SUSTAINABILITY
RESEARCH STRATEGY
DRAFT
June 13, 2007
Final version will be issued
after receipt of final report
of the Science Advisory Board
and any subsequent revisions of
Sustainability Research Strategy.
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
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ORD Sustainability Research Strategy- Internal Draft: June 13, 2007
FOREWORD
The mission of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Research and
Development (ORD) is to identify, understand and solve current and future
environmental problems. The Sustainability Research Strategy (SRS) tackles some of the
most pressing current and future national environmental and development issues. A
growing population and expanding economy present new challenges on how best to
protect human health and our natural resources. Science and technology are two key
elements in ensuring that people understand the full implications of their actions and that
the best possible decisions are made by individuals, industry, and at all levels of
government.
ORD presents this Sustainability Research Strategy to improve understanding of the
earth's natural and man-made systems, assess threats to those systems, design and apply
innovative and cost-effective industrial practices, and develop and apply new
technologies and decision support tools.
The focus on Sustainability research recognizes the changing nature of environmental
problems society faces today. While in the past EPA operated as largely a pollution
control agency, today its programs have evolved to address a broader set of
environmental issues resulting from population and economic growth, energy use,
agriculture, and industrial development.
EPA is one of the few regulatory agencies with a strong internal research capability. The
ability to directly link research and policy in one agency puts EPA and ORD in a good
position to lead on environmental Sustainability. This Research Strategy recognizes that
system-wide impacts on society demand system-wide responses; it is thus an essential
linchpin in promoting and achieving sustainable development at home and around the
world.
George Gray
Assistant Administrator for Research and Development
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We acknowledge and thank the drafting team of Gordon Evans, Douglas Young,
Heriberto Cabezas, Michael Gonzalez, Frank Princiotta, Cynthia Gage, and Tim Johnson
(National Risk Management Research Laboratory); Diana Bauer and Julie Zimmerman
(National Center for Environmental Research); Anita Street (Office of Science Policy):
and Donna Perla, Richard lovanna, and Edward Fallen (Office of the Assistant
Administrator) for preparing this Research Strategy.
Gary J. Foley
Director, National Center for Environmental Research
Sally Gutierrez
Director, National Risk Management Research Laboratory
Alan D. Hecht
Director, Sustainable Development
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PEER REVIEW HISTORY
Peer review is an important component of developing a research strategy. The following
is the peer review history for this Research Strategy:
Office of Research and Development Science Council
September 7, 2005
EPA Science Policy Council
November 21,2005
External Peer Review
Science Advisory Board, June 13-15, 2006
Environmental Engineering Committee Augmented for Sustainability
Advisory
Dr. Michael J. McFarland, Utah State University, Logan, UT, Chair
Chartered Science Advisory Board (SAB) Members
Mr. David Rejeski, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars,
Washington, DC
Dr. Thomas L. Theis, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Dr. Valerie Thomas, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Members of the Environmental Engineering Committee
Dr. Viney Aneja, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Dr. John C. Crittenden, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Dr. David A. Dzombak, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Dr. T. Taylor Eighmy, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
Dr. Joseph B. Hughes, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Dr. Michael Kavanaugh, Malcolm Pirnie, Inc., Emeryville, CA
Dr. Catherine Koshland, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, C A
Dr. Reid Lifset, Yale University, New Haven, CT
Dr. William Mitsch, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Dr. Susan E. Powers, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY
Dr. Mark Rood, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL
Dr. John R. Smith, Alcoa Technical Center, Alcoa Center, PA
Member of SAB Environmental Economics Advisory Committee
Dr. Anna Alberini, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Peer Review Coordinator
Ms. Kathleen White, Designated Federal Officer, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff,
Washington, DC
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ACRONYMS
BOSC Board of Scientific Counselors
BRIC Brazil, Russia, India, and China
CNS Collaborative Science and Technology Network for Sustainability
EDS Environmental and Decision Sciences
EERS Environmental Economics Research Strategy
GEOSS Global Earth Observation System of Systems
IAC Innovation Action Council
ISA Integrated Systems Analysis
LCA Life Cycle Assessment
MFA Material Flow Analysis
MYP Multi-Year Plan
NAS National Academy of Sciences
NHEERL National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
NPD National Program Director
NRMRL National Risk Management Research Laboratory
NSF National Science Foundation
ORD Office of Research and Development
OSWER Office of Solid Waster and Emergency Response
P2NT Pollution Prevention and New Technology
P3 People, Prosperity, and Planet Student Design Program
RoE Report on the Environment
RCC Resource Conservation Challenge
SAB Science Advisory Board
SRS Sustainability Research Strategy
STS Science and Technology for Sustainability
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword 3
Peer Review History 4
Acronyms 5
Table of Contents 6
Executive Summary 7
Chapter 1 Introduction and Purpose 11
Describes the Strategy's organization and its national benefits
Chapter 2. Rationale for the Strategy 16
Assesses the impact of selected future stressors and
justifies the need for sustainable use of resources
Chapter 3. Definition and Scope 23
Defines an EPA context for sustainability
Chapter 4. Six Research Themes 27
Defines six sustainability research themes
Chapter 5 Research Objectives 41
Describes how ORD will organize its research activities
Chapter 6 Roadmap for Implementation 52
Describes ORD's roadmap for implementing the
Sustainability Research Program
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Chapter 1: Introduction and Purpose
Every day we all make decisions that affect our quality of life and that of future
generations: these decisions together determine how sustainable our future will be. To
assist governments, businesses, communities, and individuals make sustainable choices,
our Sustainable Research Strategy aims to better understand the earth as a natural system
and to develop models and tools that will support sustainable decision-making. Our
Strategy incorporates both core research that advances fundamental understanding of key
biological, chemical, and physical processes underlying environmental systems and
problem-driven research that targets specific environmental problems or customer needs.
The Strategy draws on and integrates across the many research programs within the
Office of Research and Development and focuses this research to support sustainable
decision-making.
Chapter 2: Rationale for the Strategy
A combination of forces—including unprecedented growth in population, economy,
urbanization, and energy use—is imposing new stresses on the earth's resources and
society's ability to maintain or improve environmental quality. To permit the
continuation of improved environmental protection, human health, and living standards,
our generation must move to mitigate or prevent the negative consequences that can
accompany growing population and economy. The increasing stresses require new
approaches to environmental protection that go beyond end-of-pipe control strategies
concerned principally with pollutant emissions. Based on our understanding that
environmental problems are rarely contained within a single resource area or geographic
area, we must develop and implement integrated and systems-based approaches to meet
society's needs today and ensure a more sustainable future.
Chapter 3: Definition and Scope
The concept of sustainable development marries two important insights: that
environmental protection does not preclude economic development and that economic
development must be ecologically viable now and in the long run. Sustainable
development, which requires an integration of economic, social, and environmental
polices, cannot be achieved by any single federal agency, for it relies on policy coherence
across government agencies. EPA's contribution to Sustainability is to protect human
health and the environment and this and future generations. Our Sustainability Research
Strategy rests on the recognition that sustainable environmental outcomes must be
achieved in a system-based and multimedia context that focuses on the environment
without neglecting the roles of economic patterns and human behavior. This recognition
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begets a fundamental change in research design: in a systems-based approach, the
traditional goals of achieving clean air or water or protecting ecosystems and human
health can be fully understood only through a multimedia approach. EPA and its partners
will develop the integrating decision-support tools (models, methodologies, and
technologies) and supporting data and analysis that will guide decision-makers toward
environmental sustainability and sustainable development.
Chapter 4: Six Research Themes
Emphasizing an integrated and systems-based approach to achieving sustainability, we
focus on six broad research themes.
1. Renewable Resource Systems: The sustainability of natural systems is critical to
protecting human health, supporting our economy, and maintaining our quality of life.
Sustainability demands that we determine how best to obtain the benefits that renewable
resources provide, while considering the system-wide effects that their use has on the
regenerative capacity of the entire system. Three of our Research Strategy aims are
especially relevant to renewable resources: (1) defining clear measures of sustainable
renewable systems, (2) improving understanding of ecosystem processes and services,
and (3) developing and applying advanced systems models and tools for decision-
making.
2. Non-Renewable Resource Systems: The extraction, processing, and use of fossil fuels,
minerals, and other materials are critical elements of our economic life. Sustainability
calls for greater conservation and efficient use of these non-renewable resources, as well
as greater reliance on renewable energy, development of substitutes for toxic and
dangerous materials, and emphasis on management of materials (thereby preventing
waste) rather than on disposal of waste products. Our Strategy seeks to promote more
sustainable management of non-renewable resource operations and to support the shift to
use of renewable resources. Its research will include life cycle assessment and material
flow analysis; application of models that will assess the regional impacts of various
energy sources on emissions and air quality; and alternative chemicals and new industrial
methods. Climate change research and assessment, a major global sustainability issue,
will continue to be a collaborative effort of many programs at EPA and other agencies.
3. Long-Term Chemical and Biological Impacts: The intergenerational dimension of
sustainability means that society must be mindful of the long-term threat posed by
chemical and biological impacts on the environment. Improving our use of materials,
shifting to environmentally preferable materials, and protecting human health all rely on
assessing and eliminating the long-term impacts posed by harmful chemical and
biological materials. Our research will aim to develop alternate chemicals and new
industrial processes, as well as decision-support tools for evaluating the environmental
dimensions of the new chemicals and processes. It will also employ life cycle assessment
and material flow analysis to evaluate environmental releases from industrial systems and
from nanomaterials.
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4. Human-Built Systems and Land Use: The growth of urbanized areas over the past
century has shown that human-built systems can significantly harm ecosystems and
undermine their ability to provide critical services. This Strategy will include research on
such topics as sustainable building design and efficiency, management of urban systems,
life cycle assessment for building design and land use, and decision-support tools for
urban land development and revitalization. ORD scientists and engineers will work
directly with key customers and stakeholders who can most benefit from our research
capabilities in these areas—such as those at state and local levels responsible for myriad
decisions on urban development, land use, and provision of public services.
5. Economics and Human Behavior: Since the sustainable management of natural and
man-made systems depends on human behavior and choice, our Strategy is closely linked
with research in economics and behavioral science, such as developing ecosystem
valuation methods and analyzing the role of incentives in decision-making and the causes
of market failures. Research in this area is led by ORD's Economics and Decision
Science Research Program, with which activities in this Sustainability Research Strategy
will be closely coordinated, as outlined in the implementation plan in Chapter 6.
6. Information and Decision-Making: The establishment of an information infrastructure
of Sustainability metrics and environmental monitoring is a necessary component on any
strategy advancing Sustainability. Our Strategy is closely linked with the Global Earth
Observation Systems of Systems (GEOSS) program, whose GEOSS vision is a future in
which decisions and actions are informed by coordinated, comprehensive, and sustained
earth observations and information. GEOSS will "take the pulse of the planet" by
compiling a system of all relevant databases (or systems), thus revolutionizing our
understanding of how earth works. Over time, GEOSS will contribute greatly to
Sustainability by providing important scientific information for sound policy and
decision-making in every sector of society.
Chapter 5: Research Objectives
The five principle research objectives of our Strategy represent areas of strong ORD
competence. Our research aims first to advance systems understanding—to better
comprehend the interconnections, resilience, and vulnerabilities over time of natural
systems, industrial systems, the built environment, and human society. Our research aims
to further develop decision support tools to assist decision-makers. A third key element
of our Strategy is developing and applying new technologies that will be needed to
develop inherently benign and less resource-intensive materials, energy sources,
processes, and products. Our research is committed to collaborative decision-making and
aims to develop an understanding of motivations for decision-making and to develop
approaches to collaborative problem solving. Fifth and finally, our Strategy emphasizes
developing metrics and indicators to measure and track progress toward Sustainability
goals, to send early warning of potential problems to decision-makers, and to highlight
opportunities for improvement
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Chapter 6: Roadmap for Implementation
Our Sustainability Research Strategy builds on ORD's traditional focus on risk
assessment and risk management and dovetails with EPA's commitment to stewardship
and sustainable outcomes. The Strategy supports shifts by Program Offices toward
material management, green chemistry, urban and brownfield revitalization, and
ecosystem management. To implement this Strategy we will take these steps:
• Demonstrate the value of Sustainability research by identifying key priority
national issues where application of Sustainability approaches can be most
effective in promoting sound and sustainable economic growth.
• Advance core Sustainability research and development of new tools and
methodologies by transitioning the current Pollution Prevention and New
Technologies (P2NT) research program into the Science and Technology for
Sustainability (STS) Research Program.
• Leverage all ORD resources by coordinating and integrating research across
ORD that builds a critical knowledge base for Sustainability, such as
identifying synergies, gaps to be filled, and high-priority emerging areas
among existing research strategies.
• Leverage all EPA resources by coordinating and strengthening collaborations
and partnerships—with EPA Program and Regional Offices, other federal
agencies, state and local governments, communities, industry, nonprofit
organizations, universities, and international partners—that address critical
Sustainability issues and stimulate broader progress towards Sustainability in
both research and implementation.
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CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE
This chapter relates the Sustainability Research Strategy to the mission of the
Office of Research and Development and describes the Strategy's goals,
outcomes, and organization.
Sustainability and the ORD Mission
From the perspective of the Office of Research and Development, the science of
Sustainability is developing the underlying knowledge base that allows decision-makers
to make sustainable choices. For natural resource managers, this means how to manage
our natural resources to provide maximum services today and in the future. For urban
planners, this means how to build cost-effective and efficient urban systems that protect
both human health and the environment. For decision-makers in industry, this means how
to enhance economic growth while minimizing industry's footprint on the environment.
The science of Sustainability aims to anticipate problems and promote innovation. A 1997
National Academy of Engineering report, The Industrial Implication for Environmental
Design and Management., suggests that the path to Sustainability "involves the creative
design of products, processes, systems and organizations, and the implementation of
smart management strategies that effectively harness technologies and ideas to avoid
environmental problems before they arise."
ORD conducts cutting-edge research and fosters the use of sound science and technology
to fulfill the Agency's mission of protecting human health and safeguarding the natural
environment. ORD research is a mix of (1) core research that seeks to advance
fundamental understanding of key biological, chemical, and physical processes that
underlie environmental systems, and (2) problem-driven research that focuses on specific
environmental problems or customer needs. The Sustainability Research Strategy
encompasses both core and problem-oriented research, aiming first at understanding
biological, physical, and chemical interactions through a systems approach, and secondly
at developing effective models, tools, and metrics that enable decision-makers to achieve
sustainable outcomes.1
This important goal of helping society make good decisions was identified by the 1998
House Committee on Science report, Unlocking Our Future:
While acknowledging the continuing need for science and engineering in
national security, health and the economy, the challenges we face today
cause us to propose that the scientific and engineering enterprise ought to
move toward center stage in a fourth role; that of helping society make
National Research Council, Building a Foundation for Sound Environmental Decisions. Washington:
NAS Press, 1997.
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good decisions. We believe this role for science will take on increasing
importance, as we face difficult decisions related to the environment.2
Recent external reviews of two other ORD research programs have re-emphasized the
theme of this Congressional guidance. The 2005 reviews by ORD's Board of Scientific
Counselors (BOSC) of the Ecological Research Program and Global Change Research
Program both emphasized a need for activities that lead to "wise decision-making" and
that are "demand-driven and participatory."3
Purpose of the Strategy
Recognizing its responsibility to lead EPA in science applications for decision-making,
ORD management identified two objectives for this Research Strategy:
• Develop a crosscutting sustainability research plan that will tie together the
ORD Multi-Year Plans (MYP) that concern component parts of sustainability;
and
• Develop a revised MYP for Pollution Prevention (P2), entitled "Science and
Technology for Sustainability," that will identify new annual and long-term
goals and annual performance outcome measures to better focus pollution
prevention and innovative technology on sustainability.
In moving to establish an integrated sustainability research program across ORD,
management recognizes three challenges: (1) defining clear and comprehensive
sustainability goals that are meaningful to EPA and which "connect the dots" among
existing ORD research strategies, (2) initiating and leveraging new activities within a
limited range of budget options, and (3) overcoming a tradition of media-specific
("stovepipe") approaches to environmental problems.
Through this Strategy, ORD aims to address these challenges by defining sustainability
within EPA and identifying research priorities and management steps necessary to
achieve the dual national goals of supporting a growing economy and advancing
environmental protection.
2 Unlocking Our Future: Toward a New National Science Policy. House Committee on Science. September
24, 1998.
3 The BOSC Review of ORD Global Change Research Program (draft, December 13, 2005) noted:
Two underlying themes have surfaced in the Program's approach to its work. The first is
that its emphasis now and for the future should be on decision support—improving the
ability of those who control actions to make wise choices in the face of global change
through provisions of useful research and activities. The Subcommittee concludes that
this is the right emphasis and that it should be a guiding star for the efforts of this
Program. The second emphasis is on stakeholder involvement—being 'demand-driven'
and participatory.
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Stakeholder Input and Strategy Goals and Outcomes
This Sustainability Research Strategy was derived from input gathered through internal
and external activities:
• Consultation with Regional and Program Offices on the types of research that
can provide the greatest benefit to their programs,
• Recommendations of the EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) and Board of
Scientific Counselors (BOSC),
• Review of the Sustainability research literature and consultation with outside
experts,
• Review of EPA-sponsored workshops related to Sustainability, and
• Review and consultation with other national governments, the European
Commission, and multilateral organizations.
Economic Benefits
The economic benefits of applying sustainable management practices for current and
future energy construction, greenhouse gas emissions, material and chemical use,
ecosystems services and health protection are only now being fully appreciated. One
illustrative example (see Chapter 4) is that by 2030 new and replacement building
development will amount to 204.1 billion square feet, equal to almost 90 percent of the
built space that existed in 2000. All of this amounts to about $30 trillion in total new
development (including infrastructure) that will occur between 2000 and 2030. A new
focus on biofuels as an energy source will demand new infrastructure and transportation
systems in nearly all ecozones of the United States. Rebuilding the aging U.S. water
infrastructure will translate into billions of dollars. EPA's Clean Water and Drinking
Water Infrastructure Gap Analysis (2002)4 estimated that if capital investment and
operations and maintenance remain at current levels, the potential funding shortfall for
drinking water and wastewater infrastructure could exceed $500 billion by 2020.
Aiming to affect present and future economic development and encourage sound
taxpayer and public investment, the goals of the Strategy include these:
• Improve understanding of earth systems to better protect human health,
manage natural resources, and design cost-effective and sustainable policies;
• Enable EPA, states, and communities to more successfully envision, plan,
develop, manage, and restore their infrastructure and spaces so that human
4 www.epa.gov/waterinfrastructure/
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health and quality of life, and the quality of air, water, and land are protected
for the future; and
• Design, manufacture, and manage chemicals and materials so as to protect the
environment and public health, prevent pollution, and conserve resources,
while advancing global competitiveness and societal objectives.
Criteria for measuring the success of this Strategy and the companion ORD MYPs are
outlined in Goal V of the Draft 2006-11 EPA Strategic Plan. (See box: "Goal V")
Goal V of the Draft EPA Strategic Plan for 2006-2011
Objective 5.4: Enhance Society's Capacity for Sustainability through Science and Research.
Conduct leading-edge, sound scientific research on pollution prevention, new technology
development, socioeconomics, sustainable systems, and decision-making tools. By 2011, the
products of this research will be independently recognized as providing critical and key evidence
in informing Agency polices and decisions and solving problems for the Agency and its partners
and stakeholders
Sub-objective 5.4.2: Conducting Research. Through 2011, conduct leading-edge, sound scientific
research on pollution prevention, new technology development, socioeconomics, sustainable
systems and decision-making tools. The products of this research will provide critical and key
evidence in informing Agency policies and decisions affecting the Agency programs in Goal 5, as
well as EPA partners and stakeholders.
Outline of Chapters
The Strategy's Chapter 2 forecasts the needs of future generations for clean air and water,
energy, land use, and materials, and then considers those needs in light of population
increases, economic growth, and trends in consumption of natural resources and
degradation of natural systems.
Chapter 3 proposes a framework of Sustainability for EPA and identifies six integrating
research themes. Chapter 4 reviews these research themes and relates them to EPA's
proposed Sustainability outcome goals.
Chapter 5 discusses the approaches needed to address the research questions. One of the
most important Strategy components will be developing appropriate metrics and
indicators that can track progress towards sustainable outcomes, complementing EPA's
Draft Report on the Environment5 Chapter 5 also presents a discussion of other scientific
approaches and the importance of collaborative efforts that will be used to address the
research questions.
5 www.epa.gov/indicators/roe
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Chapter 6 presents a roadmap for implementing this Sustainability Research Strategy,
including descriptions of how the research programs within EPA must evolve in order to
meet the future needs of environmental protection and to achieve sustainable
environmental protection.
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CHAPTER 2. RATIONALE FOR THE STRATEGY
A host of far-reaching, interrelated, and complex factors—such as growing
human populations, increases in waste production, growing energy demands,
and land development—are all contributing to stresses on the earth's natural
systems. Protecting human health and safeguarding the natural environment in
the face of these stressors is a national priority—and a daunting challenge.
To meet that challenge, EPA's Sustainability Research Strategy explores an
integrated, scientific approach to defining and achieving Sustainability goals in six
key natural resource systems: energy, air, water, materials, land, and
ecosystems.
Given the breadth of existing ORD research activities, this chapter explain the
rationale for the new Strategy, concluding that a more crosscutting and system-
oriented research strategy is needed to address existing and emerging
environmental problems.
Externalities Affecting the Environment
Water, air, land, and energy research are all interrelated and affected by a host of
externalities related to economic growth, demographic changes, and energy use.
Economic growth is essential for maintaining social well-being; how this growth is
achieved determines a society's quality of life. Most countries have clearly learned that
sustainable environmental polices are an essential component of sound economic growth.
Research that supports this goal is thus an area of national priority.
As illustrated in Figures 2.1 and 2.2, world population and economic growth will expand
rapidly during the coming decades. Global population is expected to increase by about 50
percent by 2050.
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Figure 2.1. World Population Projections
10000
9000 --
8000 --
Population
(millio'flS?
• North America
D Oceania
D Europe
• Latin America
DChina & India
• Other Asia
6000
2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050
Source: United Nations Secretariat, "World Population Prospects." http://esa.un.org/unpp
Figure 2.2. Projected World Relative GDP Growth
2.5 -
0.5 -
2000
-Africa
-Other Asia
China & India
-Latin America
Europe
-Oceania
-North America
2005
2010
2015
2020
2025
2030
Source: International Energy Agency, "World Energy Outlook 2002", www.worldenergyoutlook.org
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When EPA was founded in 1970, the U.S. population was just over 203 million; in 2006
it reached 300 million, reflecting a 35-year increase approaching 40 percent. This growth,
however, has not been distributed evenly. About one-third of the U.S. population resides
in the 17 Western states, which include seven of the nation's 10 fastest growing states.
Through 2030 the population of the Southwest is projected to increase as a proportion of
the U.S. population. The population increase has already greatly affected the allocation
and use of resources, as approximately one acre of land becomes urbanized or otherwise
developed for each additional U.S. inhabitant. Many Western and Southwestern states
with rapidly expanding population are also experiencing urban expansion, increasing
energy demand, and diminishing water resources.6 The U.S. population is also aging,
thereby creating new needs for health and human services. These changes require a
heightened awareness of potential future challenges, especially increasing demand for
water and energy in much of the nation.
The global challenge of growth is also becoming apparent. Over the next 30 years, while
the U.S. GDP is expected to double, the GDP in China and India is projected to
quadruple. By 2030 over 60 percent of the world's population will live in cities, many in
Africa, Asia, and Latin America, where the urban populations will grow from 1.9 to 3.9
billion people. Economic growth in the "BRIC" countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and
China) will significantly impact future global and trans-boundary environmental issues.7
Together these changes will place considerable stress on the earth's resources and on
humanity's ability to maintain or improve environmental quality. Unless steps are taken
to address the consequences of growing populations and economies, the resilience of the
global ecosystem will be undermined. The challenge is to prevent or minimize the
potential negative consequences.
Achieving Sustainability
This challenge means that achieving sustainable environmental outcomes must be a long-
term national environmental goal. This is a key goal of the new EPA report, Everyday
Choices: Opportunities for Environmental Stewardship, in which senior EPA managers
have identified sustainable outcomes in six resource systems relevant to the Agency's
mission. The report is the first explicit statement of EPA senior leadership focused on
recommendations for Sustainability outcomes that the nation should seek. While much
more discussion and debate will be needed to refine these goals, the report's linkage of
stewardship with sustainable outcomes has set a direction for future policy development
and research.
6 Population data is taken from Water Availability in the Western United States. U.S. Geological Survey
Circular 1261 (2005).
7 Dreaming with BRICS: The Path to 2050. Goldman Sachs Economic Report #99. October 2003.
www.gs.com/insight/research/reports/report6.html
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Table 2.1. Proposed Sustainable Outcome Measures
Natural Resource
Systems
Energy
Air
Water
Materials
Land
Ecosystems
Sustainable Outcomes
Generate clean energy and use it efficiently.
Sustain clean and healthy air.
Sustain water resources of quality and availability for desired uses.
Use materials carefully and shift to environmentally preferable
materials.
Support ecologically sensitive land management and development.
Protect and restore ecosystem functions, goods and services.
Source Everyday Choices: Opportunities for Environmental Stewardship, Innovation Action Council Report
to the Administrator, November 2005. www.epa.gov/innovation
Achieving these outcomes will also be greatly affected by the trends presented in Table
2.2. For example, growing population and GDP will significantly impact the six resource
systems. Population increases will affect how and where land is developed and thus the
viability of ecosystems. Population growth has historically led to increased use of energy,
water, and materials—and increased production of waste, leading to greater pollution of
air, water, and land, with associated negative consequences for ecosystems and human
health. Economic growth has usually required greater quantities of energy, materials, and
water from expanded agriculture and industry, leading to more waste, toxics, and
pollution of air and water. The land and thus ecosystems change as materials are
extracted, goods produced, infrastructure built, and wastes disposed of.
EPA's 2003 Draft Report on the Environment outlined U.S. successes in environmental
protection and identified many remaining challenges and data gaps. Table 2.2 lists
examples of trends identified in this report for each of the six resource areas, revealing a
few of the many potential stresses stemming from the expected U.S. population and
economic growth. Other potential impacts of stressors on the environment have been
identified through a survey of EPA senior Program Officers and from external future
studies.
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Table 2.2. Potential Consequences of Growing U.S. Population and GDP
Resource
Current Trends1
Consequences Projected over 20
Years
Energy
In the last 30 years energy
consumption has increased by 42%.
Between 1982 and 2001, NOx
emissions rose by 9%, primarily
from increased diesel fuel use.
Demand for petroleum, natural gas, and
coal each will increase by 25-40%.
Passenger miles driven and number of
road vehicles will increase by 30-40%.
CO2 emissions will grow by 28%.2
Air
133 million people live in areas with
air quality not meeting NAAQ
standards (indoor air pollution is
associated with asthma in children).
Increased transportation demand will
increase NAAQS exceedances.3
Between 23 and 33 million additional
housing units will be needed.3
Water
408 billion gallons of water per day
are withdrawn.
Excess nitrogen and phosphorus
have degraded aquatic life in 2.5
million acres of lakes and 84,000
miles of rivers and streams.
In some areas, existing water supplies
will be inadequate to meet demands for
people, cities, farms and the natural
systems an biota.4
Reduced water availability is projected
to impede electric power plant growth.5
Materials
Per-capita MSW over the last
decade has leveled at 4.5
Ibs/person/day.
Waste systems are managing
growing quantities of toxic
chemicals.
Under "business as usual" scenarios, a
24% projected increase in population
will result in a comparable increase in
total waste generation.3
Land
The pace of land development
between 1992 and 1997 was more
than 1.5 times the rate of the
previous 10 years.
About 10% of forested land is expected
to be converted to urban and developed
use.6
Ecosystems
Coastal wetland area has decreased
by 8% since the 1950s.
One third of native species are at
risk.
Worldwide, flux of nitrogen to coastal
ecosystems will increase by 10-20%;
species extinction rates are projected to
be ten times higher than current rate.7
1 Extracted from the 2003 Draft Report on the Environment Technical Document. 2 Department of Energy
Annual Energy Outlook, 2004. 3 Extrapolated from trends. 4 Department of the Interior, Water 2025.5 Electric
Power Research Institute, 2001. 6 Climate Change Science Program, 2003. 7 United Nations, Millennium
Ecosystem Assessment, 2005.
Even as population and GDP impact a particular resource system, that system in turn
interacts with other areas in complex, dynamic, and interrelated ways. For example, since
1971 each 1% increase in worldwide GDP has resulted in a 0.64% increase in energy use.
Most of the energy has been produced from fossil fuels, so the increased energy use has
led to greater emissions of air pollutants from the combustion of these fuels. Nearly half
of U.S. water withdrawals are used for cooling power plants and water is also used to
scrub air pollutants from flue gas; so increased energy use increases both demand for and
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ORD Sustainability Research Strategy- Internal Draft: June 13, 2007
pollution of water. Extraction of fossil fuels from the earth requires use of more
materials, changes the surrounding land, and produces more wastes (i.e. unwanted
"materials"). Finally, increased energy use impacts ecosystems through such factors as
silt run-off from energy extraction activities and the decline in water quality caused by
runoff from mining facilities. Such "response" impacts are shown in the first row of
Table 2.3. Interactions like these demonstrate forcefully that a systems approach offers
the best strategy for understanding environmental impacts and for designing cost-
effective and sustainable policy responses.
Table 2.3. Linkages among Resource Systems
Resources
under Stress
Energy
(Increased
use)
Air
(Increased
pollutants)
Water
(Increased
pollutants)
Material
(Increased
use)
Land
(Increased
development)
Ecosystems
(Decreased
availability)
Potential Response to the Stressed Resource System
Energy
Increased
energy for
clean-up
Increased
energy for
clean-up
Increased
demand
(processing
energy)
Increased
demand
Increased
energy for
restoration
Air
Increased
pollutants
Transfer of
pollutants
from water
Increased
pollutants
Increased
pollutants
Reduced
natural
processing
capacity
Water
Increased
demand
Pollutant
deposition
from air
Increased
demand,
Increased
pollutants
Increased
pollutants,
Run-off
Reduced
natural
processing
capacity
Materials
Increased
extraction
Increased
demand,
Degradation
Increased
demand,
Degradation
Reduction
of resources
Reduced
renewable
resources
Land
Extraction
impacts
Waste
disposal
Waste
disposal
Extraction
impacts,
Waste
disposal
Erosion
Ecosystems
Extraction
impacts
Increased
negative
Impacts
Increased
negative
impacts
Increased
negative
impacts
Reduction of
resource
Sewerage provides another example of interaction among resource areas. As shown in
Table 2.3, polluted sewer water requires energy for cleanup; air pollutants of methane
and nitrogen compounds are produced, and solid waste is generated and typically sent to
landfills. Finally, sewerage overflows can impact ecosystems. These examples illustrate
how a change in one resource area can negatively reverberate through other areas.
The Need for a Systems Approach
Ensuring continued improvement in environmental quality and in the protection of
human health under these increasing stresses requires new approaches. Fortunately, that
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ORD Sustainability Research Strategy- Internal Draft: June 13, 2007
is not without precedent, as approaches to environmental protection have evolved over
the decades to meet emerging challenges and the advance of science.
In its early years, EPA developed "end-of-pipe" strategies that targeted emissions of
pollutants from, for example, smokestacks or sewer lines. As these strategies matured,
new problems were recognized, and accordingly were met with new "upstream"
approaches, such as waste minimization and pollution prevention.
As additional environmental stressors became recognized, the evaluation and choice of
pollution control and mitigation options required greater understanding of the overall
context of problems. This led to the development of life cycle assessments, which
demonstrated that the vast majority of environmental problems are not contained within a
single resource area or within a single product's life cycle, but extend across multiple
areas and timeframes. It is now clear that a more integrated approach to environmental
protection is needed.
As environmental protection has become more complex, the Agency has evolved,
moving from point-source pollution controls associated with particular industries to
larger problems of regional emissions, such as those associated with agricultural
operations, urban transportation, and emerging contaminants. Successfully meeting all of
these challenges—significant increases in stressors, impacts across resource areas,
emissions from diffuse sources, and emerging contaminants—will require a continued
evolution in how environmental protection approaches Sustainability.
Is the problem of Sustainability urgent? Does it address the national interest? There is no
doubt that improving the health and well being of people today and in the future while
growing the economy and protecting natural resources is a national priority. Prudent
scientific management would suggest launching a program aimed at better understanding
the linkages among the six resource systems and aimed at developing effective means to
disseminate and apply the research results.
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ORD Sustainability Research Strategy- Internal Draft: June 13, 2007
CHAPTER 3. DEFINITION AND SCOPE
ORD focuses its sustainability research portfolio on capturing and quantifying systems
dynamics, assessing and managing variability, and understanding resilience of systems
to stresses and disturbances, both expected and unexpected. Sustainability research is
an essential foundation that incorporates new research approaches with the established
foundation of ORD's existing research focused on individual media (land, air, and water).
Sustainability research will focus on six broad crosscutting themes, which are
coordinated with ORD's economic and behavioral science research and global monitoring
programs.
Toward Sustainable Development
The concept of sustainable development marries two important insights: that
environmental protection does not preclude economic development and that economic
development should be ecologically viable.8 Sustainable development also addresses the
question of trade-offs between the welfare of people today and the welfare of people in
the future. In the words of the 1987 report, Our Common Future—better known as the
Brundtland Report—development is sustainable when it "meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."9
Sustainable development fosters policies that integrate environmental, economic, and
social values in decision-making. The National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA)—
drafted in 1969 before EPA was established—provides that the federal government, in
partnership with the states, should "use all practicable means and measures ... to create
and maintain conditions under which man and nature can exist in productive harmony,
and fulfill the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations
of Americans." Federal policies and actions that today promote stewardship and
collaborative problem solving are implementing the NEPA provision. Subsequent
legislation and executive orders have directed federal agencies to pursue sustainable
management of federal facilities and to measure and report on economic, environmental,
and social responsibilities of their operations.10 On January 24, 2007, President Bush
signed Executive Order 13423, "Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and
Transportation Management," that sets goals in the areas of energy efficiency,
acquisitions, renewable energy, toxics reductions, recycling, sustainable buildings,
electronics stewardship, vehicle fleets, and water conservation. The order explicitly
Dan Esty, "A Term's Limits." Foreign Policy. September/October 2001, pg. 74-75.
9 World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future. London: Oxford University
Press, 1987.
10 "Achieving Sustainability of Government Operations," LMI Research Institute Report IR 521 Rl.
September 2005
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ORD Sustainability Research Strategy- Internal Draft: June 13, 2007
directs heads of federal agencies to implement sustainable practices in these areas, and
defines sustainable as meaning "to create and maintain conditions, under which humans
and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic,
and other requirements of present and future generations of Americans."11 The
Government Accountability Office has also recently assessed the role that federal
agencies are playing in complementing U.S. business goals of promoting global corporate
social responsibility.12
Environmental Sustainability
EPA has moved steadily over the past 36 years to ensure that its policies and programs
are responsive to changing environmental stresses. U.S. environmental policies have
evolved from reliance on laws and regulations requiring only compliance, to new
emphasis on policies and incentives that encourage industry to go beyond compliance.
Growing use of market-based economic instruments, voluntary programs, public
reporting by industry, and creative public-private partnerships are bringing a new era of
environmental management. But as former Administrator William K. Riley noted,
I don't think we will be able to say, in the popular phrase of the moment, that we
have attained a sustainable level of development until we function in harmony
with these ecosystems, and learn to keep them productive ... We are not, nor
ought to be, fundamentally about reducing this effluent or that emission, but
rather about protecting the totality of the environment.13
The Brundtland Report recognized that environmental protection is different from but
related to sustainable development: "Environmental protection and sustainable
development must be an integral part of the mandates of all agencies of government, of
international organizations, and of major private-sector institutes."14 Sustainable
environmental policies are critical for achieving sustainable development. EPA and ORD
are in position to lead those policies by developing a strong research foundation that
contributes to policies supporting sustainable development.
This Strategy will promote environmental Sustainability by seeking outcomes that protect
and enhance the resilience of natural systems to environmental stress and that reduce the
industrial and urban burdens on the environment.
Sustainability Research
11 www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/01/20070124-2.html
12 Government Accountability Office. Globalization: Numerous Federal Activities Complement U.S.
Business Global Corporate Social Responsibility Efforts. GAO-05—744. August 2005.
13 William K Reilly. Oral History Interview, "Ecosystem Management." EPA 202-K-95-002. September
1995. www.epa.gov/history/publications/reilly/21 .htm
14 World Commission on Environment and Development, pg. 311.
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ORD Sustainability Research Strategy- Internal Draft: June 13, 2007
The Strategy's definition of sustainability research can be clarified through an analogy
with non-traditional research being conducted in the investment and insurance
communities. Traditionally, these sectors allocated resources and managed risk with a
principle focus on short-term performance and economic measures, ignoring a host of
external social and environmental factors. Today they have a growing interest in the
impact of extra-financial issues on long-term risk and investment. For example Swiss Re,
the leading reinsurance firm, has asserted that "Unsustainable development increasingly
needs to be understood as having the potential to substantially change the risk landscape"
and has launched an extensive research program on the early detection and assessment of
environmental and health risks.15
In the investment world, asset owners and managers have formed the Enhanced Analytics
Initiative, an international consortium aimed at encouraging better investment research,
especially research focused on "... the alignment of management and board with long-
term company value, the quality of human resources management, risks associated with
governance structure, the environment, branding, corporate ethics and stakeholder
relations."16
The insurance and investment sectors are both promoting "better research for better
investment decisions"—an approach based on future projections, capturing system
dynamics and points of leverage, and assessing and managing variability and
uncertainty. EPA can learn and benefit from such forward-looking, system-oriented
research that broadens the application of risk analysis to reflect a wider range of
environmental and social issues.
ORD's Sustainability Research Strategy mirrors the expanded research goals of cutting-
edge insurance and investment firms, for sustainability research similarly seeks "to
promote more informed and sustainable decisions." Like the financial sectors, ORD must
project the impact of future economic and demographic changes on natural and man-
made systems to help decision-makers attain more sustainable outcomes.17 Research in
the realms of insurance, investment, and environmental protection aims to connect the
dots to better understand how systems work and how they are affected by change. ORD
sustainability research aims to capture system dynamics, manage variability and
uncertainty, and understand system resilience to foreseen and unforeseen stresses.
Improved scientific understanding must be translated into useable outcomes. To do this,
15 Swiss Re, Sustainability Report 2004. Swiss Re has built an extensive research program around detection
and assessment of risks. Its SONAR research project (Systematic Observations of Notions Associated with
Risk) is an extensive data analysis and systems study that can detect risk signals too weak to show up on
the radar screen of a wider audience. See 2004 Report, page 9. www.swissre.com
16 The Initiative currently represents companies with managing assets of more than US$1 trillion (See
www.enhancedanalytics.com/Fiesta/EDITORIAL/20060630/CommPresse/PR15_InvestecjoinsEAI_19050
6.pdf). Quote is from David Blood and Al Gore, "It is Essential that Investors Look to the Long Term,"
www. ft.com, July 6, 2005; Financial Times, July 7, 2005. Available at www.generationim.com/media/pdf-
ft-david-blood-al-gore-07-07-05.pdf.
17 "Shaping our Environmental Future: Foresight in the Office of Research and Development." In press
2007. After publication, will be available atwww.epa.gov/sustainability.
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ORD Sustainability Research Strategy- Internal Draft: June 13, 2007
EPA and its partners ill develop integrating decision support tools (i.e. models,
methodologies, and technologies) that produce the data and understanding to help
decision-makers shift toward practices promoting environmental Sustainability and
ultimately sustainable development.
Emphasizing a systems approach to achieving sustainable environmental management,
we focus on six broad research themes.
• Renewable Resource Protection
• Non-Renewable Resource Conservation
• Long-Term Chemical and Biological Impacts
• Human-Built Systems and Land Use
• Economics and Human Behavior
• Information and Decision-Making
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ORD Sustainability Research Strategy- Internal Draft: June 13, 2007
CHAPTER 4. Six RESEARCH THEMES
To promote the integration of research across disciplines and existing ORD research
programs and to underscore the importance of a systems approach to future planning,
this chapter serves three important functions:
• It identifies priority research topics related to the six themes listed in Chapter 3
and to the sustainable outcomes in Table 4.1.
• It identifies existing ORD and EPA research programs that relate to the research
questions (Table 4.2).
• It describes how this Research Strategy and the focus on sustainable
environmental outcomes advance ongoing EPA efforts.
Achieving any one of EPA's proposed sustainable outcome measures (shown in Table
4.1) will be a formidable challenge, for there are no technological "quick fixes" offering
simple solutions or approaches to achieving any of these outcomes. Instead, research
across physical science, economics, social science, and other disciplines must be
combined in meaningful ways. In turn, the resulting science must be made available to
decision-makers and integrated into effective public policy.
Table 4.1. Proposed Sustainable Outcome Measures
Natural Resource
Systems
Energy
Air
Water
Materials
Land
Ecosystems
Sustainable Outcomes
Generate clean energy and use it efficiently.
Sustain clean and healthy air.
Sustain water resources of quality and availability for desired uses.
Use materials carefully and shift to environmentally preferable
materials.
Support ecologically sensitive land management and development.
Protect and restore ecosystem functions, goods and services.
Source Everyday Choices: Opportunities for Environmental Stewardship, Innovation Action Council Report
to the Administrator, November 2005. www.epa.gov/innovation
By itself, ORD can address only a small part of the overall research required to advance
sustainability, but it can partner with Program and Regional Offices and other federal and
state agencies and can use its research results, methods, and tools to assist clients both
inside and outside EPA in pursuing sustainable outcomes.
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ORD Sustainability Research Strategy- Internal Draft: June 13, 2007
Table 4.2. Sustainability Research Themes Addressed by Multi-Year Plans
X - Some association XX - Strong association
National
Program
Director Area
Air
Global Change
& Mercury
Water Quality
Drinking Water
Human Health
Ecological
Risk
Pesticides,
Toxics, and
ECDs
(not an NPD
area)
Contaminated
Sites/
Resource
Conservation
Multi-Year Plan
Air Toxics
Particulate Matter
Tropospheric Ozone
Global Change
Mercury
Water Quality
Drinking Water
Human Health
Ecological Research
Endocrine Disrupters
Safe Pesticides
Toxics
Computational
Toxicology
Contaminated Sites
Hazardous Waste
Economics and Decision
Sciences
5 2
I
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C If,
OL OL
X
XX
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XX
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XX
X
XX
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Table 4.2 shows the extent of existing ORD multi-year plans. The following sections
discuss how these programs relate to each other and to the Sustainability research
questions. An example of the possible integration (and leveraging of resources) among
existing ORD research strategies—the coordination of the Sustainability Research
Strategy and the Economics and Decision Sciences Strategy—is illustrated in Figure 4.1
near the end of this chapter.
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ORD Sustainability Research Strategy- Internal Draft: June 13, 2007
1. Natural Resource Protection (Air, Water, Ecosystems)
The health and well-being of all societies depend on ecosystems and the services they
provide. Natural resources are an essential support for a nation's economy and quality of
life. Where natural systems are undermined, then the economic and social well-being of
people is threatened. This is true at local levels where the expansion of urbanized areas is
undermining the ecological integrity of ecosystems by bringing about declines in
biological diversity, degradation of water quality, and loss of other ecological services. It
is also true at regional levels where unsustainable industry and urban development are
threatening the long-term health of great water bodies like the Chesapeake Bay and the
Great Lakes. And it is certainly true at global scales where widespread ecosystem loss
may affect global atmospheric processes and human health.
The natural resource basis is a complex and dynamic system of plants, animals, and the
physical environment that interact with each another. Lessons learned over the years on
different approaches and techniques for managing natural resource system, at both small
and large scales, demonstrate the need to better understand the resilience of a natural
1 £
system to "tolerate disturbances while retaining its structure and function." Achieving
Sustainability in managing natural systems therefore requires a better understanding of
the complexity of these systems, including their critical thresholds, resilience and
adaptability.
In a sustainable world, society greatly benefits from ecosystem services at all levels from
local flood control to global climate protection. A critical test of society's ability to
sustainably manage its natural resource base is fast approaching. Our nation is committed
to making cellulosic ethanol (i.e., ethanol derived from fibrous, woody, and generally
inedible portions of plant matter) cost-competitive with corn-based ethanol by 2012 and
to replacing by 2030 at least 30 percent of the motor gasoline demand of 2004. This
transition will require large supplies of sustainable feedstock, major feedstock and
conversion technology advances, large-scale integrated biorefinery demonstrations, and
massive new infrastructure development that will affect land use and ecosystems. Given
these policy directions, it will be important for EPA and ORD to assess how to produce,
harvest, and deliver an estimated 1 billion dry tons of cellulosic biomass in an
economically and environmentally sustainable way.
None of these challenges are new to EPA, which has made healthy communities and
ecosystems of its five key long-term goals. Existing EPA programs extend from
protecting existing ecosystems from risks posed by release of harmful substances to
expanding and restoring ecosystems. Filling gaps in current EPA and federal agency
programs, the Sustainability Research Strategy aims to sharpen the focus on achieving
sustainable management of renewable resources by aiming at three goals: (1) defining
clear measures of sustainable renewable systems, (2) improving understanding of
18 Joseph Fiksel, "Designing Resilient, Sustainable Systems," Environmental Science & Technology. 37
(December 2003), 5330-5339.
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ORD Sustainability Research Strategy- Internal Draft: June 13, 2007
ecosystem processes and their impacts on human health, and (3) developing and applying
advanced systems models and tools to assist decision-makers.
Efforts to achieve the first goal are tied to building consensus within EPA on terms and
definitions. ORD is leading an EPA-wide effort to more clearly define outcome goals and
measures. Efforts to achieve the second goal depend on greater coordination of existing
efforts across ORD, EPA Program and Regional Offices, and universities. Efforts to
achieve the third goal depend on expanded in-house ORD research and on collaboration
with ORD customers and stakeholders.
Current ORD systems research aims to address complex, long-term environmental
problems in ways that go beyond traditional compliance and pollution prevention
approaches to those that focus on sustainable outcomes. This effort builds on a growing
body of academic research that has demonstrated how the integrated assessment of a
sustainable system cannot be accomplished by simply linking together a collection of
domain-specific models. Research on the bio-complexity in large lake systems shows that
new modeling approaches are needed.19 Frontier interdisciplinary research in EPA's
Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program is exploring the relationship among
anthropogenic stressors within ecosystems, changes in host and/or vector biodiversity,
and infectious disease transmission.20
This new research focuses on understanding the environmental and social factors that
contribute to biodiversity change, the population dynamics of animal reservoirs and
vectors of disease, biological mechanisms that influence transmission of diseases to
humans, and the processes by which infectious diseases emerge and spread. Research on
the links between anthropogenic stressors, biodiversity, and infectious disease can have
an important impact on our view of biodiversity, the services provided by natural
ecosystems, and how we manage these resources to protect human health and the
environment.
Priority Research Topics
• Demonstrating and quantifying the value of ecosystem services (informing decision-
makers) in environmental protection and human health
• Understanding long-term chemical and biological interactions and cycles among air,
land, and water resources and their impact on biodiversity (systems analysis)
• Exploring interactions among natural resource systems that may lead to unrecognized
side effects of management initiatives, such as loss of soil resilience due to over-
harvesting of biomass (systems analysis)
19 See Conference Report on "Toward Sustainable Systems." Ohio State University, March 2-3, 2006.
20 See http://es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2007/2007_biodiversity_health.html
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ORD Sustainability Research Strategy- Internal Draft: June 13, 2007
Modeling linkages between human-built and natural resource systems in terms of
material and energy flows (systems analysis)
Understanding the resilience and adaptability of ecosystems to change (resilience and
vulnerability)
Improving understanding and quantification of natural carrying capacity under
various environmental conditions and human activity patterns (forecasting)
Developing early warning signs of critical system overloads beyond natural
variability (forecasting)
Identifying trends that have been and are expected to continue affecting ecological
processes that sustain ecosystems (forecasting)
Developing future regional scenarios and models integrating land, water, and
ecosystems to assess impact on ecosystem services (forecasting)
2. Non-Renewable Resource Conservation (Energy and Materials)
Each phase of non-renewable energy production (exploration, extraction, refining,
transporting, and storing) and manufacturing affects the quality of air, the quality and
availability of water, global climate, short- and long-term use of land, and resiliency of
ecosystems. For these resources and processes, sustainability requires greater focus on
conservation and enhanced use of renewable energy, greater emphasis on managing
materials rather than disposing of waste products, and finding substitutes for toxic and
dangerous materials. The historic consequences of unsustainable non-renewable resource
management are evident in landscape modification, growth of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere, and climate change. Fossil fuel use, with its potential effects on climate
change and on environmental and human health, constitutes a vital long-term global
sustainability issues. EPA's role in addressing climate change is prescribed by the
interagency U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP).21 Complementing this
interagency program, the Sustainability Research Strategy will promote more sustainable
management of nonrewable resource operations and enhance a shift to greater use of
renewable resources.
A new vision of how to sustainability manage nonrenewable resources is needed. The
1997 National Academy of Engineering report, The Industrial Implication for
Environmental Design and Management, suggests that the path to sustainability
"involves the creative design of products, processes, systems and organizations, and the
21 EPA's research role in the USGCRP is to assess the potential consequences of climate change for air and
water quality, ecosystems, and human health. This program seeks to improve the scientific basis for
evaluating the risks and opportunities presented by global change in the context of other stressors. A suite
of EPA voluntary programs such as Climate Leaders develop industry strategies aimed at reducing the
overall emissions of greenhouse gases.
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ORD Sustainability Research Strategy- Internal Draft: June 13, 2007
implementation of smart management strategies that effectively harness technologies and
ideas to avoid environmental problems before they arise." In Grand Challenges in
Environmental Sciences (2001), the National Academy of Sciences recommended
"developing] a quantitative understanding of the global budget of materials widely used
by humanity and how the life cycles of these materials ... may be modified."22
These concerns prompted the Office of Solid Waste proposal to shift its emphasis from
managing waste to managing materials, and the Office of Pesticides and Toxics' efforts
to reduce toxic chemical use through green chemistry and other new technologies.
Looking ahead, regulatory actions may further enhance a movement toward sustainable
resource management. Several directives of the European Union that target reductions of
hazardous materials and toxics and promote recycling may serve to promote additional
research in use of alternative material, green chemistry, and life cycle analysis.23
Consequently this Strategy will initially focus on core research methodologies, models,
technology, and technological processes that can help to assess the impacts of energy and
material use on the environment and to identify low-impact and other sustainable
approaches to renewable resource management.
Priority Research Topics
Core functions:
• How can life cycle assessment be made more efficient, reliable, and comprehensive
so that it will more effectively inform design decisions that le ad to reducing or
eliminating the use of non-renewable resources?
• What innovative technologies or processes can be developed to improve the
efficiency of non-renewable resource consumption (e.g., closed-loop recycling or
energy efficiency in manufacturing and consumer products)?
• For different sectors, what re-engineering processes can be designed to manage
production and supply chains, reducing or eliminating the use of fossil fuels and other
non-renewable resources?
• How can material flow analysis and related methods provide better insight into
opportunities for reducing or eliminating the use of non-renewable resources?
• What tools can be used to operationalize the concept of industrial ecology, enabling
systems-based understanding of energy and material flows?
22 EPA Science Advisory Board, Commentary on Industrial Ecology, 2002. Also SAB Review of Science
and Research Budgets for FY2006, March 30, 2006.
23 The Directives are Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS), Waste Electical and
Electronic Directive (WEEE), and Directive on Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals
(REACH)
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ORD Sustainability Research Strategy- Internal Draft: June 13, 2007
Material Balance:
• What are the patterns and driving forces of societal use of non-renewable resources?
• How can global scenarios of future industrial development and associated
environmental implications be developed?
• In what materials, products, places, and time-scales can we expect significant change
in material and energy use or their impacts?
Energy:
• What opportunities exist to replace non-renewable with renewable feedstocks and
materials in an environmentally beneficial manner?
• How can we ensure that societal shifts in material use—such as from petroleum to
renewable feedstocks for energy and materials—do not lead to unforeseen and
unsustainable consequences?
• What tools are needed to develop, test, and measure the life cycle of a full suite of
energy conversion technologies (using renewable and non-renewable energy
sources)?
3. Long-Term Chemical and Biological Impacts (Using Non-Toxic Materials
Sustainably and Protecting Human Health)
The intergenerational dimension of Sustainability means that society must be particularly
mindful of the long-term threat posed by chemical and biological impacts on the
environment. Protecting environmental and human health from chemical toxicity has
long been central to EPA's mission. The inability of the environment to assimilate certain
chemical compounds over time has serious implications for Sustainability. A chemical
pollutant released to the environment at a rate greater than the environment's ability to
recycle, absorb, or render it harmless is considered to be persistent. Other chemical
compounds have a tendency to concentrate in the tissues of living organisms in the
process of bioaccumulation. Chemicals that are either persistent or bioaccumulative
increase the potential for adverse effects on human health and/or the environment
because they can result in high levels of exposure. Chemicals that are both persistent and
bioaccumulative result in the highest levels of exposure and thus present the greatest
challenge to Sustainability. Achieving sustainable outcomes will rely on prudent material
use and shifting to environmentally preferable materials in order to protect human health
by assessing and eliminating the long-term impacts of harmful chemical and biological
materials.
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ORD Sustainability Research Strategy- Internal Draft: June 13, 2007
Research on long-term chemical and biological impacts (complementing research on
resource conservation) addresses two major areas: assessing chemical and biological
impacts and substituting benign chemicals for toxic chemicals through green chemistry,
nanotechnology, genomics, and other new technologies. Achieving sustainable outcomes
will be aided by the enhanced ability offered by these technologies to detect and measure
chemicals in humans and animals and to provide new ways of designing and
manipulating new materials.
ORD's work in computation toxicology—using the latest advances in mathematical and
computer modeling and genomics to prioritize, screen, and evaluate chemicals and
predict potential toxicities—offers great potential for developing more sustainable
products.24 ORD and other EPA researchers are also assessing the application of
nanotechnology for developing more efficient and sustainable products. In a recent white
paper on nanotechnology, assessing the risks and benefits associated with
nanotechnology, EPA scientists recommended that the Agency "engage resources and
expertise to support approaches that promote pollution prevention, sustainable resource
use, and good product stewardship in the production and use of nanomaterials."25
Important new research efforts in ORD and in EPA Program and Regional Offices are
evaluating the green production of nanomaterials, including a life cycle assessment of
nanomaterial production, and are developing decision support tools for bench chemists to
evaluate the environmental dimensions of new chemicals and production processes.
Key sustainability research goals thus include further developing new technologies that
reduce or replace the use of toxic chemicals and measuring the potential environmental
effect of these new technologies. The research topics listed below build on ORD's
development of research aimed at creating new catalysts to significantly improve the
environmental effects of chemical manufacturing, innovative reactors and intensification
techniques, and novel oxidation technologies that will allow the pulp and paper industry
to meet new emission regulations.
Priority Research Topics
• Develop and apply innovative chemical transformations utilizing green and
sustainable chemistry and engineering.
• Improve the yield, safety, and specificity of chemical processes by identifying
appropriate solvents, controlling thermal conditions and purity, and recovering
process catalysts or byproducts.
• Formulate products that reduce waste and that are environmentally benign.
• Develop life cycle tools to compare the total environmental impacts of products
generated from different processing routes and conditions.
See ORD, "A Framework for Computational Toxicology." EPA 600/R-03/065 November 2003
25 See www.epa.gov/osa/nanotech.htm
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ORD Sustainability Research Strategy- Internal Draft: June 13, 2007
Develop improved or accelerated methods for understanding the toxicology, kinetics,
fate, and persistence of chemical substances.
Develop and implement models for the efficient application of life cycle analysis
methods to new products and technologies including nanomaterials, green chemistry,
and engineering.
Develop and implement systems-level methodologies and technologies for applying
material flow analysis to complex industrial networks.
Develop improved methods for systems analysis of material flows that reflect the
differences in health and environmental impacts of different substances.
4. Human-Built Systems and Land Use
In the past, little or no concern was given to how human-built systems might seriously
impair or destroy the natural infrastructure and "ecosystem services" provided by the
infrastructure, such as the ability to absorb and break down pollutants, cleanse air and
water, and prevent flood and storm damage. However, the growth of urban populations
over the last century has provided evidence that human-built systems can cause
significant harm to ecosystems and to their ability to provide these critical services.
Building on undeveloped land destroys and fragments habitat, displacing or eliminating
wildlife communities.
The construction of impervious surfaces such as roads and rooftops leads to the
degradation of water quality by increasing runoff volume, stream sedimentation and
water acidity, altering regular stream flow and watershed hydrology, and reducing
groundwater recharge. A one-acre parking lot produces a runoff volume almost 16 times
as great as would an undeveloped meadow of the same size. Achieving urban
sustainability is clearly a challenge being addressed by many programs of EPA and other
federal agencies. In this Strategy, research on urban sustainability and land use focuses
on three key areas: building design and efficiency, urban land revitalization, and
sustainable management of urban systems.
Within urban communities, green building design is a crucial factor for sustainability
since account for 65% of electricity consumption, 36% of total energy use, and 30% of
greenhouse gas emissions. According to recent studies, in 2030 about half of the
buildings in which Americans live, work, and shop will have been built after 2000. In
2030, there will be 106.8 billion square feet of new development, about 46 percent more
built space than existed in 2000—a remarkable amount of construction to occur within 30
years. About 97.3 billion square feet of existing space will be replaced. New and
replacement-related development will amount to 204.1 billion square feet, equal to
almost 90 percent of the built space that existed in 2000. All of this amounts to about $30
trillion in total new development (including infrastructure) that will occur between 2000
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and 2030.26 Research in indoor environmental management underway in ORD's National
Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL) is already well positioned to help
shape the design of future indoor engineering systems.
Research related to Built Environment and Land Use, while primarily directed toward
sustainable land management, also serves to integrate nearly all of the sustainability goals
discussed in Chapter 2. The operation of numerous and diverse human-built systems
(e.g., buildings, cities, water distribution, energy, agriculture, and transportation) is
fundamentally dependent on the health of the natural systems that provide critical
ecosystem services.
While broad in content, this theme focuses on land renewal and restoration, decision
support tools for urban land development, and life cycle assessments for land use and
building design. Research under this theme complements research described previously
under Natural Resource Protection. Key elements of the implementing Science and
Technology for Sustainability (STS) MYP will focus on environmental impact modeling,
including development of new impact models to characterize land use and smog
formation, and on collaborative partnerships with many government and non-government
partners to directly apply innovative systems-based approaches to urban and tribal
planning.
Direct ORD-supported research can address these immediate research questions:
• What tools can decision-makers use to assess the potential impacts of land use,
landscaping, and building design decisions on community well-being and
environmental quality?
• What levels and types of human activities can be conducted within a given spatial
area (such as a watershed or ecosystem) without critically and adversely altering
biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem functioning?
• What sustainability criteria should be developed to guide urban land development and
future revitalization efforts?
• What core set of principles can best be used to guide the design, construction, and
management of human systems (such as land use, buildings, and transportation
systems) in a manner that protects natural systems (such as habitats) and their
properties (such as biodiversity) and functions?
26 Arthur C. Nelson, 2004, "Toward a New Metropolis: The Opportunity to Rebuild America."
Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program Survey Series. See
www.brookings.edu/metro/pubs/20041213_rebuildamerica.htm; and Arthur C. Nelson, 2006, "America
Circa 2030: The Boom to Come,'" Architect Magazine (October 15, 2006):
www.architectmagazine.com/industry-news.asp?sectionID=1006&articleID=385542
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• How do systems of land use, transportation, trade, and commerce contribute to the
spread of invasive species and exotic pathogens? What actions can EPA take to
manage this process?
• What applications of new and emerging technologies can promote efficiencies in
building design and restoration of contaminated sites?
• What are the tradeoffs between resilience of the built environment (e.g., capacity to
survive natural disasters) and ecological resilience?
The growing enthusiasm for sustainability at state and local levels presents both new
challenges and opportunities for ORD research, which has the technical, monitoring, and
analytic capability to help decision-makers at all levels of government choose courses of
action that will lead to achieving sustainable outcomes.27 For example, since 1990, ORD
has been working with the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research on
models of land restoration and development. Work under this bilateral agreement is now
moving toward development of sustainability criteria for revitalization activities, and has
resulted in the Sustainable Management Approaches and Revitalization Tools (SMARTe)
program. SMARTe, which is now in beta testing, is an open-source, Web-based decision
support system for developing and evaluating future reuse scenarios for potentially
contaminated land.28 SMARTe includes guidance and analysis tools for all aspects of the
revitalization process including planning and environmental, economic, and social
concerns.
The emphasis in this Strategy on developing decision support tools and helping decision-
makers make wise decisions challenges our scientists and engineers to work directly with
key customers and stakeholders who can most benefit from ORD research capabilities. In
many ways, ORD's ability to identify research to inform stewardship solutions is
intimately tied to partnering and collaborating with state, local, and tribal decision-
makers. An example is the Sustainable Environment for Quality of Life (SEQL) program,
in which ORD is a key player, developing scientific models such as Regional
Vulnerability Assessment (ReVA) to support sustainable land development. ORD's
research supports quantification of potential and actual impacts, including cross-sectoral
and cross-jurisdictional analyses and analyses of "what-if scenarios.
SEQL and similar projects are successful because of the available suite of decision
support tools and the direct participation by ORD scientists in community meetings and
policy planning. This direct involvement is essential for applying ORD research to direct
use. The BOSC review of the Ecological Research Program noted the successful use of
ORD decision support tools, emphasizing that further applications "will require
27 See Regional Summaries of State and Tribal Issues and Priorities for the 2006-2011 Strategic Plan
Revision, www.epa.gov/ocfopage/plan/regions/index.htm
28 See www.smarte.org/smarte/home/index.xml
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commitment of resources to technology transfer through both in-person and online
training."29
5. Economics and Human Behavior
The sustainable management of natural and man-made systems is in part a question of
choice and behavior. For this reason, economics and the behavioral sciences are key
elements in EPA's overall approach to implementing the goals of Everyday Choices and
achieving sustainable outcomes. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is
requiring more and better economic analyses as essential components of the policy
process used in EPA Program and Regional Offices and in other federal regulatory
agencies.
External reviews by the SAB and the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) have shaped
much of EPA's economic and behavioral research. For example, many recommendations
from the National Academy of Sciences report commissioned by EPA and the National
Science Foundation, Decision-Making for the Environment: Social and Behavioral
Science Research Priorities, have been incorporated into ORD's Environmental
Economics Research Strategy (EERS), published in 2005. Economists are beginning to
address the question of environmental Sustainability and human carrying capacity as
central factors in economic development.30 Economists and conservationists are also
exploring ways to value ecosystem services and develop economic incentives for
sustainable behavior. This is an important area for research since "markets" for
ecosystem services do not generally exist. For example, owners of ecologically valuable
land can generate more revenue from traditional land development than by providing
ecological services. ORD-funded extramural research is also underway to understand
why individuals, firms, and institutions behave as they do; what motivates them to
change their behavior; and how government regulations, public information, corporate
reporting, and public pressures interact to generate public policy.
The Sustainability Research Strategy (SRS) and the EERS research strategies are
complementary in approach and significantly contribute to EPA's focus on stewardship
and Sustainability. The SRS presents a framework that highlights research areas of
importance to support a forward-looking, integrated, and preventive approach to
environmental protection. It guides the integration of relevant research across ORD and
other offices, as well as connections outside of EPA. On the other hand, the EERS
presents a focused analysis of Agency research priorities in Economics and Decision
Sciences. EERS research priorities dovetail nicely with the SRS framework (see Chapter
6) and collectively can be used to address a number of important questions:
29 BOSC Review of Ecological Research Program. August 2005, pg. 18.
30 For rapporteur's summary and presenters' precis papers of the EPA-sponsored forum, "Sustainability,
Weil-Being, and Environment Protection: What's an Agency to Do?" see
www.epa.gov/sustainability/econforum
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• What factors increase or reduce motivation for sustainable behavior among
individuals, firms, and organizations? How can we better integrate economic and
ecological models to inform environmentally sustainable decisions? What is the
relationship between environmental Sustainability indicators and measures of
economic value?
• What are non-market ecosystem services, what is their value, and what ongoing
factors are affecting their supply? To what extent can human-produced capital
substitute for natural capital?
• How can economic instruments (e.g., trading schemes, auctions, and taxes) be
devised which effectively incorporate society's concerns for Sustainability in resource
allocation decisions?
• What should be the role of intergenerational discounting in benefit-cost analysis?
• How can ecological resilience and the potential for major unforeseen events be
incorporated in the selection and assessment of policy interventions?
6. Information and Decision-Making
The goal of developing Sustainability metrics builds on the research already conducted in
support of the EPA's Draft Report on the Environment (RoE). ORD researchers have
played a significant role in identifying appropriate indicators and providing quality
control in their development. Currently the RoE provides snapshots of the existing
environmental state. Metrics are defined in relation to clearly stated questions such as,
"What are the conditions and current trends of surface waters?" and "What are the trends
in the ecological processes that sustain the nation's ecological systems?" As EPA moves
toward identifying a set of clearly articulated questions related to sustainable outcomes—
such as "How sustainable are the nation's water supplies?"—then research can focus on
identifying appropriate indicators and ensuring their quality.
The establishment of an information infrastructure is a necessary step on the path toward
Sustainability. This includes the development of Sustainability metrics and environmental
monitoring. Our strategy is therefore closely applied with the Global Earth Observation
Systems of Systems (GEOSS) program. The GEOSS vision is of a future in which
decisions and actions are informed by coordinated, comprehensive, and sustained earth
observations and information. GEOSS will "take the pulse of the planet" by compiling a
system of all relevant databases (or systems), thus revolutionizing our understanding of
how earth works. Over time, GEOSS will contribute greatly to Sustainability by providing
important scientific information for sound policy and decision-making. EPA is
contributing to GEOSS through its leadership in both the international Group on Earth
Observations (GEO) and the U.S. Group on Earth Observations (US GEO) and has
launched the FY2006 Advanced Monitoring Initiative (AMI).
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One of the primary keys to promoting sustainability is defining and communicating a
clear understanding of proposed outcomes. In Everyday Choices, EPA senior managers
identified sustainable outcomes in six resource areas relevant to EPA's mission (Table
4.1). The sustainability goals in energy, water, air, land, ecosystems, and materials
provide an important starting point for discussion of appropriate sustainability goals and
how they should be measured. A clear next step is to define these goals and metrics in
sharper detail.
This strategy aims to establish a new set of scientifically based sustainability indicators
that are readily comprehensible at multiple scales, relevant to decision-makers, and easily
accessible to the public.
ORD-supported research will address these research questions:
• What are appropriate sustainability goals for energy, water, air, land, materials, and
ecosystems?
• What are the most appropriate trends, indicators, and metrics to measure society's
progress towards reaching sustainable outcomes?
• What data are needed to construct sustainability indicators and metrics and how can
the data be effectively and efficiently collected?
These questions will be addressed in two ways. First, we will review metrics currently in
use to determine where gaps exist. A number of fairly simple sustainability indicators
currently exist, and while these measures may inform the public on the general notion of
sustainability, they often lack scientific vigor. If sustainability is to play a significant role
in future environmental policy debates, the process of establishing benchmark values and
measuring progress must be vastly improved. The second track, in collaboration with
EPA partners and customers, will involve research to identify new indicators and metrics
and apply them to problems in specific geographic regions, ecosystems, and watersheds.
This work is expected to result in a new set of well-defined metrics, protocols, and
software tools that can be used by decision-makers. This direction of research will be a
major element of ORD's new Science and Technology for Sustainability Multi-Year
Plan.
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ORD Sustainability Research Strategy- Internal Draft: June 13, 2007
CHAPTER 5.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Our Research Strategy has five objectives:
• Systems Understanding. Understand the interconnections, resilience, and
vulnerabilities over time of natural systems, industrial systems, the built
environment, and human society.
• Decision Support Tools. Design and develop scientific tools and models to assist
decision-makers.
• Technologies. Identify and develop inherently benign and less resource-intensive
materials, energy sources, processes, products, and systems, particularly for
emerging technologies.
• Collaborative Decision-Making. Develop an understanding of motivations for
decision-making and develop approaches to collaborative problem solving.
• Metrics and Indicators. Develop metrics and indicators to measure and track
progress toward sustainability goals, to send early warning of potential problems
to decision-makers, and to highlight opportunities for improvement.
How these research objectives relate to customers and collaborators, as well as outcomes
is shown in the logic diagram of Figure 5.1. The research objectives (with dark shading
in the figure) are interrelated as follows. A systems understanding informs the
development of research in decision-support tools, technologies, and collaborative
decision-making, which in turn informs policies and programs implemented by customers
and collaborators, including business and industry, communities, government, and
individuals. There are two broad categories of metrics and indicators, illustrated by two
individual boxes in the figure. First, customers and collaborators can use metrics and
indicators to inform their plans and decisions and measure their progress to their own
sustainability goals. Second, at a larger scale, metrics and indicators can be used to assess
and measure overall (regional, national, or international) progress in resource areas and
environmental and human health (with lighter shading in Figure 5.1). These larger-scale
metrics and indicators also feed back to enable adaptive understanding and research
needs in systems, decisions, technologies, and collaborative decision-making.
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Figure 5.1. Logic Diagram Illustrating Research Approaches
Systems
Understanding
Resilience
Vulnerabilities
Interconnectedness
Scale
Trends 8
Transformations
Links between Natural
8 Built Environment
Uncertainty
Resource
Sustainability
Outcomes
Water
Land
Air
Energy
Materials
Ecosystems
The research objectives are also related in Table 5.1 to the six research themes (defined in
Chapter 4). For example, life cycle assessment (LCA) can inform understanding of a
product's consumption of renewable and non-renewable resources and associated
emissions over the product's life cycle. Material flow analysis (MFA) and integrated
systems analysis (ISA) can be used to explore the possible implications of economy-wide
patterns of consumption of renewable or non-renewable resources. ISA can also be used
as a communication tool to enable collaborative decision-making in the context of
human-built Systems. There are many relevant metrics and indicators in the theme areas,
ranging from indicators of ecosystem resilience to Sustainability indicators used by
industry. The following sections further describe the various research objectives.
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Table 5.1. Research Topics Addressing Sustainability Themes and Objectives
Renewable
Natural
Resource
Systems
Non-
Renewable
Natural
Resource
Systems
Long-term
chemical
and
biological
impacts
Human-
Built
Systems
Economics
and Human
Behavior
Information
and
Decision-
Making
System
Understanding
Ecosystem
resilience;
Limits on
resource
extraction rates
Understanding
interactions
between
human-built
systems and
natural cycles
Limits;
Measures of
resilience
Decision-
Support
Tools
LCA;
MFA;
ISAs
LCA;
MFA;
ISAs
Chemistry
design
tools;
Transport
models
Design
principles
Agent-
based
models
Technologies
Green
engineering
Green
engineering
Green
chemistry
Green
buildings;
Emerging
technologies
LCA
Collaborative
Decision-
Making
ISA,
Risk
assessment
models
Incentives and
trading
schemes
Understanding
value of
information
Metrics and
Indicators
Ecosystem
resilience;
Resource
extraction
rates
Material
intensity
Environmental
accumulation
of chemicals
Industrial
Sustainability
indicators
Systems Understanding
An underlying understanding of complex environmental-societal systems and the
attributes and conditions that make them sustainable is the foundation of Sustainability
research. Going beyond a traditional, single-media, pollution-control and compliance-
enforcement approach, this Strategy recognizes that no environmental problems have a
single cause. Application of systems research has the potential to break down
longstanding single-media approaches to environmental management, an issue of concern
to EPA since its inception.31 Describing, representing, and/or designing sustainable
When President Nixon proposed the creation of EPA in 1970, he recognized the interconnectedness of
the environment and the inherent cross-media nature of environmental protection. His plan to establish
EPA noted that, for pollution control purposes, "the environment must be perceived as a single, interrelated
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systems encompasses several important aspects:
• Addressing scale in time and space
• Capturing the dynamics of the system and of society's points of leverage or control
over those dynamics
• Representing an appropriate level of complexity
• Managing variability and uncertainty
• Capturing the various perspectives and desired Sustainability outcomes in important
domains (e.g., ecological, economic, technological, legal, and organizational)
• Understanding the vulnerability or resilience of the system relative to both foreseen
and unforeseen stressors and change.
A systems view can also strategically inform both research and implementation. It can
identify barriers, point out gaps or redundancy in activity, and inform prioritization of
existing or potential research and implementation in technology, decision-support tools,
and collaborative decision-making.
Technologies
Technology and technological systems are central for achieving sustainable use of
renewable and non-renewable natural resources, as well as for developing alternative
materials, chemicals, processes, and products that minimize or eliminate long-term
chemical and biological impacts.
The underlying scientific research, development of designs and applications, technology
demonstration, and technology verification form a 10-year continuum as illustrated in Figure 5.2.
system" (Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1970, July 9, 1970, available at
www.epa.gov/historv/org/origins/reorg.htmX EPA has struggled since then with how best to deal with the
environment as an integrated system. At the Agency's 15th anniversary in 1985, Administrator Russell
Train expressed his concern with its "compartmentalized nature" and resulting ineffectiveness in dealing
with pollutants, which "tend to move readily among air, water, and land." Similarly, Administrator Lee
Thomas stressed the need for cross-media reviews so that "we don't just transfer pollutants from one
medium to another." (See "Views from the Former Administrators," EPA Journal, November 1985,
available at www.epa.gov/historv/topics/epa/15e.htm.') Administrator William Reilly encouraged cross-
media approaches in the early 1990s by looking holistically at place-based issues, breaking down media
barriers for risk assessment, providing cross-media training for staff, and conducting joint pilot studies with
industry. Although EPA is today still organized along media lines, it recognizes the need to adequately
address the cross-media nature of environmental problems. Sustainability concepts will help EPA break
down barriers to its single-media-based Program Offices and look more holistically and systematically at
integrated environmental challenges.
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Various advisory bodies have argued that commercialization and deployment of sustainable
technologies requires that the entire continuum be supported over time. For example, EPA's
National Advisory Committee for Environmental Policy and Technology Policy (NACEPT) has
strongly endorsed EPA's current technology and verification program and recommended that
EPA "should devote more attention and resources to those Agency programs that incorporate and
encourage sustainability as one of the goals or criteria for technology development or
TO
implementation assistance." The NACEPT committee has been further charged by the EPA
Administrator to look at the issue of sustainability in more detail (in 2006-2007) and to make
additional recommendations.
Figure 5.2. Technology Continuum
Research
(3 years)
Proof of
Concept
(1 year)
Development
(2 years)
Verification
(1-2 vears)
Commercialization/
Deployment
(2-3 years)
Several areas of technology research are particularly important. The fields of green
chemistry and green engineering address the design of molecules, products, processes,
and systems that (1) use safer chemicals and materials; (2) use materials, water, and
energy efficiently; and/or (3) reduce the generation of waste at the source. Green
engineering and green chemistry are generally applied on a product-by-product or a
process-by-process basis. While some of this technology research is supported by
industry, EPA has an important role in supporting research that underpins general
methodologies or addresses specific environmental problems or emerging issues of
concern.
More traditional technologies can also support progress towards sustainability.
Technologies that provide safe drinking water and treat waste and storm water are prime
examples. Aging water and wastewater infrastructure, together with a growing
population, require the development of new technologies to provide cost-effective
32National Advisory Committee for Environmental Policy and Technology Policy (NACEPT),
Subcommittee on Environmental Technology, EPA Technology Programs and Intra-Agency Coordination,
EPA 100-R-06-004, May 2006.
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conveyance and treatment of drinking, waste, and storm water. In addition, the tightening
of water supplies in parts of the United States and elsewhere in the world will require
water conservation and reuse technologies to provide abundant, clean water for human
consumption and the environment. To achieve this, both current and new technologies
should be examined using a systems approach to assess their multi-media impacts over
the long term to insure that they are compatible with environmental Sustainability.
Technology and technological systems can also be looked at more broadly in time and
space. An economy-wide understanding of material flow systems, for example, can
illuminate, and hence prioritize, opportunities for efficient pollution prevention and
material use. This could be particularly important for materials that are potentially
deleterious to the environment and/or used in high volumes.
Understanding the economic, informational, cultural, security-related, and other factors
that can influence the development and adoption of new designs and technologies can
inform research and development. In some cases these factors also relate to industrial
organizational approaches, such as Total Quality Management, the adoption of
environmental management systems, or supply-chain management.
Future scenarios can assist in envisioning potential implications of technological systems
that are emerging or undergoing transformation. Such systems are affected by emerging
technologies (such as nanotechnology), potential industrial transformations (such as
distributed manufacturing), and changing consumption patterns. Understanding of
changes like these can inform research that enables the technological systems to support
Sustainability.
Decision-Making Tools
Many types of tools and analytical models can inform decisions that contribute to
environmental Sustainability. While the primary stimulus for model development is to
improve scientific understanding within the scientific community, tools developed from
these models can enhance Sustainability in at least two ways: (1) by providing credible,
relevant, and timely research results that inform EPA policy decisions, and (2) by
assisting individuals, businesses, communities, and government to better understand the
potential implications of their decisions,33 thus enhancing the likelihood that decisions
they make will be more environmentally sustainable..
33 As an example, EPA has adopted the MARKAL (for MARKet ALlocation) model to assess current and
future energy technology options. This comprehensive energy/economic model simulates a national,
regional, or state-level energy system by representing the interactions between resource supply, conversion
processes (e.g., refineries and power plants), end-use technologies (e.g., classes of light-duty personal
vehicles or heat pumps), and demand for energy services (e.g., projected vehicle miles traveled or space
heating). ORD is using its MARKAL model to help the Air Quality Assessment segment of EPA's Global
Change Research Program develop and analyze scenarios of technological change in the transportation and
electric power sectors. The research aims to understand how technological evolution could impact future air
emissions and to develop and provide an in-house energy/technology assessment capacity.
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Although assessing the impacts of future scenarios on environmental outcomes is a key
element of model development,34 no systematic analysis evaluates the potential of
existing EPA models and tools for sustainability analysis. EPA models that offer
potential for assessing sustainable outcomes include BASINS (Better Assessment
Science Integrating Point & Nonpoint Sources) 3.1, Air_Control_NET, WASP (Water
Quality Analysis Simulation Program), Smart Growth INDEX 2.0, and SGWATER
(Smart Growth Water).35
Environmental models may be descriptive (describing knowledge about specific
phenomena) or prescriptive (informing a design or identifying a course of action). They
necessarily rely on data and information related to a wide variety of human activities:
• transportation, industry, agriculture, construction; protection and consumption of
resources (water, energy, materials, ecosystems, land, and air);
• economics and characteristics of human behavior; and
• natural phenomena such as weather patterns; and environmental conditions.
Important areas for research include the collection and synthesis of required data and
information and the incorporation into generalized models. ORD will also assist other
collaborators and stakeholders in using models. The following paragraphs explore several
types of analytical models that can lead to tools that are especially relevant to sustainable
decision-making.
Scenario models advance the understanding of environmental conditions over time
through integrated systems analysis. These models allow users to dynamically explore the
connection among choices over which society has some direct control (such as practices
in transportation, energy, agriculture, and industry), broad societal trends (such as
population and economic growth), and potential future environmental conditions.36 These
34 Two widely cited examples that link models and future planning are the 2002 "Willamette Alternates
Future Analysis" available from ORD/NHEERL Western Ecology Research Laboratory
(www.epa.gov/wed/pages/researchprojects.htm') and the Sustainable Environment for Quality of Life
Program (SEQL) program. ORD is a key player in SEQL, developing scientific models such as ReVA to
support sustainable land development. ORD's research supports quantification of potential and actual
impacts, including cross-sectoral, cross-jurisdictional, and "what-if' analyses. SEQL and similar projects
are successful because of the available suite of decision-support tools and the direct participation by ORD
scientists in community meetings and policy planning.
35 Some EPA models are not easily accessible online. BASINS, Air_Control_NET and WASP are
described in EPA's Council for Regulatory Environmental Modeling (CREM) Models Knowledge Base at
http://cfpub.epa.gov/crem/knowledge_base/knowbase.cfm#overview; INDEX is described at
www.epa.gov/waterscience/basins and www.epa.gov/livablecommunities/pdf/l_Introduction_551.pdf.;
SGWATER is a stormwater evaluation methodology embedded in INDEX.
36 Community Scale Air Quality Modeling (CMAQ) and Stream Water Quality Model (QUAL2K), both
developed at ORD's National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL), are good examples of the scenario
modeling efforts that may assist in evaluating the impact of development patterns and industrial practices
on air and water quality.
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types of tools and models can help users to understand critical thresholds and explore
system response to abrupt change. They can also help diverse groups to communicate
about the future that they may desire and to develop means and strategies to achieve this
future.
Geographic-based analytical models such as landscape simulators and urban growth
simulators enhance understanding of environmental stressors and conditions in space.
These models are particularly useful for understanding the implications of land-use
decisions, such as transportation planning, location of buildings, and agricultural
practices. Geographic-based analytical models can be integrated with economic models
in powerful tools to inform sustainable development.
Material flow-based models such as life cycle assessment and material flow analysis can
link the use and processing of materials to potential implications for human health,
environmental condition, and resource Sustainability. They can inform improvements in
the use of materials and design of products and also highlight opportunities for focused
policy initiatives. In this regard, new methods that connect environmental impact
analyses to material flow analysis would be especially useful.37 Material flow-based tools
can also be tied to life cycle cost analysis or economic input-output analysis so that
environmental issues and costs can be seen in one view.38
Agent-based models offer insight into the implications of how the actions of individuals
add up to organizational or multi-organizational behavior. As overall organizational
behavior may contribute to or detract from resource Sustainability, the models can
illuminate policy opportunities to further motivate stewardship behaviors by individuals,
communities, industry, and government.
The several varieties of models can be used in combination to develop powerful tools. All
of the models can also be used in the context of uncertainty, such as through Monte Carlo
simulations.
Collaborative Decision-Making
Developing effective, innovative polices that promote Sustainability depends on having
an understanding of the motivation for decision-making by businesses, communities,
government, and individuals. Such innovative policy approaches include combinations of
37 NRMRL has been developing a very practical life cycle assessment tool that can aid scientists in
developing more sustainable chemicals. The GREENSCOPE (Gauging Reaction Effectiveness for the
Environmental Sustainability of Chemistries) indicator model was created to evaluate and compare the
Sustainability of chemical processes. If this model is applied on a large scale, as in the chemical industry, it
can achieve sustainable outcomes.
38 OSWER has recommended that ORD examine proposed new methodologies for assessing environmental
impacts and provide guidance on appropriate support tools for policy-makers. Although material flow
analysis is a valuable tool, its primary focus is on volumes and weights of materials. A clearer measure of
environmental impact of 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) programs is needed.
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incentives, market mechanisms, information and education, regulation, and collaborative
approaches.
In an industrial context, effective and innovative policies depend on an understanding of
the circumstances that encourage or discourage green product design and green supply
chain management, and also on an understanding of industrial supply-chain leverage
points that underlie potential improvements in sustainability outcomes.
Effective and innovative policies targeting individuals and households depend on an
understanding of the factors (such as cost, information, convenience, peer pressure, and
regulations) that encourage green consumption. Effective policies supporting sustainable
decision-making for communities and local governments depend on an understanding of
drivers and hurdles relating to the layout of buildings and to the design and
implementation of transportation and energy systems. Policies and approaches can be
improved through better understanding how social groups may make innovative and
effective decisions.
Because moving towards sustainability often requires negotiation and cooperation among
stakeholders, collaborative approaches are particularly important. The related concepts of
collaborative problem solving, cooperative conservation, and stewardship encourage
stakeholders to come together to address common environmental issues.39
Scientists and scientific research can enhance and strengthen these collaborative
approaches in two ways: (1) social science research can add to an understanding of the
conditions under which collaborative approaches are effective; and (2) scientists and
engineers can participate with policy- and other decision-makers in collaborative
processes. These processes can also influence scientific direction by helping scientists to
refine the scientific questions they ask and to more effectively communicate their
research results.
EPA supports programs designed to encourage environmental stewardship through
collaboration at the community and regional levels. ORD's Collaborative Science and
Technology Network for Sustainability (CNS) (described in Chapter 6) is one of several
programs that focus on collaboration and sustainability-related issues.
Metrics and Indicators
Metrics and indicators enable EPA, other government agencies, businesses, communities,
and individuals to understand the nature and degree of progress being made towards
39 All three concepts rely on strong scientific input to help decision-making achieve measurable and
sustainable outcomes. Former EPA Administrator Michael Leavitt and current Administrator Steve
Johnson have made collaborating problem solving an important element of EPA's governance agenda.
Similarly, the concept of collaborative conservation as outlined in the Executive Order of August 26, 2004
requires EPA and four other agencies to actively engage all stakeholders when implementing conservation
and environmental projects. Finally, EPA is promoting environmental stewardship—defined as shared
values and responsibilities among stakeholders for environmental protection.
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environmental Sustainability. Metrics and indicators enable us to measure and track
progress toward societal Sustainability goals, send early warning of potential problems to
decision-makers, and highlight opportunities for improvement at local, regional, and
global scales. Effective metrics and indicators require collecting, synthesizing, and
communicating appropriate data and information—which requires understanding both
what to measure and how to measure it.
Understanding what to measure draws on an understanding of the flows, stressors, and
changes over which decision-makers have control. These flows, stressors, and changes
can also be linked to resilience, vulnerability, warning signals, and limits to resource
Sustainability. Understanding how to measure can require research in sensors and sensor
systems, statistical approaches to guide data collection and preliminary analysis, and data
mining and other information technology approaches.
Metrics and indicators are applicable at different scales. At the smallest scale are
indicators with a feedback rate that can enable real-time adjustment of consumption, such
as of electricity, gasoline, or water for a household or industrial facility. At the largest
scale, indicators describe the condition of the national or global environment. A system
of connected indicators that collectively describe the condition of the overall system at a
local, regional, or global scale can inform effective decisions and strategies for moving
towards Sustainability.
To begin to develop this multi-scaled system of connected indicators, this Research
Strategy tentatively adopts the six proposed resource Sustainability outcomes identified
and defined by senior EPA managers in Everyday Choices: Opportunities for
Environmental Stewardship listed in Chapter 2 of this document:
• Air: Sustain clean and healthy air.
• Ecosystems: Protect and restore ecosystems functions, goods and services.
• Energy: Generate clean energy and use it efficiently.
• Land: Support ecologically sensitive land management and development.
• Materials: Use materials carefully and shift to environmentally preferable materials.
• Water: Sustain water resources of quality and availability for desired use.40
These outcomes are a starting point for discussing and refining a set of Sustainability
outcomes and organizing Sustainability indicators. ORD is leading a cross-Agency
process that aims to refine and sharpen these desired outcomes at multiple scales and to
40 www.epa.gov/innovation. The outcomes are described more fully in Appendix D of the Technical Report
for Everyday Choices at www.epa.gov/innovation/pdf/techrpt.pdf
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assess whether currently available data and indicators are scientifically valid, useful, and
sufficient.
The indicators will build on and connect to the Draft Report on the Environment, which
employed indicators that are fundamental measures of environmental conditions. The
indicators being developed seek to go beyond the Draft RoE indicators in four ways:
• An expansion from media and ecosystems to include resources such as
materials and energy contributes to an increased understanding of the
interactions between society and the environment.
• An increased focus on causal connections and correlations among indicators
will enable better understanding of systems and will highlight opportunities
for improvement.
• A significant focus will be given to indicators that can inform decision-
making, particularly at local and regional scales.
• The developed indicators may expand beyond the environment to social and
economic dimensions.
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CHAPTERS.
ROADMAP FOR IMPLEMENTATION
This Research Strategy will be implemented in several steps:
• Demonstrate the value of sustainability research by identifying key priority
national issues where application of sustainability approaches can be most
effective in promoting sound and sustainable economic growth.
• Transition the current Pollution Prevention and New Technologies (P2NT)
research program into the Science and Technology for Sustainability (STS)
Research Program.
• Coordinate and integrate research across ORD that builds a critical
knowledge base for sustainability, such as by identifying synergies, gaps to
be filled, and high-priority emerging areas among existing research
strategies.
• Initiate and strengthen collaborations and partnerships—with EPA Program
and Regional Offices, other federal agencies, state and local governments,
communities, industry, nonprofit organizations, universities, and international
partners—that address critical sustainability issues and stimulate broader
progress towards sustainability in both research and implementation.
ORD Organization and Multi-Year Plans
While the sustainability research focus is new for EPA, it complements ORD's traditional
focus on risk assessment and risk management. ORD organizes its research into a number
of media and cross-media Multi-Year Plans (MYP) as shown in Table 6.1. MYPs identify
long-term goals (LTG), annual performance goals (APGs), and associated annual
performance measures (APMs) for a 5-year period. MYPs are intended to be living
documents and are updated as needed to reflect the current state of the science, resource
availability, and Agency priorities. In ORD MYP are administered by National Program
Directors (NPDS) who serve as ORD scientific leads for each subject area.
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Table 6.1. ORD Multi-Year Research Plans Organized by EPA Strategic Goals
EPA Strategic Goals
Goal 1: Air
Goal 2: Water
Goal 3: Land
Goal 4: Communities & Ecosystems
Goal 5: Compliance and Environmental
Stewardship
ORD Multi-Year Research Plans
Clean Air
Drinking Water
Water Quality
Land Preservation and Restoration
Ecological Research
Human Health
Human Health Risk Assessment
Global Change
Mercury
Endocrine Disrupters
Safe Pesticides/Safe Products
Science and Technology for Sustainability
Economics and Decision Science
This Research Strategy is designed to guide all ORD research programs and MYPs
toward achieving measurable sustainable outcomes. Building on the vision of
environmental stewardship, this Strategy will engage in research activities that will study
the Sustainability of systems (e.g., ecological, technological, and human-built) from a life
cycle perspective. The results of this effort can be adopted by EPA stakeholders and
partners: (1) Individuals (via consumer choices), (2) Communities (via ecosystem
protection and infrastructure planning and management), (3) Government (via facility
planning and management, technology demonstrations, policies and regulations), and (4)
Companies (via product design, supply chain management, facility design, and
management). ORD leadership on Sustainability complements and supports shifts by EPA
Program Offices toward material management and urban revitalization (OSWER), green
chemistry (OPPTS), sustainable water infrastructure (OW), low-impact urban
development (OPEI), and ecosystem and watershed management (OW).
Setting Priorities: Addressing National Issues
Addressing research prioritization within a broad subject area such as Sustainability is
challenging. Because this Strategy lays out a new research approach for ORD,
prioritization is especially difficult. In order to give ORD research planners in the various
MYPs more flexibility and autonomy in selecting priority research areas, this Strategy,
rather than directly identifying the priority areas, identifies guiding factors for selecting
research priorities. The individual MYPs and their National Program Directors (NPDs)
will more specifically identify their priority Sustainability research areas.41
In reviewing this Strategy, the SAB panel made several recommendations on focus and priority:
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Five factors can guide selection of topics and design of programs under the MYPs:
• High impact. The MYPs must pursue research with high scientific impact that
addresses important national issues relevant to achieving sustainable
outcomes. The development of knowledge in the theme areas discussed in
Chapters 3 and 4 must enable the long-term sustainability outcomes of the
resource systems discussed in Chapter 2 at a sufficiently large scale. Investing
early to avoid or prevent problems is preferred.
• True to EPA's intramural and extramural research capabilities. ORD
intramural research capabilities serve a dual purpose of directly meeting
Program and Regional Office research needs and building capability for
solving longer-term problems. Intramural programs can also serve as focal
points for scientific and technical assistance centers to assist a variety of
government and non-government stakeholders. ORD extramural research
programs, such as the Science To Achieve Results (STAR) research grant
program, can be used to explore new topical areas or research approaches and
also to catalyze change in the broader national research communities. All of
these capabilities can and should be drawn upon in an effective MYP.
• True to EPA 's role. ORD should focus sustainability research in areas that are
central to EPA's mission, while collaborating with other agencies and
organizations in areas where missions intersect. For example, EPA has a
central research role of informing the long-term protection of water quality in
watersheds, and it can collaborate with the Department of Energy to advance
understanding of the environmental implications of emerging energy
technologies. An effective MYP will address both types of research.
• Leveraging results. Research that ultimately influences design, decision-
making, or policies leading to resource sustainability on a sufficiently large
Recognizing that the Agency is poised to assume a global leadership role in sustainability
research, the Committee strongly recommends that, in light of ORD's limited budget, the
following parallel activities be conducted immediately: (i) conduct core research on sustainability
focusing on the development of defensible sustainability metrics, and (ii) implement a small
number of Agency-sponsored technology demonstration projects that provide ORD with the
opportunity to achieve significant visibility within the sustainability research arena. It is important
that these demonstration projects move away from waste/end-of-pipe approaches to take a
broader, system-based perspective. Examples of such projects might include an assessment of (i)
biofuels policies and options, which are topical and encompass a broad range of issues and
potential impacts on emissions of greenhouse gases, agriculture, dependence on imports of fossil
fuels, etc., and may imply a variety of economic incentives; (ii) a study of the hypoxic
environment in the Gulf of Mexico or the Chesapeake Bay, and (iii) wastewater practices and
infrastructure needs in regions and cities with accelerated population growth.
The final SAB report will be posted at www.epa.gov/sab/panels/eec_adv_srs_myp.htm
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scale is preferred. Leverage can occur through partnering in initial research or
through transfer and diffusion of knowledge, methodologies, and approaches.
In a systems context. Research should be within a systems context. This is true
for research leading to systems understanding but also for research leading,
for example, to a decision-making tool that considers multimedia interactions
within a geographic area or to a technology that enables reduction of life cycle
energy use for a class of products (see Figure 5.1).
Balancing Research Needs
In general, research needs far exceed available resources. Declining federal budgets for
research and development require ORD to address conflicting needs and priorities and to
establish a balance across research portfolios. Each MYP should consider each of the
following criteria in its research portfolio:
• As frequently emphasized by EPA's SAB, there should be a balance between
known and emerging issues and problems. For example, because it is well
known that energy and the environment will continue to be interconnected and
linked to Sustainability, it is important that ORD continue to support research
at the nexus of energy and the environment. Nanotechnology, with its
environmental implications and applications, is an example of an issue that
EPA and ORD correctly identified as an emerging issue several years ago.
• A balance among short- and long-term projects is also necessary. Investing in
shorter-term projects permits more immediate demonstration of results, while
wisely selected longer-term projects can represent valuable investments for
the future.
• A balance is required between projects that are central to EPA's domain (such
as watershed protection) and those that reside at the boundaries, such as the
interplay between agriculture and the health of aquatic ecosystems. In the case
of issues near the boundaries of EPA's responsibilities, collaboration with
other government agencies or private-sector organizations is particularly
important.
• A balance is needed between research that supports decision-making within
EPA Program and Regional Offices and research that supports decision-
making in other local, state, or federal government organizations and in
industry.
• And finally, there should be a balance between projects that directly solve
problems and those that aim to stimulate others by catalyzing or leading them.
An example of the latter is investing in new branches of academic disciplines,
such as investing in green chemistry through an extramural research program.
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The Sustainability Research Roadmap:
1. Transition from Pollution Prevention to Sustainability
The first element in ORD's roadmap towards Sustainability is the transition of the
existing Pollution Prevention and New Technology (P2NT) MYP to a new Science and
Technology for Sustainability (STS) MYP. The restructured program gives greater
emphasis to key elements of Sustainability research, including green chemistry and green
engineering, systems studies, life cycle assessment, and technology verification.
The long-term goals of the new STS MYP are outcome-oriented, providing technical
support to broader regional and national Sustainability policies and initiatives (Figure 6.1)
Figure 6.1. Long-Term Goals of Science and Technology for Sustainability MYP
Conducting
qualitative
assessments
of current
trends and
futures
scenarios
LTG 1: Decision-makers
adopt ORD-identified and
developed metrics to
quantitatively assess
environmental systems for
Sustainability
LTG 2: Decision-makers
adopt ORD-developed
decision support tools and
methodologies to promote
environmental stewardship
and sustainable environmental
management practices
LTG 3: Decision-makers
adopt innovative technologies
developed or verified by ORD
to solve environmental
problems, contributing to
sustainable outcomes
Provide
support to
regional and
national
Sustainability
policies and
initiatives
To accomplish these goals, regular and continuous assessment of environmental trends is
needed, as well as thoughtful consideration of likely alternative future scenarios.
Together, these will inform the development of Sustainability metrics (LTG 1) that will
not only provide baseline information on the Sustainability of systems, but will also allow
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the measurement and tracking of progress in achieving sustainable outcomes. Information
gathered during the assessment of conditions and the development of metrics will provide
researchers with information critical for developing and implementing decision support
tools (LTG 2) and innovative technologies (LTG 3) that will promote sustainable
outcomes.
Supporting the central theme of helping decision-makers make better and more
sustainable decisions, the STS includes two grant programs aimed at stimulating
technology development and putting existing sustainability ideas into practice.
The People, Prosperity, and Planet (P3) student sustainability design competition
inspires and educates the next generation to research, design, and develop solutions to
sustainability challenges in areas such as agriculture, materials and chemicals, energy,
information technology, water, and the built environment. P3 students and their faculty
advisors quantify the benefits of their projects in the environmental, economic, and social
dimensions and advisors integrate the projects into their educational syllabi. Through the
P3 program, students learn to work in a multidisciplinary environment and to make
collaborative, interdisciplinary decisions. By integrating sustainability concepts into
higher education, P3 is helping to create a future workforce with an awareness of the
impact of its work on the environment, economy, and society.
The Collaborative Science and Technology Network for Sustainability (CNS) program
supports consortia of government and non-government organizations on high-impact
regional projects that explore and provide learning opportunities for new approaches to
environmental protection that are systems-oriented, forward-looking, and preventive. The
CNS program is described in more detail below
2. Coordinating and Integrating Priority Research across ORD and EPA
The next element of the Sustainability Research Roadmap is coordinating and connecting
existing ORD research programs. The resulting more integrated research portfolio will
inform policy and decision-making and will illuminate further research priorities across
ORD and the rest of EPA. The first step in this process is identifying the synergies and
potential coordination among the other research strategies and MYPs (shown in Table
4.2) that will enhance EPA's research contribution to sustainability. A model of synergies
between the Sustainability Research Strategy (SRS) and the Environmental Economics
Research Strategy (EERS) is shown in Figure 6.2.
The EERS presents a focused analysis of Agency research priorities in economics and
decision sciences, which are supported through the Economics and Decision Sciences
(EDS) extramural research program. As shown, the identified EERS research priorities
dovetail nicely with the SRS integrated framework as outlined in Chapter 4.
The general intersection of behavioral science research and sustainability gives rise to the
last two of the six SRS themes described in Chapter 4—Economics and Human Behavior
and Information and Decision-Making—which include five high-priority EDS research
topics presented in the EERS consultation process: Health Benefits Valuation, Ecological
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Benefits Valuation, Market Mechanisms and Incentives, Environmental Behavior and
Decision-Making, and Benefits of Information Disclosure.
These five EERS topics will in turn provide critical input into the SRS research
objectives described in Chapter 5. The penultimate goal of this research coordination is to
provide the behavioral science research necessary for developing environmental policies
that support sustainability outcomes and are cost-efficient over the long term.
Figure 6.2. Integration of EERS and SRS
Behavioral Sciences Research and Sustainability
How individual, firm and institutional behavior enables/prevents sustainable outcomes
SRS Themes
L
Economics & Human Behavior
EERS topics
• Health Benefits Valuation: value of
mortality & morbidity risks associated with
pollution
• Ecological benefits valuation: eco-
system services value
* Market Mechanisms & Incentives:
effectiveness & potential of trading programs
_r
Information & Decision-Making
1 I
* Environmental Behavior and Decision-
making: how consumers & producers meet
their environmental obligations under
mandatory/voluntary initiatives
• Benefits of environmental information
disclosure: how information disclosure
improves efficiency of decision-making
SRS
Objectives
Economic Instruments: trading schemes
& taxes
Systems understanding through
Integrated ecological-economic models
Economic sustainability metrics for
individuals, business, policy makers to:
> Make sustainable consumption
decisions
> Determine the business case for
sustainability
> Regulatory analysis (cost-benefit,
cost-effectiveness analyses)
Decision-support tools to help
policy makers, corporate
officials, engineers,
local/regional planners identify
and implement sustainable
options
Collaborative decision-making
Cost efficient environmental policies & outcomes for US business and consumers
The behavioral science and sustainability programs cooperated to organize a December
2005 workshop that examined economic aspects of sustainability, and plan to cooperate
in developing future CNS, Market Mechanisms, and Environmental Behavior
solicitations. In addition, the programs will coordinate with each other in synthesizing
and communicating research results to support regional decision-making as part of this
collaborative element of the roadmap. Finally, the EDS program will contribute
knowledge and insight on organizational behavior in the private sector that will inform
EPA interaction with businesses on sustainability, part of this roadmap element.
These examples illustrate collaboration that can be applied to other research strategies as
well. The coordination and integration across research strategies will enable ORD and the
rest of the Agency to identify knowledge gaps and to more effectively identify emerging
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priorities. This process will be ongoing, proceeding from the prioritization factors
discussed earlier in this chapter.
3. Initiating and Strengthening Collaborations and Partnerships
The third element in ORD's roadmap towards Sustainability involves teamwork with a
wide range of collaborators and partners: EPA Program and Regional Offices, States, and
Local Governments; other federal agencies; universities; the business communities; and
international agencies and organizations. After some general considerations, this section
will explore each of these areas for ORD collaboration.
ORD is in a unique position to lead in Sustainability research and its connection to policy
and decision-making. As a science-based organization within a regulatory agency, ORD
can (1) provide integrated multimedia scientific information reflecting considerations
beyond single media for more sustainable policies, (2) provide strong input into Agency
indicators of environmental Sustainability, and (3) collaborate with universities, nonprofit
organizations, businesses, and research organizations in other countries, to better
understand Sustainability and to identify knowledge gaps and emerging priorities.
A draft report to assist meeting deliberations for the SAB review of this Research
Strategy called for EPA leadership in Sustainability:
There is a need for, and EPA should provide, leadership both internal to
the Agency and external among the federal agency family and other
organizations. ... EPA has an opportunity to coordinate and lead in the
definition of environmental Sustainability and in the use of related research
products that will influence how other federal agencies and organizations
move forward with their Sustainability programs.42
In implementing this Research Strategy, ORD will make external collaboration and
partnering with stakeholders and customers a key element of its management approaches.
As a science-based organization, ORD faces the critical challenge of finding effective
ways to deliver its research products to decision-makers and to work with them to
translate research into practical outcomes. ORD initiated its Collaborative Science and
Technology Network for Sustainability (CNS) program (described below) on the premise
that sustainable outcomes would best be achieved by collaborative problem solving in
which scientists and decision-makers together assess and understand implications of
policy choices. In achieving Sustainability, ORD scientists must strive to be both good
scientists and good communicators.
3.a. Collaboration with EPA Program and Regional Offices, States, and Local
Governments
: www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/sustainability _for_chartered_boardjan_18_07.pdf
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Program Offices: ORD research has traditionally served to address specific issues raised
by EPA Program Offices. ORD NPDs are responsible for coordinating with Program
Offices to identify critical research gaps. EPA Program Offices have identified a number
of sustainability-related research questions that are now being reflected in existing MYPs
and in the new Science and Technology for Sustainability MYP. Many of these Program
Office activities reflect applications of Sustainability research supported by ORD and
defined in this Strategy, including a focus on systems or multimedia approaches,
sustainable design, system resilience, and collaborative and community-based problem
solving.
The challenge ahead is to coordinate research that may involve several Program Offices
and NPDs. One example illustrates how the common goal of Sustainability is reflected in
Program Offices and MYPs around the research theme of human-built systems and land
use. Table 6.2 identifies a number of key Agency programs related to the common goal
of a sustainable built environment.
Table 6.2. EPA Programs Related to the Built Environment
Media, EPA Programs, and
Program Offices1
Land: Smart Growth (OPEI)
Land: SMARTe (ORD)
Land: Brownfield Revitalization
(OSWER)
Land: Environmentally
Responsible Redevelopment and
Reuse (ER3 (OECA)
Water: Sustainable Water
Infrastructure (OW)
Water; WaterSense (OW)
Water: National Pollution
Discharge Elimination System
(OW)
Energy Use: Energy Star (OAR)
Air: Air Toxics Strategy (OAR)
Air: Community-Based Air
Quality Programs (OAR)
Program Objectives
Help design low-impact and green communities through
sharing best practices and promoting 10 development
principles.
With Web-based decision support tool, help developers
evaluate future reuse options for a site or area.
Revitalize contaminated sites to be economically
productive.
Use enforcement and incentives to promote sustainable
development of contaminated sites.
Better manage utilities, full-cost pricing, efficient water use,
and watershed approaches.
Help conserve water for future generations by providing
information on products and programs that save water
without sacrificing performance.
Control water pollution by green infrastructure and
regulating point sources that discharge pollutants into
waters of the United States.
Evaluate and test energy efficiency of products in more
than 50 categories; provide information on green building
design and energy efficiency.
Identify and monitor urban air toxics from stationary,
mobile, and indoor sources.
Support air toxics projects in about 30 communities across
the nation, helping inform and empower citizens to make
local decisions concerning the health of their communities.
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Indoor Air: Indoor Environment
Management Research (ORD)
Climate: Climate Impact
Assessment Research (ORD)
Develop better understanding of the relationship among
indoor air quality (IAQ) and emissions sources, heating,
ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, and air-
cleaning devices.
Integrate remote and ground-based data and dozens of
models to assess potential impacts of climate change.
OPEI: Office of Policy, Economics, and Innovation; ORD: Office of Research and Development; OSWER:
Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response; OECA: Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assistance;
OW: Office of Water; OAR: Office of Air and Radiation.
Achieving sustainability in the built environment is clearly a national challenge that is
being addressed by many programs of EPA that cut across program offices and strategic
goals. These programs include building design and energy efficiency, urban land
revitalization, smart growth, management of urban systems and water infrastructure, and
improving air quality. ORD's challenge is to help define the underlying research needed
to support these programs and work to provide the integration across Program Offices
and MYPs.
ORD has also begun working with Program and Regional Offices to identify indicators
that define and measure trends related to the sustainability outcomes identified in Chapter
2. The emergence of the focus on sustainability outcomes reflects the evolution of
thought in EPA on how best to address mission responsibilities. This new effort is linked
to EPA's Report on the Environment and its Draft Strategic Plan 2007-2012.
Regional Offices: Committed to working closely with EPA Regional Offices, ORD has
created the positions of Regional Science Liaisons in each region. Many Regional Offices
have identified sustainability-related issues as major priorities. The existing Regional
Applied Research Effort (RARE) program provides the regions with near-term research
on priority, region-specific science needs and improves collaboration among regions and
ORD laboratories and centers. Each year ORD provides funding for each Region to
develop a research topic, which is then submitted to a specific ORD laboratory or center
as an extramural research proposal. Once approved, the research is conducted as a joint
effort, with ORD researchers and regional staff working together to meet region-specific
needs.
RARE provides a means to address a number of sustainability issues. Past RARE
research topics have touched upon all aspects of environmental sciences, from human
health concerns to ecological effects of various pollutants. The RARE program also
supports Regional Science Topic Workshops which aim to improve cross-Agency
understanding of science issues and to develop a network of EPA scientists working on
selected topics. These programs provide sound foundations for those who will continue to
exchange information on science topics as the Agency moves forward in planning
education, research, and risk management programs.
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Several national issues relevant to all EPA regions offer special potential for ORD
cooperation with Regional Offices. Two of the most often cited national issues that affect
regions in different ways, are energy generation and use and ecosystem management.
National attention to issues like geochemical life cycles (e.g., nitrates) involves complex
interactions across regions. ORD's implementation of the Sustainability Research
Strategy points to a need for stronger coordination across EPA regions on key national
issues.
State and Local Governments: ORD recognizes that many critical decisions on
Sustainability—such as urban growth and development, ecosystem protection, water and
energy use, and human health—are made at state and local levels. In addressing these
areas, decision-makers must anticipate potential social and environmental conditions
(future scenarios) and work to integrate media (air, water, and land) impacts through a
systems approach.
To better understand such high-priority regional Sustainability issues, ORD and the
Office of Policy, Economics, and Innovation (OPEI) have initiated outreach to state,
local, and tribal governments. This interaction will enable ORD to contribute to the
identification and scientific understanding of the longer-term societal issues that will
likely affect EPA's mission responsibilities at regional and national levels. ORD will also
be able to contribute possible solutions and management options in the form of
technologies, decision-making tools, and collaborative problem solving.
The CNS program is a significant part of ORD's strategy to support the application of
science to local and regional decision-making in pursuit of Sustainability. Table 6.3
shows the projects and collaborators funded through the first CNS solicitation.
Table 6.3. Projects and Partners of the
Collaborative Science and Technology Network for Sustainability
Project
Moving Toward Sustainable
Manufacturing Through Efficient
Materials and Energy Use
Multi-Objective Decision Model
for Urban Water Use: Planning
for a Regional Water Reuse
Ordinance
Ecological Sustainability in
Rapidly Urbanizing Watersheds:
Evaluating Strategies Designed
to Mitigate Impacts on Stream
Ecosystems
Using Market Forces to
Implement Sustainable
Grantee
Northeast Waste
Management
Officials'
Association
Illinois Institute of
Technology
University of
Maryland - College
Park
City of Portland,
Energy Office
Partners and Collaborators
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
State of Illinois, City of Chicago, Fox
Metro Water Reclamation District
Montgomery County, USGS
Portland State University, University of
Oregon, Willamette Partnership
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Stormwater Management
Sustainable Sandhills:
Development a Plan for
Regional Sustainability
Sustainable
Sandhills
State of North Carolina, Sandhills Area
Land Trust, Base Closure and
Realignment Regional Task Force,
Southeast Regional Partnership for
Planning and Sustainability, National
Association of Counties
Sustainability of Land Use in
Puerto Rico
Universidad
Metropolitana
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, US
Forest Service, Puerto Rico Planning
Society
Transforming Office Parks Into
Transit Villages
The San Francisco
Foundation
Community
Initiative Funds
Hacienda Business Parks Owners
Association, Cambridge Systematics,
Inc, Oracle
Industrial Ecology, Pollution
Prevention and the New
York/New Jersey Harbor
New York
Academy of
Sciences
Rutgers University, Manhattan
College, General Electric, State of New
Jersey, State of New York, Columbia
University, Port Authority of New York
and New Jersey, New York City,
Natural Resources Defense Council,
Hudson River Foundation
Harnessing the Hydrologic
Disturbance Regime: Sustaining
Multiple Benefits in Large River
Floodplains in the Pacific
Northwest
Oregon State
University
University of Oregon, Willamette
Partnership, State of Oregon, City of
Eugene, City of Corvallis, City of
Albany, USDA, US Fish and Wildlife
Service, National Marine Fisheries
Service
Bringing Global Thinking to
Local Sustainability Efforts: A
Collaborative Project for the
Boston Metropolitan Region
Tellus Institute
(Boston) Metropolitan Area Planning
Council, The Boston Foundation,
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Integrating Water Supply
Management and Ecological
Flow Water Requirements
The Nature
Conservancy
Tellus Institute, Tufts University, State
of Connecticut
Cuyahoga Sustainability
Network
University of
Maryland Baltimore
County
Cleveland State University, University
of Iowa, Kent State University, Chagrin
River Watershed Partners, Euclid
Creek Watershed Council, West Creek
Preservation Committee
Framework for Sustainable
Watershed Management
Delaware River
Basin Commission
Monroe County, State of Pennsylvania,
USGS, Brodhead Watershed
Association
CNS grantees draw on decision-making tools derived from analytical models and on
collaborative approaches to practical problem solving that support progress at a regional
scale towards the Sustainability outcomes identified in Chapter 2.
The CNS-supported Sustainable Sandhills project in North Carolina is a model of such
integrated decision-making for sustainable outcomes: a non-profit institution (Sustainable
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Sandhills) is serving as a convener for the U.S. Army, the state of North Carolina, and
dozens of local and state communities; and EPA's Region 4 is collaborating with ORD
ecologists and state of North Carolina scientists to develop a set of analytical decision-
support tools derived from geographic information linked to ecological models and future
scenarios. The goal is an effective regional plan that meets long-term community goals
and is cost-effective, environmentally sound, and sustainable.
The Sustainable Sandhills example reflects a general strategy of integrating and
synthesizing knowledge generated across various research programs inside and outside of
EPA to more effectively address sustainability-related questions at the regional level. This
example illustrates how regional projects can serve as integrating mechanisms for ORD
research strategies. Regional projects like this may assist ORD to identify additional
important core research questions and to prioritize needs in developing fundamental
research methods.
Lessons learned from the CNS program will be shared with regions and communities that
work with EPA through other programs, such as Community Action for a Renewed
Environment (CARE), Environmental Justice Collaborative Grants, Targeted Watershed
Grants, and Brownfields Technical Assistance.
3.b. Interagency Collaboration
While EPA is the lead federal agency in environmental compliance and enforcement, its
overall and environmental research budgets are small relative to the federal government
as a whole. In energy, transportation, agricultural management, and other areas, EPA
supports and complements other federal lead agencies. A national goal of sustainable
development can only be achieved through integrated and coherent polices across federal
agencies.
In implementing this Strategy, ORD will build on existing partnerships and seek new
collaborations with other federal agencies.43 In 2004, ORD partnered with the Office of
the Federal Environmental Executive (OFEE) to organize a Sustainability workshop
among federal agencies. The workshop, which revealed a wealth of federal activities but
a paucity of coordination and policy coherence among the activities, led to the creation of
a Stewardship and Sustainability Council organized by OFEE and EPA. ORD intends to
continue working with OFEE to coordinate and integrate Sustainability efforts with other
federal agencies and to pursue interagency collaboration that links research and
application. Areas of mission focus and supported research among federal agencies
corresponding to the six Sustainability outcomes from Chapter 2 are shown in Table 6.4,
which highlights opportunities for interagency collaboration and coordination.
43 The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), which coordinates science and technology in
federal agencies, has focused on a number of macro research and technology issues including industrial
innovation, competitiveness, and nanotechnology. Extensive interagency coordination also focuses on
climate change assessment and research, earth observations and GOESS, and ocean sciences. Water
availability and quality and ecosystem services are emerging issues under interagency discussion.
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Table 6.4. Opportunities for Research or Program Collaboration across Agencies,
by Sustainability Resource Area
X - some opportunity
XX - strong opportunity
DOD
DOE
DOI
EPA
NASA
NOAA
NSF
USDA
DOT
Air
X
XX
XX
XX
X
XX
Ecosystems
X
XX
XX
XX
Energy
X
XX
X
X
X
Land
XX
XX
XX
X
XX
XX
Materials
X
XX
X
XX
X
Water
XX
XX
XX
XX
X
One example of federal interagency cooperation is the emergence of partnerships on
sustainable land management. USDA and DOI's U.S. Geological Survey each support
research related to land management and development. DOD's Department of the Army
is increasingly focusing on its stewardship of land on and around military bases. DOI and
USDA's Forest Service are partnering in activities related to healthy forests, ecological
services and management. New partnerships are also emerging around the issue of
biofuels and energy conversion. DOE and USDA co-chair the Biomass Research and
Development Board (which also includes DOI, DOT, EPA, OSTP, and OFEE) mandated
by the Energy Policy Act 2005 and are leading efforts to develop a comprehensive
Federal Biofuels Work Plan which will define an overall interagency biomass strategy
incorporating topics such as feedstock, conversion technology, biofuel infrastructure, and
communication, education and outreach. Sustainability-related objectives are emphasized
in the Energy Policy Act, which directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and Energy, in
consultation with the EPA Administrator and heads of other appropriate departments and
agencies, to direct research and development toward "a diversity of sustainable domestic
sources of biomass for conversion to biobased fuels and biobased products" and "to
maximize the environmental, economic, and social benefits of production of biobased
fuels and biobased products on a large scale through life-cycle economic and
environmental analysis and other means."
3.c. University Collaboration
University communities are embracing Sustainability in facility operations, community
development, and academic programs. With endowments and local funds, many
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universities have created new academic centers for sustainability systems sciences,
resilience, green design, and green chemistry. Many joint programs exist between
business schools and environmental programs.
ORD has developed strong ties with the university community through its extramural
STAR research grants (including CNS) and fellowship programs. ORD's P3 student
sustainability design competition and its engineering curriculum benchmarking project
are catalyzing leadership within academia. Going beyond these grant-related activities,
ORD aims to foster closer ties among universities, ORD laboratories, and other EPA
Program and Regional Offices to boost research on current environmental problems,
potential future problems, and sustainable solutions. Toward this goal, ORD began in
2006 to conduct visits to major university sustainability research centers to discuss
coordination and collaboration on emerging research issues. ORD aims to partner with
many more academic centers to ensure that scientific advances are translated into
practical management approaches. By interacting with universities and investing in
research and education, EPA can support the development and refinement of academic
fields that contribute to sustainability.44
3.d. Collaboration with the Business Community
Recognizing that business leadership and decisions taken by industry have a strong
influence on progress towards sustainability, ORD is pursing a two-fold strategy with
private industry: (1) EPA engages in a broad conversation with the business community
to collectively and strategically identify and address sustainability-related problems; (2)
Drawing on knowledge gained from the EDS research program, EPA will analyze and
document the business case for sustainability, bringing a better understanding of short-
and long-term business motivation to inform EPA programs.45
3.e. International Collaboration46
Five years after the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), many
developed and developing nations, United Nations agencies, and non-government
organizations are aggressively pursuing sustainable development objectives. The WSSD
launched hundreds of Partnerships for Sustainability among governments and non-
government organizations to address a broad range of sustainability issues. Significant
44 EPA's Smart Growth Program has made the greening of universities and their surrounding communities
a priority issue.
45 These ORD activities complement EPA's traditional regulatory and voluntary programs. The Agency has
more than 65 voluntary programs that encourage business to move beyond complying with environmental
laws to implement sustainable operations. Programs such as Performance Track operate at the facility level
while others, such as the Sectors Program, work across whole industrial sectors. EPA's Climate Leadership
program aims at voluntary reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The High Production Volume Challenge
Program aims to provide the public with information on many high-volume chemicals. These and many
other programs are part of EPA's efforts to advance environmental stewardship and sustainable outcomes.
46 Links to many of these international programs and research strategies are available at EPA's
Sustainability Web site: www.epa.gov/sustainability/international.htm
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science and technology cooperation and agreements are underway within the OECD and
among the G8 nations. The G8 2003 Science and Technology for Sustainable
Development Action Plan focuses on areas that are central to EPA: coordination of global
observation systems through the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS);
cleaner, more efficient, and sustainable energy use; agricultural productivity and
Sustainability; and biodiversity conservation.
Several European Union (EU) member countries have also developed their own
Sustainability research strategies. The newly launched EU 7th Research Framework
(2007-2013) supports basic research in several areas related to sustainable development
including sustainable health care, sustainable production and management of biological
resources, sustainable production and consumption patterns, sustainable transport and
energy systems and greenhouse gas reductions, and technology development and
verification.
ORD intends to take advantage of the increasing global interest in Sustainability to pursue
international partnerships to support Sustainability research and the achievement of the
Millennium Development Goals. ORD has begun to expand its collaboration with the
European Commission (EC) in areas that support the research identified in Chapter 4.
These areas include environmental and Sustainability indicators, uncertainty in
environmental models, development of decision support tools and environmental
technologies, nanotechnology uses, and sustainable chemistry. In October 2006, EPA
signed an agreement for research collaboration with China. A February 2007 agreement
signed by EPA and the EU Director General for Research has launched a cooperative
research and eco-informatics program that provides a new framework for cooperation
between the EPA and several EC directorates.
Implementing the Sustainability Research Strategy for a Sustainable Future
Advances in science and technology form a foundation that can lead to a wide array of
opportunities for advancing towards a sustainable future:
• Science and technology can enable communities, nations, and industries to
measure, monitor, and characterize pollutants and environmental conditions.
• Models and data analysis techniques—ranging from chemical design tools
based on computational toxicology to material flow analysis—can help
society to better understand environmental conditions, their underlying social
and economic causes, and their effects on human health.
• Technological advances—such as those achieved in green chemistry and
engineering—can enable society to use resources more efficiently and to
prevent or reduce pollution and the associated risks to human health and the
environment.
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• Futures analysis can assist society to better anticipate and prepare for potential
social and economic changes—such as the predicted industrial transformation
growing out of the convergence of nanotechnology, biotechnology, and
information technology—and resulting environmental changes.
• Finally, science and technology can help to develop tools for supporting
decision-making that advances the protection of human health and the natural
environment now and for future generations.
In short, this Sustainability Research Strategy serves our society's environmental needs in
ways that also support our economy and our society. The potential long-term national
benefits from pursuing the research identified in the Sustainability Research Strategy are
clear and compelling:
• It will enable communities and regions to envision, plan, and manage their
natural and built environments so that materials and energy are conserved and
the quality of air and water protected while economic and social needs are
met.
• It will enable industry and consumers to benefit from advances in scientific
understanding and technology so that resources are conserved and the
environment and public health are protected while economic and social
objectives are met.
• It will give EPA and the nation more options to protect human health and the
environment for future generations, informed by an improved understanding
of systems in the natural and built environments.
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