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2015 Autumn | Education & Outreach

Creating a Stronger Communication between the EPA and the Public

Student(s):

Yi (Horace) Hou

Program or Department(s):

  • Program on the Environment
  • University of Washington

Site supervisor(s):

Andrea Lindsey, Debra Sherbina

Partner(s):

  • United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10

Faculty advisor(s):

Stanley Asah, School of Environmental and Forestry Sciences, University of Washington

Community involvement at environmental regulatory agencies is undervalued and underdeveloped. By working with the EPA Region 10 Community College planning team, I helped offer a professional internal EPA training program related to community engagement and communication skills. In the meantime, I interviewed several EPA staff to find out the challenges to government communication and ways to create stronger community involvement. Findings show that changes within the agency have to be made to truly maximize EPA influence on environmental works. I hope to apply what I found to strengthen community involvement not only at EPA but also other regulatory agencies.