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EPA Unveils "Window to My Environment," an Internet Path to Local Environmental Information

Release Date: 1/5/2001
Contact Information: Roy Seneca, (215) 814-5567

Roy Seneca, (215) 814-5567

PHILADELPHIA – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today unveiled a user-friendly Internet program that connects the public, news media, and environmental groups to a broad array of environmental data for any community by simply typing in a ZIP code or a city/state location and clicking the mouse button.

The prototype program, called “Window to My Environment,” is part of an EPA initiative that uses maps and queries to integrate local and national environmental information.

Window to My Environment is now accessible for communities in EPA’s mid-Atlantic region (Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia), and will eventually be expanded to serve the entire country. Computer users can access the site by going to the EPA home page at www.epa.gov and selecting the “Your Community” link.

“The user chooses a location and can learn about environmental issues affecting the air, water and land in that community, as well as information on how governments are working to protect their environment,” said Michael McCabe, deputy administrator for EPA.

EPA developed Window to My Environment in partnership with state environmental agencies to organize the vast amount of environmental information that is available. Without the program, computer users would have to search through a variety of on-line and off-line resources to learn what’s going on with various aspects of their local environment.

“This pilot project is only in its early stages and eventually will become more user-friendly with greater geographic coverage. We are currently moving toward a full production of the mid-Atlantic elements of the website, and plan a region-by-region rollout of Window to My Environment over the next several years,” McCabe said.

As new data and information resources are prepared and future technologies are introduced, the Window to My Environment website will continue to advance the cutting edge of information integration and analysis,” he added.