Many environmental problems have been successfully resolved in recent decades. However some are persistent and prove difficult to solve, and new ones have been added. Environmental problems can be particularly persistent if their causes are closely linked to the way we do business, to central aspects of our society or to lifestyles that are perceived as attractive. This guide can help staff in the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU ) to tackle such environmental problems. For this purpose, approaches to "transformative environmental policy" are presented.