Rio+20: UN Conference on Sustainable Development
This historic conference ,which ended on June 22, highlighted several EPA activities. The agency helped organize a well-attended side event on Green Chemistry, described in EPA's It's Our Environment blog. Three EPA programs that received prominent attention at Rio were the U.S.-Brazil Joint Initiative on Urban Sustainability; the e-Waste Challenge, which generates ideas for solutions to a variety of e-waste issues; and the youth sustainability video challenge awards.
ORD Extends MOU with China
On June 25, EPA's Office of Research and Development and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China extended their Memorandum of Understanding. The MOU covers more than 20 projects in the areas of sustainability science and technology; sustainable water supply and infrastructure; and green chemistry.
EPA and Biofuels
What is the EPA's role in sustainable biofuel production? The EPA Biofuels Primer (PDF) (16 pp, 479 KB) explains the five stages of the biofuels supply chain and EPA's related roles and responsibilities. The primer also includes links to Web sites relevant to biofuels. Research on biofuels research is coordinated by the Biomass Research and Development Board, which is chaired by DOE and USDA.
EPA and the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) have started working together to raise awareness of environmentally friendly products and solutions to address America's environmental challenges. One of the areas of focus for the partnership is promoting safer products that have earned EPA's Design for the Environment (DfE) label.
EPA's new web portal can help you to navigate the increasingly important and complex world of greener products. Consumers and businesses of all sizes can use the portal to search for EPA programs related to a wide range of greener products. It also links to additional greener products information from EPA and other sources.
National EPA Design Expo and the 8th Annual P3 Awards
Visit the National EPA Design Expo and the 8th Annual P3 Awards on April 21-22, 2012 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. EPA's P3 - People, Prosperity, and the Planet—Program is a unique competition for designing solutions for a sustainable future. P3 offers university students quality hands-on experience that brings their classroom learning to life. []
Environment and National Security: EPA blog
Some people might be surprised to hear that a conference of the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) in Washington, D.C. early this year focused on national security and the environment. []
In January of 2012, EPA released:
The Final report to Congress Biofuels and the Environment: the First Triennial Report to Congress.
EPA and Biofuels
What is EPA’s role in sustainable biofuel production? The EPA Biofuels Primer (PDF) (16 pp, 479 KB) explains the five stages of the biofuels supply chain and EPA’s related roles and responsibilities. The primer also includes links to Web sites relevant to biofuels.
Planning for Rio +20:
Twenty years after it hosted the1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, will be the site of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development , or Rio+20 from June 4 to 6, 2012. The U.S. Department of State is coordinating input from federal agencies on the two conference themes: Green Economy in the Context of Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication, and Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development. Through a new agreement, the EPA and Brazil are working together to plan a Joint Initiative on Urban Sustainability (JIUS).