean diesel and the installation by EPA of permanent air monitors in Harlem and “other hot spots” are among the outcomes for which the our partnerships’ research and policy work between “WE ACT” and Columbia’s Mailman Center for Children’s Environmental Health, and NIEHS Center for Environmental Health has been given substantial credit” said WE ACT’s Executive Director Peggy Shepard. Climate Change is not only important just because of what it does to the environment, but also because of the effect it has on human health, so presented here is the opportunity for integrated policy for both health and climate.

The topics of the day explored fossil fuel, climate change, air pollution from traffic, endocrine disrupting chemicals found in common consumer products, pesticides and prenatal exposure to chlorpyrifos and diazinon-all put our children’s health at risk. Great experts in the field presented — from Director Frederica Perera PhD, and Patrick Kinney Sc.D of Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health at Mailman School of Health, Columbia University to Sara Steingraber, PhD., Scholar in Residence, Division of Interdisciplinary and International Studies, Ithica College—and the afternoon key note by Linda S. Birnbaum, Ph.D, D.A.B.T., A.T.S., Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

The studies were focused on pregnant women and children through different stages of development. In one study they measured the effect of what is called “fine particular matter” which translate to pesticides, diesel, dust, second hand smoke, mice & roach allergens with 500 mom’s who wore a back pack that measured the quality of the air they were breathing . The City Pesticide Bill came as a result, and Local Law 37 for safer pesticides now exists. It is refreshing when science becomes a determining factor in decision making and inspires new policy.

If you thought things that cause global warming only effected the climate’s change , think again, it effects the DNA of us all—the effect of environmental toxins on people has been something hard to measure, but with the success of this program there is now more scientific evidence. Scientific studies are proving that environmental pollution plays a big role in public health. In one study done by analyzing the centrifuge chemicals in the DNA, and the umbilical cord blood, scientists have been able to see how environmental factors play heavily into the development of children.

They gathered a cross section of people (cohorts) for their studies in Poland, China, USA and the World Trade Center Site. Measured was how environmental contaminates, for example fossil fuel related-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHS) can effect cognitive development. Learning about our exposure to environmental toxins, is challenging but it is inspiring to know we are becoming aware and there are people out their committed to necessary scientific research to use these finding to create policies to protect us all.

Science to Policy for People — sums up what happened at the event at Columbia University that focused on protecting children’s environmental health. The presenters did a good job of engaging the audience even if one didn’t understand the soup of contaminants with ingredients like CO2, Pb, O3, BTEX, CH4, H2S, NOx, PAHs, VOCs and PM2.5 PM10 we knew Diesel, have smelt it, and could clearly understand our challenge; we all are called to become more aware. It’s more than eating the right fish (see NRDC’s sushi chart), and changing a light bulb, but that it is a good place to start.

Friday’s event in Albany with the largest EPA Grant ever for water infrastructure projects in New York announced jointly by Governor Paterson and EPA’s Administrator Jackson, booked end this landmark week for EPA’s Region 2.

Even though Columbia University’s CCLS has been an unofficial base for World Team Now in NYC, I wouldn’t have known about the Monday event if EPA’s Walter Andrews, didn’t extend an invitation. I contacted EPA recently when I came across some seemingly insurmountable environmental obstacles with World Team Now’s New York City building project. After some brief discussions about Brownfields, Leaking Underground Storage Tanks (LUST), wetlands and landfill contaminates, I discovered Walter happened to work with my mom at EPA years ago in this Region 2 office. There are some very dedicated public servants at EPA, and Walter Andrews is certainly one. It is a small world with caring passionate people who remained faithful to public service and the mission the agency was created for — to protect our environment. Thank you to Walter and to all at EPA we value the fact that your work can move forward to serve the public now.

To share the knowledge and give it with the wisdom to the lives of all people is a huge undertaking –we at World Team Now envision and embark on with our journey. The challenge is really reaching each one of you and your family and our public at large.
Are you willing to help? Are you willing to share the information about health and the environment? If you care to go deeper, below are some site to explore in addition to ours at World Team Now  http://www.worldteamnow.org. We at World Team Now hope we can help accomplish our collective mission.

 http://www.epa.gov/

Growing Up With EPA

March 19, 2009 / / 1 Comment

By Suzanne Maxx

“To the hard working men and women of the EPA it is a new day, it’s a new day,” proclaimed Michelle Obama.  “The Obama EPA is on the job.  It’s a new day!” she exclaimed, “and the truth is we can’t wait one more minute with the recently signed Recovery Package”, and she continued to inspire with her speech.   The First Lady describes her first most important job as being a “Mom”.   I asked my Mom to watch this as she had worked at the EPA for many years and had left the federal government during another adminstration:

 

Video of Michelle Obama to EPA

She was moved to tears, and regained hope…  It is a relief to know that energy and the environment are being championed with bold new policies and decisions, and for the affirmation that science will be at the heart of environmental policy.

Michelle’s prioritization about the importance of the environment for this administration, left few dry eyes in the audience, now coming out from the dark into a bright light, and very eager to see. It is comforting to actually hear, “You have partners in the White House who believe and support you,” those words are powerful, coming from the First Lady and a Mom.

As a child growing up our normal dinner table conversations about PCB’s, super fund clean up sites, hazardous wastes, water contamination, aquifers, floods, hurriacanes, and other natural and man-made disasters were the side effects of two parents passionate about their work in public service for the then fledgling US Federal Government Agencies: The Environmental Protection Agency  (EPA), and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).  They both met working together at the Army Corps of Engineers.  My Mom remained at EPA working as an environmental scientist for Region 2 in water supply for almost two decades.

Tom Maynard, my Step- Father worked at HUD as an urban planner, and the start-up, FEMA.  His presence is deeply missed now since is passing.   Tom served as a board member for World Team Now, our non-profit then named, Team World Corps.  His respected skills as an urban planner and in his later years as a private consultant, allowed him to win many government grants, and he had planned to attain grants for us.  He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Colorado chapter of the American Planning Association posthumously.   With all the opportunities, and challenges World Team faces with our green building projects now, Tom is deeply missed.

This is the foundation our non-profit organization World Team Now is founded on, and I’m thankful for these two parents who I admire and respect for their choices respectively to serve the public, and my chance to grow up, and be exposed to this environment.

http://www.epa.gov/

 

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