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If You Are a Local Government "Going Green"
National Information
- EPA for State and Local Governments
- Environmental Stewardship Resource Guide
- Go Green! Monthly Newsletter
- Grants
- Greening EPA
- Greener Products
- Heat Island Reduction
- Online Resources for Building Green Communities
- Online Resources for Local Governments (PDF) (31 pp, 233K, About PDF)
- Planning for a Sustainable Future: A Guide for Local Governments (PDF) (58 pp, 4.9MB, About PDF)
- Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse
- State Environmental Agencies
- Newsroom
LOGICS - energy conservation, environmentally preferable purchasing and green building help for local governments
Mid-Atlantic State Information
For Local Governments
Through its activities a local government can greatly influence its community's environment by:
- example -- its buildings, its landscaping, its vehicles, and its operations help educate citizens as to what can be done
- the environmental programs (like recycling and compost) it sets up for its citizens and how they are promoted
- the local laws it enacts, particularly for zoning -- are environmentally friendly approaches allowed?
- the planning it does -- is there a roadmap to making its community sustainable, with a healthy environment, a vibrant economy and a strong, positive social life? (for community planners)
Learn more about what you can do. The links below include both mid-Atlantic and Agency-wide resources.
- Air Conditioning - help protect the stratospheric ozone layer
- Build-Out Analysis - glimpse at your community's possible future when all land is developed to the maximum extent allowed under law
- Clean Diesel Program - cleaner diesel engines
- Clean Energy - State and Local Programs - clean energy offers a cost-effective way to meet growing energy demand
- Clean Water Financing - funding for wastewater treatment needs
- Composting- turn organic waste, like fruit and vegetable waste and yard waste, into a product which will help gardens grow
- eCycling - donate or recycle used electronics
- Energy Star - energy efficiency offers significant cost savings
- Environmentally Preferable Purchasing - buy "green" - helpful to green vendors, businesses large and small and consumers
- Green Building - have healthy buildings, protect the environment and save money
- Green Communities Toolkit - leads communities through 5 steps:
- Where Are We Now? (community assessment)
- Where Are We Going? (trends analysis)
- Where Do We Want to Be? (vision statement)
- How Do We Get There? (action plans)
- Let's Go! (implementation)
- Green Landscaping / GreenScapes - save money and time and conserve resources through your landscaping choices and techniques
- Green Conventions - reduce the environmental impact of your event
- Greener Products - find greener products
- Green Vehicle Guide - find the cleanest and most fuel-efficient vehicle that meets your needs
- Integrated Pest Management / Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program - think like a bug -- manage pest problems with the least possible hazard to people, property and the environment
- Local Governments Initiating Conservation for Sustainability (LOGICS) - help for local governments to incorporate energy conservation, environmentally preferable purchasing and green buildings into their day-to-day operations and policies
- Low Impact Development - reduce stormwater running off your land and causing flooding; mid-Atlantic universities working on low impact development
- Recycling - separate, collect, process, market, and ultimately use materials that would have been thrown away
- Pollution Prevention - reduce the amount and/or toxicity of the waste (air emissions, liquid discharges, or solid or hazardous waste) your community produces
- Transportation Planning - good planning can reduce vehicle miles traveled and increase the use of public transit
- WaterSense - water-saving products
- MORE PROGRAMS