What is sustainability? | What is EPA doing? | How can I help?

What is sustainability?

Sustainability is based on a simple principle: Everything that we need for our
 survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural
environment.  Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions under which
 humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the
 social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations.
Sustainability is important to making sure that we have and will continue to have,
 the water, materials, and resources to protect human health and our environment.

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What is EPA doing?

Sustainability has emerged as a result of significant concerns about the
 unintended social, environmental, and economic consequences of rapid
 population growth, economic growth and consumption of our natural
 resources. 
In its early years, EPA acted primarily as the nation’s environmental
watchdog, striving to ensure that industries met legal requirements to
 control pollution. In subsequent years, EPA began to develop theory,
 tools, and practices that enabled it to move from controlling pollution
 to preventing it.
Today EPA aims to make sustainability the next level of environmental
 protection by drawing on advances in science and technology to protect
 human health and the environment, and promoting innovative green
 business practices.

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How can I help?

EPA has tools to help you learn and understand the issues and help you reduce
 your environmental footprint.  Visit the Green Living area of our website.
Government Regulations and Practices
Executive Order 13423: “Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy,
 and Transportation Management” of 2007 set policy and specific goals
 for federal agencies to ”conduct their environmental, transportation,
and energy-related activities under the law in support of their respective
missions in an environmentally, economically and fiscally sound, integrated,
continuously improving, efficient, and sustainable manner.”
Executive Order 13514: “Federal Leadership in Environmental,
 Energy, and Economic Performance” of 2009 enhances EO 13423
 "to establish an integrated strategy towards sustainability in the Federal
 Government and to make reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG)
 a priority for Federal agencies.”
The Federal Government Sustainability website includes the latest information
from federal agencies relevant to developing and maintaining sustainable
 facilities and to developing and promoting sustainable practices within their
 environmental programs.
Greening EPA. EPA implements a wide range of programs to reduce the
environmental impact of its facilities and operations, from building new,
 environmentally sustainable structures to improving the energy efficiency
of older buildings.