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Resources: Protecting the Environment

At School

Back To School
When getting ready for the new school year, find out more what you can do to protect kids' health and the environment.


Related Links

Healthy School Environments (epa.gov/schools) - a gateway to on-line resources to help facility managers, school administrators, architects, design engineers, school nurses, parents, teachers and staff address environmental health issues in schools.

Challenges and activities for students

EPA for Students and Educators - Discover:

  • for educators: links to environmental lesson plans, to information about environmental education grants and fellowships, and to environmental education information from our Regional offices around the nation.
  • for students: links to our sites for elementary, middle and high schoolers
  • for environmental professionals: links to technical training

See also:

More back-to-school links from USA.gov


Resources for Concerned Citizens

United We Serve - Serve.gov 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.

Learn about your 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.

Search for and comment on regulations >>

At Home and in the Garden

Tips for home safety, avoiding potential risks, and preventing pollution by recycling and conserving water and energy.

Protect the environment at home and in your garden >>

At Work

Information about preventing pollution in your workplace, and raising awareness of health and safety issues.

Keep work environments safe >>

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.

Learn about the environmental impacts of transportation >>

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.

Keep school environments safe >>

While Shopping

Find helpful information on how to choose purchases that will reduce pollution, save energy and money.

Learn to be an environmentally-savvy shopper >>

In Your Community

Learn how to protect your neighborhood's natural resources, and get information on air and water quality in your community.

Protect the environment 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.

More on children's health >>

How can I improve the indoor air quality at my school?
How can I learn about drinking water safety in schools?
What about pesticides, cleaning products and chemicals in schools?

What about pollution from school buses?
What can I do at school to reduce climate change?
How can I reduce stormwater runoff from schools and protect downstream waters?
What do I need to know about renovation projects in schools?
How can I reduce waste at school?

How can I protect my kids from the harmful effects of the sun?
How can I learn more about our environment?
How can I learn about national environmental conditions and trends?
How can I learn more about toxic releases in the environment?
Where can I learn more about environmental regulations?


Is my classroom environment safe?

The Healthy School Environments Web pages are intended to serve as a gateway to on-line resources to help facility managers, school administrators, architects, design engineers, school nurses, parents, teachers and staff address environmental health issues in schools.
For more information:

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How can I improve the indoor air quality at my school?

EPA's Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Tools for Schools Kit shows schools how to carry out a practical plan of action to improve indoor air problems at little or no cost using straightforward activities and in-house staff.
For more information:

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What about pollution from school buses?

The goal of Clean School Bus USA is to reduce both children's exposure to diesel exhaust, and the amount of air pollution created by diesel school buses. For more information:

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How can I learn about drinking water safety in schools?

EPA estimates that about 10,000 schools and child care facilities maintain their own water supply are regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act. But there are over 500,000 facilities that are not regulated under SDWA, and therefore may or may not be conducting voluntary drinking water quality testing. Whether your facility is regulated or non-regulated, find out more about drinking water quality in schools.
For more information:

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What can I do at school to reduce climate change?

Students, educators and school administrators can all play a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
For more information:

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What about pesticides, cleaning products and chemicals in schools?

Ask your school administrator to use integrated pest management as a safer and often less costly alternative to regularly scheduled spraying. Develop a successful chemical management program for your school to reduce the risk of chemical accidents. Request that your district use environmentally preferable cleaning products.
For more information:

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What do I need to know about renovation projects in schools?

Federal law requires contractors to be trained and certified for lead-safe work practices for renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb more than six square feet of paint in child care facilities or schools built before 1978. Read the requirements, and find a lead-safe certified firm.

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How can I reduce waste at school?

Students, parents, and teachers can all make a difference in reducing waste at school. By practicing the "3 Rs" of waste reduction—reduce, reuse, and recycle—we can all do our part.

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How can I reduce stormwater runoff from schools and protect downstream waters?

School administrators can use green landscaping techniques that allow stormwater runoff to soak in the ground rather than going offsite and polluting downstream waters. EPA's Green Infrastructure and Low Impact Development Web pages can help you learn about green practices such as rain gardens, downspout disconnection, green roofs and pervious pavement that can be used at your school to protect downstream waters.
For more information:

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How can I protect my kids from the harmful effects of the sun?

Overexposure to UV radiation can lead to serious health effects, such as skin cancer, cataracts, and immune suppression. EPA's SunWise Program can help you protect yourself and your students from overexposure to the sun through the use of classroom-based, school-based, and community-based advisories.
For more information:

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How can I learn more about our environment?

Whether you are a teacher or a student in kindergarten, or doing postdoctoral research, EPA has many educational resources to offer you when you visit our educational resources web pages.
For more information:

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How can I learn about national environmental conditions and trends?

EPA's "Environmental Indicators Initiative" seeks to improve the Agency's ability to report on the status of and trends in environmental conditions and their impacts on human health and the nation's natural resources.
For more information:

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How can I learn more about toxic releases in the environment?

EPA's Toxics Release Inventory database provides information to the public about releases of toxic chemicals from manufacturing facilities into the environment through the air, water, and land. Our "Search by Zip Code" page allows you to find zip code-based information from numerous EPA databases about facilities, watersheds, enforcement actions, and other searches.
For more information:

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Where can I learn more about environmental regulations?

Laws often do not include all the details needed to explain how an individual, business, state or local government, or non-profit might follow the law. In order to make the laws work on a day-to-day level, Congress authorizes certain government agencies - including EPA - to create regulations. Regulations set specific requirements about what is legal and what isn't. For example, a regulation issued by EPA to implement a law called the "Clean Air Act" might explain what levels of a pollutant - such as sulfur dioxide - are safe. EPA's site provides basic information about how we write our regulations. Moreover, Regulations.gov enables you to search, view, and comment on regulations, topic-by-topic, that are being proposed from all federal agencies.

For more information:

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