The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Peace Corps on Tuesday announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore opportunities to collaborate on environmental issues.
The MOU is meant to facilitate stronger institutional ties between the two organizations.
Environmental efforts will include programs to bring cleaner cookstoves to millions in the developing world–while engaging young people, expanding the conversation on environmentalism, and supporting local solutions for communities in the U.S. and around the world.
People in developing countries face extraordinarily high exposures to
toxic smoke from indoor fires and inefficient cookstoves that lead to
nearly 2 million deaths each year, primarily in young children and
women. Inefficient wood-burning cookstoves also contribute to the loss of essential trees and biomass in threatened ecosystems, while increasing levels of heat-trapping soot in the atmosphere.
The organizations will also work on environmental education,
community monitoring, solid waste, waste water and safe water
management, and climate change.
“The partnership between EPA and the Peace Corps marks an important advance in the work and mission of both organizations,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “EPA and the Peace Corps can expand our efforts both here at home and throughout the world, combining our experiences and knowledge to tackle complex and pressing environmental issues confronting our global community.”
“Everyday, thousands of Peace Corps volunteers around the planet work with local communities to find sustainable solutions to some of the most pressing environmental issues,” said Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams. “Our collaborative work with the EPA will help empower more communities to make environmentally friendly choices.”
More information on the EPA-Peace Corps MOU is available at the link below.
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