What do we mean by environmental quality? ___Environmental quality is a measure of the health of the environment itself (including the plants and animals it supports), and of the effects it has on the health, comfort, and psychological state of the people that inhabit it Why protect environmental quality? ___To preserve the health of the community and its members ___To preserve community resources ___To create a more pleasant and better quality of life ___To enhance the aesthetic character of the community ___To attract new, environmentally-friendly business and sustain economic health ___To attract visitors and new residents ___To preserve community history ___To protect the community from environmental disaster ___To prevent people from taking actions they’ll later regret ___To protect endangered species ___To maintain ecosystems ___To be good stewards of the planet When should you act to protect environmental quality? ___When it’s specifically threatened ___When there’s a community development initiative ___When there’s a new commercial, industrial, or housing development beginning ___When there’s an environmental crisis ___When there’s a publication or media event that calls attention to the environment ___When money is available Who should be involved in protecting environmental quality? ___Local, state, and federal officials ___Local and national and international environmental organizations ___Community activists ___Those directly affected by environmental quality ___Businesses and corporations ___Anyone who is conscious of the effects of environmental quality – or the lack of it – on their lives How do you protect environmental quality? ___Make yourself aware of what elements of the environment you should be paying attention to: Air Water Land Plants Animals Natural resources The built environment Recreation Aesthetics ___Decide on the issues you can most effectively tackle ___Learn what you need to know about the scientific, social, economic, legal, and political realities of the situation ___Recruit allies ___Create, with as broad a range of allies as possible, a strategic plan, and prioritize both the actions you want to take and those you feel you must take ___Implement your plan ___Evaluate your efforts ___Maintain your gains, and do it again
