Workshop: Promoting Sustainability
Through
Net Zero Strategies
COMMUNITY WORKSHOP SUMMARY
Background:
In 2011, EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) signed an MOU with the U.S.
Army to support the Army's Net Zero initiative. The 17 Net Zero pilot installations aim to
produce as much energy as used; limit freshwater use and increase water reuse; and reduce the
generation of solid waste. ORD is currently working with the pilot installation at Fort Riley,
Kansas, to demonstrate new and innovative technology to help achieve Net Zero goals and also
advance the state of the science. Under this transdisciplinary partnership, EPA scientists and
engineers are working with the Army, Department of Energy, USACE, USGS, Kansas State
University and private industry to identify and demonstrate a variety of innovative technologies
that are making a visible difference in the community at Fort Riley, Kansas.
With the success of these partnerships, EPA is now looking to apply Net Zero strategies to
communities around the nation. The Workshop: Promoting Sustainability through Net Zero
Strategies (Workshop) is the first step in this process.
Objectives:
The long-term objective of this effort is to help communities become more sustainable and
resilient through the development and deployment of Net Zero strategies and technologies. The
overall goal of the workshop was to share lessons learned from current Net Zero waste, water
and energy efforts in communities, including successes, challenges, and needs. In addition,
Federal and State agencies shared information about ongoing community programs and
initiatives. Common themes and cross-cutting issues emerged from the discussions and
presentations.
The end product of the workshop will be a resource document/roadmap to assist communities
and partners in implementing initiatives to reduce their waste, water and energy footprint at a
local level.
Format of workshop:
The Workshop was held on February 25-26, 2014 and composed of three separate sessions with
different targeted audiences. On February 25th, the session was open to participants from
Communities, Academia, Private Industry, NGO's and Federal, State and Local Governments.
The morning session on February 26th was attended by Government representatives and was
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25-26,2014 Page 1
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focused on identifying targeted opportunities for Federal partners to leverage their resources for
collaboration on advancing Net Zero strategies at the community level. The afternoon session
was limited to ORD employees to discuss research needs and opportunities based on the previous
day's session, and to develop an action plan for implementation.
On Tuesday, February 25th, the Workshop began with opening remarks by Lek Kadeli, the
Acting Assistant Administrator of ORD, EPA. Keynote addresses were given by Bob
Perciasepe, Deputy Administrator, EPA; the Honorable Katherine Hammack, Assistant Secretary
of the Army for Installations and Environment; and Congressman David Price, 4th District of
North Carolina, U.S. House of Representatives.
Three panels were followed by discussions. The first panel, External Perspectives, consisted of
Paul Anastas, Yale University; Dick Jackson, UCLA; Marina Moses, National Academies of
Science; Nolan Zail, Carmel Partners; Bob Gedert, City of Austin. The second panel, Community
Lessons Learned, included panelists Bruce Hendee, City of Fort Collins; David Gard, Oberlin
Project; Susan Kaplan, Sustainable Performance Consulting; Jennifer Rawlings, Fort Hood; Bill
Ross, Counsel, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard, LLP. The final panel, Federal
and State Initiatives Fostering Sustainability, featured panelists Crystal Bergemann, HUD; Scott
Mouw, N.C. Division of Environmental Assistance; John Thomas, EPA. The panel was joined
for the discussion by Jay Bassett and Cheryl Coleman of EPA.
Demonstrations of the Storm Water Calculator and C-FERST (Community-Focused Exposure
and Risk Screening Tool) were given by EPA scientists during the lunch period.
Sandra Connors, Acting Principal Deputy Associate Administrator, Office of Policy, EPA and
Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, Director, National Exposure Research Laboratory, ORD, EPA,
summarized the discussions of the Community Workshop.
The Government session of the Workshop began with an outline of the Net Zero Framework in
the Army by Marc Kodack, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Energy and
Sustainability. Ardra Morgan, the program manager for Net Zero Partnerships, ORD, EPA
summarized the Community Lessons learned - Successes and Challenges from the first day of
the workshop. Jose Zambrana, Senior Science Advisor, ORD, EPA led the working session on
targeted opportunities for advancing Net Zero in communities. The work sessions resulted in
opportunities for Federal partners to leverage their resources in each of the ten regions.
Michael Slimak, ORD National Program Director, Sustainable & Healthy Communities
Research Program, opened the ORD session of the workshop with a presentation entitled,
"Opportunities to Integrate Community, Sustainability and Net Zero" followed by a discussion.
The working session for ORD employees identified concrete suggestions that could be developed
to inform ORD's research agenda in assisting communities and partners in the reduction of the
waste, water and energy footprint at a local level. Ramona Trovato, the Acting Principal Deputy
Assistant Administrator for Management, ORD, summarized the session and charged the
participants with pursuing the development of the suggestions.
Key note address summaries:
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25-26,2014 Page 2
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Lek Kadeli. Acting Assistant Administrator of ORD. EPA
The partnership with the Army began in 2011 as a vision to manage natural resources with a goal
of a Net Zero footprint in energy, water and solid waste at Army installations. This initiative
recognizes sustainability as a more comprehensive approach that empowers us to accomplish
more than we would have traditionally expected. These types of approaches can deliver better
results - not just in terms of environmental quality, but also in terms of economic opportunity,
social equity, and overall quality of life. By producing only as much energy as used; conserving
freshwater use and increasing water reuse; and reducing the generation of solid waste, we are
fostering economic growth and promoting citizen health and well-being. In short, these efforts
produce more win-wins.
We have accomplished a lot through the EPA-Army Net Zero partnership. Some examples of the
work we have done at Fort Riley, Kansas include:
Installation of over 80 advanced water meters to provide near real time water use
feedback. This is the first time water meters have been installed in any residential
area on Fort Riley. It represents an important step toward establishing an accurate
water use/demand profile of family housing areas on Fort Riley. The meters will also
allow EPA to measure changes in water demand that result from Net Zero water
conservation outreach and education efforts on the installation.
Fort Riley became the first U.S. military installation to become a WaterSense Partner
which gives them access to EPA's WaterSense outreach materials. This partnership
program seeks to help consumers make smart water choices that save money and
maintain high environmental standards without compromising performance.
Recruitment of over 30 families living on Fort Riley who have pledged to take simple
steps to reduce their water demand and who will serve as a citizen advisory panel for
further outreach and water conservation activities aligned with the project.
A successful working partnership between the Army/Fort Riley, EPA, Kansas
Association for Conservation and Environmental Education, and the Fort Riley
School District to train teachers about water conservation, and to provide fun,
regionally-focused water conservation lessons in elementary school classrooms at
Fort Riley.
Collaboration with Army MedCom and Kansas-State University to better understand
soldier's attitudes towards water conservation and reused water in different settings
(i.e. when deployed, in training, and at home). These data can be used to create more
effective conservation outreach and messaging campaigns that could reduce the
number of water convoys needed to supply troops in the field and therefore save
lives.
And this is just the beginning. There are many opportunities in addition to this partnership to
apply these concepts in communities around the nation. Like the examples at Fort Riley, we can
help communities reduce their waste, water and energy footprint, and at the same time promote
economic prosperity. What this means is a world where resources are in balance, making our
society more resilient to the challenges that face our nation today and into the future.
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25-26,2014 Page 3
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But how do we do this at a local level? That is why we are here today.
We have passed the tipping point on sustainability. The private sector has played a very
important role in making that happen. Public behavior and motivation is a critical point. The
public is paying attention to these issues now. We should not miss this opportunity.
You are the leaders that can help forge the approaches, knowledge, and partnerships necessary to
empower change. You are the ones that can help enable a more sustainable future for us all. The
growing challenges of today's environmental, social and economic problems with finite
resources will require the best we have to offer in terms of creativity and ingenuity. Thank you
for helping us to attack this challenge.
Bob Perciasepe. Deputy Administrator. EPA
EPA is focused on developing and using creative, flexible, cost-effective, and sustainable actions
that deliver significant benefits on the ground in protecting and improving human health and the
environment. Cross-cutting fundamental strategies are major components in EPA's strategic
plan:
Working Toward a Sustainable Future
Working to Make a Visible Difference in Communities
Launching a New Era of State, Tribal, Local, and International Partnerships
Embracing EPA as a High Performing Organization
Cross-Agency collaboration is critical to establishing more resilient and sustainable communities
and partnerships. Public engagement and stakeholder outreach is essential for building public-
private partnerships in support of sustainable communities striving for Net Zero goals in water,
energy, and waste.
EPA's Office of Research and Development and the Army signed an MOU on Nov 28, 2011, to
jointly develop and demonstrate sustainable technologies and approaches on Army installations
in support of the Army's Net Zero initiative. Under this cross-agency, transdisciplinary
partnership, EPA scientists and engineers are working with the Army, DOE, USACE, USGS,
Kansas State University, and private industry to identify and demonstrate a variety of water
technologies and innovations that are making a visible difference in the community at Fort Riley,
Kansas. Successful technology demonstrations resulting from this effort will provide real world
solutions to the U.S. military as well as communities and municipalities across the country.
With the success of these partnerships, EPA is now looking to apply Net Zero-related strategies
to communities. The long-term objective of this effort is to help communities become more
sustainable and resilient through the development and deployment of Net Zero strategies and
technologies. By pooling Federal, state, and local expertise and resources and, setting specific
goals such as Net Zero waste, water, and energy, we anticipate that these strategies can be
embraced by communities while simultaneously fostering economic growth and promoting
citizen health and well-being.
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25-26,2014 Page 4
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Net Zero embodies the dream of sustainability. Every community needs to focus on energy,
water and waste.
How do we get the interagency partnerships and the different thinking and skills that we have in
the Federal Government? Then how do we build the momentum to transfer that joint knowledge
base to communities around the country? We need to transfer the huge amount of information
and tools that we have to our communities
A strong economy and a safe and prosperous future are critical to all Americans. Building
sustainability into everything we do is part of the foundation leading towards that goal.
This is about shifting the paradigm from fixing problems to making sure that we minimize them
before they happen. What history shows us is that when we do these things, we not only fix
problems but create innovation and opportunities. The goal of Net Zero is an amazing goal. It
captures the imagination. Most importantly it is doable!
The Honorable Katherine Ham mack. Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations and
Environment
Our first challenge was to reeducate the Army on what sustainability means. In the Army
sustainability refers to maintaining equipment. We used the concept of Net Zero as our term for
sustainability.
The size of the Army footprint is very large with 152 installations; 108,000 family housing units;
1 billion square feet of building space; and 2.2 million people around the globe. The Army is the
biggest facility energy user in the federal government. Fort Bragg is our largest installation with
70,000 people. It is 4th largest in size with 1.5 million acres and 44 million square feet of vertical
infrastructure. It is a small city.
Why begin an effort to strive for a Net Zero footprint in water, waste and energy on Army
installations? Power outages have risen sharply over the last decade. Drivers for change
also included risk factors and competing priorities that provided a strong argument to
create the Net Zero Initiative
Energy security,
surety, and reliability Waterscarcity
Risk reduction
Improved
operational
capabilities
Increasingenergy
prices / Fully
burdened cost of fuel
Foreign energy
Federal and
DoD mandates
Environmental
concerns
Drivers for Change Resulted in Creation of
Net Zero Programs for Energy, Water, and Waste
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25-26,2014 Page 5
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The primary goal is a focus toward Net Zero. When we talk about Net Zero, it is not only Net
Zero energy, but it is Net Zero energy, water, and waste. When you look at the term Net Zero or
a hierarchy of Net Zero you must start with reduction, then progress through repurposing,
recycling, energy recovery, disposal being the last.
ENERGY
Reduction
Reduction
Reduction
A Net Zero ENERGY Installation is an installation that produces as much energy on site as it
uses, over the course of a year. A Net Zero WATER Installation limits the consumption of
freshwater resources and returns water back to the same watershed so as to not deplete the
groundwater and surface water resources of that region in quantity or quality. A Net Zero
WASTE Installation is an installation that reduces, reuses, and recovers waste streams,
converting them to resource values with zero solid waste to landfill. A Net Zero
INSTALLATION applies an integrated approach to management of energy, water, and waste to
capture and commercialize the resource value and/or enhance the ecological productivity of land,
water, and air.
Seventeen Net Zero pilot installations were selected.
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Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25-26, 2014 Page 6
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The Net Zero pilots focused on reduction of Energy, Water and Waste. The goal of Net Zero
energy is to reduce overall energy use, maximize efficiency, implement energy recovery and
cogeneration opportunities, and then offset the remaining demand with the production of
renewable energy from on-site sources. A parallel goal for Net Zero water is to reduce overall
water use, regardless of the source; increase use of water-efficient technologies; recycle and
reuse water, shifting from potable water use to non-potable sources as much as possible; and
minimize inter-basin transfers of any type of water, potable or non-potable. And for Net Zero
Waste the goal is to reduce, reuse, recycle/compost, and recover solid waste streams, converting
them to resource values, resulting in zero landfill disposal.
Four overarching actions were taken to execute Net Zero at Army installations.
1. Engage and educate the population impacted.
2. Assess the feasibility and potential after establishing the baseline. Explore
partnerships.
3. Build a roadmap. Conduct technology demonstrations and integrate the results into
existing programs.
4. Implement. Enact alternate management strategies and use existing funds and
The key to success is to put together a roadmap. The roadmap ties it all together - the project
lists, implementation schedules, costs, etc. Follow the roadmap, reassess and do it again. It
becomes a guide for future activities. What are your efficiency options? What can you do
today? What resources are available? What material reuse options do you have? This is really a
master plan on how to get to Net Zero.
External collaboration is critical with local and regional authorities, the Federal and State
Governments, and public/private partnerships. Not only has the Army collaborated successfully
with EPA, but also with DOE and GSA on Net Zero projects.
Examples from the 17 pilot installations have produced Net Zero best practices.
programs.
iV'.-M-.tlJ
NZ Best Practices
Net Zero ENERGY:
Conduct thermal
building envelope
analysis
Reduce energy use
through energy
management
control systems
Hire resource
efficiency managers
Pursue alternative
financing
mechanisms
Conduct energy
master planning
Net Zero WATER:
Maximize the use
of xeriscaping
Implement leak
detection on the
potable water
distribution system
Maximize water
recycling
Install purple pipe
Maximize use of
alternate water
sources
Net Zero WASTE:
Establish a
Qualified Recycling
Program
Characterize waste
flows
Improve
purchasing
practices
Repurpose and
reuse material
through
Recycle and
compost waste
AiiJsanr Stcf-aary af Army (Installs dans, Energy i EnvlrsrviwnQ
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25-26,2014 Page 7
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The Honorable David Price. 4th District of North Carolina. U.S. House of Representatives
Welcome to RTP and this important Workshop. We need to promote sustainable growth
including renewable energy alternatives. Putting sustainability into practice is not always easy.
Public/private partnerships are important tools for communities. One of the Obama
Administration initiatives is The Partnership for Sustainable Communities. It is a continuing
struggle to maintain support but President Obama believes we are moving in the right direction.
We are creating a culture that recognizes the value of sustainable communities that strengthen
our economy, create good jobs now while providing a foundation for lasting prosperity, use
energy more efficiently to secure energy independence, and protect our natural environment and
human health.
The Department of Defense is rapidly expanding the use of alternative energies. Culture shifts
are taking place in the military. Environmental sustainability and Net Zero are being combined
under one mission objective. Since 2011, additional bases have implemented Net Zero programs.
I am pleased that the EPA will be using lessons learned from the Army to expand Net Zero
principles to communities. The Federal Government can provide a model of excellence.
I am eager to work with you as a member of the House Appropriations Committee to make sure
our laws and regulations allow the flexibility that Net Zero exemplifies.
I look forward to hearing more about sustainable projects and the progress of Net Zero.
Summary of Panel Presentations
Panel 1: External Perspectives - Paul Anastas, Yale University; Dick Jackson, UCLA;
Marina Moses, National Academies of Science; Nolan Zail, Carmel Partners; Bob Gedert,
City of Austin
Paul Anastas
Turning grand concepts of Sustainability into action is what leadership looks like. While a clear
vision and a clear conceptual framework of where we are going is important, it is just part of the
journey. It is when you turn that vision into action, that it becomes truly important.
The essential goals are in place, but how do we do the right things right? How do two steps
forward become truly two steps forward?
How do we maximize the synergies? How do we integrate waste and turn it into energy? What
do we do to put these technologies in place?
How do we take this to scale? The synergies of government agencies working together can take
these to scale.
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25-26,2014 Page 8
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Richard Jackson - The Los Angeles River Revitalization: Protecting Health and the Environment
The Los Angeles River Revitalization is an example of where stakeholders can band together to
create healthy, vibrant communities with greater open space, enhanced green infrastructure, and
better recreational facilities.
The mission is to transform the LA River to improve people's lives by carrying out sustainable
land use projects, advocacy for river friendly policy, and programs for community benefit.
The LA River, one of the most environmentally degraded in the world, runs 51 miles through
some of the most underserved communities in the region. Community revitalization along the
LA River that puts children and families first can serve as a best practice example for community
redevelopment throughout the country.
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The message to the advocates is to emphasize the need to create the park for health reasons not
just for environmental issues. Your health and the environment are one. Every river should be
swimmable and fishable, but the banks should be bikeable and walkable to promote both
environmental and human health.
Marina Moses - Science and Technology for Sustainabilitv: Promoting Sustainabilitv through
NetZero Strategies
In 2011, the National Research Council issued a report Sustainability and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency which offered a framework for EPA to solve complex
environmental challenges through a more integrated, systems approach. It was similar to the
1983 National Research Council report Risk Assessment in the Federal Government.
Sustainability Framework
LEVEL 1
LEVEL 2
The consensus report answers the following questions:
What should be the operational framework for sustainability for EPA?
What scientific and analytical tools are needed to support the framework?
How can the EPA decision making process rooted in the risk assessment/risk
management paradigm be integrated into this new sustainability framework?
What expertise is needed to support the framework?
Four focus areas have been identified:
1. Energy water food nexus
2. Human health
3. Community resilience
4. Diverse and healthy ecosystems
The N AS is very interested in working with communities. The National Research
Council recently published a report Science and Innovation: Fostering Partnerships and
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through NetZero Strategies - February 25 -26, 2014 Page 10
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Linkages in Sustainability. This report provides a decision framework that can be used by
policymakers to examine the consequences, tradeoffs, synergies, and operational benefits of
sustainability-oriented programs. Linkages among areas such as energy, water, land, and
nonrenewable resources are identified as critical to promoting and encouraging long term
sustainability.
A symposium was held on Fostering Partnerships and Linkages in Sustainability Science and
Innovation to showcase federal investments and institutional structures regarding sustainability,
to identify opportunities to help promote practices that would lead communities toward
sustainability, and to address communication issues needed to recognize science and innovation
as central to the understanding and adoption of sustainable practices.
Bob Gedert - Austin Resource Recovery: Zero Waste Goals and Programs
Austin's Waste Goal is Zero Waste - "No Burn. No Bury." Looking at a 30 year period, Austin,
Texas, intends to divert 95% or more of its waste to materials recovery, reuse, recycling,
composting and other management strategies.
The program has four keystone initiatives: materials management; expanded recycling
opportunities; organics collection and composting; and economic development growth.
Barriers to achieving Zero Waste - "No Burn, No Bury" include:
Community Planning Needs - reintroducing citizens into the discussion
Varied Set-Out Rates (85% - 50%) by neighborhood
Routing Challenges
Pounds per Household variations
Customer Education - Language barriers
Non-traditional Services (Reduce/Reuse)
Contamination Challenges
Austin Resource Recovery
Master Plan:
Zero Waste Diversion Goals
Diversion
Assessment 2030
Diversion
Assessment 202!
Diversion
Assessment 2020,
Diversion
Assessment2015,
Single Family Residential sector
Commercial / Industrial sector
Education /Government Institutions
AUSTIN
Ol
I
RECOVERY
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25-26,2014 Page 11
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Many lessons were learned including:
Decentralization of education
A need for a waste characterization study
Citizen empowerment, communication and monthly meetings
City Council support and education
Impacts of truck styles and container sizing
Continuing transparency and accountability
Change-orientation operations
Defined "price points"
Citizen choice - 'Pay As You Throw' Rates
Federal assistance is needed in establishing National Diversion Goals, a National Measurement
System, Zero Waste best practices, Model Cities Grants, and in providing national leadership.
A significant lesson was that customer service is the highest priority for the citizens, while our
highest priority is reduction of waste.
Nolan Zail - UC Davis West Village
UC Davis West Village is the largest planned "Net Zero Energy" community in the country.
Over the course of a year, the community is designed to generate as much energy as it consumes.
It is on track to demonstrate that Zero Energy is practical on a large scale.
The development of UC Davis West Village is a model of public/private partnership with the
collaboration between the University of California Davis and a private developer led by Carmel
Partners with their joint venture partner Urban Villages of Denver.
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25 -26, 2014 Page 12
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They have developed a business plan to partner with private developers that can be replicated.
The key is to capitalize on existing technologies as well as to pursue new technologies. This
apartment complex proves that Net Zero Energy can be implemented and be profitable for
private developers.
What are the incentives for private developers? You need champions or a number of champions
who demonstrate personal motivation and are committed to the effort. There needs to be an
opportunity to get an equal or better return on investment for investors. This is an opportunity
for marketing and branding, capitalizing on the concepts of sustainability and health.
Relationships for the public/private partnership with the University and community are valuable.
An effective value proposition to achieve optimum value encompasses funding and resources,
successful branding, and partnerships, with the aim of improving resilience and security.
There are challenges with regulatory requirements looming as the biggest challenge. For
example, because of net metering requirements, separate solar systems and inverters had to be
installed in the 600 apartments. How do you recover those costs?
The advantage of a public/private partnership is the ability to leverage resources, as well as
knowledge and experiences of all partners. It provides an opportunity to work with academia to
access research and information. And it allows the ability to try new technologies - both the
good and the bad. In addition to leveraging public/private partnerships, incentives are needed
from Federal and State governments both in the form of grants and compliance models.
Building a Net Zero Energy community is not just installing systems but rather living a Net Zero
Energy, Water and Waste lifestyle. It is the cultural change of how we manage behavior, the
synergy of how we live and how we impact the environment. For this effort to be a success in
the future, we need to share lessons learned or we won't move forward
The next challenge is to determine how we move to NET POSITIVE!
Panel 2: Community Lessons Learned - Bruce Hendee, City of Fort Collins; David Gard,
Oberlin Project; Susan Kaplan, Sustainable Performance Consulting; Jennifer Rawlings,
Fort Hood; Bill Ross, Counsel, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard, LLP
Bruce Hendee - Fort Collins: Pursuit of a Net Zero Community
Fort Collins, Colorado, has spent the past 40 years developing policies that have greatly
benefited the community by increasing its resilience to extreme events, minimizing service
disruptions and increasing protection to valuable public and private lands, assets and human
health and safety. The City has long been committed to both reducing the impacts on a changing
climate through conservation programs and reducing the impacts of a changing climate on us.
The City of Fort Collins views climate change adaptation planning as an important strategy to
plan for and to address the multiple impacts from a warming climate that might affect business
continuity, economic viability, human health and quality of life, ecosystem health, and
maintenance of assets, infrastructure, and the delivery of key services to the Fort Collins
community.
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25 -26,2014 Page 13
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Fire 2012
^ 2013 Flood
Low carrying capacity
population growth
One Planet
The last two years have emphasized the vulnerability the Fort Collins community and its regional
neighbors can experience due to extreme weather events. Because of events such as the High
Park fire, the hottest year on record and the recent flooding, there has been substantial
devastation to the region. Aggressive action will reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the future,
but it is imperative that action is taken to adapt to changes that are already happening and to
prepare for changes ahead.
The Mayor is participating in the White House Task Force subgroup on Built Systems covering
such topics as energy, transportation, water and facilities. The climate hub will provide technical
support for land managers to respond to drought, heat stress, floods, pests and changes in
growing season; regional assessments for hazards and adaptation planning and outreach and
education, according to USD A.
In 2011, Fort Collins formed a new area within the city called Sustainability Services. It
encompasses the triple bottom line of economy, environment and social sustainability. The
intent is to develop more dynamic tools around the balance of the three major areas. Rather than
a simple approach of tackling one area, we are looking for synergies and balancing points.
We are in the fledgling stages of developing greater networking around Net Zero. We have
started the Net Zero Cities Conference with the intent of developing better networks and learning
opportunities around zero energy strategies. Last year we were successful in getting the Cities of
Boulder and Loveland to join. Our intent is to develop regional strategies around alternative
energy and conservation. This year our regional energy provider Platte River Power Authority
agreed to join us. We hope to expand to Longmont and Estes Park. Strategically this helps us to
work regionally to accomplish more.
We have created Fort ZED, which stands for Fort Zero Energy District. Originally it began with
the intent of creating a defined and bounded area with a demand of roughly 80MW within the
downtown Fort Collins area and Colorado State University Campus. It has changed now with
lessons learned. It is becoming more of a prototype tool, used to develop new systems and
testing on a grid-friendly municipal utility.
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25-26, 2014 Page 14
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Other successes have included the Triple Helix Partnership of the City of Fort Collins, Colorado
State University, and the Colorado Clean Energy Cluster. Fort Collins is also implementing
significant strategies to help reduce energy usage:
Greater investment in local energy resources that reduce money spent on coal and
natural gas by $50 million;
13% increase in population AND a 8.7% reduction in carbon emissions;
Generation of 400-500 jobs;
Net benefit of $165 million for the community.
These efforts will accelerate achieving the Greenhouse Gas goals by 20 years.
Fort Collins Greenhouse Gas Emissions,
Sales & Use Tax, and Population
25.0%
20.0% -
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Population
Fort Collins Sales & Use Tax"
15.0%
in
10.0%
CM
5.0%
0.0% m
jS -5.0% -
-15.0%
-20.0%
2005
2006
2007 2008
* Does not include the Keep Fort Collins Great
2009
2010
2011
2012
Challenges still face Fort Collins on their pursuit of a Net Zero community - complexity, time,
engagement, scale and alignment. Getting the community engaged so they are willing to make a
change may be one of the biggest challenges.
David Gard - The Oberlin Project
The Oberlin Project is a formal collaboration between the City of Oberlin, Ohio, Oberlin
College, and private and institutional partners to improve the resilience, prosperity, and
sustainability of our community. The Oberlin Project's aim is to revitalize the local economy,
eliminate carbon emissions, restore local agriculture, food supply and forestry, and create a new,
sustainable base for economic and community development.
The City and College have signed on to become one of only 3 Clinton Foundation Climate
Positive Development Program cities in the United States, thereby committing to reduce
Oberlin's greenhouse gas emissions below zero. The City of Oberlin is on target to reduce its
emissions by 50% of 2007 levels by 2015, with 90% of its electricity coming from renewable
sources.
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25 -26, 2014 Page 15
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A community-based group created by the city council, developed the 2013 Climate Action Plan
for the City of Oberlin as a roadmap for transitioning to a climate positive community. Work by
the City and the College through the use of the recommended strategies and community outreach
will create not only a climate positive community but also a neighborhood where residents live,
learn, and lead.
One of the initiatives of the Oberlin Project is the Environmental Dashboard. The Dashboard is
designed to make the invisible flows of water and electricity visible and engaging and link these
to the conscious thoughts and actions of citizens to build a more vibrant and sustainable Oberlin.
Electronic signs in the downtown and schools share information with and bring together the
community. The Dashboard project leaders hope to expand the screens and monitoring
technology to other local organizations and businesses.
ELECTRICITY
/WATERSHED
WEATHER
Hello. Welcome to the Bloregional Dashboard's electricity use page. Here you can dick on gauges and
icons and learn more about energy in our community.
Decisions made in the home and in the workplace determine the ecological health of the
bioregion, which includes Oberlin. When this project is fully implemented, the Dashboard links
will provide citizens with real-time feedback of the amount of water and electricity being
consumed. Citizens will be able to see the water and electricity flows of residences, businesses
and the City of Oberlin on the whole. The goal is to present this information in a social and
environmental context that engages, educates, motivates and empowers citizens to conserve
resources.
Susan Kaplan - Getting towards Zero Waste. 100% Involvement in Growing a Green
Community
The Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) created a green community in the heart of New York
City. In 2000, a new greener vision was developed for Battery Park City to encourage
public/private partnerships to build sustainable buildings. We wanted to build greener, healthier
buildings that paid attention to indoor air quality, were more energy-efficient, that recycled water
and building materials.
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25 -26, 2014 Page 16
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BPCA convened a collaborative team of public-private partners to develop Green Guidelines to
establish a process for the creation of environmentally responsible residential buildings that are
appreciably ahead of current standards and practices for development.
The guidelines were organized similarly to LEED. We wanted to be able to encourage LEED
certification, by making our requirements identical where it made sense, given we were
concentrating on residential buildings.
The Green Guidelines were divided into five categories:
1. Energy Efficiency
2. Enhanced Indoor Environment Quality
3. Conserving Materials & Resources
4. Education, Operations & Maintenance
5. Water Conservation & Site Management
Battery Park City Green Projects included the first LEED residential high rise in the U.S., 2200
Green residential units and 18 LEED projects.
What can the future look like?
Net Zero Buildings
Design with Nature
Bioclimatic Skyscrapers
Building as a Tree
It's all about choices. What if every single act of design and construction made the world a better
place?
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25 -26, 2014 Page 17
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Jennifer Rawlings - Net Zero Waste Fort Hood 2020
The goal of Net Zero Waste Strategy at Fort Flood is to change the culture to achieve the goals of
Net Zero Waste. The key tasks of the project are to:
Reduce amount of solid waste generated
Re-purpose whenever possible
Expand Recycling; increase diversion rate
Use Waste to Energy to eliminate remaining waste
Identify alternative disposal methods
Employ a strategic communication campaign
Utilize Net Zero Waste Workgroups and Annual Workshops
The end result is that Fort Hood Community has embraced Net Zero Waste and is actively
supporting the effort.
Partnerships Lessons Learned:
Not always enough city personnel with the right expertise or spare time
Too many objectives at once, and original expectations were too high
Large amount of time spent on education and training staff and residents
Need dedicated staff to work Net Zero objectives
Need better accountability with formalized committees
Need City Council approval and City Manager buy-in
Requires popular demand from city residents for sustainability
City voters must demand change, which is done through education
Cities need grants or fellowship programs to provide dedicated sustainability staff. EPA can
provide site assistance visits to prioritize strategies, share best practices and feasibility studies to
help crunch the numbers. Basic economic and environmental returns on environmental initiatives
that are simple to use and easy to access to help sell ideas to city councils, city staff, and
residents would also be of great assistance.
WASTE i
' 2020
Fort Hood
2020 "Perfect Vision, Perfect Mission"
ARMY STRONG.
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25 -26, 2014 Page 18
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Bill Ross - Green Square Complex: North Carolina's State of the Art Sustainable Design Project
The Green Square Complex, a two-block, multi-use sustainable development project in Raleigh,
N.C., serves as the home of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources and a
new wing of the Museum of Natural Sciences. The Green Square Complex enables the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Museum of Natural Sciences to
promote stewardship by example to the general public, while providing experiential learning
opportunities focused on the current scientific research and environmental issues affecting our
daily lives.
The 250,000 square-foot Green Square Complex encompasses two state buildings and two
bridges on two city blocks. The Nature Research Center is an expansion of the Museum of
Natural Sciences and the Environment and Natural Resources Building is the new headquarters
for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Both buildings incorporate many
sustainable features and elements and earned the LEED Platinum Certification
This project includes office space for the 640 DENR employees, the Nature Research Center
which includes a restaurant/retail area, a connecting bridge to the existing museum, the Nature
Research Center and the DENR Office Building and 426 parking spaces for an underground
parking deck.
To achieve LEED Platinum Certification, Green Square uses all LED lighting, occupancy
sensors and automatic dimming controls in offices and conference rooms, solar shading devices
to diffuse sunlight and reduce temperatures, increased insulation and high efficiency chillers, a
unique underfloor air distribution heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. DENR
building staff have also used innovative solutions to decrease electricity use. By changing the
time of day when the building operates its air handlers, staff managed to reduce the building's
energy consumption by 15 percent. These technologies mean that Green Square uses about 30
percent less electricity than a similar building built to minimum standards which saves about
$107,000 in energy costs each year.
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25-26, 2014 Page 19
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Rainwater in the building is collected from the roof and diverted to an underground cistern on the
site. The rainwater is treated and reused to flush toilets, water plants, and provide cooling tower
makeup water. The building's green roof also helps filter rainwater as it travels from the roof to
the cistern. This rainwater reuse eliminates storm water, the number one cause of surface water
pollution. The building uses low-flow urinals, toilets and showers. This reduces the office
building's water usage by about 700,000 gallons a year, and cuts the building's water bill by
about $3,000 a year.
Community Lessons Learned included:
Environmental stewardship
No cost training and assistance to achieve sustainability
Impressive Net Zero savings on projects
Communication with communities
Participants learn from one another
Public/private partnership sustainability network
There are three overarching lessons that were learned in building the Green Square Complex and
earning the LEED Platinum Rating.
1. Leadership Matters - There needs to be a champion to drive the project forward
2. A good example is the best sermon - Participants learn and are motivated by the
success and profit of others.
3. There is power in a partnership and a plan
Panel 3: Federal and State Initiatives Fostering Sustainability - Crystal Bergemann, HUD;
Scott Mouw, N.C. Division of Environmental Assistance; John Thomas, EPA (Due to flight
cancellations for some panelists, Jay Basset and Cheryl Coleman of EPA joined the panel
for the discussions.)
Crystal Bergemann - HUD Executive Actions on Energy and Green Building in Affordable
Housing: The Federal Renewable Energy Target
HUD Spends more than $7 billion on Utility costs each year. The energy budget is large and
growing, as the overall budget is feeling increasingly tight. A modest reduction of just 5% of
energy usage could save $350 million a year, or $1.75 billion over 5 years. The renewable
energy target for federally subsidized housing integrates housing with energy and climate policy
by supporting the Administration's goal of doubling energy generation from renewable sources
by 2020.
HUD ASSISTED
RENTERS AND OWNERS
SPEND MORE THAN
$7
BILLION
A YEAR ON UTILITIES
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25-26,2014 Page 20
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The joint partnership of HUD, USD A, and Treasury provides opportunities to improve national
energy security through increased domestic renewable energy production, expand the renewable
energy sector, promote climate resilience, and produce cost effective distributed generation in
low-income housing.
Due to a precipitous drop in solar pricing, along with innovative financing such as power
purchase agreements, renewable energy generation is now becoming a viable option for the
residential sector, including affordable housing. We have the ability through tested, workable
technologies and financing mechanisms to reach 100 megawatts of installed renewable capacity
on-site at federally subsidized housing by 2020.
Thinking about the future, imagine community renewable energy projects hosted by Public
Housing Agencies and other housing organizations. These would be multi-million dollar
investments that deliver clean energy to willing energy consumers while offering a stable
revenue stream to local communities.
The first Net Zero, Fossil Fuel-Free, LEED Platinum senior housing project in the United States
is the Paisano Green Community located at the El Paso, Texas Housing Authority. It is a 73-unit
complex that generates energy with solar panels and wind turbines, and has ultra-efficient air-
source heat pumps. The project was funded through a nearly $9 million competitive Recovery
Act grant through the Public Housing Capital Fund, and is a good example of how far housing
authorities are able to go if they stretch their imaginations and take advantage of funding
opportunities as they arise.
An interesting characteristic of multi-unit buildings is that participants typically reside under the
rooftop that the solar array is housed on, which is not necessarily true for the other deployment
models, which can be located off-site. There are approximately 55 systems in the U.S. with
capacity of over 50 megawatts. There is growing interest in community approaches and shared
solar infrastructure and business models which present significant potential for innovation and
deployment.
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25-26, 2014 Page 21
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Lack of upfront capital and financing options, lender risk and administrative burdens all present
financial hurdles. But there are also opportunities to:
Enable power purchase and lease agreements
Work with CDFIs to create energy loan funds and match demand with financing
supply opportunities
Pursue loan guarantees for renewable energy projects within targeted energy districts
Engage in the Energy Efficiency Conservation Loan Program
According to DOE's SunShot Initiative, developing shared solar business models can quadruple
the impact of related funding and solar deployment efforts.
Scott Mouw - Sustainable Materials Management as a Pathway to NetZero
State assistance programs can be very effective in facilitating community sustainability efforts
through direct engagement, familiarity with communities and their peers, and statutory reporting,
grant and other mechanisms that drive interaction. North Carolina has a number of assistance
programs to encourage sustainable materials management by communities.
Local governments are on the front line of materials management. While local governments are
not always savvy about their role in the materials supply chain or equipped to improve efforts,
they enjoy the benefits from well-run systems. As a result, states are taking a bigger role in
sustainable materials management by setting baseline policies, directing influence over
infrastructure development, providing assistance to communities in improving conditions, and
deploying best management practices.
Not just the local communities benefit, states also benefit from reduced environmental impacts
from disposal, job and business creation, and from the support of manufacturing.
NC RecyclingEmploymentGrowth
18,000
16.000
14,000
12.000
5 10,000
e 8.0W
6rOOO
4jOOO
2,000
0
1994 2000 2003 2008 2010 2013
Y*.y
¦ locol Govt Jobt
- Private Sector Jobs
11.762
7,757
12.776
14,490
17,002
15.187
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through NetZero Strategies - February 25 -26,2014 Page 22
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North Carolina receives support from the Federal Government for sustainable materials
management. USDA and DOE fund the Waste Reduction Partners program. EPA Headquarters
convenes key dialogues with brand companies on recycling issues. EPA Region 4 has been
actively engaged with North Carolina by providing direct assistance on key projects, convening
of Region 4 States, support of Southeast Recycling Development Council and other
regional/national efforts. EPA Region 4 also serves as an advocate for regional and local needs
with EPA Headquarters and other stakeholders.
The Federal Government has an important role as a convener of states and communities with
other stakeholders as well as to create an atmosphere of support and commitment by decision-
makers.
John Thomas - How do we work with communities? Office of Sustainable Communities:
Lessons Learned
The Office of Sustainable Communities collaborates with other EPA programs; federal agencies;
regional, state, and local governments; and a broad array of nongovernmental partners to help
communities become stronger, healthier, and more sustainable through smarter growth and green
building. This work helps to address the Agency's priorities for water, air and the cleaning up of
communities and substantially furthers the Administration's objectives with respect to
environmental justice.
Many communities want to foster economic growth, protect environmental resources, enhance
public health, and plan for development, but may lack the tools, resources, and information to
achieve their goals. In response to this demand, EPA developed the Smart Growth
Implementation Assistance Program in 2005 to address difficult challenges and to find
transferable solutions with three goals in mind:
Support communities interested in implementing smart growth policies;
Create regional examples of smart growth that can catalyze similar projects in the
area;
Identify common barriers and opportunities for smart growth development and create
new tools that other communities can use.
To date, EPA has worked with 53 communities.
EPA launched in 2011, The Sustainable Design and Green Building Toolkit for
Local Governments to assist local governments in identifying and removing barriers to
sustainable design and green building within their permitting process. This Toolkit addresses the
codes/ordinances that would affect the design, construction, renovation, operation and
maintenance of a building and its immediate site. The Toolkit consists of two parts: an
Assessment Tool/Resource Guide and an Implementation Guide for developing an Action Plan.
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25 -26,2014 Page 23
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firEPA
Sustainable Design and
Green Building Toolkit
FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
To date, 141 communities are utilizing the Toolkit. Last year, 57 community workshops were
held across the country. In 2014, 36 more workshops are anticipated.
It is important to define the type of engagement in the beginning. Is it planning, capital
programming, policy evaluation or project design? What is the more effective assistance-
charrette vs. workshop, short term vs. sustained support, etc.? What is the level of support the
community needs to apply the "tools"? Who are the partners? What are the selection criteria and
is there a clear understanding?
The lessons learned from Smart Growth communities:
There is value in a formal but simple process
o The ability to be selective
o More groundwork done by the community partner = greater buy-in
o The community does not have to hire someone to manage the community
grants
The range of assistance products enables you to "meet communities where they are"
Never underestimate the value of supporting tools with good processes and training
opportunities for other folks out there
Summary Remarks - Sandra Connors. Acting Principal Deputy Associate Administrator. Office
of Policy. EPA
Where can we collectively align our efforts and focus on the pivot points that we see occurring to
make a visible difference in communities to strive for sustainability?
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25-26, 2014 Page 24
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There are many areas of opportunity.
Green Infrastructure - HUD, Climate Action Plans call for adapting and adaptive
behavior.
Sustainable Materials Management - Food opportunities are tremendous for making a
real difference.
Standard Setting - These need to be robust indicators to the consumer.
Energy Efficiency - Opportunities where we would like a deep and concentrated
emphasis.
Closing - Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta. Director. National Exposure Research Laboratory. ORD.
EPA
The long term objective of this collaborative effort is to help communities become more
sustainable and resilient through the development and deployment of Net Zero strategies and
technologies. This type of cross organizational collaboration is critical to establishing more
resilient and sustainable communities.
Today's conversations have been a great step forward. We were looking to learn from you.
What things do you worry about? What keeps you up at night? What other types of tools or
assistance would be helpful to you?
We are looking at a paradigm shift moving forward from a risk based approach.
How can we help at the community level to further the goals of protecting human health and the
environment?
Tomorrow when we convene the government workshop and the ORD workshop sessions, we
will build on what we have heard today - the lessons learned, the cross-cutting issues and the
challenges. Thank you all for helping chart our joint path forward to achieve Net Zero footprints
in communities across the country.
List of Appendices
1. Agenda
2. Workshop Presentations
3. Speaker bios
4. Participants
5. Net Zero Fact Sheet
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25 -26,2014 Page 25
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Appendix 1: Agenda
Agenda Workshop: Promoting
Sustainability Through
Net Zero Strategies
COMMUNITY WORKSHOP
EPA Research Triangle Park
Objectives:
¦ Share lessons learned from net zero waste, water and energy efforts in communities,
including successes, challenges, and needs.
¦ Identify common themes and cross-cutting issues.
¦ Share information about ongoing federal programs and initiatives.
Desired Outcome:
¦ A resource document/roadmap to assist communities and partners to implement
initiatives to reduce waste, water and energy footprint at a local level.
Tuesday, February 25
Topic
Presenters
Time
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Lek Kadeli
Acting Assistant Administrator,
EPA ORD
8:30-8:45
Keynote Address:
Sustainability Goals in Strategic Plan
The Honorable Bob Perciasepe
Deputy Administrator, EPA
8:45-9:05
Army NetZero Waste, Water and
Energy Initiative: Link to
Communities
The Honorable Katherine
Hammack
Assistant Secretary of the Army
for Installations and Environment
9:05-9:25
Questions and Answers
Bob Perciasepe and Katherine
Hammack
9:25-9:45
Break
9:45-10:00
Cross Agency Collaboration to
Advance Sustainability
The Honorable David Price
4th District of North Carolina
U.S. House of Representatives
10:00-10:15
External Perspectives: A Panel
Paul Anastas, Teresa and H. John
10:15-11:45
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25 -26,2014 Page 26
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Discussion
Heinz III Chair, Yale University
Moderator: Lek Kadeli, Deputy
Assistant Administrator for
Management, ORD, EPA
Richard Jackson, Professor and
Chair, Environmental Health
Sciences, Fielding School of
Public Health, UCLA
Marina Moses, Director, Science
and Technology for Sustainability
Program, Policy and Global
Affairs Division, The National
Academies
Nolan Zail, Partner, Carmel
Partners
Bob Gedert, Director, Austin
Resource Recovery Department,
City of Austin
Lunch and Optional Demonstrations
Storm Water Calculator,
Tom Speth, Director, Water
Supply & Water Resources
Division, EPA, Room CI 12
C-FERST, Valerie Zartarian and
Andrew Geller, EPA, Room
CI 13
11:45-1:15
Community Lessons Learned: A
Panel Discussion
Successes
Roadmaps
Challenges
Moderator: Cynthia Sonich-Mullin,
Director, NRMRL, ORD, EPA
Bruce Hendee, Chief
Sustainability Officer, City of Fort
Collins
David Gard, Executive Director,
Oberlin Project
Susan Kaplan, Principal,
Sustainable Performance
Consulting
Jennifer Rawlings,
Environmental Program Manager,
Fort Hood U.S. Army Installation
Bill Ross, Of Counsel, Brooks,
Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey &
Leonard, LLP
1:15-3:30
Break
3:30-3:45
A Panel Discussion:
Federal & State - Fostering
John Thomas, Acting Deputy
Director, Office of Sustainable
3:45-5:30
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25 -26,2014 Page 27
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Sustainability
Moderator: Ron Hoffer, Senior
Advisor, Sustainability and
Innovation, Water Policy Staff,
Office of Water, EPA
Communities, EPA
Crystal Bergemann, Energy
Policy Specialist, Office of
Sustainable Housing and
Communities, HUD
Scott Mouw, Chief, Community
and Business Assistance, North
Carolina Division of
Environmental Assistance and
Customer Service
Closing Remarks
Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta
Director, National Exposure
Research Laboratory, ORD, EPA
5:30-5:45
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25 -26,2014 Page 28
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Appendix 2: Workshop Presentations
Workshop presentations can be found online at the EPA Net Zero Website
(http: //epa. gov/sustainabilitv/netzero/).
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25-26,2014 Page 29
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Appendix 3: Speaker Bios
Presenter Biographies
Paul Anastas currently holds the Inaugural Teresa and H. John Heinz III Chair at Yale
University with appointments in the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, the
Chemistry Department and the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering. His
previous experience includes serving as Assistant Administrator for Research and Development,
which he describes as "his greatest professional honor" and as the Science Advisor for the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency as well as Assistant Director of the White House Office of
Science and Technology Policy leading environmental issues. Professor Anastas currently has
published 13 books on various elements of the science and technology of sustainability. He has
co-founded several sustainable technology companies and serves as a science advisor to venture
capital and private equity firms.
Crystal Bergemann is an energy policy specialist in HUD's Office of Sustainable Housing and
Communities where she works to embed sustainable and green building policies and practices
into HUD's portfolio. Additionally, she is HUD's program lead on the Federal Renewable
Energy Target, a goal of tripling onsite renewable energy capacity in federally assisted housing
by 2020. Crystal has a background in energy and water policy, and received a Master's degree
in Public Administration from NYU in 2009.
David Gard is the Executive Director of the Oberlin Project, a joint effort of the City of Oberlin
and Oberlin College to advance community-wide sustainability. Prior to this role, David spent
more than a decade with the Michigan Environmental Council advocating public policies aimed
at reducing carbon emissions. He has also worked as a design engineer and served in the U.S.
Navy. David holds joint MBA/MS degrees from the University of Michigan's Erb Institute for
Global Sustainable Enterprise. He earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern
University.
Bob Gedert is the Director of the Austin Resource Recovery Department for the City of Austin.
He is responsible for a 400 employee operation that provides direct services to citizens, including
solid waste, recycling, and yard trimmings collection, street sweeping, dead animal pickup,
household hazardous waste, and the implementation of the Austin Zero Waste Plan. Formerly,
Bob operated the recycling service for the City of Fresno Department of Public Utilities,
providing services to all single-family, multi-family and business customers within the City of
Fresno. He led Fresno from a 29% recycling diversion rate to a 75% recycling diversion rate
through the expansion of recycling and composting services to residents, businesses and schools.
He has 38 years of field experience in recycling and solid waste operations, including Material
Recovery Facilities (MRF) in Ohio and development of curbside collection programs throughout
Indiana. Bob also was the former Chief of Recycling for the State of Indiana, and has written
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25 -26,2014 Page 30
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many state statutes supporting recycling efforts. Bob has a bachelor's degree in Psychology and
a Master's in Public Administration. He has taught environmental ethics in several universities as
a visiting guest lecturer. He recently co-authored the Austin Resource Recovery Master Plan,
outlining the Austin approach toward Zero Waste.
Richard Joseph Jackson is Professor and Chair of Environmental Health Sciences at the
Fielding School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles. A pediatrician, he
has served in many leadership positions in both environmental health and infectious disease with
the California Health Department, including the highest as the State Health Officer. For nine
years he was Director of the CDC's National Center for Environmental Health in Atlanta and
received the Presidential Distinguished Service award. In October, 2011 he was elected to the
Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. While in California he helped
establish the California Birth Defects Monitoring Program and state and national laws to reduce
risks from pesticides, especially to farm workers and to children. While at CDC he established
the national asthma epidemiology and control program, oversaw the childhood lead poisoning
prevention program, and instituted the federal effort to "biomonitor" chemical levels in the US
population. He has received the Breast Cancer Fund's Hero Award, as well as Lifetime
Achievement Awards from the Public Health Law Association, and the New Partners for Smart
Growth. In October, 2012 he received the John Heinz Award for Leadership in the Environment.
Dick Jackson lectures and speaks on many issues, particularly those related to built environment
and health. He co-authored two books: Urban Sprawl and Public Health in 2004 and Making
Healthy Places in 2011. He is host of a 2012 public television series Designing Healthy. He has
served on many environmental and health boards, as well as the Board of Directors of the
American Institute of Architects. He is an elected honorary member of both the American
Institute of Architects and the American Society of Landscape Architects.
The Honorable Katherine Hammack was appointed the Assistant Secretary of the Army for
Installations and Environment (ASA IE) by President Obama 28 June 2010. Shortly after taking
office, she instituted an organizational name change to acknowledge "Energy " specifically, and
created the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and
Environment (ASA IE&E).
She is the primary advisor to the Secretary of the Army and Chief of Staff of the Army on all
Army matters related to Installation policy, oversight, and coordination of energy security and
management.
She is responsible for policy and oversight of sustainability and environmental initiatives;
resource management, including design, military construction, operations, and maintenance; base
realignment and closure (BRAC); privatization of Army family housing, lodging, real estate, and
utilities; and the Army's installations safety and occupational health programs.
Prior to her appointment, Ms. Hammack was a leader in Ernst & Young LLP's Climate Change
and Sustainability Services practice. In that capacity she assisted clients with obtaining
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25-26,2014 Page 31
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Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building certification for their
buildings and identification of sustainability strategies.
She was the key LEED advisor to the largest LEED for new construction building in the world
(8.3 million sq ft) which received LEED-NC Silver certification. She was also the key LEED
advisor on the largest existing green building certification for building operation and
maintenance (9.6 million sq ft) which received LEED-EB Gold level certification.
Ms. Hammack has over 30 years of experience in energy and sustainability advisory services.
She has experience in the evaluation of energy conservation projects, including ventilation
upgrades, air distribution, indoor air quality, lighting efficiency, cogeneration, sustainable
design, solar energy and building operation.
Ms. Hammack has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Oregon State University
and an M.B.A. from the University of Hartford.
She is a Certified Energy Manager, LEED Accredited Professional and a Certified Indoor Air
Quality Manager.
She has been an active member of ASHRAE, where she has been on the 90.1 Energy Efficiency
Standard Committee and on the Standard 189 High Performance Green Buildings Standard
Committee. Ms. Hammack is a founding member of the U.S. Green Building Council in
Washington, D.C.
Bruce Hendee is the Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) for the City of Fort Collins. Hendee
brings over 30 years of experience in planning and design. He was the founder and president of
BHA Design, a landscape architecture and land planning firm in Fort Collins. He led a very
successful practice for over 20 years before selling his company and joining the City of Fort
Collins as CSO. In his current position, he oversees the Economic, Social, and Environmental
Departments of the City and advocates for organization-wide programs and policies related to
organizational sustainability initiatives. Hendee also serves a lead role in the organization's
efforts around community image and urban design. Hendee currently serves as Vice Chair on the
Board of the Colorado Clean Energy Cluster and as Chair of Fort ZED. He is the founder and a
coordinating member of the Net Zero Cities Conference, an annual international conference
devoted to exploring issues associated with creating zero-energy strategies for cities.
Susan Kaplan founded BuildingWrx in 2011 to help clients find collaborative, sustainable
solutions for greening buildings, sites, cities and businesses. Prior to that, Susan served as the
founding director of sustainability for Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) in New York City
during its groundbreaking creation of some of the greenest urban buildings in the world. Susan
worked in all levels of design and construction in furthering the sustainability goals of BPCA -
from the early development of green design strategies, through construction documentation,
construction, and on to the critical and continuing operations of the properties. As a volunteer on
many committees for US Green Building Council, Susan takes an active role in the development
and constant improvement of all LEED Rating Systems. She is Vice chair, LEED Technical
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25 -26,2014 Page 32
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Committee and a member on the LEED Steering Committee. Susan is a visiting lecturer at
Columbia University, NYU, Cooper Union and other Universities. She holds degrees in
Environmental Science and Landscape Architecture from the School of Environmental Science
and Forestry and from Syracuse University. She is a LEED Accredited Professional (BD+C) and
a Registered Landscape Architect in New York State.
Marina Moses serves as Director for the Science and Technology for Sustainability Program
(STS) in the Policy and Global Affairs Division of the National Academies. In this capacity, she
directs the Roundtable on Science and Technology for Sustainability. Under her leadership, the
STS Program issued the consensus report, Sustainability and the U.S. EPA, and has recently
released a multi-sponsored study, Sustainability for the Nation. Prior to joining the Academies,
Dr. Moses served on the faculty of the George Washington University School of Public Health
and Health Services in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health. Previously,
Dr. Moses held senior scientific positions in the Environmental Management Division of the
U.S. Department of Energy and the New York City office of the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency's Superfund Program. Dr. Moses received her Bachelor's (Chemistry) and Master of
Science (Environmental Health Sciences) degrees from Case Western Reserve University. She
received her Doctorate of Public Health (Environmental Health Sciences) from Columbia
University School of Public Health.
Scott Mouw is Chief of Community and Business Assistance in the North Carolina Division of
Environmental Assistance and Customer Service. Scott directs the state's recycling program,
which includes efforts to improve collection, expand material markets, increase public
participation in recycling, and help create and implement materials management policy. Scott
has served on the board of the Product Stewardship Institute and is a current board member the
Southeast Recycling Development Council. He has also served on the AMERIPEN Technical
Advisory Group, APR's Rigid Plastics Committee, the Sustainable Packaging Coalition Labeling
project, and the EPA Sustainable Recycling Financing dialogue. Scott holds a BA from the
University of Illinois and an MA and MPA from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill.
Bob Perciasepe was appointed by President Obama in 2009 as the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's Deputy Administrator. His career spans nearly four decades as one of the
nation's leading environmental and public policy figures. An expert on environmental
stewardship, advocacy, public policy, and national resource and organizational management,
Perciasepe is widely respected within both the environmental and U.S. business communities.
His extensive experience includes service both inside and outside of government. He served as a
top EPA official in the administration of President Bill Clinton, who appointed him, first, to
serve as the nation's top water official and later as the senior official responsible for air quality
across the U.S. Prior to being named to his current position, he was chief operating officer at the
National Audubon Society, one of the world's leading environmental organizations. He has also
held top positions within state and municipal government, including as Secretary of the
Environment for the State of Maryland and as a senior official for the City of Baltimore.
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25 -26,2014 Page 33
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Perciasepe holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resources from Cornell University and
a master's degree in planning and public administration from the Maxwell School of Syracuse
University.
The Honorable David Price represents North Carolina's Fourth District - a rapidly growing,
research-and-education-focused district that includes parts of Alamance, Orange, Durham,
Wake, Harnett, Chatham and Cumberland counties. He received his undergraduate degree at
UNC-Chapel Hill and went on to Yale University to earn a Bachelor of Divinity and Ph.D. in
Political Science. Before he began serving in Congress in 1987, Price was a professor of Political
Science and Public Policy at Duke University. He is the author of four books on Congress and
the American political system.
Price currently serves on the House Appropriations Committee and is the ranking member of the
Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee. He is also a member of the Appropriations
subcommittees covering housing and transportation and military construction and veterans
affairs. He is a recognized leader in foreign policy, co-chairing the House Democracy
Partnership, which he initiated to help strengthen parliaments in emerging democracies. In North
Carolina, David's constituents know him as a strong supporter of education, accessible health
care, affordable housing, clean air and water, and improved transportation alternatives.
Jennifer Rawlings graduated from the University of Texas in Austin with a Bachelor's Degree
in Geography and the Environment. She has over seven years of experience at Fort Hood US
Army Installation working in the areas of sustainable design and development, LEED project
execution, pollution prevention and sustainability for the Directorate of Public Works. She
continues to implement the development of a strategic Central Texas Sustainable Communities
Partnership for Fort Hood and neighboring cities which work towards the improvement of
economic vitality and quality of life for the region's citizens to include regional recycling, water
and energy conservation, and renewable energy. Most recently she has taken on the
responsibility of Environmental Program Manager for Fort Hood's net zero waste and
sustainability efforts. She is helping to create a culture that recognizes the value of sustainability.
William "Bill" Ross is the former Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environment
and Natural Resources. He has returned to Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard,
LLP and is resident in the firm's Raleigh office. Bill led the State's primary environmental
protection and natural resources conservation agency from 2001-2009. At Brooks Pierce, he
focuses on the firm's green growth and sustainability practice. Bill is a visiting scholar at Duke
University and a natural resources policy consultant. At Duke, Ross is part of a special
partnership between the Nicholas School of the Environment and Duke's cancer program. The
partnership explores environmental links to cancer in an effort to improve people's health and
the quality of the environment. As a natural resources policy consultant, Bill has worked on
innovative ways to conserve, protect, and sustain natural resources while also meeting economic,
social, and national defense objectives. Two examples of that work are America's Longleaf, an
Workshop: Promoting Sustainability Through Net Zero Strategies - February 25-26,2014 Page 34
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initiative to restore longleaf pine across the southeast, and Veridea, the proposed sustainable,
mixed-use, transit-oriented, pedestrian-friendly development in Apex.
Nolan Zail served as Senior Vice President of Development at Carmel Partners, Inc. He was
responsible for new development projects and the redevelopment, and operations, of properties
acquired in Northern California. He led the Carmel Partners team at UC Davis West Village
from its initial concept through its current development. Prior to joining Carmel Partners, he
served as a Project Manager at Santa Clara Development Co., where he was responsible for
managing the development of single-family and multifamily housing projects. Nolan has worked
for corporate, non-for-profit and government entities with over 16 years of experience in the
design and development of residential and commercial projects including Grand Central
Terminal redevelopment in New York. Nolan holds a Bachelor in Architecture from the Royal
Melbourne Institute of Technology, Graduate Diploma in Environmental Horticulture from the
University of Melbourne and a Masters in Real Estate degree from New York University.
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Appendix 4: Participants
First
Last
Organization
Terry
Albrecht
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Paul
Anastas
Yale University
Jay
Bassett
EPA, Region 4
Crystal
Bergemann
Sustainable Housing and Communities, HUD
Alicia
Chakrabarti
East Bay Municipal Utility District
Cheryl
Coleman
EPA
Sandra
Conners
Office of Policy, EPA
Dan
Costa
EPA
Joseph
Fiksel
ORD, EPA
Gary
Foley
EPA
David
Gard
The Oberlin Project
Jay
Garland
ORD, NERL, EPA
Bob
Gedert
Austin Resource Recovery Department, City of Austin
Andrew
Geller
SHC, ORD, EPA
Ellen
Gilinsky
OW, EPA
Fred
Hauchman
ORD, EPA
Susie
Hazen
Federal Consulting Group
Alan
Hecht
ORD, EPA
David
Heins
US Army
Bruce
Hendee
City of Ft. Collins
Ron
Hoffer
EPA
Todd
Hunter
US Army
Richard
Jackson
Fielding School of Public Health, UCLA
Wanda
Johnson
US Army
Lek
Kadeli
ORD, EPA
Ozge
Kaplan
ORD,EPA
Susan
Kaplan
Sustainable Performance Consulting
Paula
Kehoe
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Kristine
Kingery
US Army
Marc
Kodack
US Army
Steve
Kolouch
US Army
Matthew
Lee
EPA, Region 3
Carol
Lenox
ORD, EPA
Barry
Liner
Water Environment Federation
David
Lloyd
Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization, EPA
Alex
Long
US Army
Elaine
Loyack
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Andy
Mangan
U.S. Business Council for Sustainable Development
Anna
Mangum
NC State Industrial Extension Service
Melissa
McCullough
ORD, EPA
Mike
McDonald
EPA
Stan
Meiburg
EPA, Region 4
John
Mire
US Army
Ardra
Morgan
ORD, NERL, EPA
Michael
Morton
EPA
Marina
Moses
The National Academies of Science
Scott
Mouw
North Carolina Department of Environmental Assistance and
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Michael
Nye
ORD, EPA
Steve
Nygren
Serenbe
Kenneth
Olden
EPA
Jennifer
Orme-Zavaleta
NERL, ORD, EPA
Lauren
Patterson
Nicholas Institute, Duke University
Donna
Perla
ORD, EPA
Naomi
Poral
Transform Urban LLC
Peter
Preuss
EPA
Andrew
Procter
EPA
Chris
Pyke
U.S. Green Building Council
Jennifer
Rawlings
Ft. Hood U.S. Army Installation
Chris
Rayburn
Water Research Foundation
Linda
Rimer
EPA, Region 4
William
Ross
Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard, LLP
Thomas
Ruiz
EPA, Region 6
Kathryn
Saterson
NHEERL, EPA
Gregory
Sayles
ORD, EPA
Ben
Scaggs
EPA, Region 4
Scott
Sklar
George Washington University
Michael
Slimak
NPD, SHC, EPA
Matt
Small
EPA
Betsy
Smith
ORD, EPA
Mike
Smith
EPA
Cynthia
Sonich-Mullin
NRMRL, ORD
Thomas
Speth
ORD, EPA
John
Steenbock
NRMRL, EPA
John
Thomas
Office of Sustainable Communities, EPA
Bob
Thompson
NRMRL, EPA
Ramona
T rovato
ORD, EPA
Dena
Vallano
EPA
Alan
Vette
EPA
Barbara
Walton
NHEERL, ORD, EPA
Elaine
Wright
Federal Consulting Group
Nolan
Zaii
Transform Urban, LLC
Jose
Zambrana
ORD, EPA
Valerie
Zartarian
NERL, ORD, EPA
Harold
Zenick
NHEERL, EPA
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Sustainable and Resilient Resources Achieving Net Zero Waste, Water, and Energy
EPA and the Army pilot NetZero technologies and innovations on military installations
Appendix 5: Net Zero Factsheet
v>EPA
i ZTTS
www.epa.gov/research
science in ACTION
INNOVATIVE RESEARCH FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
In 2011, EPA's Office of Research and Development signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Honorable
Katherine Hammack, Assistant Secretary of the Army for
Installations, Energy and Environment to support the Army's
Net zero Initiative. The Army began the net zero initiative in
2011 as a vision to enable the Army to appropriately safeguard
available resources, manage costs and natural resources on its
installations. The 17 net zero pilot installations participating
in the initiative aim to produce only as much energy as used;
limit freshwater use and increase water reuse; and reduce the
generation of solid waste. Under the MOU, ORD is currently
working with one pilot installation, Fort Riley, Kansas, to
demonstrate new and innovative technology, methods and
approaches that will not only help all installations achieve net
zero goals, but also advance the state of the science. The hope is
that joint successes can then be used by other Army and non-
Army installations and, municipalities across the country.
In 2012, EPA signed a MOU with Dr. Dorothy Robyn, the
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and
Environment to jointly promote and demonstrate innovative
technologies on Department of Defense (DoD) bases. This not
only complements the partnership with the Army, but expands
opportunities to promote and transfer technology successes
across the board to military bases and the surrounding
communities.
How are EPA and the Army working together?
At Fort Riley, Kansas, EPA scientists and engineers are working
with the Army, the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest
National Laboratory (PNNL), U.S.Army Corps of Engineers
(USACE), U.S. EPA U.S. Geological Survey's Kansas State
University partnership, and other partners to identify and test a
variety of technologies and innovations.
Under this truly cross agency, transdisciplinary, partnership, there
are currently three research projects being conducted at Ft.
Riley including:
Water reuse: This project will demonstrate and test the
effectiveness of reducing drinkable water use through a
decentralized treatment of wastewater from sewer lines also
known as sewer mining. The advantage of a decentralized
treatment system versus a centralized wastewater treatment
plant is that a decentralized system decreases the pumping
and infrastructure costs, which could decrease energy costs. It
also increases water security for mission critical infrastructure
located on the installation. At Ft Riley, decentralized treatment
systems will be installed and tested by EPA scientists and
engineers. First, EPA wili test a commercially available aerobic
membrane bioreactor (MBR) for water treatment and store
recycled water for local non-drinkable reuse at a scale of about
5,000 gallons per day. Second, EPA will test a more advanced
anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR). In addition to
treatment systems, tools that monitor the performance of such
systems will be demonstrated and evaluated.The performance
data on such systems, including energy efficiency and
maintenance costs, will provide decision makers at Ft. Riley and
other Army facilities, a basis for selecting alternative approaches
for reducing water and energy use.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development
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Containment and Control of Contaminated
Wastewater: Ft. Riley uses mostly recycled water and some
potable water in a central vehicle wash facility to clean military
vehicles.Water from this facility could be treated and reused
elsewhere on the installation; however, a military vehicle might
become contaminated with a chemical, biological or radiological
(CBR) warfare agent in the field.This project will test ways,
using harmless surrogates introduced into the wash water as
substitutes for CBR agents.The dirty water which flows off
of vehicles might contain oil, grease, metals, and mixtures of
suspended solids like dirt and mud.This study is important
because the presence of more organic/inorganic materials in
water can affect the inactivation of these CBR agents. Data
resulting from this study will then be available to cities, states, or
the Department of Defense facilities that may have to treat large
volumes of contaminated water.
Outreach and Water Conservation: This project
addresses the social drivers of water demand and the
effectiveness of water conservation education and outreach.
For example, the amount of water used during showering is
determined as much by technology used (i.e. high efficiency
showerheads vs. standard showerheads) as it is by the length
of time someone spends in the shower.The project will engage,
educate, and empower the community living and working at
Ft. Riley to conserve water resources at the installation, and
measure the effectiveness of these efforts. In working with
EPA on this project, Ft. Riley has become an EPA WaterSense
partner - the first Army installation and has full access to tools
and educational materials to meet the needs of the community.
Approximately 60-80 participants on the installation will have
their water consumption measured by water meters.The project
will establish a residential water use profile for the installation.
Based on this profile, EPA researchers will promote water
conservation to educate the community about innovative water
saving technologies. EPA is also working with Ft. Riley schools as
part of the education and outreach component of the project.
Data collected by water meters and from Army administered
surveys will provide real-time feedback on the effectiveness of
the outreach and conservation campaign.The entire Ft. Riley
community will be encouraged to save water and identify waste
hot-spots around the installation.
Building broader EPA and military partnerships
EPA is currently partnering with DoD in support of the
Environmental Security Technology Certification Program
(ESTCP) Water Reuse solicitation. Demonstration projects
are sought for innovative, energy efficient, low maintenance
systems for decentralized treatment and recycling of wastewater
on military installations. Projects will be selected, funded, and
managed jointly with the EPA (ORD, Office ofWater, National
Center for Environmental Research, and National Exposure
Research Laboratory) in support of ORD's Safe and Sustainable
Water Resources (SSWR) Program. Successful technology
demonstrations resulting from this effort will not only help
advance the state of the science and SSWR research program,
but also provide real world solutions to the U.S. military as well
as communities and municipalities across the country.Awards
are expected in March 2014.
What's next for EPA's Net Zero?
With the success of these partnerships, EPA is looking to
expand their net zero-related activities to communities. The
long-term objective of this effort is to help communities
become more sustainable and resilient through the development
and deployment of net zero strategies and technologies. By
pooling federal, state, and local expertise and resources and,
setting specific goals such as net zero waste, water, and energy,
we anticipate that net zero strategies can be embraced by
communities while simultaneously fostering economic growth
and promoting citizen health and well-being.
The first step in expanding our net zero efforts to communities
will be a workshop in Research Triangle Park, NC on February
25 and 26,2014, entitled "Promoting Sustainable Communities
through Net Zero Strategies." The workshop will convene
experienced community leaders and Federal agencies for the
purpose of identifying, I) barriers, solutions, and lessons learned
from implementing net zero waste, water, and energy strategies
at various scales and 2) ways in which EPA and other Federal
agency partners can facilitate and support these sustainability
efforts. Stay tuned!
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development
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