What places, what moments, are  alive with light and movement where you live?

nebulous by photocafe, May 5, 2013 on Flickr.

State of the Environment is nothing without your photos of our world. Tell your  story, share it, and it will be part of the larger picture.

We hope you join us. Photos taken from 2011 until the end of 2013 may be submitted to State of the Environment on Flickr. All levels of photography experience and skill are welcome.

Garbage on the Sidewalk, Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn, NY by Jared Kofsky, May 12, 2013 on Flickr.

State of the Environment is a collection of publicly shared scenes of our world. Each photo you share has the power to say a simple something about our way or life and our environment. Together, the photos show the incredible collective picture.

We hope you join in. Photos taken from 2011 until the end of 2013 may be submitted to State of the Environment on Flickr. All levels of photography experience and skill are welcome.

Barnstable Beach, Cape Cod, MA by ad454 on Flickr.

State of the Environment is a collection of publicly shared scenes of our world. Each photo you share has the power to say a simple something about our way or life and our environment.  Together, the photos show the incredible collective picture.

We hope you join in. Photos taken from 2011 until the end of 2013 may be submitted to State of the Environment on Flickr. All levels of photography experience and skill are welcome.

Iran, Kerman, October 5, 2011 by M.Pantoufle on Flickr.

State of the Environment is a collection of publicly shared scenes of our world; scenes that speak to our way of life and our environment. How explicitly they do so, is up to you.

Each photo you share, is another way to be a part of this global picture of our time. Our running display of featured photos, shows just the beginning of the power this collective picture holds. Each image, represents a piece of our environment today from all corners of our world.

As EPA’s modern DOCUMERICA, this is a second iteration of an unprecedented photographic documentary that you can now take part in.  So what do your surroundings have to say?

Photos taken from 2011 until the end of 2013 may be submitted to State of the Environment on Flickr. All levels of photography experience and skill are welcome.

Swirling Striped Bass, by Jenny Adler on Flickr, September 20, 2012

State of the Environment is our current DOCUMERICA, open to your photos of our lives and environment today. What do your surroundings have to say about our world?

Photos taken from 2011 until the end of 2013 may be submitted to State of the Environment on Flickr. All levels of photography experience and skill are welcome.

State of the Environment Caption Contest, Jeffrey W. Spencer, Ladybird Lake, Austin, Texas, June 19, 2012

We’ll share our favorite duckling caption here, as well as on EPA’s Facebook page.

State of the Environment is open to your photos of our lives and environment today. What do your surroundings have to say about our world?

Photos may be submitted from around the world to State of the Environment on Flickr through the end of 2013.

DOCUMERICA is full of stories of pollution back then. In one case, there is a desperate attempt to pour chlorine off of a beach to try and make the water swimmable. What has 40 years of greater environmental awareness done? What are the issues that remain to be tackled today?

Over the weekend, use your camera as a tool to show us the issues or stories of success near you. We’ve provided a few “Then” examples below. It is up to you to document “Now”.

IN AN ATTEMPT TO MAKE THE WATER USABLE FOR SWIMMING, CITY EMPLOYEES POUR CHLORINE INTO LAKE ERIE AT WHITE CITY BEACH, 06/1973 by Frank Aleksandrowicz.

BUFFALO WATERFRONT. DISCOLORED AREA IS POLLUTED WATER FLOWING INTO LAKE ERIE FROM THE BUFFALO RIVER, 07/1973 by George Burns 1896-1996.

ANNUAL SMELT RUN AT SINGING BRIDGE, TAWAS CITY. IN MID-APRIL THOUSANDS OF FISHERMEN GATHER AT WHITNEY DRAIN, A MANMADE CANAL ON LAKE HURON, TO DIPNET FOR THESE SMALL FISH, 04/1973 by Donald Emmerich.

CALUMET PARK (FAR SOUTH SIDE) ON LAKE MICHIGAN COMMONWEALTH EDISON STATELINE PLANT IN BACKGROUND, 06/1973 by Paul Sequeira.

FAMILY FISHING FROM DOCK AT CASCADE POND NEAR LAKE PLACID NEW YORK, IN THE ADIRONDACK FOREST PRESERVE, 07/1973 by Anne LaBastille.

Share scenes of our freshwater lakes today, with State of the Environment. Match an earlier scene from DOCUMERICA so we can all see the change, or simply share a view from a place as you see it.

To search DOCUMERICA, follow this helpful guide.

State of the Environment is about your perspective. Photos may be submitted from around the world to State of the Environment on Flickr through the end of 2013.

During the Bear Creek Park and Shoreline Cleanup by Clean Bread and Cheese Creek April 20, 2013

Bread and Cheese Creek holds a special place in our hearts. We can’t help but share their stories of progress, because of their enthusiasm and continued effort to share the photos with State of the Environment. Just look at all the incredible work they’ve done!

On April 20 alone, this dedicated bunch had 130 volunteers tackle litter and debris in Bear Creek Park. They cleaned the shoreline in addition to the park itself. Here is what they removed in just a day:

- 4 tons of trash (567 trash bags!),
- over 2 tons of metal that will be recycled,
- 10 tires,
- 9 shopping carts,
- 9 bicycles,
- 7 plastic lawn chairs,
- 2 electric lawnmowers,
- an electric scooter,
- 1 huge rear projection TV,
- 1 55 gallon drum, an engine head,
- 1 electric roof antenna, and shockingly – more!

Their motto is “Together can make a Difference” and that is the truth! It’s an inspiring story, and this creek is lucky to have them. If you have rolled up your sleeves, gathered with others, or just gotten to work on your own – help us share your story.

If you were involved in a community cleanup event this Earth Day, share the before and after photos with State of the Environment. You’re not alone in your efforts for a better planet. Let us help you prove it!

Share your view of life and our environment today from around the world with State of the Environment on Flickr through the end of 2013. Be a part of this statement about our environment today.

Aurora Borealis over Ester, Alaska by sifuswoman on Flickr, April 14, 2013

We hope you enjoyed yesterday’s celebration of our Planet Earth. We hope that in all the buzz, you were inspired to act, or continued to act, even in small ways to keep our environment a beautiful place to live. It can be as simple as conserving resources at home – to speaking out about global issues.

If you were involved in a community cleanup event, share the before and after photos with State of the Environment. We’ll feature your hard work and progress, combining it with other cleanup scenes that we get in.

Imagine the power of seeing a day’s worth of cleanups, from all around the world. Suddenly, you might not feel as though you’re acting alone.

EPA can’t show this off without you. State of the Environment is nothing without your photos.

Share your view of life and our environment today from around the world with State of the Environment on Flickr through the end of 2013. Be a part of this statement about our environment today.

The call has been simple:

Match DOCUMERICA scenes from the United States in the 1970s to have side by side images that could compare the change in our environment.

Photograph the world where you live and travel, to document the current challenges, successes, and way of life in our environment today.

Over 850 of you have submitted more than 2,800 photos documenting our environment today. In celebration of Earth Day, we are sharing some of our favorites. Congratulations to these featured photographers, we look forward to what you share next.

"Chinstrap penguin, Weddell Sea" by Bob Berwyn.

Inside Nature's Sculpture
Antelope Canyon, Navajo Indian Reservation, Arizona
February 15, 2012 by Nina Pollock

Rural highway life in the wheatfields, Edwall, WA taken by Scott Butner.

Then: Palo Seco Electric Power Plant Across the Bay From San Juan 02/1973 San Juan, Puerto Rico by John Vachon.
Now: Photo of Palo Seco Electric Power Plant close to the town of Cataño across the San Juan Bay from San Juan taken by José E. Maldonado.

Jay, ME 1973 & 2012
'Then' Documerica Photo: June, 1973 International Paper Company Mill at Jay on the Androscoggin River 06/1973 by Charles Steinhacker.
June, 2012 photograph by Victoria Hampshire.

'Then' Documerica Photo: April, 1973 Weyerhauser Paper Mills and Reynolds Metal Plant are both located in Longview, on the Columbia River. Intense industrial concentration causes visible pollution by David Falconer.
'Now' State of the Environment Photo: June, 2012 NW Passage of the Columbia River by Craig Leaper.
David Falconer documented the fuel shortage in the west during the 1970s, as well as water pollution in the area at the time. Falconer took photos from April 1973 to May 1974 mainly across the states of Oregon and Idaho.

Mentao Nord camp in Burkina Faso September 21, 2012, by Pablo Tosco, Oxfam International.

Hudson River PCB Contamination by "WaterBugs174" on Flickr.

'Then' Documerica Photo: 1972 First Experimental House Completed near Taos, New Mexico Using Empty Steel Beer and Soft Drink Cans." by David Hiser.
'Now' State of the Environment Photo: August, 2011 New Dome Earthship" by Dan Conlin.

David Hiser chose his areas of coverage for his DOCUMERICA assignment, intentionally picking areas familiar to him. His photographs capture the striking landscape of America's Desert Southwest.

DJIBOUTI, Djibouti (Nov. 5, 2011) - U.S. Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Reese Ritter, Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa surgeon cell senior enlisted leader, rolls a tire up a hill outside the perimeter of Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, November 5. Ritter joined more than 200 service members from the camp for the Djibouti Pride Initiative. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jarad A. Denton)

Photo of Lake Houston’s shoreline in Houston, Texas taken on August 18, 2011 by "Lake Houston" on Flickr.

ROAD FROM NEGELE BORENA, Ethiopia (Dec. 7, 2011) – Two girls, carrying books, walk to school along the road from Negele Borena, Ethiopia, December 7. The recently completed bridge in Negele Borena will provide safe passage over the river, which runs through the town. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jarad A. Denton.

"Best friends" taken on September 7, 2011 in Mpumalanga Rural, Mpumalanga, ZA by Johann Snyman.

East Boston, MA 1973 & 2012 by Michael P. Manheim
Then & Now photographs contributed by former Documerica photographer Michael Philip Manheim.

Then: The George Washington Bridge in Heavy Smog. View toward the New Jersey Side of the Hudson River. Chester Higgins May 1973.
Now: Thermal Inversion Freedom Tower, March 10, 2013 by ken mccown on Flickr.

Downtown Cleveland landscape by Tate Davidson.

Where the buffalo roam in South Dakota by “funkymonk1984" on Flickr.

Then Documerica image': Earth, as Seen by Astronauts Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans and Harrison Schmitt from Apollo 17. December, 1972. Photographer: NASA 1
U.S. National Archives' Local Identifier: NWDNS-412-DA-11344
From: Series: DOCUMERICA: The Environmental Protection Agency's Program to Photographically Document Subjects of Environmental Concern, compiled 1972-1977 (Record Group 412).
'Now State of the Environment image' : Most Amazing High Definition Image of Earth - Blue Marble
January 25, 2012 by Suomi NPP, NASA Earth-observing research satellite.

For Earth Day this year: share ‘before and after’ photos of community cleanup projects near you. We will share a collection of the change and celebrations in pictures here, and across EPA social media.