EPA's New Era of Voluntary Partnership Program

Over the last several years, an important change has been taking place in our national strategy for protecting the environment. Through an array of partnership programs that we collectively refer to as Partners for the Environment, EPA is demonstrating that voluntary goals and commitments achieve real environmental results in a timely and cost-effective way. In addition to traditional approaches to environmental protection, EPA is building cooperative partnerships with a variety of groups, including small and large businesses, citizen groups, state and local governments, universities and trade associations.

The results of the Partners for the Environment effort are impressive. Thousands of organizations are working cooperatively with EPA to set and reach environmental goals such as conserving water and energy, and reducing greenhouse gases, toxic emissions, solid wastes, indoor air pollution and pesticide risk. Our partners are making pollution prevention a central consideration in doing business. Partnership also means that we are working cooperatively with the private sector to provide stakeholders with effective tools to address environmental issues. And these partners are achieving measurable environmental results often more quickly and with lower costs than would be the case with regulatory approaches. EPA views these partnership efforts as key to the future success of environmental protection.

The Administration is pleased with the progress of these collaborative efforts -- efforts such as 33/50, WasteWi$e, Climate Wise, Green Lights, Energy Star, WAVE, the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program, Indoor Air, Indoor Radon, Design for the Environment, the Environmental Leadership Program, CSI, and Project XL -- and is committed to expanding their implementation and to highlighting the success of our partners.

Toxics Reduction, Reporting, and Efficiency

• Design for the Environment (DfE) - Include environmental considerations in product design.
• Environmental Accounting - Increase business identification of environmental costs, and incorporation of these costs into decisionmaking.
• Green Chemistry Program - Promote and recognize breakthroughs in chemistry that accomplish pollution prevention cost effectively.
• 33/50 Program - Reduce toxic releases of 17 high priority chemicals.
• Common Sense Initiative (CSI) - Reinvent environmental regulation to achieve cleaner, cheaper, smarter results for six industry sectors: auto manufacturing; computers and electronics; iron and steel; metal finishing and plating; petroleum refining; and printing.
• EPA Standards Network - Cordinate Agency involvement in international standards development and provide public information.
• Project XL - Develop alternative regulatory approaches to achieve greater environmental benefits.

Agriculture

• AgSTAR - reduce methane emissions from manure management.
• Ruminant Livestock Methane Program - Reduce methane emissions from ruminant livestock.
• Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program - Promote integrated pest management and reduce pesticide risk in agriculture and non-agriculture settings.

Global Climate Change

• Climate Wi$e - Reduce industrial greenhouse gas emissions and energy costs through comprehensive pollution prevention and energy efficiency programs. * An EPA/DOE partnership.
• Coalbed Methane Outreach Program - Increase methane recovery at coal mines
• U.S. Initiative on Joint Implementation - Promote international projects that reduce grenhouse gases.
• Indoor Environments Program - Reduce risks from indoor air pollution.
• Voluntary Aluminum Industrial Partnership - Reduce perflurocarbon gas emissions from aluminum smelting.

Energy Efficiency and Conservation

• Water Alliances for Voluntary Efficiency (WAVE)- Promote water efficiency in lodging industry.
• Energy Star - Maximize energy efficiency; reduce atomospheric pollution
• Energy Star Buildings - Maximize energy efficiency in commercial and industrial buildings.
• Energy Star Residential Programs - Promote energy efficiency through new home design and residential use of energy efficient products.
• Energy Star Office Equipment - Increase manufacture of energy efficient products.
• Energy Star Transformer Program - Increase use of high efficiency distribution transformers by utilities and manufacturers.
• Green Lights - Increase use of energy efficient lighting technologies.
• Landfill Methane Outreach Program - Develop landfill gas-to-energy projects.
• Natural Gas Star - Reduce methane emissions from natural gas industry.
• Transportation Partners - Reduce carbon dioxide emissions from transportation sector.

State and Local

• State and Local Outreach Program - Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by empowering state and local decision makers.

Solid Waste

• Waste Minimization National Plan - Reduce persistant, bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals in hazardous waste.
• WasteWi$e - Reduce business solid waste through prevention, reuse and recycling.

Compliance

• Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) - Recognize facilities defined as environmental leaders and promote environmental management systems.

Search for Information on Partners for the Environment

Request additional information

Download a general information catalogue:
"Partnerships in Preventing Pollution, A Catalogue of The Agency's Partnership Programs"

Html Format (137k)

Adobe Acrobat PDF (163k)

WordPerfect 6.1 (174k)

[ EPA Home | Office of Reinvention | Search | Comments ]
http://www.epa.gov/partners/
This page last updated on March 23, 1998