The report addresses the social and cultural aspects of community-based environmental protection. The guide offers a process and set of tools for defining and understanding the human dimension of an environmental issue. It gives leaders in government agencies and in nongovernmental organizations and tribes (such as directors of watershed groups, public health officials, outreach coordinators, environmental educators, and environmental justice workers) technical tools for more effectively working with the public on environmental protection efforts. The guide is based on the elements of social science theory and methodology (e.g., anthropology, cultural geography, political science, and sociology) that are most relevant to defining and understanding community life as it relates to environmental issues. (The full spectrum of social science theory and methods is well beyond the scope of the Guide.) The Guide can help you work more closely and effectively with community members to develop environmental protection goals, educational and outreach tools, and indicators to measure progress. It also can help you engage community members in planning for, making decisions about, and participating in environmentally sustainable practices.

Cover title. "November 2002"--Page 4 of cover. "Preparedby the EPA's former Office of Policy, and the Office of Water with support from EPA contracts 68-W5-0054 and 8W-2960-NASA, and numbers of social scientists and environmental professionals"--Acknowledgements, p. iii. Includes bibliographical references (pages 271-280). "EPA 842-B-01-003"--Page 4 of cover.