EPA History: Origins of the EPA Seal

The official Agency seal was established by Presidential Executive Order 11628, October 18, 1971, which described it as follows:

"A flower with a bloom which is symbolic of all the elements of the environment. The bloom is a sphere, the component parts of which represent the blue sky, green earth, and blue-green water. A white circle within the sphere denotes either the sun or the moon. All are symbolic of a clean environment and are superimposed on a disc with a white background, circled by the title, UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, in blue letters."

The Indianapolis advertising agency of McQuade, Wilkins, Bloomhorst, Newman and Colbert produced the EPA seal at no charge for the EPA, and Ken Bloomhorst was the illustrator. EPA Order 1015.2A (December 27, 1978) provides directions for use of the seal as the Agency Identifier and prohibits reproduction and/or use of the symbol for commercial purposes. Questions regarding non-commercial use of the seal may be directed to EPA's Office of Multimedia.

https://archive.epa.gov/epa/aboutepa/epa-history-origins-epa-seal.html