Environmental Curricula Handbook

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created the Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT) program to take advantage of new technologies that make it possible to provide environmental information to the public in near real-time. EPA partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to help achieve nationwide consistency in measuring environmental data, managing the information, and delivering it to the public. Through the use of grants, EMPACT helped local governments build monitoring infrastructure in metropolitan areas across the country, addressing questions such as: What is the ozone level in my city today? How is the water quality at the beach today? What is the UV Index in my area today? EMPACT projects aim to help communities: Collect, manage, and distribute time-relevant environmental information. Provide their residents with easy-to-understand, practical information they can use to make informed, day-to-day decisions. This handbook is designed to provide teachers and other educators with guidance on how to teach students about environmental issues related to air, water, and soil quality. It provides information to help educators incorporate environmental education into the classroom.