vvEPA
Toxics Release Inventory (TRI)
University Initiative
TRI Background
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Toxics Release
Inventory (TRI) Program tracks the management of certain toxic
chemicals that pose a threat to human health and the environment.
U.S. facilities in different industry sectors must annually report how
much of each chemical is managed through recycling, energy
recovery, treatment and environmental releases. The information
submitted by facilities is compiled and made available to the public
through a variety of online reports, search tools and applications.
The goal of the TRI Program is to provide communities with
information about toxic chemical releases and other waste
management activities and to support informed decision-making by
industry, government, non-governmental organizations and the
public.
For More Information:
•	TRI homepage:
www.epa.aov/tri
•	TRI University:
www.epa.aov/tri/
university/initiative
. TRI U and TRI
Program Questions:
tri.help@epa.gov
TRI University Initiative Overview
Launched in Spring 2011, the goal of the TRI University Initiative is
to foster collaborations between the TRI Program and the academic
community. The TRI University Initiative will focus on projects that
help EPA gain a better understanding of TRI data users' needs at the
community level and promote the use of TRI information on behalf
of vulnerable communities.
Partnerships will be designed to take advantage of each academic
institution's unique qualities, including:
•	Academic program strengths;
•	Level of student and faculty participation; and
•	Proximity to TRI communities.
In recognition of the varied needs of TRI stakeholders, the TRI
University Initiative will establish a diverse portfolio of projects and
partnering institutions.
Toxics Release Inventory University Initiative

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oEPA
Potential Topics for Projects
The TRI University Initiative will establish
collaborations that address issues relevant to TRI
stakeholders and EPA staff. These issues may
include, but are not limited to:
¦	Environmental Justice
¦	Community Engagement
¦	Pollution Prevention
•	Environmental Education
¦	Health Science / Public Health
¦	Journalism
¦	Toxicology
¦	Geographic Information System (GIS)
Benefits of TRI University Initiative
Students
¦	Valuable experience working on practical environmental issues with EPA
¦	Possible use for course credit/thesis fulfillment
¦	Potential for standout students to demonstrate quality work to EPA
Academic
Institutions
¦	Opportunity to strengthen civic engagement and public service
¦	Partnership with a Federal Agency
¦	Encourages interdisciplinary collaboration between college
programs/departments
EPA
¦	Establish partnerships with academic community, particularly
Minority Academic Institutions (MAIs)
¦	Gain a better understanding of how to effectively communicate TRI data
¦	Benefit from new analyses of TRI data
For more information:
www.epa.gov/tri
www.epa.gov/tri/universitv/initiative
tri.help@epa.gov
Toxics Release Inventory Program

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