EPA launches quality-of-life Web site index

This article was written by Cecilia Fanchiang and published by the Taiwan Journal on February 24, 2006. It reports that the Environmental Protection Administration recently launched a Chinese-language web site for news and reports about Taiwan's environmental conditions. These news and reports are compiled from central and local government agencies and cover the 389 townships and cities nationwide. The web site also features a library that contains a wide range of studies that review the history of development of various communities and the impact this has had on their environments over the decades.

The "Residential Environmental Information System" web site enables Internet users to find out information concerning the immediate area in which they live, or those who are shopping for a new home. They can click on a desired area on a map of Taiwan and get a list of environmental indicators and guidelines about that area's air quality, noise levels, community water systems, waste disposal and household recycling, and locations of air-quality testing stations that give real-time readouts.

More significantly, those who wish to narrow down the scope of their search to a small area can do so by entering street addresses, two street names to pinpoint an intersection, or names of well-known landmarks. The web site also provides up-to-date information on the environmental quality of tourist destinations.

It is expected that the "Residential Environmental Information System" web site will encourage people to educate themselves on environmental conditions that have an immediate influence on their health. It is also hoped that the web site will stimulate civic involvement and spur local governments to take more effective action in improve the nation's natural and living environments.