EPA Region 4 Wraps Up Earth Week 2019
EPA Region 4 Wraps Up Earth Week 2019
Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young, (404) 562-8421 (Direct), (404) 562-8400 (Main), region4press@epa.gov
ATLANTA (April 26, 2019) – Today, the southeast region of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wraps up a week-long recognition of working with partners to highlight how significant environmental projects, big or small, are to the communities we serve.
“Over the past week, we have had wonderful demonstrations of the good work EPA and our partners are doing across the southeast,” said EPA Acting Region 4 Administrator Mary S. Walker. “This year’s focus on clean water allowed us the opportunity to reach diverse audiences, far and wide, and to celebrate these collaborations and their impact on our earth.”
Earth Week activities in the southeast ranged from recognizing the design and implementation of a bio-retention filter, to internal discussions on the impact of microplastics on our oceans, energy efficiency, and recycling. Region 4’s focus this week also included outreach and educational activities with children. Regional staff visited a local daycare to participate in hands-on water activities and share story time with the kids.
Region 4’s Acting Deputy Regional Administrator Beverly H. Banister, toured the Sandy Springs Marsh Creek Headwaters 319 Project Site to see the bio-retention filter system used to reduce bacteria in Marsh Creek, an impaired stream in Georgia due to urban runoff. The City of Sandy Springs used approximately $338,000 in Clean Water Act Section 319 grant funds to design and build the system which will help minimize the impact of nonpoint source pollution on Marsh Creek, a four-mile stretch of stream that is a headwater of the Chattahoochee River.
In addition to the keen focus on clean water and education and outreach, Region 4 continued our efforts to ensure food is not improperly disposed of in landfills and is managed in a sustainable manner. Regional staff, working with Second Helpings Atlanta, recovered and delivered over 1,335 pounds of fresh, nutritious food to charitable organizations across the Atlanta-metro area. Donating participants included major grocery stores located in the Atlanta area. Donated items included wrapped sandwiches, cereal, canned goods, bottled water, and more. As a result of the donation, the amount of food waste that would have been landfilled diverted to individuals in need.
Region 4 is proud of the work showcased during Earth Week and remains committed to ensuring the sustainability of communities across the southeast year-long. We are proud of the partnerships established with the many organizations who are also driven to ensure the protection of human health and the environment.
About EPA: www.epa.gov/
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