Citizens are concerned about how environmental factors in and around their homes can affect their health and the health of their families. They are also concerned about how environmental risks can affect the value of their homes and their ability to resell them. Programs to protect and improve both air quality and water quality, and energy conservation programs recognize how many of the design and management decisions that are made in and around the home impact on the environmental quality in homes, neighborhoods and communities. Finally, environmental management programs are becoming more holistic in their approaches. Efforts are underway to develop basin-wide watershed approaches to ecosystem management.
All land uses, whether agricultural, industrial or residential, influence environmental quality.
Reducing negative impacts from all land uses requires that all land users and managers understand how their activities affect environmental quality, and their personal and financial health. Improving environmental quality within any geographic area requires that all of the land users within that area understand how what they do influences environmental risks and learn what they can do to reduce high risks. It will also guide them in developing action plans that assist them in making voluntary changes that prevent pollution. A multi-agency approach will also raise the quality of materials, and build the capacity to conduct effective staff training. The approach used to involve agency staff, university specialists and organization representatives will likely vary from state to state.