U S Environmental Protection Agency US EPA Sustainable
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) Sustainable and Healthy Communities (SHC) Research Program The Multi‐Sector Sustainability Browser: A Tool for Understanding Sustainability Eric S. Hall – Principal Investigator EPA/ORD/NERL/SED 13 July 2017 National Environmental Health Association 81 st Annual Educational Conference
• SUSTAINABILITY
• Is sustainability important to EPA? (Answer: YES!) • What is ‘sustainability’? https: //www. epa. gov/sustainability/learn-about-sustainability#what – Sustainability is based on a simple principle: Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. To pursue sustainability is to create and maintain the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony to support present and future generations.
• Why is ‘sustainability’ important? https: //www. epa. gov/sustainability/learn-about-sustainability#what – Note: The webpage provides a very long definition. – A shorter definition of why sustainability is important: • • • We must maintain and improve the health of people, animals, and the environment We need clean air, water, and land to meet that objective Many processes required to support civilization cause pollution Natural resources are limited Sustainability allows us to ‘rethink’ and ‘re-engineer’ how we do things so that we can: – – Maintain and enhance our lifestyle Reduce pollution and find ways of using fewer natural resources Enjoy good health and the beauty of nature Discover new technologies to improve how we do things
• Background
• SHC Research Program – Develops computer-based systems including models, databases, web tools, and web browsers to help communities support their desired sustainability initiatives and outcomes – Provides communities with information to make decisions (reduce negative impacts) on human health, the economy, and the environment through sustainability-based decisions – Designed ‘two-step’ approach to develop sustainability tool for communities • Review sustainability literature, group into focus areas, document findings in reports • Develop sustainability decision support tool (DST) based on information in the reports – First Step: Four Teams of EPA Researchers developed reports in 4 focus areas
• Land Use Report/Paper (1) – 225 Pages – Land Use (Authors): Llael Cox, Verle Hansen, James Andrews, John Thomas, Ingrid Heilke, Nick Flanders, Claudia Walters, Scott A. Jacobs, Yongping Yuan, Anthony Zimmer, Jim Weaver, Rebecca Daniels, Tanya Moore, Tina Yuen, Devon C. Payne-Sturges, Melissa W. Mc. Cullough, Brenda Rashleigh, Marilyn Ten. Brink, Barbara Walton – Land Use (Contributors): Kathryn Saterson, Bob Mc. Kane, Jane Gallagher, Joseph Fiksel, Gary Foley, Sally Darney, Melissa Kramer, Betsy Smith, Andrew Geller, Bill Russo, Susan Forbes, Laura Jackson, Iris Goodman, Michael Slimak, Alisha Goldstein, Laura Bachle, Jeff Yang, Gregg Furie
• Buildings and Infrastructure Report/Paper (2) – 30 Pages – Buildings and Infrastructure (Authors): Anthony Zimmer, Hak. Soo Ha – Buildings and Infrastructure (Contributors): James Andrews, William Barrett, Chris Choi, Gordon Evans, David Ferguson, Verle Hansen, Mark Mason, Michael Schock, Bob Thompson, Jim Weaver, Scott A. Jacobs, David Kozlowski, John Mc. Cready
• Transportation Report/Paper (3) – 126 pages – Transportation (Authors): Nick Flanders, Rich Baldauf – Transportation (Contributors): Nick Flanders, Rich Baldauf, Jeff Yang, Rebecca Dodder, Gregg Furie, Laura Bachle, Andrew Bostrum, Laura Berry, Claudia Walters, Jane Bare, Tim Barzyk, Randy Bruins, Ellen Cooter, Francesca Di. Cosmo, Tarsha Eason, Tom Fontaine, Laura Jackson, Nathan Schumaker, Jim Weaver
• Materials Management Report(s)/Paper(s) (4 & 5) – 66+80 [146] pgs – Materials Management (Authors): Anthony Zimmer, Brian Dyson – Materials Management (Contributors): RTI, Innovative Waste Consulting Services • The reports in the four sustainability areas (Land Use, Transportation, Buildings and Infrastructure, Materials Management): – Totaled nearly 530 pages – Contained nearly 1500 references – Served as basis of design for sustainability decision support tool (browser)
• Second Step: Develop sustainability decision support tool (browser) from the reports in 4 focus areas (Land Use, Transportation, Buildings and Infrastructure, Materials Management [MSW Processing/Disposal]) – Reports provide sustainability information based on extensive review of peerreviewed journals, technical reports, non-scientific articles, etc. – Sustainability browser tool was designed to: • support communities and decision makers understand the impacts that decisions made in land use, buildings and infrastructure, transportation, and materials management can have on human health, the economy and the environment (ecosystem services) • Be a decision support tool (DST) to provide info, not a decision support system (DSS) • Be easy to use (not complex) • Assist: General Public, Communities, Decision Makers/Policy Makers, Scientific Researchers
• Context: How, When, and Where to use MSSB (Example)
• MSSB – a decision support tool (DST) that can be used in conjunction with a decision support system (DSS): – A sustainability DSS - PETUS (Practical Evaluation Tools for Urban Sustainability): • http: //www. petus. eu. com • manage and develop programs incorporating sustainability into urban infrastructures – compliant with strategic environmental assessments – includes: list of applicable tools; a glossary of terms; a checklist; case studies; a project management matrix format; information on applicable European Union (EU) Legislation – MSSB can be applied in preparatory stage of a sustainability project • before sustainability DST (e. g. , PETUS) is used • information gathering phase • provide input for project planning and management (sustainable urban infrastructures)
• Relationship Between Sustainability Elements
• The reports and how the information in them is related suggests an …. – Alternate way to think about Sustainability: • Sustainability efforts should focus on management of land, transportation, materials flow, and infrastructure. • These four components are a large interconnected system with related processes. • Need to create processes to reuse and recycle everything in these 4 areas and reduce waste. • Land Use is the central and essential consideration in sustainability decisions
Sustainability Activity/Relationship Diagram Provides access to Provides routes for Permanently affect Buildings and Infrastructure Provides sites for Land Use Is the primary element of Transportation Begins and ends with Is a key component of Requires the use of Contain resources used to facilitate Is a major driver of Materials Management Is highly dependent on reliable
• ACCESS TO SUSTAINABILITY INFORMATION
• Can communities find ‘sustainability’ information to support decisions? – ‘Brute-Force’ Internet search (time-consuming, ‘hit-or-miss’ results) – Ask individuals (but what if they are unfamiliar with ‘sustainability’? ) – There is an EPA-developed sustainability decision support tool to help: • The Multi-Sector Sustainability Browser (MSSB): – Provides information and live weblinks to access reference documents on sustainability in the areas of: » Land Use » Transportation » Materials Management (Municipal Solid Waste Processing) » Buildings and Infrastructure – Displays linkages/relationships between (land use, buildings and infrastructure, transportation, and materials management) – Displays quantitative data and system parameters related to each concept (where applicable) – Is a web-based tool accessible via laptop, desktop, tablet, and smartphone – Is accessible by both Apple and Microsoft compatible computer systems – Tested On: Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Apple i. Pad – User Manual: Complete; Journal Article: Complete
• User Manual (also embedded within MSSB): – Hall, E. S. , “Multi-Sector Sustainability Browser (MSSB) User Manual: A Decision Support Tool (DST) for Supporting Sustainability Efforts in Four Areas - Land Use, Transportation, Buildings and Infrastructure, and Materials Management”, EPA Technical Report, EPA/600/R-16/308, October 2016, pp 38. • Journal Article: – Hall, E. S. , (2017), “A Decision Support Tool for Sustainable Land Use, Transportation, Buildings/Infrastructure, and Materials Management”, American Journal of Environmental Engineering, 7, (2): 35 -46; doi: 10. 5923/j. ajee. 20170702. 02, Available at: http: //article. sapub. org/10. 5923. j. ajee. 20170702. html
Integrated Solutions for Sustainable Communities SHC Multi‐Sector Sustainability Browser (MSSB) Description: MSSB is an intuitive tool designed to help communities make better, science-based decisions when developing community-based sustainability initiatives. Expected Use of MSSB: To help communities access information in four (4) sustainability decision domains: • Land Use • Buildings and Infrastructure • Transportation • Materials Management With MSSB, communities, planners, decision makers, and individuals can obtain sustainability information to facilitate their understanding of how decisions made in these four key areas can affect the economy, the environment (built and natural), and public health. 20
– Important MSSB features, characteristics, and information: • Developed in Drupal CMS Environment: (Version: 7. 34) • Uses the D 3 Java. Script library (D 3. js) capabilities for manipulating documents: (Version: 3. 5. 13) • Uses JSON (Java. Script Object Notation) » Provides real-time server-to-browser (full-duplex) communication without using browser plugins such as Flash or Java Applets (early 2000’s technology) » Can be used where XML is used but with less communication overhead – The MSSB is complete, has been integrated into EPA’s Enviro. Atlas, awaiting public release – The ‘Beta’ Version is available at: http: //52. 91. 150. 5/ (Username: otie; Password: otie)
• MSSB is a ‘visual database’ of sustainability information in four ‘dimensions’ • MSSB Bibliography Section can be printed and is approximately 75 pages long • The Bibliography section is organized by topic area (Land Use, Buildings and Infrastructure, Transportation, and Materials Management) – references are ordered in the order that they were cited in each of the four original reports (Land Use, Buildings and Infrastructure, Transportation, and Materials Management). • The Sources and Related Reading (in text boxes): – directly applicable to the topic area/sustainability concept under which it is found/displayed – placed in the order that they were cited in the original report texts • Providing the full reference titles within the main display area: – awkward and takes up space (clutters display area) – full titles are provided in the Bibliography section
• Domain knowledge required to develop this tool: – System Design (including): • • • Visualization/Mapping of the four report structures to display components Software Engineering Software Quality Assurance Software Testing Web Development – Sustainability Science and Engineering – Program Management: clear, written technical direction and follow-up • Development Process: Design, Build, Test, Feedback, Re-Build, Re. Test (repeat), Meet (repeat), …until ‘done’ - (modified Agile process)
For additional information: • hall. erics@epa. gov • (919) 541 -3147 Thank you for your patience!
DISCLAIMER: • The United States Environmental Protection Agency through its Office of Research and Development funded and managed the research described herein under contracts EP-D-11 -060 and EP-C-15 -008. It has been subjected to Agency review and approved for publication. Although this work was reviewed by U. S. EPA and approved for publication, it may not necessarily reflect official Agency policy. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
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