International Sustainability Workshop

The EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) hosted an international workshop on "Meeting the Future: A Research Agenda for Sustainability" from May 18 to 20, 2005. More than 170 individuals participated, representing a broad range of U.S. and international organizations in the public and private sectors. The workshop took place in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.

The "Meeting the Future" workshop focused on applied tools, methods, research, and cutting-edge issues on sustainable development. Case studies, models, and methodologies for making sustainability operational across a range of sectors and issues were highlighted and future research needs were identified.

You may read one-paragraph Highlights (About PDF, 11pp., 94KB) of each of the 40+ presentations and, under the agenda below, the full presentations.

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Alan Hecht, Director for Sustainable Development, Office of Research and Development (ORD)/EPA
Introduction to the Workshop: Meeting the Future (About PDF, 7pp., 377KB)

E. Timothy Oppelt, Acting Assistant Administrator, ORD/EPA
Welcome

Jonathan Lash, President, World Resources Institute
Keynote Address: Environmental Leadership, Markets and Sustainability (About PDF, 40pp., 3.7MB)

U.S. and European Sustainability Research Strategies
Chaired by William Farland, Acting Science Advisor, EPA, and Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for Science, ORD/EPA

William Farland
Meeting the Future: Developing A Research Agenda for Sustainability (About PDF, 21pp., 609KB)

Karl Wollin, Assistant Head of Division, Sustainability Concepts for Production and Consumption, Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Germany
Research for Sustainability: Framework Program of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for a Sustainable, Innovative Society (About PDF, 14pp., 290KB)

Panel Discussion: Future Trends and Frontiers of Science and Technology for Sustainability
Chaired by David Rejeski, Director, Foresight and Governance Project, Woodrow Wilson Center, and member, EPA Science Advisory Board
• What current and emerging technologies can have the greatest impact on sustainability over the next two decades?
• How is sustainability related to economic competitiveness and innovation?
• How can non-regulatory incentives foster the development and implementation of science and technology for sustainability?

Brent Erickson, Vice President, Industrial and Environmental Section, Biotechnology Industry Association
Industrial Biotechnology for Sustainability: The Future is Now (About PDF, 48pp., 2.6MB)

Barbara Karn, Environmental Scientist, National Center for Environmental Research, ORD/EPA
Nanotechnology and Sustainability (About PDF, 13pp., 537KB)

Brad Allenby, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Arizona State University
Technology as a Defining Discourse (About PDF, 12pp., 464KB)

Thursday, May 19, 2005

Toward a 21st-Century Research Agenda for Sustainable Development at Subnational Levels
Chaired by Prof. Michael Depledge, Head of Science, UK Environment Agency

John Dernbach, Professor, Widener Law School, and Director of Policy, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Sustainability at State and Local Levels in the United States (About PDF, 37pp., 321KB)

Annette Gatchett, Acting Director, Land Remediation and Pollution Control Division, ORD/EPA
US-German Bilateral Working Group: An International Collaboration in Revitalizing Contaminated Land (About PDF, 18pp., 1.6MB)

Karl Wollin, Assistant Head of Division, Sustainability Concepts for Production and Consumption, Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Germany
Cooperation of Federal Government, Länder, Local Authorities & Stakeholders in the German R&D Program on Sustainable Land Management (About PDF, 23pp., 825KB)

Betsy Smith, Director, Regional Vulnerability Assessment Program, ORD/EPA
Balancing Competing Demands: The Sustainable Environment for Quality of Life (SEQL) Project (About PDF, 22pp., 1.5MB)

Panel Discussion on Urban Sustainability
Chaired by John Crittenden, Richard Snell Presidential Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Arizona State University; and Member, EPA Science Advisory Board
• How can integrated urban planning decisions lead to the greatest long-term benefit, ensuring social inclusion, accessibility, public amenities, urban transparency, and environmental sustainability?
• What advances in science and technology can best support integrated urban planning for sustainability?
• What are the grand research challenges for understanding the links between urban development and human health?
• How does sustainability enhance the economic and social well-being and quality of life of communities, their organizations and cultures?

John Crittenden, Richard Snell Presidential Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Arizona State University; and Member, EPA Science Advisory Board
Urban Sustainability (About PDF, 38pp., 4.0MB)

Eric Ponthieu, Head of Section, Urban Sustainability and Cultural Heritage, Directorate General for Research, European Commission
EU Urban Sustainability Research /a> (About PDF, 9pp., 99KB)

Volker Hartkopf, Professor of Architecture, Carnegie Mellon University
Building Energy, Water, and Land-use: Our Common (Un-?) Future (About PDF, 48pp., 4.8MB)

Donna N. Myers, Chief, National Water-Quality Assessment Program, U.S. Geological Survey
Urbanization and Stream Ecosystem Sustainability (About PDF, 15pp., 591KB)

Jerri-Anne Garl, Director, Office of Science, Ecosystems and Communities, EPA Region V, Chicago
The Region 5 Great Cities Partnerships(About PDF, 17pp., 692KB)

Harry Wiland, President and CEO, Media and Policy Center Foundation
Eden 's Lost and Found: A Documentary on Sustainable Cities (preview of PBS special program)

Frontier Issues in Sustainability Research (Part 1)
Chaired by Timo Makela, Director of Sustainable Development and Integration, Directorate General for Environment, European Commission

Dr. Howard Frumkin, Professor and Chair, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University
Sustainability and Human Health (About PDF, 63pp., 2.0MB)

Dr. Dennis L. Hjeresen, Manager, Pollution Prevention Program, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Green Chemistry: The Impact on Water Quality and Supplies (About PDF, 21pp., 1.3MB)

Charles Bennett, Senior Research Associate, and Meredith Whiting, Senior Fellow, The Conference Board
Energy and Sustainability in the 21st Century (About PDF, 21pp., 244KB)

Prof. Tim Jackson, Centre for Environmental Strategy, University of Surrey
Motivating Sustainable Consumption: A Review of Evidence on Consumer Behaviour and Behavioural Change (About PDF, 20pp., 657KB)

Panel Discussion: The Business and Social Case for Sustainability
Chaired by Paul Portney, President, Resources for the Future
• What are the key factors supporting the business case for sustainability?
• What are the drivers for industry to go beyond compliance and exceed regulatory requirements?
• How should corporate financial reporting account for long-term environmental and public health liabilities?
• What roles can consumers and the public play to establish corporate accountability and social responsibility?

Scott Noesen, Director of Sustainable Development, Dow Chemical Company
The Business Case of Sustainable Development (About PDF, 12pp., 71KB)

John Mizroch, President and CEO, World Environment Center
The Business Case for Sustainability (About PDF, 14pp., 155KB)

Adrienne Atwell, Manager, Environmental Liability Department, Swiss Re Americas Division
The Business and Social Case (About PDF, 6pp., 101KB)

Roby Muntoni, Vice President, FTSE Americas
Adding Values to Your Investments (About PDF, 21pp., 218KB)

Mathew Clark, Economist, Environmental Engineering Research Division, ORD/EPA
The Business Case for Sustainability: EPA Research Interests (About PDF, 11pp., 64KB)

Sol Salinas, Deputy Director, Office of Technology Cooperation and Assistance, Office of International Affairs, EPA
An Elephant on Wall Street: A Case Study in Successful Public-Private Sector Dialogue on Corporate Performance (About PDF, 28pp., 321KB)

Friday, May 20, 2005

Frontier Issues in Sustainability Research (Part 2)
Chaired by Teresa Fryberger, Assistant Director for Environment, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of the President

Kenneth Ruffing, Deputy Director for Environment, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
OECD Perspectives on Material Management (About PDF, 37pp., 151KB)

Donald Rogich, Consultant to World Resources Institute
Research and Policy Implications of Material Flows (About PDF, 23pp., 173KB)

Thomas Dunne, Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, EPA
Managing Materials and Not Waste (About PDF, 6pp., 30KB)

Bradley Raffle, Partner, Baker Botts LLP
Economic Incentives for Land Conservation (About PDF, 34pp., 633KB)

Gary Foley, Director, National Exposure Research Laboratory, ORD/EPA
Integrating Monitoring and Decision Tools for Sustainability: GEOSS -- The Global Earth Observation System of Systems (About PDF, 39pp., 813KB)

Timo Makela, Director of Sustainable Development and Integration, Directorate General for Environment, European Commission
The EU Sustainable Development Strategy: Defining and Measuring Progress and Sustainability (About PDF, 22pp., 270KB)

Concluding Panel Discussion: Frontier Issues for Sustainability Research Agendas and Links to Policy and Regulatory Issues
Chaired by David Stanners, International Program Manager, European Environment Agency
• What research areas for sustainability must have the highest priority for the future?
• What are the primary drivers advancing sustainability among scientists, regulators, and policy makers?

David Stanners, International Program Manager, European Environment Agency
GEARing-up Sustainable Development Assessment (About PDF, 8pp., 45KB)

Alain Vidal, Head, European and International Affairs Office, Agricultural and Environmental Research Institute (CEMAGREF) and Mikael Hilden, Programme Director of Research Department, Finnish Environment Institute
Sustainability Indicators and Sustainability Research: Comments based on a PEER Conference (About PDF, 11pp., 239KB)

Kirk Hamilton, Lead Economist, Development Economics Research Group, World Bank
Measuring Sustainability for Decision-making (About PDF, 8pp., 217KB)

J. Todd Mitchell, President, Houston Advanced Research Center
HARC: Positioning, Operating, and Programs (About PDF, 10pp., 505KB)

E. Donald Elliott, Chair, Environmental Law Department, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
Can Sustainability Be Achieved Within Current Regulatory Frameworks? (About PDF, 10pp., 212KB)

Remarks Concluding the International Workshop
Alan Hecht

Photos from the workshop: