An Allegory about NIMBYism

Remove contaminated soil.
Restore the aquifer to drinking water quality.
Replace air strippers that vent to the atmosphere with carbon filters.
Redevelop properties to bring in new tenants and raise property values.

What do these objectives have in common?
Throughout the history of a particular Silicon Valley Superfund site, these goals have been supported by the community, responsible parties, and regulators.  And at face value, they each appear to be protective of human health and the environment and benefit the neighboring community.

Only more recently has the concept of sustainable remediation been used to look at cleanup programs from a holistic viewpoint, and examine the collateral damage that some remedial decisions can cause, even those that appear to be protective.

In the 2008 Optimization Evaluation reports prepared by Northgate, Geosyntec, Weiss, and Schlumberger, we found that annual carbon (CO2) emissions related to the operation of five treatment systems at the Silicon Valley Superfund site ranged from 42 to 281 metric tons. For comparison, the EPA estimates that the annual CO2 emissions from a typical passenger vehicle are approximately 5 metric tons.

In a 2010 economic analysis of 25 San Francisco Bay Area Superfund sites, Northgate staff, Maile Smith and Scott McLaughlin found that although concentrations of groundwater pollutants had been greatly reduced, contaminant removal rates were insufficient to reach cleanup goals.  Furthermore, we found that the benefits of groundwater cleanup were reduced by the cross-media (e.g., water to air) pollution impacts of the remediation programs. The study indicated that the collective pollution reduction achieved by the cleanup programs at these sites is less than the pollution generated by the production of goods and services required to operate and maintain the cleanup programs themselves.

And this week the Center for Investigative Reporting published an article on the journey of the groundwater pollutants from that particular Silicon Valley Superfund site, illustrating the pathway that pollution takes after it is pumped from the ground and filtered through those carbon vessels.

“There’s really no such thing as throwing something away,” said Environmental Protection Agency spokesman Rusty Harris-Bishop. “You’re always throwing it somewhere.”

It's an interesting tale, and certainly highlights the potential collateral damage that can occur when we collectively decide, "not in my backyard."

Read the complete article here:  http://cironline.org/reports/cleanup-silicon-valley-superfund-site-takes-environmental-toll-6149

Sustainable Remediation Basics :: Online Education Opportunity

CL:AIRE introduces a new e-learning module titled "Sustainable Remediation Appraisal".

This online course delivers approximately four hours of learning with two assessments per module. On completion of the course and passing the assessments, a personalised PDF certificate will be issued for your continuing professional development.

This course presents an overview of sustainable remediation. In the first instance looking at the emergence of sustainable remediation as a topic and defining what it means. Secondly, by introducing the frameworks and guidance that have been developed and examining how these may be applied in practice. Finally, it looks at the range of tools and techniques that may be applied through the life-cycle of the process.

The course costs £50 + VAT and payment is possible via PayPal.

More details about the course content is available on the attached flyer, or you can visit CL:AIRE's website www.claire.co.uk/elearning.

ITRC Guidance for Green and Sustainable Remediation

The Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC) has released its document, Green and Sustainable Remediation: A Practical Framework, which aims to educate, inform, and assist state regulators and other stakeholders in the concepts and challenges of green and sustainable practices and their integration into existing site investigation and remediation programs.

Further information is available on the ITRC web page devoted to green and sustainable remediation.

New Sustainable Remediation Resources

Several new sustainable remediation resources are available via the SURF website:

New LCA study (in "Links") - Life-Cycle Case Study Comparison of Permeable Reactive Barrier versus Pump-and-Treat Remediation, a November 2009 Environmental Science and Technology article by Monica R. Higgins and Terese M. Olson of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

New conference proceedings (in "Links") - GreenRemediation: Incorporating Sustainable Approaches in Site Remediation - International Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark, November 9-10, 2009

New paper/presentation on the application of "sustainability" in site cleanup (in "Library") - Developments in Sustainability Assessment within Contaminated Land Management, Perspectives of SuRF-UK and NICOLE, a 2009 paper and presentation by R. Paul Bardos, r3 environmental technology ltd (copyright r3 environmental technology ltd)

Superfund Green Remediation Strategy - Request for Comments

Memorandum from James E. Woolford, Director, Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation

The Superfund Remedial Program has developed a strategy that sets out its current plans to reduce energy use and enhance the environmental performance of remedial and non-time critical removal actions undertaken to address hazardous waste sites. The development of the Strategy reflects EPA’s recognition that at many sites, more can be done to limit the environmental footprint of Superfund activities, while at the same time protecting human health and the environment. I am writing to ask for your comments on the Strategy.

Developed by a workgroup of Headquarters and regional staff, the Superfund Green Remediation Strategy is an initial effort to outline key actions and related activities that can be undertaken to promote green remediation. These action items fall into three major categories: policy and guidance development, resource development and program implementation, and program evaluation. The Strategy also contains a number of recommendations including calling for EPA to implement a series of near-term program initiatives and establish a baseline of Superfund energy usage.

The Strategy is available at http://www.epa.gov/superfund/greenremediation. EPA will accept comments until November 10, 2009.

Comments should be sent to:
Superfund Green Remediation Strategy, Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation, U.S. EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Mail Code 5204P, Washington, DC 20460 or may be e-mailed to Superfund_Green_Remediation@epa.gov.

ASTM Green Cleanup at Waste Sites

EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) has been working with private and public partners to foster the use of best management practices (BMPs) for green remediation at waste sites throughout the US. The EPA developed a list of green cleanup core elements that may serve as a framework for an ASTM green cleanup standard (posted here). The existing core elements were developed using input from the EPA’s April 2009 public website posting as well as from other public conferences and meetings.

The E50 Green Cleanup Task Group Leader, Helen Waldorf, is in the process of using the core elements to develop an initial draft ASTM Guide. Discussions for initiation of the standard have included members from ASTM staff and Committee E50, EPA, industry and State agencies. This standards development project was also approved by the E50.90 Executive Subcommittee.

First Meeting

The first meeting for the ASTM E50.04 Green Cleanup Task Group will take place in conjunction with the regularly scheduled E50 meetings on Thursday, October 22, 2009 8:00 am-4:00 pm in Atlanta at the Hyatt Regency. The purpose of this meeting will be to review the core elements as well as a draft outline for the ASTM Guide (Guide to be distributed prior to the meeting). A detailed agenda will also be distributed a few weeks prior to the October 22 meeting.

Registration

Members and non-members can register for the E50 meetings by visiting the ASTM Website. Simply click “Meetings” from the left side menu and then select “Committee E50” from the drop down. Then click “Environmental Assessment, Risk Management and corrective Action” in order to register, download the complete E50 schedule and access hotel and other information.

Call for Participation

If you are a non-member and are interested in joining ASTM Committee E50, please visit www.astm.org and click “Membership” from the left side menu. Complete the online application and indicate that you want to join Committee E50 on Environmental Assessment, Risk Management and Corrective Action and the E50.04 Corrective Action Subcommittee. As a member, you are able to vote and provide input on standards ballots. You will also have access to minutes, agendas, meeting information and other E50 documents. Members are entitled to one free Book of Standards. All E50 standards are found in Volume 11.05 (select Volume 11.05 during the application process).

All stakeholders interested in serving on the Green Cleanup task group should contact Dan Smith (dsmith@astm.org). Task Group members will be placed on the email distribution list and will receive Green Cleanup progress reports, revised drafts, notices of upcoming meetings, etc.

If you have any questions about membership or Committee E50, please contact Dan Smith (dsmith@astm.org). If you have any technical questions about the development of the ASTM Green Cleanup standard, please contact Helen Waldorf (hawaldorf@aol.com).

Draft ASTM Green Cleanup Core Elements

Green Cleanup Core Elements

1. Minimizes Total Energy Use and Maximizes Use of Renewable Energy

• Minimize energy consumption (e.g., use energy efficient equipment)
• Power cleanup equipment through onsite renewable energy sources
• Purchase commercial energy from renewable resources

2. Minimizes Air Pollutants and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

• Minimize the generation of greenhouse gases
• Minimize generation and transport of airborne contaminants and dust
• Use heavy equipment efficiently (e.g., use a diesel emission reduction plan)
• Maximize use of machinery equipped with advanced emission controls
• Use cleaner fuels to power machinery and auxiliary equipment
• Sequester carbon dioxide onsite (e.g., use soil amendments, revegetate)
  

3. Minimizes Water Use and Impacts to Water Resources

• Minimize water use and depletion of natural water resources
• Capture, reclaim and store water for reuse (e.g., as aquifer recharge, irrigation)
• Minimize water demand for revegetation (e.g., use native species)
• Employ best management practices for stormwater

4. Reduces, Reuses and Recycles Material and Waste

• Minimize consumption of virgin materials
• Minimize waste generation
• Use recycled products and local materials
• Segregate and reuse or recycle materials, products, and infrastructure (e.g., soil, construction and demolition debris, buildings)

5. Optimizes Future Land Use and Protects Ecosystems

• Integrate anticipated site use or reuse plans into the cleanup strategy.
• Minimize areas requiring activity or use limitations (e.g., destroy or remove contaminant sources)
• Minimize unnecessary soil and habitat disturbance or destruction
• Use native species to support habitat
• Minimize noise and lighting disturbance

6. Optimizes Sustainable Management Practices During Stewardship

• Maximize long term system performance through periodic evaluation, maintenance and optimization
• Minimize energy use, material consumption, and waste generation from sampling and monitoring procedures
• Ensure clear responsibility and implementation processes for monitoring and maintaining all engineered and institutional controls

ASTM Sustainability Committee Meeting

The ASTM Sustainability Committee (E60) will have their semi-annual meeting October 18-22, 2009, at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, Georgia.

ASTM staff will provide several training sessions on various subjects (including "Developing and Revising an ASTM Standard" and a workshop on Life Cycle Assessment) to educate and assist officers, members, and non-members of ASTM committees.

One must be registered to attend ASTM Meetings. The cut-off for ASTM preregistration is Wednesday, October 14, 2009. Onsite registration may be available after this date.

Navy Releases Sustainable Remediation Fact Sheet

The NAVFAC Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center Optimization Work Group has released a Sustainable Environmental Remediation Fact Sheet.

The Fact Sheet presents a definition of sustainable environmental remediation (SER), example SER metrics, an example environmental footprint methodology, and suggestions on how to reduce environmental footprints.

A member of the group says it continues to work on other sustainability guidance and products in an effort to bring awareness to sustainable practices throughout all phases of remediation.

Sustainable Remediation White Paper Now Available

How do we fix the environment without causing more damage in the process?
PRNewswire-USNewswire, New York, July 14, 2009

The Sustainable Remediation Forum (SURF) has issued the first comprehensive, independent assessment of sustainable remediation -- a movement to encourage environmental clean-ups that minimize carbon emissions, conserve fossil fuels and still remove potentially dangerous contaminants from soil and water.

The Sustainable Remediation Forum White Paper is available from SURF and has been published in a special summer 2009 issue of Remediation Journal. Northgate president, Deni Chambers, and Sustainability Coordinator, Maile Smith, are contributing authors on the document.

Former EPA Administrator and New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman called the white paper's release "a watershed event in public policy deliberations about environmental remediation."

"For the first time, scientists, regulators and responsible parties are questioning whether a clean-up that releases tons of carbon emissions into the air in order to remove a few pounds of contaminants from the soil provides a net environmental benefit to the public," Whitman said. "It's crucial that 21st century environmental clean-ups burn less fuel, emit less greenhouse gas and still protect human health and the environment."

Read the complete press release here, and on CNBC.

Find It, Fix It, Sustain It Week

Southern California Education and Research Center
UCLA, UC Irvine - Continuing Education and Outreach
August 25-27, 2009

A three-day workshop has been developed that offers a unique opportunity to learn both the theory and practice of sustainable environmental management, including the engineering, scientific, legal, political, and ethical dimensions of environmental sustainability.

Day 1 Overview - A rigorous analysis of scientific, legal, political and ethical issues will be conducted. Definitions and trade-offs between Brownfield and Greenfield development will be discussed. Innovative geo-chemical & geo-physical site investigation tools are now available to optimize the selective application of targeted remedial remedies in contaminant source areas. Principles of chemistry data validation will be reviewed.

Day 2 Overview - Cutting edge onsite soil & groundwater remediation solutions will be discussed, including how to include sustainability principles and practices into remedial decision making, remedy optimization, and remedy changes. Sustainable remediation incorporates a judicious evaluation of limited resources when selecting and implementing remedies to maximize the net environmental, societal, and economic benefits of a cleanup action.

Day 3 Overview - Day 3 will cover performance oriented regulation, an alternative to "command and control" compliance, whereby specific environmental performance goals, such as a reduction in the pollution associated with a process, is specified by the regulation and each facility determines the best method to achieve this goal. Proactive beyond compliance Sustainable Environmental Management Systems can form the basis for the format of such a plan.

Read more here: http://www.ph.ucla.edu/erc/sustainit-0809.pdf

International Conference on Green Remediation: Environment - Energy - Economics

International Conference on Green Remediation, June 15-17, 2010, in Amherst, Massachusetts

The conference will address the full range of environmental, energy, and economic aspects of green and sustainable remediation, taking into account the energy requirements of treatment systems, air emissions, water use requirements, and impacts on water resources, land and ecosystem use and impacts, energy use and renewables, material consumption, reuse, and waste generation.

Abstracts are encouraged in all areas of green and sustainable remediation, from basic to applied research, from case studies to demonstration projects.

Potential topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:

* Sustainable Remediation Technologies
* Green Cleanups (e.g., low impact design, clean construction)
* Greening Brownfields
* Sustainable Site Redevelopment
* Life Cycle Analysis
* Renewable Energy Projects on Contaminated Sites
* Ecological Revitalization
* Green Nanotechnology for Site Remediation
* Water/Energy Use and Efficiency
* Process and Site Optimization
* Sustainable Reuse
* Measurement and Assessment Techniques
* Best Management Practices
* Decision Support Tools
* Cost and Performance Case Studies
* Global Perspectives on Sustainable Remediation
* Policy and Regulatory Issues

Deadline for platform presentations is November 1, 2009.
Abstracts will be accepted online at http://www.umass.edu/tei/conferences/GreenRemediation/GreenHome.html beginning mid-August 2009.

For more information, visit http://www.umass.edu/tei/conferences/GreenRemediation/GreenHome.html.

AFCEE Sustainable Remediation Tool Now Available

To aid environmental professionals in incorporating sustainability concepts into their remediation decision-making process, the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment (AFCEE) developed, tested, and released the Sustainable Remediation Tool (SRT).

The SRT is designed to evaluate and compare remediation technologies on the basis of sustainability metrics, to aid environmental professionals in planning for the future implementation of remediation technologies at a particular site, and to help achieve Remedial Process Optimization (RPO) goals and comply with Executive Order 13423.

Initial technologies that may be evaluated using the SRT include excavation, soil vapor extraction, pump and treat, and enhanced in-situ biodegradation. AFCEE intends to add additional technology modules to the tool in the future.

Green Remediation Resources

April is Green Remediation month at EPA's Technology Innovation Program Contaminated Site Clean-Up Information website (CLU-IN)

During April 2009, CLU-IN will focus on "green" resources. In celebration of Earth Day, CLU-IN and TechDirect (CLU-IN's monthly newsletter) will draw attention to resources that promote energy efficiency, alternative energy sources, greenhouse gas reductions, water conservation and quality, waste reduction, material recycling or reuse, reduced consumption of all natural resources, and other sustainable strategies for contaminated site cleanup.

Resources include:

• Webinar archives for previous green remediation seminars and presentations
• Links to profiles and case studies of green remediation sites
• The Green Remediation Best Management Practice Tool Kit, which offers a handful of links to agency fact sheets
• EPA's Green Remediation Primer
• EPA fact sheet, Incorporating Sustainable Environmental Practices into Site Remediation of Contaminated Sites
• EPA fact sheet of BMPs for excavation and surface restoration
• Green Remediation fact sheet
• National Association of Remedial Project Managers (NARPM) Green Remediation Training manual

Comments and feedback are also requested on the following EPA initiatives:

EPA's Green Remediation Standard
EPA is considering the development of voluntary standards and a verification system for "green cleanups" that would guide and stimulate efficient, cost-effective, and low-impact site remediation by encouraging property owners, developers, and communities to go beyond state and federal requirements for cleanup and land revitalization projects. EPA is soliciting stakeholder feedback on the framework through April 30th.
- see below for more information -

EPA Region 9's LUST Cleanup Footprint Calculator
EPA Region 9 is working on a tool that quantifies environmental externalities that result from the cleanup of a Leaking UST site in California. Output metrics will include green house gas emissions, energy usage, and water usage. This calculator will capture relevant information and calculate environmental benefits of the most common remedial technologies used at LUST sites, including Soil Vapor Extraction, Pump and Treat, Soil Excavation, and Dual-Phase Extraction. Feedback and comments are solicited on their wiki page.

EPA Region 2's Clean and Green policy
The aim of this policy is to enhance the environmental benefits of Superfund cleanups. The core principles of the plan include:
* Use of 100% of electricity from renewable sources
* Concrete made with Coal Combustion Products (CCP) replacing a portion of traditional cement
* Clean diesel fuels and technologies
* Methane capture at landfill sites

- More on the EPA Green Remediation Standard -
The framework of the EPA's Green Remediation Standard will be a starting point for an ASTM subcommittee under E50-04. The CLU-IN website includes a 1-page summary of the project, the draft framework, and a feature to allow individuals to provide input on the draft framework. This feedback feature is not a formal comment period where the EPA will respond to input.
EPA's cleanup programs plan to collaborate with the ASTM International to develop a green cleanup standard through a consensus process. EPA worked with its State partners to develop the draft framework that outlines desired outcomes for a green cleanup standard. The standard will establish a uniform approach, implemented voluntarily, to encourage property owners, responsible parties, developers, and communities to use green cleanup practices during project planning and implementation. EPA plans to finalize the framework and post it in June 2009. ASTM International established a subcommittee and will use EPA’s proposed framework to kick-off the effort. To learn more, go to ASTM International’s website:
http://www.astm.org/DATABASE.CART/WORKITEMS/WK23495.htm.

Sustainable Remediation Survey

Please tell us about your sustainable remediation experience!

Are you new to sustainable remediation? Or maybe you've been practicing sustainable remediation for years but have never considered the many attributes that qualify your cleanups as "green"? Have you tried sustainable remediation but encountered resistance?

The Northgate Green Team would like to learn more about your experience...and you might learn a few things about sustainable remediation in the process. We've put together a brief survey to make sharing easy!

Click here to go to the survey.

New ASTM Standards to Support Global Sustainability

ASTM Committee E60 to Develop Standards That Will Drive Mainstream Market Implementation
Market Watch, Wall Street Journal Digital Network, November 10, 2008

ASTM International, one of the world's largest voluntary standards development organizations, announced the formation of ASTM Committee E60 on Sustainability. This new standards development initiative results from the cooperative efforts of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and industry stakeholders who share mutual goals for global sustainable development.

Diverse stakeholders will come together for the newly formed ASTM International Committee E60 to create the consensus standards that will promote and integrate sustainable development across multiple industry sectors. Dr. Mary C. McKiel, EPA Standards Executive, commented, "ASTM's proven ability to produce globally-used consensus based standards in environmental and sustainability areas make it well-suited to support the goals of this new standards writing activity and the open process needed to ensure its utility."

ASTM Committee E60 will build upon previous ASTM technical committee work, including the efforts of ASTM Subcommittee E06.71 on Sustainability, which has contributed numerous standards that support sustainability in the building industry. The initial scope of Committee E60 will focus on Building and Construction, Hospitality, and General Sustainability Standards.

Read the complete article here: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/New-ASTM-Standards-Initiative-Support/story.aspx?guid={6F34D3B9-4EEC-4C1E-AF9D-4A9642726CC2}

Learn more about ASTM Committee E60 here: http://www.astm.org/COMMIT/COMMITTEE/E60.htm