myenvironment a public access gateway to environmental information september 8, 2009
TRANSCRIPT
MyEnvironmentA public access gateway to environmental information
September 8, 2009
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What’s Your Relationship with the Environment?
• Full-time dedicated to the protecting the environment
• Part-time dedicated via volunteerism
• Environment-curious
• Agnostic, but concerned about your health
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www.epa.gov/myenvironment
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The Map – Who are the emitters in my neighborhood?
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What are these facilities permitted to release into the land/air/water?
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Do they have a history of violations?
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Who lives in this area besides me?
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Air quality today in my neighborhood/region?
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Health indicators in my area?
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Water quality in my backyard?
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Are there Superfund sites/brownfields near my house or near my kid’s school?
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What else is there to learn?
epa.gov search
Chemical factsheetsand more…
GSA’s usa.govEPA Chemical Data
EPA FAQsEPA Digital Library
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A Use Case
Washington Post article on May 3, 2009 on selenium and
arsenic in toxic sludge dumped by power plants into
waterways. Edison Mission Energy’s Homer City, PA
plant was mentioned in the article.
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A Use Case
Search “Homer City” in MyEnvironment
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Search neighborhood for facilities permitted to release ‘Selenium’ and then
look up chemical factsheets to understand potential health impacts
A Use Case
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Is “Homer City Generating Sta” the facility mentioned in the Post?
Check out the aerial view or the KML feed in Google Earth
A Use Case
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Take it a step further for local activism purposes: Look up Toxic Release Inventory
Reports up to 2007 on chemicals in question & check the characteristics of the
surrounding population
A Use Case
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Taking the info to other platforms