EPA904-R-95-002
June 1995
EPA REGION IV
OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION & PUBLIC OUTREACH
1994 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION REPORT
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 1
Background 1
Ongoing Activities 1
Office of Public Affairs Organization Chart 2
1994 Environmental Education Grants Site Locations Map 2
EPA Region IV Program Offices
Environmental Education and Public Outreach Staff 3
Air, Pesticides and Toxics Management Division 6
Environmental Services Division 7
Waste Management Division 7
Water Management Division 8
Office of Policy and Management 9
Office of Regional Counsel 10
EPA Region IV Office of Research and Development Laboratories
Athens, Georgia 11
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 12
EPA Region IV States
AL Department of Environmental Management 14
FL Department of Environmental Protection 16
GA Department of Natural Resources 17
KY Natural Resources & Environmental Protection Cabinet 18
MS Department of Environmental Quality 21
NC Department of Environment, Health & Natural Resources 23
SC Department of Health and Environmental Control 25
TN Department of Environment and Conservation 27
Acknowledgements Inside Back Cover
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REGION 4 1994 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION REPORT
INTRODUCTION
The Environmental Education and
Public Outreach Staff was created
in 1991 in the Office of Public
Affairs, EPA, Region 4. Its main
objectives are to:
• increase public understanding
of EPA's mission and
activities;
• promote public awareness of
environmental issues;
• advance and develop
environmental education and
training; and
• solicit personal and corporate
commitment to environmental
protection through education
and outreach.
BACKGROUND
On November 16, 1990, the
National Environmental Education
Act became law (Public Law 101-
619). It builds upon environmental
education efforts previously
undertaken by the EPA and
establishes formal communication
and advisory links with educational
institutions and other federal
agencies.
Specific provisions of the law
implemented include:
• awarding environmental
education grants to support
projects that design,
demonstrate, and disseminate
environmental education
activities;
• awarding internships for college
students and fellowships for in-
service teachers to work with
the professional staff of federal
agencies involved in
environmental activities; and
• providing for national and
regional awards that recognize
outstanding contributions to
environmental education.
ONGOING ACTIVITIES
To implement and administer a
comprehensive environmental
education and outreach program in
EPA Region 4, the following is
done:
• Contact and cultivate working
relationships with major
educational, business, and civic
organizations, as well as print
and broadcast media to
disseminate information about
EPA's operations and activities.
• Coordinate outreach activities to
provide environmental education
information to the public at
exhibits, expos, and conventions
at the local, state, regional, and
national levels.
• Coordinate a Region 4 Speakers
Bureau to meet public requests
for speakers on environmental
issues.
• Coordinate the President's
Environmental Youth Awards
(PEYA) Program for Region 4
to recognize youth projects that
promote local environmental
awareness and channel that
awareness into positive
community involvement.
• Staff a toll-free hot-line to
respond to public requests for
environmental information.
The following report is published
by the EPA Region 4's
Environmental Education and
Public Outreach Staff, based upon
information provided by EPA
Region 4's program offices, states,
and laboratories. Its main purpose
is to report on the state of
environmental 'education in Region
4 during 1994 and share ideas and
activities in education and outreach
that others may use to build
effective partnerships and further
the goals of environmental
education.
The report is not intended to
capture all of the many
environmental education efforts
currently underway, but should
provide a summary of some of the
most significant outreach activities
taking place in environmental
education in Region 4.
By sharing these environmental
education activities and successes,
we hope to generate ideas,
facilitate communication among
environmental education
professionals, provide networks for
information and resource sharing,
facilitate the identification of gaps
in environmental education
resources and encourage strategies
to eliminate them, and avoid the
fragmentation and duplication of
activities. We hope to increase the
success of environmental education
in the Region and mobilize the
public to greater environmental
awareness, understanding, and
action.
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region 4 Organization
(404)347-3004 FAX (404)347-3721
REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR
John H. HsnMnson, Jr.
DEPUTY REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR
Patrick M. Tobln
OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Frank Redmond - Director
Lena Scott - Secretary
Delia Moore - Receptionist
Fannie Barren - Clark-Typist (SEE)
PRESS & INFORMATION STAFF
Hagan Thompson - Chief
_L
Carl Tarry
- Public Affairs Spec.
C. Thompson - Public Affairs Spec.
>|j
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EPA REGION 4 PROGRAM OFFICES
ENVIRONMENTAL
EDUCATION & PUBLIC
OUTREACH STAFF, OFFICE
OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Environmental Education Grants
Contact: Norman Black/Fred Thornburg,
404-347-3555, ext. 6746
In 1994, $180,000 in grants were
awarded to 22 eligible
organizations in the eight states in
Region 4 for environmental
education projects. Eighteen of
these awards were for $5,000 or
less and were made to K-12
schools, non-profit environmental
and educational organizations, and
local youth organizations. Projects
included a wide range of
environmental education activities
intended to improve students
awareness, knowledge, and
understanding of environmental
issues. In addition, East Carolina
University was awarded $36,551
by the EPA's Office of
Environmental Education in
Washington, D.C., to provide
elementary and junior high school
science teachers with knowledge
and instructional skills to teach
students about coastal
environmental problems in eastern
North Carolina. Profiles of the
1994 projects can be obtained by
contacting the office at the above
number.
Grants Writing Workshop
Contact: Alice Chastain, 404-347-3555,ext.
6747
Three grants writing workshops
were conducted: one in Roswell,
Georgia, and two in Raleigh,
North Carolina, to a total of 75
teachers and PTA leaders. This
gave attendees skills to write
Photo by Norman Black
Students from Williamson County schools, in Tennessee, gather samples of aquatic life, in a
branch of the Harpeth River, near Franklin, Tennessee, during the 1994 Fall semester. The
cross-curriculum project includes advanced, average, and problem youths and uses
environmental studies to teach Biology, Chemistry, Ecology, Life Science, English, and
other subjects.
grants, or look for alternative
funding for their projects.
President's Environmental Youth
Awards (PEYA) Program
Contact: Alice Chastain, 404-347-3555,ext.
6747
The PEYA Program recognizes
youth projects that promote local
environmental awareness and
channel that awareness into
positive community involvement.
The best projects are given an
award by the President. The
PEYA Program in Region 4 had
11 entries in 1994, of which 6
were eligible to be judged on the
national level. Nearly 14,000
PEYA applications were mailed
out in 1994 within the region. The
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4
student members of the Morgan
County High Scb.ool FFA Chapter,
in Madison, Georgia, won the
1994 PEYA award for Region 4.
The group plained, built, and
organized the first county recycling
center, an outdoor study area, and
a wildlife habitat.
Speakers Bureau
Contact: Alice Chaitrin, 404-347-3555,ext.
6747
The Region 4 Speakers Bureau
coordinates the services of 104
full-time Region 4 employees.
Each media and program is
represented. Created in 1990, this
program sends EPA speakers on
environmental topics to industry,
community, and civic groups, as
well as to universities and K-12
public and private schools. In
1994, 53 presentations were made
by volunteer spsakers.
Environmental Education
Mailing List Database
Contact: Alice Clmtain/Fred Thornburg,
404-347-3555, ext. 6747
The office maintains and updates,
as needed, a computerized mailing
list database of approximately
14,000 schools and environmental
organizations in (he region, which
can be sorted by state and type of
school for targeted environmental
education mailings.
Exhibits and Shows
Contact: Wesley Lambert, 404-347-3555,
ext. 6758
EPA Region 4 took part in the
following eventu during 1994:
• Georgia Cocjservancy Youth
Conference, Galloway
Gardens, GA, Feb. 25-27
• Atlanta Braves Env
Awareness Day, Atlanta, GA,
April 20
• Dogwood Festival, Atlanta,
GA, April 21-23
• Public Service Recognition
Day, Atlanta, GA, May 4
• Cultural Diversity Day
Celebration, Atlanta, GA,
September 30
• Zoo Conservation Day,
Atlanta, GA, Sept. 30
• Florida Environmental
Expo, Tampa, FL, Oct. 10-13
• Sunbelt Agricultural Expo,
Moultrie, GA, Oct. 18-20
• Environmental Technology
Expo, Atlanta, GA, Dec. 7-9
EPA environmental education
literature, posters, bookmarks, and
other educational handouts are
distributed during these events.
Public Notices, Meetings,
Hearings
Contact: Lena Scott, 404-347-3555, ext.
6754
Three hundred eighteen (318)
public notices were issued; 12
public service announcements were
placed with radio stations in areas
where major public meetings were
scheduled; and one public hearing
was coordinated during 1994.
Volunteer Outreach Program
Contact: Wesley Lambert, 404-347-3555,
ext. 6758
EPA employees volunteer for a
wide variety of programs in the
local community to promote
environmental awareness such as
tutoring subjects in adopt-a-school
programs, judging science fair
projects in the Atlanta Public
Schools and Apple Corps, and a
mentoring program with Clark
Atlanta University. Since 1993,
the region has planned and
implemented various aspects of the
President's National Service
Initiative which allows college-age
participants to pay back a portion
of their college tuition by
performing acts of volunteer
service in their communities.
Presently, a corps of 10 National
Service participants has been
established to perform community
service work, including an urban
stream restoration project and a
lead and radon outreach effort in
low-income areas of Atlanta, GA.
Regional/State/Local Networks
The office established working
relationships and partnerships with
a number of federal, state, local,
and private sector organizations
during 1994 and maintained
relationships set up in previous
years with other organizations.
These included:
Atlanta Braves Environmental
Awareness Day was co-ordinated
in partnership with the U.S. Fish
& Wildlife Service, Georgia
Conservancy, Georgia Department
of Natural Resources, Georgia
Wildlife Federation, National Park
Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S.
Geological Survey, Nature
Conservancy, Corps of Engineers,
Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Save
the Manatee Club, Zoo Atlanta,
Turner Broadcasting System, and
National Foundation to Protect
America's Eagles. This event was
held at the Atlanta-Fulton County
Stadium during the opening week
of the Atlanta Braves 1994 baseball
season, with an estimated 50,000
in attendance.
Contact: Wesley Lambert, 404-347-3555,
ext. 6758
Earth Day was observed at the
Dogwood Festival, Atlanta, GA.
Environmental information,
wildflower seeds, and nearly 7000
dogwood seedlings (donated by the
Pennington Seed Company,
Madison, Georgia) were given
visitors.
Contact: Alice Chastain, 404-347-3555,ext.
6747
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International Programs
Contact: Norman Black, 404-347-3555, ext.
6746
The office was host to 54 foreign
visitors, from 10 countries, on 14
occasions, during 1994. The
agendas for these visits normally
included technical presentations by
EPA Region 4's staff, as well as
an opportunity for the visitors to
get and give information about
environmental problems, laws, and
enforcement. The visitors hosted
in 1994 were from:
- China (3)
- Colombia (1)
- El Salvador (2)
- Ethopia (1)
- Ireland (1)
- Mexico (1)
- Philippines (10)
- Russia (21)
- Slovak Republic (6)
- United Kingdom (8)
The visitors' agendas included
presentations, at two Superfund
sites, in Florida, for 20 of the
Russian visitors; visits by the
Chinese visitors to municipal waste
pickup and recycling sites in
Georgia; a visit, by the Mexican
visitor, to a municipal drinking
waterworks, in Georgia; and visits
by the El Salvadorians and three
British visitors to EPA
laboratories, in Athens, Georgia.
Other Education & Outreach
Activities
• Earth Day/Month - During
April, speakers made
presentations, at lunch and learn
sessions, at Region 4's offices, on
environmental topics.
Contact: Alice Chastain, 404-347-3555,ext.
6747
• Sunbelt Agricultural
Exposition, Moultrie, GA - this
agribusiness expo hosted about
Photo by Norman Black
Patrick M. Tobin (fourth from the left), Region 4's Deputy Regional Administrator, talks
with Philippine visitors after his presentation to them about the EPA and Region 4's
activities. The 10-member Philippine group visited Region 4 during 1994.
Photo by Norman Black
Staff members of the Washington, D.C., bureau of China Central Television (CCT) record
action, during 1994, at a newspaper recycling collection building, in Marietta, Georgia.
An editor and two members of CCT's Washington editorial staff recorded recycling efforts in
Marietta and Roswell, Georgia, for a nation-wide report in their homeland. The group was
escorted by Sinclair Ke, Project Officer of the U.S.I.A. 's Television and Film Service, and
Norman Black, International Visitors Coordinator of the U.S. EPA's Region 4, who also
arranged the visitors schedule.
206,000 persons and featured 1042
exhibitors in 1994. The office co-
ordinated six exhibits and 18
exhibitors from various media
including representatives from the
Air, Waste, and Water
Management Divisions and the
Environmental Services Division in
Athens, Georgia. This is the most
intensive education and outreach
effort to the agricultural
community during the year.
Contact: Wesley Lambert, 404-347-3555,
ext. 6758
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• Environmental education
packages - the office receives
approximately 5-10 requests
weekly from teachers, students and
the public for environmental
education materials. Nearly 400
packages were assembled and sent
out in 1994 upon either phone or
written request for use as lesson
plans, teaching aids, school
reports, etc.
Contact: Alice Chat tc.in, 404-347-3555,ext.
6747
Photography
Contact: Norman Black , 404/347-3555,
ext. 6746
Still photography was taken,
throughout 1994, of news events
and events of interest to the
region's employees. The resulting
prints were used with news
releases sent to the general
readership and specialty press, as
well as hi the region's employee
newsletter.
AIR, PESTICIDES AND
TOXICS MANAGEMENT
DIVISION
Contact: Greg Glahn, 404-347-3043
Lead Based Paint Program
The Division printed 1994 Lead
Awareness Calendars, which
inform the public about lead
exposure hazards, and mailed
nearly 16,000 of them to the
National Headstirt Association and
National Association of County
Health Officials. The distribution
was done jointty by EPA Region 4
and the Natiomil Safety Council.
Lead-based paint program
personnel met with states and
legislators to prc vide education and
outreach about the program and
spoke at several conferences within
the region and nationally about
lead-based paint issues.
Air Information Resources for
Education (A.I.R.E.)
A.I.R.E. is a stand-alone
curriculum developed jointly by the
EPA's Office of Air and Radiation
and the American Lung
Association. The curriculum is
directed to specific age groups,
from kindergartners to high school
seniors. The Division distributed
and promoted this curriculum's use
by the region's employee
volunteers, state and local
agencies, school systems, and
parent-teacher organizations.
Indoor Air Outreach
The Division, in cooperation with
the Georgia Consumer Center,
conducted an "Indoor Air House of
Horrors", on the Friday before
Halloween. School children and
news media personnel were
educated by ghoulish figures on
household hazards such as radon,
lead, asbestos, pesticides, carbon
monoxide, and secondhand smoke.
The event was in the local news
and also on the Cable News
Network.
Pesticides - Outreach
The Division implemented an
aggressive program to educate
various groups about pesticides
programs. The outreach was
accomplished through speeches and
displays designed to illustrate
various programs, including
worker protection, containers, and
labels; the conduct of training
sessions; and the distribution of
educational materials. Major
presentations included the
Turfgrass Councils, Agricultural
Aviation Association, and Aquatic
Management Societies.
Presentations on the Endangered
Species Program were given at
meetings of the Environmental
Law for Foresters and Forestry
Herbicides. Presentations on the
Worker Protection Standard (WPS)
were given at the Florida
Agricultural Seminars' Labor
Relations Seminars, at which
regulations for the protection of
agricultural workers were
discussed, with contractors and
agricultural employers. All Region
4 states' pesticide inspectors (about
ISO state employees) took part in
these WPS courses, and some
WPS educational material was
distributed to state agencies and in
response to public requests.
Stratospheric Ozone Depletion
The Division implemented an
extensive program to educate the
public and the regulated
community about the regulatory
requirements under Title VI of the
Clean Air Act. Various
presentations were hosted by the
regulated community or
government agencies, including
meetings of the Birmingham
Chapter of the American Society
of Heating, Refrigerating and Air
Conditioning Engineers, Inc.; the
Heating, Ventilation and Air
Conditioning Wholesalers
Association; and the Southern
States Chapter of the Air and
Waste Management Association.
Asbestos Education Program
The Asbestos Hazard Emergency
Response Act requires the
mandatory training and
accreditation of persons who do
asbestos-related work in the
schools. The 1990 Asbestos
School Hazard Abatement
Reauthorization Act extended
training and accreditation
requirements to persons that
perform work in public and
commercial buildings. The
Division made numerous
presentations to school officials
and educators, industry, and state
representatives to address the
asbestos regulatory requirements
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and communicate the health effects
of asbestos exposure. These
groups included the South
Carolina/North Carolina
Environmental Information
Association, Federal Facilities
Annual Meeting, Southeastern
States Asbestos Conference,
Amoco Asbestos Renewal
Meeting, Oak Ridge
Environmental Quality Board -
Asbestos in the Home seminar,
and the Georgia Military College
environmental studies class.
ENVIRONMENTALSERVICES
DIVISION
Contact: Cindy Kesler, 706-546-3133
Ambient Air Monitoring -Tim
Slagle, Air Compliance Unit, made
a presentation to Prof. Bamhart's
environmental science class, at the
University of Georgia, Athens
(UGA), on air monitoring methods
and emerging monitoring
technologies. On another date,
Danny France, Air Compliance
Unit, lectured the class about the
air module of the Basic Inspector
Training course. His talk
addressed the Clean Air Act
Amendments, ambient air
pollutants, and air monitoring
techniques.
Waste Water Orientation - On
January 18-20, the Water
Compliance Unit's staff held a
waste water orientation course, in
Athens, Georgia, for the Region
4's Waste Management Division
and Georgia's Environmental
Protection Division (EPD). The
course was designed to familiarize
the participants with the basic
concepts of waste water
characteristics, treatment,
monitoring methods, and
regulatory requirements. It
included demonstrations of flow
measurement and sampling
equipment and a tour of two waste
water treatment plants. About 25
EPA and EPD employees took part
in the course.
Activated Sludge Process Control
Workshop - On May 10, 12, and
24, Antonio Quinones and Mike
Bowden held an Activated Sludge
Process Control Workshop for
UGA's Environmental Health
Science Program. The course
dealt with the basic operational
principles of the activated sludge
process and how to conduct
activated sludge process control
tests.
UGA - Tim Slagle lectured to the
Environmental Health Science's
class, at UGA, about air
monitoring methods and emerging
monitoring technologies.
National Association of
Institutional Linen Management
- On January 20, Mike Carter
talked to the Georgia Association
of the National Association of
Institutional Linen Management
about NPDES monitoring
regulations and the Clean Air Act.
About SO people attended.
Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition -
On October 18-20, members of
the Ecological Support Branch
participated in the Sunbelt
Agricultural Exposition held at
Moultrie, Georgia. The
Exposition is the largest farm show
in the nation that features field
demonstrations. The show has
grown steadily year to year, from
437 exhibitors in 1987 to 1,042 in
1994. More than 205,000 persons
passed through the gates at the
1994 show, including visitors from
30 foreign countries.
There were 52 educational
exhibitors, including several from
the EPA in Atlanta and Athens.
The Ecological Support Branch of
the Environmental Services
Division had a booth with the
Georgia EPD, at which was shown
an artificial, flowing stream and its
aquatic insect larval inhabitants.
Handouts and a backboard showed
non-point pollution's effects on
fresh water environments. The
stream was very popular with the
visitors, expecially the young ones.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
DIVISION
RCRA Branch
Teachers Workshop
The RCRA Branch provided
presenters for the Environmental
Workshop held by the EPA and
Clark Atlanta University's
Teachers Institute. They held a
mock trial; explained RCRA
regulations; and gave relevant
reading material and chemistry
demonstrations.
Combustion Roundtable
The RCRA Compliance Section
(RCS) helped plan a Combustion
Roundtable, which hosted industry,
citizens, environmental groups,
environmental equity groups, and
other interested parties.
Used Oil Regulations
RCS 's presentation to industry
included a summary of
management standards about used
oil, a question and answer session,
and the distribution of Federal
Register copies.
Contact: J. Sophianopoulis, 404-347-7603
Audio/Video Outreach Tools
Staff members wrote and recorded
public service announcements to
educate the public about the
Superfund program. The tapes
were geared to southern Florida.
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Superfund Outreach
Rose Jackson was interviewed on
the "Focus on South Florida"
program, of radio stations WFLC-
WIOD, in Miiirni, Florida. She
discussed the Superfund program
and National Priorities List sites
(NPL) in Bade County and
southern Florida.
Contact: Rose Jackson, 404-347-2643
Superfund Coloring Book
The South Superfund Remedial
Branch distributed copies of the
Superfund coloring book to
elementary schools in areas in
which there is an NPL site.
Teachers have s;u'd the books are
valuable in helping pupils and their
parents undersfamd what goes on in
their neighborhoods when the EPA
does a Superfund cleanup.
Contact: Betty Win:er, 404-347-2643
Outreach
In January 1994, Betty Winter
spoke to pupils at the Duluth
Middle School, Duluth, Georgia,
on careers IE environmental
communication and the Superfund
community relations program.
Contact: Betty Winter, 404-347-2643
Remediation
EPA Region 4'u Federal Facilities
Branch and the South Carolina
Dept. of Health and Environmental
Control developed a statewide
seminar for federal facilities. Staff
members held a Remediation
Workshop, on September 20-22,
1994, at Charleston Air Force
Base, for the Department of
Defense and other federal
facilities.
• The South Si.perfund Remedial
Branch developed a brochure
entitled "EPA at Work.. .Protecting
South Florida" as part of the South
Florida Geographic Initiative
(SFGI). It was produced in co-
operation with the Florida
Department of Environmental
Protection. Its purpose is to
increase public understanding of
the EPA's role in assisting the
state to manage hazardous and
solid waste in order to reduce
harmful effects in southern
Florida. Copies have been
distributed to the Board of Public
Education in Dade County and to
the environmental specialist of the
SFGI who plans to send copies to
science directors at each high
school in the area.
• The "Superfund Team and
Mother Mouse" coloring book,
created and produced by the
Branch in 1992, was reprinted hi
1994 by the EPA's headquarters.
Region 4 received 9,000 copies,
which it plans to distribute to
schools in Georgia and southern
Florida.
Sangamo-Weston/Twelve-Mile
Creek Superfund Site
Contact: Mike Norman, 404-347-393 l.ext.
6123
• In July 1993, Cynthia Peurifoy,
a community relations coordinator
for the Region, participated in a
Career Workshop at Clemson
University. The workshop is
conducted each summer for
minority and low income students
that attend summer college
preparatory classes. Ms. Peurifoy
talked one-on-one with high school
juniors and seniors about careers
within the EPA, particularly about
community relations. She also
explained the EPA's organization,
mission and various programs.
During the same period, a
Clemson communications class did
a project using the EPA's
community relations program.
Class members prepared questions
to be asked as part of the
community relations interview
process, as if they were the
community relations coordinator.
Ms. Peurifoy worked with the
professor to explain the process
and with some of the students as
well.
• The Emergency Response &
Removal Branch conducted seven
outreach seminars for the Spill
Prevention control and
countermeasures regulations in FY
1993. There were a total of 325
attendees from state government,
the regulated community, and
industry associations. The
meetings were held in Atlanta,
Georgia; Bowling Green,
Kentucky; and Columbia, South
Carolina.
WATER MANAGEMENT
DIVISION
National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System Newsletter
Contact: Susan Pope, 404-347-4793, ext.
4277
The NPDES Newsletter has been
included in the quarterly mailing of
pre-printed Discharge Monitoring
Reports. The tenth newsletter is
currently being prepared. It makes
permittees current with new
developments, prompts compliance
with any new regulatory
requirements , and provides advice
about complying with
requirements, with which
difficulties have been observed.
Electronic Bulletin Board
The NPDES Electronic Bulletin
board was established in September
1992 and is accessible to anyone
with a modem. The board
includes articles and information
about NPDES compliance.
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Water Sourcebook
ConUct: Kristi Watkins, 404-347-2913,ext.
6499
The Water Sourcebook is planned
as a comprehensive environmental
education program on water issues
for grades K-12. The first
volume, currently being distributed
nationally and internationally by
the Water Environment Federation,
is for grades 3-5. The Georgia
Water Wise Council conducts
teacher workshops, in Georgia,
about the book, and Legacy, Inc.,
distributes it in Alabama.
The Sourcebook for grades 9-12 is
being developed and should be
ready for distribution in the fall,
1995.
The volumes for grades K-2 and 6-
8 will be developed as funding
becomes available. The
Sourcebook is an effort by persons
committed to ensuring that future
generations get good quality
environmental education.
Wellhead Protection
Contact: Ronald Mikulak, 404-347-3866,
ext. 6646
A multi-program educational
project was done by the programs
of the Division's Groundwater
Protection Branch. It trained local
officials to deal with compliance
issues in the wellhead protection
areas of Elizabethton, Tennessee,
and Worthington, Kentucky.
4M UST Training Center
Contact: John Mason, 404-347-3866, ext.
6672
During FY 1994, the 4M UST
Training Center, Chattanooga,
Tennessee, used a $150,000 grant
from Region 4 to hire a director
and offer seven courses in
underground storage tank
remediation. About 210 engineers,
geologists, and other technical
specialists took the courses. These
students were employed by federal,
state, and local governments, as
well as contractors.
OFFICE OF POLICY &
MANAGEMENT
Contact: Cory Berish,, 404-347-7109
Partners for a Clean
Environment (PACE)
PACE combines the EPA's
Greenlights, Waste Wi$e, WAVE,
and EnergyStar programs with
state and local initiatives to form a
comprehensive approach to
pollution prevention. PACE
provides a method for businesses
to examine their energy efficiency,
solid waste reduction, water
efficiency, and transportation
alternatives. Businesses are
encouraged to join this voluntary
EPA program and also implement
other measures that provide
reasonable returns on investments,
while reducing waste and pollution
in each of these areas. This
program is being tested in the
Atlanta area.
Construction and Debris
Material Recycling
The EPA has funded the Institute
for Local Self Reliance (ILSR) of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and
Augustine Environmental of
Atlanta, Georgia, to do a five-
month-long research, analysis, and
facilitation project among
government, community, and
private sector agencies, with the
goal of establishing a community-
based construction and demolition
debris recovery enterprise in
Atlanta.
More than 95% of the asphalt,
brick, and concrete rubble
generated in Atlanta is now
processed by Aggrecon, Inc.,
which ILSR helped in its effort to
move to a new site in Atlanta.
ILSR continues to offer Aggrecon
help in hiring and training under-
skilled workers for low-income
areas in Atlanta.
Energy Efficient Affordable
Housing
The EPA funded the Southface
Energy Institute of Atlanta,
Georgia, to work with nonprofit
agencies that build "affordable
housing", in an endeavor to
increase the use of proven, new
technologies, which increase new
homes' energy efficiency.
Southface worked mainly with
Charis Housing and Habitat for
Humanity, in Atlanta and
neighboring Cobb County,
Georgia.
Energy & Water Conservation
The Planet Protection Center
program educates home
improvement retailers about the
need for energy and water
conservation and encourages them
to stock and promote products that
would help American homeowners
and businesses conserve energy
and water. Through this program,
Region 4 expects to deliver the
energy and water conservation
message to 7.5 million U.S.
households.
Contact: Carol Monell, 404-347-3555, ext.
6779
Project Harambee
Region 4 has sponsored a local
effort for pollution prevention,
called Project Harambee (Swahili
for "let's pull together"). This
community-based conservation
program is intended to show local
and regional decision makers and
community stakeholders how a
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10
community-based conservation
program can pay back the
community, while creating a
financial and environmental win-
win situation.
Media Divisions
The Region 4 media divisions have
been working with their state
program counterparts to put
pollution prevention activities into
their state grant programs. The
Air, Pesticides, and Toxics
Division has, for example, set
aside a percentage of the air grants
for states to use for pollution
prevention strategies. The Region
provided training for state air
programs personnel and works
with each state to help it develop a
plan suited to its needs.
OFFICE OF REGIONAL
COUNSEL
Contact: Bill Anderson, 404-347-3555, ext.
2182
Bill Anderson, Assistant Regional
Counsel, completed the second
year of a two-year-long
assignment, under the
Intergovernmental Personnel Act,
at the School of Public Policy of
the Georgia Institute of
Technology, Atlanta, Georgia. He
developed and taught two new
courses for the Master of Science
degree in public policy, which
offers a specialization in
environmental policy. The courses
were Environmental Law, which
covered cross cutting statutes, such
as the National Environmental
Policy Act and the Endangered
Species Act, as well as statutes
governing the use of federal lands,
such as national forests. These
courses attracted 135
undergraduate and graduate
students of management, city
planning, engineering and science,
and public policy.
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11
EPA REGION 4 OFFICE OF RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
LABORATORIES
ENVIRONMENTAL
RESEARCH LABORATORY,
ATHENS, GEORGIA
Contact: Kate McDaniel, 706-546-3524
Distant Learning
Research done by Lee Wolfe,
Ph.D., and staff, at the
Environmental Research
Laboratory (ERL) found some
aquatic plants break the trinitro
toluene (TNT) molecule into other
molecules.
To enable students at five high
schools in Georgia to do similar
experiments, ERL mailed their
schools the chemicals and supplies
needed to do the experiment, along
with written test requirements and
instructions for their use. Instead
of TNT contaminated soil, the
students had a new lab test for
measuring the presence of a
specific enzyme in the plant. The
schools taking part were Columbus
and Carver, in Columbus; E.T.
Booth School, hi Woodstock;
Rome, in Rome; and Dodge
County, in Eastman.
The students later saw a video of
the ERL research, in which they
could see in great detail how to
properly collect and prepare
samples, as well as the equipment
used, and how the lab test was
done. During this live electronic
connection with their schools, ERL
staff members and students saw,
heard, and talked with each other.
Kate McDaniel of the Environmental Research Laboratory (ERL), Athens, Georgia, uses a
video and handouts to promote ERL's Environmental Science Education Program. She is
shown in ERL's 1994 booth, at the Sunbelt Expo, in Moultrie, Georgia.
The experiment shown above was set up, in Childcrsburg, Alabama, by personnel of the
Environmental Research Laboratory, Athens, Georgia, in order to test the effectiveness of
an aquatic plant named parrot feather to break down trinitro toluene molecules.
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12
During their study, the students did
sophisticated lab tests and found
new, useful plants in their
communities. These were sent to
ERL for further tests.
Sunbelt Expo
ERL had a booth at the yearly
Sunbelt Expo agricultural fair, hi
Moultrie, Georgia. The booth was
visited by 105 teachers and
educators, and 25 requests were
made for other material. Nearly
1,730 copies of 16 curriculum
were given to visitors.
Governor's Council
ERL took part in the Council for
Environmental Education, set up
by Georgia's Governor Zell
Miller. The 12-member council
investigated the status of
environmental education in Georgia
and the need to teach the subject.
It gave its report to the governor at
the January 1994 legislative
session.
Unerground Storage Tanks
ERL had a booth at a meeting of
the Oconee County Clean and
Beautiful Commission.
Commission members were asked
to find an adandoned, leaking gas
tank, which contaminated a small
community's drinking water.
Science Teaches' Workshop
ERL sponsored a ChemCom
workshop (i.e., Chemistry in the
Community), on June 19-24,1994,
at ERL, for 25 Georgia high
school teachers. The six-day-long
course was co-sponsored by the
American Chemical Society.
Nature Trail/SAVE A SPECIES
ERL scientists worked with
teachers at the 4th Street
Elementary School, in Athens,
Georgia, to research the native
plants and make markers for some.
The markers, and a brochure for
teachers, are for use hi connection
with the school's nature trail.
The Athens chapter of Sigma Xi, a
national research society, whose
president is David Lewis, Ph.D.,
an ERL scientist, is coordinating a
new, continuing program, called
Save A Species, with the school.
It will enable pupils to see the
nature trail as a habitat and study
the animals hi the surrounding
wood, as well as write essays for a
contest about endangered species.
Several ERL scientists took part hi
the school's Mentor Program
during the year.
Clark Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta University students
toured ERL's labs. In addition,
faculty research participation, joint
research projects, student
internships, mini-courses,
workshops, and faculty and
scientist exchange appointments
were ongoing.
Conservation Workshop
ERL scientists taught four, two-
hour-long classes daily, about
water quality, during the five-day-
long summer conservation
workshop at Abraham Baldwin
Agricultural College, Tifton,
Georgia. The event was attended
by 300 students from 150 Georgia
high schools.
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT, RESEARCH
TRIANGLE PARK, NORTH
CAROLINA
Contact: JohnO'Neil, Ph.D., 919-541-0179
The Office of Research and
Development, at Research Triangle
Park (RTP) supported the
following environmental education
activities hi 1994:
K-12
Thirtyfive students from grades K-
12 were enrolled in the Research
Apprenticeship Program, under a
cooperative agreement RTP has
with Shaw University. The youth
are enrolled after the 8th grade and
attend special classes at Shaw on
Saturdays, during the school year
and for six weeks, during the
summer. During the summers
after their llth and 12th grades the
students work, with EPA mentors,
in RTP laboratories as apprentices.
The program's purpose is to
encourage bright students to pursue
careers hi science and engineering.
About 20% of ORD's scientists
volunteer as either scientists hi the
classrooms, or as scientists in
residence at local schools.
ORD obtained funding and
sponsored a four-week-long
summer teachers-workshop entitled
"Development of an Environmental
Report Card". It was attended by
25 middle and high school science
teachers.
Research Fellows
ORD funds a pre- and post-
graduate Summer Research
Fellowship Program for minorities.
This is done through the Clark
Atlanta University Consortium.
The students participate in research
in the ORD laboratories, during
the summer and continue their
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13
work during the school year.
They receive summer expenses, a
school year stipend, and the
equivalent of in-state tuition.
Training
The Southeast Partnership for
Environmental Technology
Education (SEPETE) is supported
by ORD and other federal agencies
in the southeast to train students
for technical careers in
environmental technical roles.
Academic Relations
ORD takes part, with local
universities, in implementing
Memorandums of Understanding.
The schools include Duke
University, North Carolina
Agricultural and Technical
University, North Carolina Central
University, North Carolina State
University, at Raleigh, the
University of North Carolina, at
Chapel Hill and, at Wilmington,
Shaw University, and Western
Carolina University.
Environmental! Protection Agency
Region 4
Office of Research & Development I
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EPA REGION 4 STATES
ALABAMA
DEPARTMENT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL
MANAGEMENT
Contact: Catherine G. Lamar, 205-271-
7709
Environmental Tags
Contact: Tim Forester, 205-271-7958
At the end of FY '94 the proceeds
from the sale of environmental
license plates, which went on sale
in April 1993, totaled $542,000.
(Legislation creating the tags was
passed in 1992.) This money is
for use in funding environmental
education projects. Some of these
have included:
• Produced and distributed 10,000
water resource posters to schools
throughout the state in cooperation
with the EPA, the Geological
Survey of Alabama, and Legacy,
Inc.;
• funded the development of a K-
12 curriculum guide by Troy State
University's Center for
Environmental Research and
Service. A resource guide, which
will serve as an informational
source and supplement the
curriculum material, is currently
being developed;
• provided $25,000 in grants to
public schools throughout the state
to initiate and implement
environmental education projects;
• initiated, in 1994, the first
Envirobowl, modeled after the
College Bowl and other similar
game shows. It features questions
about environmental issues.
Nearly 140 students from 28 high
School teachers listen to information about water quality, during a teacher workshop, at
Lay Lake, Alabama. The workshop, held in 1994, was sponsored by the Alabama
Department of Environmental Management.
schools in the state took part;
• produced and distributed, with
the cooperation of the Alabama
Cattlemen's Association, 150,000
free place mats to restaurants
across the state. The mats featured
environmental information in
celebration of Earth Day;
• funded, in cooperation with the
Alabama Forestry Association, a
one-week environmental education
workshop for elementary students
in the Decatur area. The focus
was on forestry, land, water and
wildlife issues;
• funded the creation of a
recycling center and outdoor
environmental laboratory for
elementary students at Birmingham
Southern College, in Birmingham.
Outdoor Environmental
Education Labs
Contact: Patti Hurley, 205-271-7938
Using EPA nonpoint source funds,
26 environmental education
laboratories were established at
public school sites throughout the
state through the cooperation of the
Resource Conservation and
Development districts.
Citizen Monitoring Network
Contact: Patti Hurley, 205-271-7938
Nonpoint source funds from EPA
grants supported training citizens
pursuant to setting up a citizen
monitoring network. About 25
workshops were held throughout
the state to train nearly 1,000
citizens in the proper water quality
monitoring techniques. To date,
32 citizen monitoring groups have
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15
been established statewide.
Water Quality Teacher
Workshops
Contact: Patti Hurley, 205-271-7938
Two workshops were sponsored in
the coastal area with the
cooperation of the Alabama
Cooperative Extension Service,
Troy State Environmental Studies
Center, Mobile County
Environmental Studies Center, and
Weeks Bay Reserve. The
workshops, attended by
approximately 25 teachers, focused
on nonpoint source pollution
problems.
Staff Outreach
Contact: Catherine G. Lamar, 205-271-
7709
In October 1993, ADEM began
compiling a list of outreach
activities by its staff. The records
for that one-year period indicate
that personnel participated in
almost 300 programs involving
more than 18,000 attendees.
These ranged from workshops on
technical issues and regulations
sponsored by ADEM for the
regulated community, to
presentations at public schools,
churches, and scout troops.
Ombudsman Office
Contact: Blake Roper, 1-800-533-2336
This outreach was set up in May
1993 to comply with mandates of
the Clean Air Act. ADEM chose
to expand it to deal with
multimedia environmental issues
(as opposed to air issues only).
ADEM is the second state in EPA
Region 4 to adopt this broadened
outreach approach.
The office's main objective is to
help small businesses by
disseminating information on
proposed and new regulations,
evaluating the regulations' impacts
and making referrals for technical
assistance to facilitate compliance.
Since 1993, the office has been
involved in more than 50 public
outreach efforts. To facilitate
communications, ADEM set up a
toll-free phone line. There have
been an average of 30 calls daily
to complain or ask technical
interpretations of regulations.
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FLORIDA
DEPART MENT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION
Contacts: Jim Lev/in, Director, Office of
Environmental Education (OEE), Janine
Rogers, Dodie Zeile;.- 904-488-9334.
The Department of Eavironmental
Protection (DEP) has begun
ecosystem management. In
support of this, the OEE has taken
an ecosystem approach to
environmental education. This
move has b««n guided by a
committee composed of agency and
outside representatives.
School Outreach and Public
Information: The OEE provides
information for the public, other
agencies, environmental and civic
clubs, and schools. It answers
inquiries and provides pamphlets,
booklets, fact sheets, videos, and
posters. Guided by the OEE, the
DEP participates in a unique
partnership entitled Partners for
Excellence, with schools statewide.
School needs are matched to
DEP's resources and DEP
employees serve as consultants and
judges for science fair projects.
They also talce part in school
career days.
The Florida Envirothon: The
DEP's staff participates in local
and state Bivirothons. The
Florida Envirothon is a one-day
event for high school students,
which gives them experience with
environmentally oriented activities
and helps them become
environmentally aware, action
oriented adults. Winning teams
from local events take part in the
annual Florida IZnvironthon.
Teams of five students each take
hands-on and written tests in
aquatics, environmental issues,
forestry, soils, and wildlife.
Computer Bulletin Boards
(BBS): The OEE operates a 24-
hour computer BBS. The
Ecosystem Management and
Environmental Education
Computer BBS 904-922-7108,
contains text files on a variety of
environmental topics, DEP
Ecosystem Management reports, a
few environmental education
programs, and Florida's state air,
water, and waste rules. In
addition, the BBS will help Florida
students get information about
environmental subjects.
Parknership: The DEP's Florida
Park Service gives Florida schools
the opportunity to enter into
"Parknerships", by serving in one
of the state parks. Students
experiences range from creating a
butterfly habitat to restoring sand
dunes and planting seedlings. The
program has doubled in two years.
Angler's Guide: The publication
entitled "Fishing Lines: An
Angler's Guide to Florida Marine
Resources" provides educational
information about marine resources
for salt-water anglers in Florida.
About 1.5 million copies have been
printed to give information about
fishing ethics, habitats, life
histories, and detailed paintings of
the most important species.
Laboratory: Tours of the
department's state-of-the-art
laboratory complex are offered
high school students and various
organizations. A speaker explains
the purposes of an environmental
lab and the kinds of analyses that
are conducted hi it.
Speakers Bureau: The DEP
provides speakers for schools and
other organizations throughout the
state. The topics addressed include
habitat destruction; air and water
polution; endangered species; oil
spills; and marine fisheries.
4R's: The DEP provides
supplementary information to this
state solid waste curriculum, which
is used in K-12 math, social
studies, language arts, and science
classes.
Boating Safety: The Florida
Marine Patrol's "Bobber", a
cartoon character, educates
children about the importance of
water and boating safety.
Other: DEP units also promote
education on subjects such as used
oil, coral reefs and other marine
inhabitants, manatee, and other
marine mammal protection through
in-school programs and on-site
field trips.
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GEORGIA
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL
RESOURCES
Fall and Spring into Recycling
Contact: Pamela Tinley, 404-656-4713
The Environmental Protection
Division (EPD) of Georgia's
Department of Natural Resources
participated in the fourth annual
Spring into Recycling, in May, and
Fall into Recycling, in October.
This event was co-sponsored by
the Department of Community
Affairs, WXIA Channel 11, and
various private industries. The
one-day events were held at seven
locations throughout metro Atlanta
and are designed to allow the
public to bring in many types of
recyclables, such as glass,
aluminum, paper, and hard-to-
recycle items, such as latex paint,
motor oil, and antifreeze. Almost
600 volunteers helped collect more
than 425 tons of recyclables at
these events. The public was
given educational handouts, which
focused on what can be recycled
and how it should be collected.
The local television station also
assisted in informing the public
about how to recycle. Some
recycled latex paint was donated to
the flood victims in southern
Georgia.
Georgia River Clean Up
Contact: Laurie Hawks, 404-656-4905
The Third Annual River Clean Up
took place on July 14-21, 1994.
Nearly 2,100 individuals
volunteered more than 6,000 hours
and collected more than 2,580 bags
of trash. The River Clean Up was
planned and coordinated by 33
local organizers and covered a total
of 15 rivers, four lakes, and eight
creeks, in 30 counties. The groups
that provided volunteer support
included various Georgia Clean
and Beautiful Programs,
environmental organizations,
schools, civic groups, church
groups, and private industry. The
items picked up included bicycles,
furniture, car parts, aluminum,
glass, and plastic.
Georgia Adopt-A-Stream
Program
Contact: Laurie Hawks, 404-656-4905
The EPD's Adopt-A-Stream
Program has developed a new
trend in water quality protection.
In cooperation with schools,
private industry, and state and
local governments, citizens have
begun to take water quality
seriously, and thousands of
volunteers have helped to clean,
monitor, and protect their local
streams, rivers, and lakes. Adopt-
A-Stream groups throughout the
Atlanta area have cleaned up
numerous streams and rivers and
stenciled storm drains to inform
the public that storm drains carry
rainwater directly to streams.
Eroding stream banks have been
stabilized by planting trees and
sandbagging and regular water
quality monitoring has been done
to inform local authorities of
potential problems.
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KENTUCKY
NATURAL RESOURCES &
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION CABINET
Contact: Maleva Chamberlain, 502-564-
3410
Comparative Risk Project: This
project, a part of Kentucky
Outlook 2000, was the state's
major environmental education
effort during 1994. By involving
the public in combining
comparative risk assessment with
projections and an analysis of
Kentucky's future, the state is
making an effort to achieve a
sustainable future. Environmental
education personnel from every
agency in the Natural Resources
and Environmental Protection
Cabinet were involved in planning
public involvement for the project
and in providing staff support to
public committees appointed by
Gov. Brereton C. Jones. Project
Manager Nancy Fouser
participated in the Second
International Comparative Risk
Analysis Symposium in Taipei,
Taiwan, in November, at which
she discussed the role of
comparative risk in environmental
and economic policy planning.
Environmental Education Forum:
A special Environmental Education
Forum for teachers was included in
the annual Governor's Conference
on the Environment. One
workshop included a tour of an
outdoor classroom followed by
presentations by teachers who
operate outdoor classroom
facilities. The forum also gave
teachers a chance to state their
opinions about the role of
Kentucky's Environmental
Education Council.
Kentucky Science Teachers'
Water Watch volunteers record information about water samples they have taken from the
river behind them.
Association Conference:
Department environmental
education personnel staffed an
exhibit at this conference and
distributed materials to more than
1,000 teachers.
Students Exploring the
Environment in Kentucky: This
program, known at SEEK, is a
club, which enables students and
teachers to offer a regular
newsletter, with games, puzzles,
and suggestions for projects and
hands-on activities about
Kentucky's environment, as well
as a calendar of environmental
events and workshops.
Environmental Education
Workshops: Two environmental
education workshops were held for
local officials from several
counties to provide them with
information about cabinet programs
and regulations.
Agriculture and the Environment
in the Classroom Workshops:
Four of these workshops were held
to give educational personnel a
chance to present information
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about available programs and
materials.
DIVISION FOR AIR QUALITY
Contact: Lillie Cox, 502-564-3382
Clean Air for Kentucky: This
program's educational events
continue across the Commonwealth
at schools, in environmental days,
at fairs, outdoor classrooms, and
other special events, along with the
distribution of teacher and
education packets. The division
sponsored educational workshops
on permitting requirements in the
spring and, in the late summer,
and fall held special workshops
across the state about open
burning.
DIVISION OF
ENVmONMENTALSERVICES
Contact: Nancy Fouser, 502-564-2150
River Assessment Monitoring
Project: This annual event,
sponsored by the Division of
Environmental Services (DES) and
the Division of Water, took place
this year along the Upper
Cumberland River. Science
students took water samples at 26
sampling locations. After analysis
by DES chemists, the results were
provided to the schools. Students
then anayzed the lab results, drew
conclusions, and provided
recommendations about water
quality in the river basin.
DIVISION OF WASTE
MANAGEMENT
Contact: Debra Hockensmith, 502-564-6716
Waste Resources Workshop:
Debra Hockensmith conducted in-
service workshops entitled Waste:
A Hidden Resource in Kentucky,
which is an educational curriculum
for grades 7-12. She also
distributed more than 1,200 copies
of the U.S. EPA's waste
curriculum Let's Reduce and
Recycle: Curriculum for Solid
Waste Awareness. In addition, she
staffed exhibit booths at
conferences and school and
community environmental days and
made presentations to school
assemblies, civic organizations,
and local solid waste advisory
committees, on waste reduction,
recycling, and other waste
management issues. She also
worked with the Ohio River Valley
Water Sanitation Commission to
conduct the sixth annual Ohio
River Sweep, a six-state riverbank
cleanup along the river's entire
length.
Certification: The division also
held certification schools for land
farming, composting, and landfills;
held four training workshops for
solid waste coordinators; and made
a presentation about solid waste to
extension service homemakers.
DIVISION OF WATER
Contact: Maleva Chamberlain, 502-564-
3410
Water Watch Program:
Monitoring projects were
established in more than 35
communities, bringing to more
than 250 the number of volunteer
groups with water-testing
equipment, which report to the
division in this program. A
statewide computer network for
schools and groups with access to
computers with modems has been
developed. Bulletin board systems
provide electronic mail, file
libraries, and discussion centers for
water-related topics. Agency
personnel are available via internet
mail and have established links
with groups in Canada, Russia,
Germany, India and other parts of
the U.S. Other Water Watch
activities include teacher-training
workshops, river basin and stream-
side cleanups, and visits with
Kentucky's clean water mascot
Ollie Otter.
Sister Rivers: A Sister Rivers
International Exchange Program
has been instituted. Video tapes in
Russian and Japanese and
brochures in Japanese and Spanish
have been developed for the
project to discuss water quality and
watershed protection efforts. In
addition, Water Watch and other
division personnel have helped
American delegations to Japan and
ones from Russia to the U.S.
Rivers Month: Brochures, which
listed statewide activities, during
June 1994, were prepared and
disseminated for Rivers Month.
Facilities Construction: Two
facilities construction seminars
were held in conjunction with the
Kentucky Infrastructure Authority.
One was to help potential
applicants understand planned
requirements. The second was to
provide information to help
attendees determine whether or not
the Federally Assisted Wastewater
Revolving Fund program was the
proper choice for their projects.
Retired Seniors and Wellhead
Protection: The Retired Senior
Volunteer Program has become a
partner in order to help with the
Wellhead Protection Program.
Senior volunteers are being trained
to inventory potential contaminant
sources in wellhead areas. In
addition, workshops on wellhead
protection were presented for
planners, local officials,
cooperative extension agents, and
personnel from the Soil
Conservation Service and local
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20
health departments.
Biomonitoring Newsletter: A
new Biomonitoring Newsletter was
begun to provide information and
help facilities with discharge
permits that require biomonitoring.
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MISSISSIPPI
DEPARTMENT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Contact: Eleana Turner, 601-961-5015
The Department of Environmental
Quality (DEQ) continues to devote
more time each year to educating
the regulated community, as well
as to providing educational
materials and staff to the general
public. General information was
distributed by the staff at the
Mississippi State Fair; every
Household Hazardous Waste Day
in the state; Waterfest for teachers;
and the annual meeting of the
Mississippi Association of
Supervisors. The DEQ's staff
provided speakers for civic clubs,
environmental and professional
organizations, schools, colleges,
and universities. Departmental
professionals were also available to
judge science fairs, participate in
career days, and serve on
committees for environmental
education projects.
Surface Water Division
Contact: Barry Royals, 601-961-5102
The division exhibited and
distributed information at the
annual meeting of the Mississippi
Municipal Association and at the
Mississippi Water Pollution
Control Operators Association. A
manual entitled Planning and
Design Manual for the Control of
Sediment and Stormwater was
completed this year and is now
being sold by the DEQ. The
division, in cooperation with the
Mississippi Wildlife Federation,
held its first four Adopt-A-Stream
Workshops. The workshops
emphasize watershed mapping,
land use, water chemistry, and
macroinvertebrate sampling. The
Larry Estes (left) and Aimee Faulker (second from left) demonstrate paper making for
participants, during the Southeastern States Environmental Conference, in Biloxi,
Mississippi. The demonstration, which gives a better understanding of recycled paper, is
also available to schools and other educational organizations. Mr. Estes is with the
pollution prevention program and Ms. Faulkner with the public information division of
Mississippi's Department of Environmental Quality.
participants included citizens,
teachers, resource agency
personnel, and industrial
personnel. Three environmental
resource workshops were held for
teachers and students. These
included exhibits, literature, and
demonstrations of the nonpoint
source pollution model, and the
ground water aquifer model.
Groundwater Division
Contact: Bill Barnett, 601-961-5119
The underground storage tank
branch held four public
information seminars for tank
owners, operators, installers,
repairers, and removers. The
branch also mailed its publication
entitled "Timeout for Tanks" to
installers, removers, and repairers,
and its publication entitled
"Tanknically Speaking" to
companies that provide remediation
services at leaking sites.
Hazardous Waste Division
Contact: Jerry Banks, 601-961-5221
A manual for Liquified Petroleum
Gas Emergency Response and a
three-hour-long seminar were
developed by the division. More
than 200 emergency response
personnel have participated in the
seminars. In addition, the
emergency response section
addressed every Highway Safety
Patrol division in the state, at their
district meetings.
Air Division
Contact: Dwight Wylie, 601-961-5104
The air division participated in a
two-day seminar to introduce the
Title V program, by explaining the
new regulations and their impact
on the regulated community. The
division regularly provides
outreach efforts to the regulated
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22
community by participating in
quarterly meetings of the
Mississippi Manufacturers
Association.
Pollution Prevention Program
Contact: Tom Whitten, 601-961-5241
This program developed a
publication request form that lists
28 free publications on source
reduction, reuse, recycling,
composting, and recycled buying,
as well as a video list of more than
30 waste reduction videos. A
second publications request form,
which lists 44 hazardous waste
reduction publications, was also
developed.
Approximately 1,000 people
attended the Southern States
Environmental Conference hosted
by the DEQ and coordinated by
the Pollution Prevention Program.
The program also worked closely
with state and federal agencies,
universities, and community
colleges to establish recycling
programs.
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23
NORTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF
ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH
AND NATURAL RESOURCES
Contact: Anne Taylor, 919-733-0711
Environmental Education
Advisory Council
The Office of Environmental
Education formed an intra-agency
Environmental Education Advisory
Council (EEAC) made up of
environmental education
representatives from the Wildlife
Resources Commission, the Zoo,
Aquariums, Forestry, Soil &
Water, Marine Fisheries, Parks
and Recreation, Water Resources,
Land Resources, Coastal
Management, and other divisions
within the agency. This council
met monthly and developed
principles and concepts of
environnmental education and
identified environmental education
needs and objectives.
1994 Environmental Education
Conference: Making the
Commitment
• North Carolina's first directory
of environmental education centers
in the state was published for
presentation to those participating
in the concurrent session on
environmental education centers.
It listed more than 100 such
centers. The meeting was the first
in which centers' staffs and
supporters met together in an
organized forum.
Recommendations, which resulted
from the session, included that an
association of environmental
education centers be formed, and
that staff development
opportunities be arranged,
including standards and
accreditation, cross training, and
staff exchange programs.
North Carolina's Governor James B. Hunt addresses the 700 people in attendance at the
1994 North Carolina Environmental Education Conference, in Research Triangle Park,
North Carolina.
• The conference also showed the
participants examples of
environmental education programs
and teacher training programs
available to them. The programs
presented included Projects WILD,
Aquatic WILD, Estuary, and
Learning Tree; EELEs, the
Museum of Natural Sciences, Zoo,
Aquariums, Soil & Water, Ag in
the Classroom, Educational State
Forests, Air Quality, Electronic
access with Nando Land, Learning
Link, and PSInet.
• One concurrent session dealt
with the process for applying for
the $1,000 grants to be made to
nearly 25 schools for use in
creating model environmental
education library collections. The
session was presented by the DPI
and ENHR Office of
Environmental Education.
• Another concurrent session dealt
with the development of activities
and curriculum through the use of
North Carolina-specific GIS data.
It drew many science, social
studies, math, and computer skills
teachers.
• The EEAC's work was
published in "A Framework for
Discussion" and presented to the
700 participants, in December
1994, in Research Triangle Park,
at the Environmental Education
Conference, which was co-
sponsored by the North Carolina
Department of Public Instruction
(DPI) and the Department of
Environment, Health, and Natural
Resources. Gov. Jim Hunt opened
the conference with a call for the
establishment of a conservation
ethic in North Carolina and a sense
of stewardship through
environmental education. Prof.
Rick Wilke of the University of
Wisconsin, chairman of the United
States Education Advisory Council,
delivered the keynote address.
Concurrent sessions were
conducted to discuss the draft
objectives of the North Carolina
Environmental Education Plan,
which are in the "Framework for
Discussion". Reports and
recommendations from each
session were presented to the full
conference for incorporation in the
next draft, which will be taken to
seven regional meetings across the
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24
state for further public discussion.
The final plan will be presented to
the governor and North Carolina
General Assembly en Earth Day
1995.
Environmental
Objectives:
Education
• Other environmental education
objectives for which concurrent
sessions were conducted, and from
which reports and
recommendatiais were presented,
included the role of business and
the press in environmental
education, pre-service
environmental education training
for teacher candidates, in-service
environmental education
recognition and award certificate,
funding environmental education
programs and measures of
environmental literacy in North
Carolina.
• An electronic correlation was
developed for environmental
education activities and DPI's
Standard Course of Study for
science, social studies, math and
other subject courses. This was
done, during an eight-month-long
period, by a team up of
representatives from Project
Learning Tree, Project Estuary,
Project WILD, Project Aquatic
WILD, and the North Carolina
State Parks EELEs (that is,
curriculum referred to as
"environmental education learning
experiences", which are specific to
each of the state's 32 state parks).
This conference was the first
forum for the presentation of the
science and social studies
correlation and copies were made
available to the conference's
participants.
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25
SOUTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
AND ENVIRONMENTAL
CONTROL
Environmental Education
Partnership
Contact: Marie Morton, 803-734-3941
The mission of the South Carolina
Department of Health and
Environmental Control (DHEC) is
to protect public health and the
environment. The goal of
DHEC's Environmental Education
Partnership (EEP) is to support the
agency's mission by co-ordinating
and promoting its environmental
education efforts.
During 1994, the EEP's activities
included presentations at the South
Carolina Science Council's annual
workshop, at the state's National
Science Foundation retreat, and to
the Environmental Education
Association.
The EEP was formed in 1994 to
be an educational information
clearing-house for DHEC's
environmental areas. It provides
curriculums, material, videos,
displays, and speakers to schools,
local governments, industry, and
the public. EEP includes
representatives of the bureaus of
Air Quality, Water Pollution
Control, Drinking Water
Protection, and Solid & Hazardous
Waste Management and the Ocean
and Coastal Resource
Management, and Educational
Resources Center.
OFFICE OF SOLID WASTE
REDUCTION & RECYCLING
Public-Private Partnerships
Contact: Richard Chesley, 803-896-4209
Representatives of the partners and January winners are shown while on the set of WIS-TV,
Columbia, South Carolina, during the kick-off of the Champions of the Environment
scholarship program. Shown (left to right) are Dwight Hanks, representing DuPont; Bob
King, representing South Carolina's Department of Health and Environmental Control; Jill
Bergeron of the Hilton Head Preparation School, a winner; Susan Vaughan McPherson,
representing Union Camp; Micaela Grant of the L. W. Conder Elementary School,
Columbia, a winner; Dawn Mercer, representing WIS-TV, Columbia; John Harrison of the
Lexington High School, a winner; and Ron Loewen, also of WIS-TV.
Curriculum
The Office of Solid Waste
Reduction and Recycling
(OSWRR), in conjunction with the
South Carolina Department of
Education, a statewide team of
classroom teachers, and private
consultants, developed Action for
a cleaner tomorrow: A South
Carolina Environmental
Curriculum. The kindergarten
through eighth grade segment was
introduced in January 1994 and
more than 2,100 teachers were
trained to use it.
Used Oil Partnership
In 1994, the South Carolina Used
Oil Partnership, created by
OSWRR in 1992, updated its used
oil recycling curriculum, produced
a video, provided posters, decals,
a display, and other promotional
materials, and made numerous
presentations to schools, civic
groups, and national workshops.
The partnership includes the South
Carolina Petroleum Council, the
South Carolina Department of
Transportation, and Santee
Cooper.
Public-Private Partnership
OSWRR has developed and
maintained public-private
partnerships to promote the
public's awareness of specific solid
waste issues. The partnerships
include Pepsi, for statewide
aluminum can recycling; Hardee's,
for trayliners with recycling
information; the Special Olympics,
for statewide junk-car recycling;
the South Carolina Association of
Realtors, for statewide household
hazardous waste information; and
the Coalition for Natural Resources
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26
Education, for co-ordinating
environmental education efforts
throughout the fitate.
Resource Center
OSWRR's Resource Center
received, during 1994, more than
4,000 calls on its toll-free
recycling hot line and mailed more
than 600 packages of information.
NONPOINT SOURCE WATER
POLLUTION
Contact: Phil Hayes, 803-734-5078
Champions of the Environment
The Champions of the
Environment is a statewide public-
service partnership aimed at
promoting environmental
awareness at the elementary,
middle and high school levels. In
December IS 94 (its third year), the
partnership received national
recognition, when the Pine Street
Elementary School of Spartanburg,
one of the champions, was asked
to perform its original, Earth Day
musical for the White House
Conference on Environmental
Technology. The program and
school were recognized by Vice
President A] Gore, Secretary of
Education Dick Riley, and U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
Administrator Carol Browner.
"Champions" features two
programs. In one, the South
Carolina Environmental Awareness
Student Awards Competition, 450
students competed in four
categories: environnmental
awareness poster; environmental
awareness essays; environmental
awareness spokesperson; and
environmental awareness bowl.
The other program featured
recognition of students and classes
at work on environmental projects.
During the school year, 18
students and classes were selected
and videotaped for one-minute
television spots. Each spot was
broadcast 25 times for a total of
450 minutes and reached an
estimated 670,000 viewers each
month and more than six million
during the year.
BUREAU OF AIR QUALITY
Contact: Mohamed Abdelsalam, 803-734-
4750
The Bureau of Air Quality (BAQ)
made numerous presentations to
community groups and schools,
including work with a high school
student on a senior thesis project.
The BAQ also provided resources
for the Oconee County Science
Fair, and participated in the
Science Council's Earth Day Share
Fair, the Environmental Law and
Technology Conference, and the
Automated Manufacturers
Conference.
BUREAU OF DRINKING
WATER PROTECTION
Contact: Cathy Montgomery, 803-734-5371
The Bureau of Drinking Water
Protection has publications and
videos for schools and supplies
speakers upon request.
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27
TENNESSEE
DEPARTMENT OF
ENVIRONMENT AND
CONSERVATION
Contact: Wayne Scharber, 615-532-0220
BUREAU OF RESOURCES
MANAGEMENT
Contact: RickM. Sinclair, 615-532-0734
Radon and Real Estate
Workshops: Six workshops were
held across the state by the Radon
Program of the Pollution
Prevention & Environmental
Awareness Division (PPEAD).
The workshops were co-sponsored
by the American Lung Association,
EPA, and local real estate
associations. The issues discussed
included radon and real estate
transactions, legal liability, and
environmental hazards.
Essay and Poster Contest: The
PPEAD, with assistance from the
American Lung Association and
the Regional Transportation
Authority, held a poster and essay
contest as part of Clean Air
Month. The winners and their
classroom activities were
publicized in a tabloid that was
circulated to 38,800 students, as
part of the Newspapers in the
Classroom program. The program
was so well received it has been
expanded to a statewide project for
the current year.
Radon Proficiency Training:
The Radon Program sponsors
training each year for individuals
who are interested in passing the
EPA proficiency exams for radon
testing and mitigation.
Indoor Air Training: An indoor
air training course for state-level
extension educators from various
states was held in Nashville. The
program was cosponsored by the
A teacher shows a pupil a sample used to illustrate a lesson, during Clean Air We Care
classes, in Rutherford County, Tennessee. The classes were meant to build environmental
knowledge.
Terry Young (on right, with face hidden) of Middle Tennessee University tells onlookers
about a hydrogen powered car part. The car was put on display in Nashville, Tennessee,
by Tennessee's Clean Air Committee.
EPA, USDA, University Extension
Program, American Lung
Association, and PPEAD. The
program was successful and is
being duplicated in three other
places in America.
Rural Radon Awareness: A local
radon awareness and testing
program was piloted in Giles
county, a rural high risk area.
More than 200 homes were tested
during the six week period. The
program was so successful Giles
County participants assist
Tennessee and the American Lung
Association in conducting county
training programs in four
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28
locations, during January and
February, of 1995, so other
counties can help residents test
their homes.
Pollution Prevention Seminar:
The first regional Pollution
Prevention Conference was held in
Kingsport on November 11.
Industries lis':ed on the EPA's
latest Toxics Release Inventory
were invited to attend.
The conference was sponsored by
the Tennessije Department of
Environment & Conservation's
(TDEC's) 2000 Initiative Industry
Committee, PPEAD, and
University of Tennessee Center for
Industrial Services (UTCIS). The
conference emphasized the need to
voluntarily roduce TRI emission,
related some success stories, and
provided industry with people to
call for free sissistance.
Tennessee Environmental
Priorities Project: The Policy
Planning O.'ffice facilitated the
initial training of the Technical
Advisory Co.armittee for the TEPP
(i.e., comparative risk analysis),
which will take place in 1995.
The conference attendees were
from across the state. They
learned, from the Northeast Center
for Comparative Risk and EPA,
about the comparative risk process
and their role in it.
Interdepartmental Awareness:
The PPEAD sponsored a series of
Brown Bag lunches promarily for
employees v/ithin the TDEC. The
topics presented varied from new
EPA initiatives, such as
Environmental Justice,
Comparative Risk Indicators, and
Goals, to archaeological sites.
Attendance was good and much
information was shared between
the media.
Small Business Drycleaner
Teleconference: The PPEAD's
Small Business Assistance
Program, UTCIS, and EPA
sponsored a national teleconference
on the Clean Air Act MACT
requirements for drycleaners.
There were teleconference sites in
48 states, Canada, and Mexico.
A panel of experts presented
information on the regulatory
requirements, operation, and
maintenance procedures,
monitoring techniques, equipment
options, finance opportunities, and
good housekeeping practices.
Participants were able to ask the
panel questions by phone.
A drycleaning compliance and
operations manual was also
developed and given each
teleconference attendee.
State of the Environment
Review: Tennessee's first State of
the Environment report for all
Tennesseans was published in
1994. It was a collaborative effort
by the bureaus of Environment and
Resource Management. The report
contains photography and computer
generated charts and graphs and is
Tennessee's initial attempt to
inform its citizens of
environmental progress and
performance, as well as unfinished
business. The report was a special
edition of the department's
Conservationist magazine and was
sent to 20,000 individuals and
companies across the state.
Mobile Solid Waste Exhibit: The
Division of Solid Waste Assistance
entered into a partnership with the
TVA and the Tennessee Soft Drink
Association in order to design and
operate a mobile exhibit, which
carries a small reference library
and more than 50 publications for
distributors. It also has two video
units and about 20 video tapes or
video loops for use by special
community programs. The three
partners have begun to design and
build a second, mobile exhibit,
which should be available in April
1995. It will be more interactive
and address recycling and solid
waste reduction.
Ecological Services: The
Ecological Services Division
helped organize and present the 1st
Annual Tennessee Exotic Pest
Plant Symposium, on March 11-
12, 1994, in Nashville. The
presentations ranged from
environmental education to
biological control from Minnesota
to the Smokies.
The Division also co-sponsored
and lead a control and eradication
workshop for Middle Tennessee in
October 1994, at Warner Parks, in
Nashville. The workshop, about
IPM practices, aimed at specific
exotic pest plants, was mainly for
resource managers.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This report was compiled
by Norman Black
EPA Region 4
Office of Public Affairs
Environmental Education and Public Outreach Staff
Richard D. Nawyn, Chief
Additional copies of this report
may be obtained by contacting
Norman Black
U.S. EPA Region 4 OPA/EEPO
345 Courtland Street, NE
Atlanta, GA 30365
404-347-3004
FAX 404-347-3721
Special thanks to
Carolyn White
for technical help
with the report's graphics layout.
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