What do we mean by environmental quality? Why protect environmental quality? When should you act to protect environmental quality? Who should be involved in protecting environmental quality? How do you protect environmental quality? Imagine that a community discovers that an aging landfill is beginning to threaten a nearby wildlife refuge and the water resources connected with it. Closing or repairing the landfill would cost money, but allowing contamination to continue could damage wildlife habitat, recreation, drinking-water sources, and community health. Residents, local officials, engineers, environmental professionals, and other community members might work together to examine the problem and consider several approaches: safely closing or improving the landfill, reducing the amount of waste sent for disposal, expanding recycling and composting where appropriate, monitoring water quality, and planning for long-term waste management. This example illustrates an important principle: environmental quality is connected with everyday community decisions. Protecting it may involve preventing contamination, conserving natural resources, improving the built environment, restoring damaged ecosystems, reducing waste, responding to climate-related risks, or making sure that environmental benefits and burdens are considered across the whole community. Environmental issues are often complex because they involve health, science, economics, land use, employment, transportation, housing, infrastructure, culture, law, and community priorities. This section explores that complexity and suggests ways communities can protect both natural and built environments for present and future generations. What do we mean by environmental quality? When people hear the word “environment,” they may first think of forests, rivers, wetlands, oceans, mountains, grasslands, and other natural places. But the environment also includes the places people have built and shaped: homes, schools, streets, farms, factories, parks, transportation systems, workplaces, and neighborhoods. Environmental quality refers to the condition of the natural and built environments and the ways those conditions affect ecosystems, human health, safety, comfort, opportunity, and quality of life. Environmental quality includes: Air quality Water quality and water supply Soil and land conditions Plants, wildlife, and biodiversity Natural resources and energy Waste and materials management The design and condition of buildings and neighborhoods Transportation and infrastructure Parks, open space, and recreation Noise, light, heat, and other environmental conditions Climate-related risks and resilience Cultural, historic, scenic, and community relationships with place Environmental quality is also about distribution. Environmental benefits and environmental hazards are not always shared equally. One neighborhood may have abundant trees, parks, clean air, and safe drinking water, while another experiences greater exposure to traffic pollution, industrial activity, extreme heat, flooding, contaminated land, or other environmental burdens. Understanding environmental quality therefore requires looking not only at the condition of the environment as a whole, but also at who experiences particular benefits or risks and how residents participate in decisions that affect them. Why protect environmental quality? Communities have many reasons to protect and improve environmental quality. To protect health and well-being. Clean air, safe drinking water, healthy soil, appropriate housing, access to green space, and protection from environmental hazards can contribute to building a healthy community. To protect essential community resources. Water supplies, watersheds, farmland, forests, fisheries, soils, wetlands, and other resources support daily life and local economies. To support quality of life. Parks, trees, trails, clean waterways, comfortable neighborhoods, and other environmental features can provide opportunities for recreation, restoration, social connection, and everyday enjoyment. To support attractive, functional, and culturally meaningful communities. Environmental quality includes not only scenic beauty but also places that have cultural, historical, spiritual, or community significance. To support economic stability. Businesses, agriculture, tourism, outdoor recreation, fisheries, forestry, energy, and many other economic activities depend on natural resources and environmental conditions. To support communities where people want to live, work, and visit. Environmental quality can influence people's experiences of neighborhoods and communities. To protect historic and cultural resources. Landscapes, waterways, historic places, traditional-use areas, and other environmental features may be closely connected with community history and identity. To reduce disaster and climate risks. Wetlands, forests, floodplains, healthy soils, shade trees, resilient infrastructure, and other environmental features can help communities manage flooding, erosion, extreme heat, drought, wildfire, storms, and other hazards. To prevent avoidable harm. Considering environmental risks before approving development or infrastructure can be less costly and less disruptive than repairing damage later. To protect biodiversity and habitat. Healthy ecosystems depend on suitable habitat and connections among habitats for plants, animals, pollinators, aquatic species, and other organisms. To maintain functioning ecosystems. Forests, wetlands, grasslands, oceans, rivers, soils, and other ecosystems provide services such as water filtration, flood protection, pollination, carbon storage, food production, and habitat. To protect resources for future generations. Decisions about land, energy, water, wildlife, waste, and development can have effects that last for decades or longer. To reduce unequal environmental burdens. Communities can examine whether some neighborhoods or populations experience greater exposure to pollution, heat, flooding, hazardous facilities, or other risks and work to improve those conditions. When should you protect environmental quality? Environmental quality should be considered continuously, not only after a serious problem appears. Several situations provide particularly important opportunities for action. When an environmental resource or community is threatened. Examples include proposed development near a wetland, contamination of drinking water, loss of important habitat, excessive air pollution, or development in an area exposed to flooding or wildfire. When community planning is underway. Comprehensive plans, neighborhood plans, transportation plans, housing strategies, infrastructure projects, and economic-development initiatives can incorporate environmental considerations before major decisions are made. When new commercial, industrial, infrastructure, or housing development is proposed. Site design, transportation, stormwater management, energy use, habitat, waste, materials, trees, accessibility, and other factors can be considered during planning and review. When an environmental emergency or emerging risk occurs. Contamination, wildfire, flooding, extreme heat, harmful algal blooms, drought, infrastructure failures, or other events may require immediate action as well as longer-term prevention. When new research or public information identifies a concern. Scientific findings, environmental monitoring, community observations, health data, investigative reporting, or public agency assessments may reveal risks that were not previously understood. When funding or technical assistance becomes available. Grants and other resources may provide opportunities for land conservation, pollution reduction, infrastructure improvements, energy efficiency, restoration, monitoring, or community planning. When contaminated or underused property is being redeveloped. Cleanup and redevelopment can provide opportunities to address environmental hazards while creating new community uses. When policies, zoning, building standards, or infrastructure plans are being updated. These decisions can shape environmental conditions for many years. Who should be involved in protecting environmental quality? Environmental quality is a shared responsibility. The people most directly affected by a decision should have meaningful opportunities to participate, along with those responsible for managing land, infrastructure, businesses, public health, and natural resources. Participants may include: Local, Tribal, state, territorial, and federal governments and agencies. Public agencies may set standards, issue permits, conduct environmental reviews, monitor conditions, enforce laws, manage public land, fund projects, or operate infrastructure. Environmental, conservation, public-health, and community organizations. These organizations may provide research, education, technical assistance, legal knowledge, organizing capacity, funding, or local experience. Community organizers and resident-led groups. Residents often have direct knowledge of neighborhood conditions, environmental changes, exposure concerns, community priorities, and the history of local decisions. People and communities directly affected by environmental conditions. People who live near a proposed development, contaminated site, transportation corridor, industrial facility, floodplain, wildfire area, or other environmental concern should be included early in assessment and decision-making. Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities. Tribal governments are sovereign governments, and environmental decisions may involve Tribal lands, treaty rights, natural resources, cultural resources, subsistence practices, or ancestral places. Workers and people whose livelihoods depend on natural resources. Farmers, ranchers, fishers, forestry workers, outdoor-recreation workers, and others may have important practical knowledge as well as economic interests connected with environmental conditions. Scientists and technical professionals. Ecologists, biologists, hydrologists, engineers, geologists, climate scientists, public-health professionals, planners, toxicologists, and others can help communities understand evidence and possible consequences. People who use natural and public spaces. Hikers, hunters, anglers, birders, boaters, cyclists, gardeners, cultural groups, and others may bring different perspectives about conservation and access. Architects, planners, landscape architects, engineers, and developers. Their decisions influence energy use, transportation, land consumption, stormwater, heat, habitat, building materials, and the overall environmental performance of development. Businesses and employers. Businesses can reduce pollution and waste, improve energy and resource efficiency, manage environmental risks, comply with environmental standards, and participate in community solutions. Utilities and infrastructure providers. Water, wastewater, transportation, energy, waste, and other systems have major effects on environmental quality. Young people and educational institutions. Schools, colleges, and youth organizations can participate in environmental monitoring, restoration, education, research, and planning. How do you protect environmental quality? Environmental protection can take place at different stages: Prevent problems before they occur. Examples include protecting sensitive land, selecting appropriate development sites, reducing pollution at its source, designing energy- and water-efficient buildings, and considering environmental risks before major investments are made. Manage ongoing conditions. Monitor air and water, maintain infrastructure, enforce environmental standards, manage habitat, reduce waste, improve operations, and respond to problems as they develop. Repair or restore environmental damage. Cleanup of contaminated land and water, habitat restoration, stream restoration, reforestation, wetland restoration, and other actions may be needed after harm has occurred. Prevention is often more effective and less costly than repairing serious damage later. At the same time, communities frequently need to combine prevention, management, restoration, and adaptation. Elements of the environment to consider Air, water, land, plants, animals, natural resources, the built environment, recreation, climate, and cultural relationships with place are interconnected. A decision affecting one may also affect several others. Air Air quality can be affected by transportation, power generation, industry, wildfire smoke, construction, agriculture, household sources, and other activities. Air pollution and smog. Air pollution can include particulate matter, ground-level ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, lead, hazardous air pollutants, and other contaminants. Air pollution has declined substantially for many regulated pollutants in the United States over recent decades, but important health and geographic disparities remain. The ozone layer. Stratospheric ozone protects life from harmful ultraviolet radiation. International action under the Montreal Protocol has phased out most controlled ozone-depleting substances, and the ozone layer is gradually recovering. Continued monitoring and compliance remain important. Regional haze. Fine particles and other air pollutants can travel long distances and reduce visibility in parks, wilderness areas, rural communities, and cities as well as affect health. Acid deposition. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides can contribute to acid rain and other forms of acid deposition. Emission-control programs have greatly reduced these pollutants from U.S. power plants, although nitrogen and sulfur pollution remain environmental concerns in some areas. Climate change. Human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, land-use change, agriculture, and some industrial processes, have increased concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases. Climate change affects temperature, precipitation, sea level, extreme events, ecosystems, agriculture, infrastructure, and human health. Indoor air quality. Ventilation, moisture and mold, combustion, smoke, radon, building materials, cleaning products, and other factors can affect air quality inside homes, schools, workplaces, and public buildings. Air pollution does not remain within community boundaries. Smoke, dust, industrial emissions, and other pollutants can travel across regions and national borders, making air quality both a local and broader environmental issue. Water Communities need both safe water and reliable water supplies. Water conditions are affected by land use, climate, agriculture, industry, wastewater, stormwater, infrastructure, and watershed management. Water pollution. Industrial discharges, wastewater, agricultural runoff, stormwater, septic systems, mining, waste sites, and other sources can introduce pollutants into surface water and groundwater. Nutrient pollution. Excess nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizer, manure, wastewater, stormwater, and other sources can contribute to harmful algal blooms and oxygen depletion in lakes, rivers, estuaries, and coastal waters. Persistent and emerging contaminants. Communities may need to address contaminants such as PFAS, pesticides, industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, metals, and other substances as scientific knowledge and monitoring improve. Stormwater. Roads, parking lots, rooftops, and other hard surfaces increase runoff and can carry pollutants into waterways. Green infrastructure, vegetation, wetlands, permeable surfaces, and other approaches can help manage stormwater. Water supply. Drought, population change, agriculture, industrial demand, groundwater depletion, aging infrastructure, climate change, and competing uses can all affect water availability. Flooding. Floodplain development, loss of wetlands, inadequate drainage, extreme rainfall, sea-level rise, and aging infrastructure can increase flood risk. Oceans and coastal waters. Marine environments face pressures from pollution, plastics, nutrient runoff, overfishing, habitat loss, warming, sea-level rise, and ocean acidification. Watersheds cross political boundaries. Protecting a community's water often requires coordination with upstream and downstream communities, landowners, utilities, agricultural producers, industries, and government agencies. Land and soil Contamination. Spills, leaking tanks, industrial activity, mining, waste disposal, pesticides, and other activities can contaminate soil and groundwater. Some contaminants persist for long periods and may require investigation, cleanup, or restrictions on land use. Land disturbance and extraction. Mining, logging, road construction, grading, and other activities can alter landscapes, fragment habitat, increase erosion, and affect water systems. Environmental effects vary by location, method, regulation, and restoration practices. Agriculture. Agriculture depends on healthy soil and water and can also affect them. Soil erosion, nutrient loss, pesticide use, irrigation, livestock waste, habitat conversion, and greenhouse-gas emissions are among the issues communities and agricultural producers may address through conservation and sustainable land-management practices. Waste and materials. Waste prevention, reuse, repair, recycling, composting, safe hazardous-waste management, and responsible disposal can reduce landfill use and conserve materials. The environmental benefits of different approaches depend on the materials involved, local systems, transportation, markets, and other conditions. Loss and fragmentation of open space. Development can reduce or divide habitat, farmland, forests, wetlands, and other open spaces. Planning can identify areas where conservation, restoration, or connected habitat is especially important. Brownfields and previously developed land. Cleaning up and reusing appropriate sites can address contamination while reducing pressure to develop undeveloped land. Plants, wildlife, and biodiversity Plants, animals, fungi, microorganisms, and the habitats that support them are interconnected parts of environmental quality. Unsustainable harvesting. Logging, plant collection, fishing, hunting, or other forms of harvesting can reduce populations when removal exceeds the ability of a species or ecosystem to recover. Habitat loss and fragmentation. Development, agriculture, roads, extraction, and other land changes can reduce or divide habitats and disrupt migration, feeding, reproduction, pollination, and other ecological processes. Pollution. Air, water, soil, pesticides, excess nutrients, plastics, and other pollutants can affect plants and animals as well as people. Invasive species. Some nonnative species spread rapidly and cause ecological, economic, or health impacts. Prevention, early detection, and appropriate management can reduce harm. Climate change. Changing temperatures, precipitation, wildfire patterns, sea levels, and seasonal timing can shift habitats and affect migration, reproduction, food availability, and species interactions. One example of an invasive forest pest is the spongy moth, formerly commonly called the “gypsy moth.” Its caterpillars feed on many species of trees and shrubs and can cause substantial defoliation. Natural resources and energy Communities depend on water, soils, forests, minerals, energy, food systems, and many other natural resources. Sustainable management considers how resources are obtained, used, reused, and restored over time. Approaches can include: Reducing unnecessary energy, water, and material use Improving energy and water efficiency Repairing, reusing, and recycling materials where appropriate Reducing pollution associated with extraction and production Expanding renewable and lower-emission energy sources where appropriate Improving electrical grids, storage, buildings, and transportation systems Considering environmental impacts across the full life cycle of products and infrastructure No energy or resource system is impact-free. Wind, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, bioenergy, fossil fuels, nuclear energy, batteries, transmission systems, and other technologies all involve land, materials, infrastructure, costs, and environmental tradeoffs. Communities can compare those impacts and benefits using current evidence rather than assuming that one option has no consequences. The built environment Buildings, streets, transportation systems, utilities, parks, and other human-made environments affect health and environmental quality directly. Open and green space. Parks, trees, conservation areas, greenways, wetlands, gardens, and other open spaces can provide habitat, shade, stormwater management, recreation, cooling, and opportunities for social connection. Healthy and efficient buildings. Buildings can reduce energy and water use, provide healthy ventilation and indoor air quality, avoid unnecessary exposure to hazardous materials, use durable materials, and incorporate climate-responsive design. Transportation. Land-use and transportation decisions affect air pollution, greenhouse-gas emissions, noise, safety, physical activity, access to employment and services, and the amount of land devoted to roads and parking. Extreme heat. Trees, vegetation, shade, reflective or appropriate building materials, cooling resources, and thoughtful site design can help reduce heat exposure. Climate resilience. Buildings and infrastructure can be designed or adapted for changing risks such as extreme heat, flooding, severe storms, drought, wildfire, and sea-level rise. Light pollution. Appropriate lighting design can improve visibility and safety while reducing glare, unnecessary energy use, intrusion into nearby homes, and impacts on wildlife and night skies. Noise. Transportation, industry, construction, entertainment, and other sources can contribute to harmful or disruptive noise. Planning and design can help reduce exposure. Recreation Parks, forests, waterways, wildlife refuges, and other natural areas provide important opportunities for recreation, physical activity, cultural practices, education, and connection with nature. At the same time, heavy use can damage sensitive environments through erosion, waste, disturbance to wildlife, vehicle use, vegetation loss, or other effects. Management may include designated trails and activity areas, seasonal restrictions, visitor limits, restoration, education, accessible facilities, and other approaches based on the needs of the particular environment. Aesthetics, culture, and connection to place People value environments not only for measurable resources but also because of beauty, history, cultural meaning, spiritual importance, recreation, identity, and attachment to place. These values may sometimes conflict with development, energy production, transportation, resource extraction, or other community needs. Strong decision-making processes make those tradeoffs visible and include people connected with the place in considering possible solutions. Decide which issues your community can most effectively address Consider: Severity and urgency. How serious is the potential harm, and how quickly must action occur? Who is affected. Are particular neighborhoods, populations, ecosystems, or cultural resources experiencing greater risks? Potential for prevention. Can action now prevent a larger or more expensive problem later? Community priorities. What concerns are residents and affected groups identifying? Available authority. Which governments, agencies, property owners, organizations, or other institutions can actually make the relevant decisions? Resources and capacity. What funding, staff, technical expertise, partnerships, and community knowledge are available? Potential benefits and tradeoffs. Could an action improve health, climate resilience, transportation, housing, recreation, biodiversity, or economic conditions at the same time? Could it create unintended costs or displacement? Learn what you need to know about the scientific, social, economic, legal, and policy context Environmental issues rarely exist in isolation. Before deciding on a strategy, understand the environmental conditions as well as the people, institutions, resources, and decisions connected with them. The history of the situation Has this issue occurred before? What decisions were made? What were the results? Have some communities experienced environmental burdens over many years? Are there previous plans, permits, studies, cleanup efforts, or legal agreements that affect what happens now? The science and technical information Identify the best available information about the environmental condition, exposure pathways, health or ecological effects, uncertainty, possible interventions, and likely outcomes. Useful sources may include: Environmental and public-health agencies Universities and research institutions Tribal environmental and natural-resource departments Scientists and technical professionals Environmental monitoring Community-based observations and research Environmental-impact or risk assessments Technical expertise and lived experience can complement one another. Monitoring data may show concentrations of a pollutant, while residents may identify when odors occur, where flooding repeatedly happens, which routes children walk to school, or how environmental conditions affect daily life. The social and economic context Environmental decisions may affect jobs, housing, transportation, energy costs, agriculture, property values, public revenue, recreation, cultural practices, and other community priorities. Ask who receives the benefits, who bears the costs or risks, and whether alternatives could protect environmental quality while reducing avoidable harm to workers, residents, businesses, or other affected groups. The legal and policy context Determine which laws, permits, regulations, zoning requirements, agency rules, property rights, Tribal rights, environmental-review processes, or other requirements apply. Laws and regulations change, so use current guidance from the responsible agencies or qualified legal professionals when a specific legal issue is involved. Build partnerships Environmental protection usually requires coordination among several groups rather than action by one organization alone. Depending on the issue, partners may include: Residents and affected communities Tribal Nations Scientists and technical professionals Public-health organizations Environmental and conservation organizations Schools and universities Farmers, landowners, and resource-dependent workers Businesses and employers Utilities Local, state, territorial, and federal agencies Community foundations and funders Media and community communication organizations Partnerships should not be based only on how much influence a participant has. People who experience environmental conditions directly may contribute knowledge and priorities that are essential to a sound decision. Develop a strategic plan Planning should be participatory whenever possible, with meaningful involvement from people affected by the issue. A plan may address: Long-term environmental improvement and prevention An immediate environmental threat Both at the same time Long-term strategies might include conserving land, improving water systems, reducing pollution, expanding tree cover, improving building performance, restoring habitat, reducing waste, preparing for climate-related hazards, or encouraging environmentally responsible development. Urgent strategies may involve stopping an illegal discharge, responding to contaminated water, addressing wildfire smoke, preventing unsafe development, containing a spill, correcting a serious infrastructure failure, or protecting people during an environmental emergency. Elements to consider in your plan Community participation and advocacy. Residents and organizations can participate in planning, permitting, budgeting, rulemaking, environmental review, public hearings, administrative processes, and other decisions that affect environmental quality. Advocacy is strongest when it is grounded in evidence, community experience, transparent goals, and clear understanding of who has authority to act. Laws, regulations, and policies. Environmental laws and regulations can establish limits, performance standards, monitoring requirements, permitting systems, cleanup responsibilities, conservation protections, and other safeguards. Effective environmental protection also depends on monitoring, implementation, enforcement, and periodic review of whether standards are achieving their intended results. Land-use policies can have particularly important environmental effects. Zoning, subdivision standards, building codes, transportation planning, stormwater requirements, floodplain regulations, conservation programs, and other local decisions can influence where and how development occurs. Incentives and assistance. Grants, loans, tax incentives, technical assistance, infrastructure investments, conservation programs, energy programs, and other resources may help residents, businesses, landowners, institutions, or developers make environmentally beneficial changes. Incentives work best when the desired public benefit is clear and measurable and when appropriate accountability is included. Education and communication. Communities need understandable, accurate, and accessible information about environmental risks, benefits, uncertainty, alternatives, and possible actions. Communication should be two-way. Residents may need information from scientists or agencies, while decision-makers may need information from residents about local conditions and lived experience. Civic and direct action. Depending on the issue, community action may include public comments, petitions, meetings, demonstrations, community monitoring, restoration projects, administrative complaints, or legal action. Participants should understand applicable laws, safety considerations, organizational policies, and possible consequences when choosing a strategy. Implement your plan Put the agreed-upon strategies into practice with clear responsibilities, timelines, resources, and measures of progress. Some efforts can begin with achievable actions while longer-term work continues. For example, a community addressing urban heat might begin by identifying the hottest areas and providing immediate cooling resources while also pursuing longer-term tree planting, building improvements, shade structures, transportation changes, and land-use strategies. Keep sight of the larger goal while adapting implementation when circumstances or evidence change. Monitor and evaluate your efforts Environmental conditions and community needs change over time. Evaluation should therefore continue throughout the effort. Ask: Did the activities occur as planned? Did environmental conditions improve? Were exposures or risks reduced? Who benefited? Did any groups experience unintended burdens? Were residents meaningfully involved? Were the costs and resources consistent with expectations? Did the intervention create other environmental, health, or economic effects? Is additional monitoring needed? What should be changed based on the results? Whenever possible, establish baseline information before an intervention so changes can be measured over time. Maintain progress and adapt over time Protecting environmental quality is an ongoing responsibility. Infrastructure ages, land uses change, new technologies emerge, scientific knowledge develops, climate conditions shift, and new pollutants or risks may be identified. Continue monitoring environmental conditions, maintaining infrastructure and restored areas, updating policies, involving affected communities, and adjusting strategies when evidence shows that a different approach is needed. In Summary Environmental quality affects community health, natural resources, ecosystems, housing, transportation, recreation, economic activity, cultural life, and overall well-being. Protecting environmental quality includes maintaining clean air and water, preventing and cleaning up pollution, conserving resources, protecting and restoring habitat, managing waste responsibly, supporting sustainable agriculture and development, creating healthier buildings and neighborhoods, preparing for climate-related risks, and considering how environmental benefits and burdens are distributed. Prevention is often preferable to repairing serious environmental damage after it occurs, but communities may need to combine prevention, ongoing management, restoration, adaptation, and emergency response. Strong environmental efforts bring together residents, affected communities, Tribal Nations, governments, scientists, workers, businesses, landowners, public-health professionals, environmental organizations, planners, and others with relevant knowledge and responsibilities. Decisions should be informed by current science, community experience, legal requirements, economic realities, and careful consideration of both benefits and tradeoffs. Environmental protection is not a one-time project. Communities need to monitor conditions, evaluate results, maintain progress, respond to new information, and continue working to ensure that people and ecosystems can thrive over the long term. Contributor Phil Rabinowitz Resources Online Resources Earth First! is a radical environmental movement (not an organization). Loosely organized affinity groups work locally, using direct action, the courts, civil disobedience, and monkeywrenching (i.e. environmental sabotage) to address environmental issues. Environmental Defense Fund is an environmental protection organization that engages in public education, legislation, and litigation in support of the environment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides information on a wide variety of topics, including pollution, air quality, health, sustainable practices, etc. Friends of the Earth, founded in 1969 by David Brower, is the U.S. arm of its expanded network, Friends of the Earth International. Recycle City is an EPA site for kids that details how a community can reuse, reprocess, or recycle almost everything. The Sierra Club, one of the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organizations in the United States. The U.S. Green Building Council, developer of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards. WWF International (originally the World Wildlife Fund), promotes biodiversity, the use of sustainable resources, and the reduction of wasteful consumption and pollution. There is also a United States-based arm. Print Resource Carson, Rachel. The Silent Spring.
