Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Energy, Water, and Land Use: A Framework for Incorporating Science into Sustainable Regional Planning
EPA Grant Number: R833362Title: Energy, Water, and Land Use: A Framework for Incorporating Science into Sustainable Regional Planning
Investigators: Taupier, Richard , Baker, Erin D. , Dorner, Sarah M. , Miller, Catherine
Institution: University of Massachusetts - Amherst
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: March 1, 2007 through January 31, 2010
Project Amount: $299,220
RFA: Collaborative Science And Technology Network For Sustainability (2006) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
The long-term project objective is to advance efforts to achieve local, regional and global sustainability in the Pioneer Valley region of western Massachusetts and to serve as a model that can be applied in other regions of the country. To plan for sustainable growth in the region, we will work with the 43 communities in the Pioneer Valley to incorporate sustainability considerations and scientific information into land-use and infrastructure decisions, taking into account scientific uncertainty. The specific objectives are to make the concept of sustainability easy to understand and act on by involving stakeholders and the general public in a facilitated process to both define Pioneer Valley specific indicators of sustainability and identify specific and targeted actions to achieve sustainability. We will enhance communication regarding sustainability between interested parties in the Pioneer Valley and provide a vehicle for incorporating scientific information into regional and community-based decision making.
Conclusions:
Activities:
The Pioneer Valley Sustainability project has helped build a network of sustainability professionals and activists whose mission is to “build mutually beneficial partnerships to promote a sustainable, just, regenerative future for (the) region.” In conjunction with the Network, we have developed a set of Sustainability Indicators intended to reflect local sustainability values, and to be used by local professionals, policy makers, and the public to enhance sustainability decision making. Additionally, we are designing a decision support tool, to help the public evaluate various green energy technologies, using multiple sustainability metrics based on the indicators.
The Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts provided a unique opportunity to encourage communities to consider sustainability when making land-use and infrastructure decisions. The opportunity was an unusual confluence of both researchers and practitioners working on understanding and achieving sustainability in the region. The Pioneer Valley is home to the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst), a national leader on issues of water resources protection, renewable energy, and environmental research; 12 other colleges; and over 70 organizations identified as sustainable enterprises committed to enhancing sustainability in the region, including the regional planning agency/metropolitan planning organization and partner in the project, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC).
Figure 1: The Pioneer Valley
Two specific situations provided the opportunity. First, despite the large number of groups interested in and working toward sustainability, there was a lack of connection and coordination among these parties. Second, despite the large number of community enterprises committed to enhancing sustainability, there was a great deal of confusion and tentativeness when it comes to making decisions. In particular, many of the community associations would like better scientific information on which to base their decisions and their policies. This project is addressing these opportunities through the overall objective to help communities incorporate ideas of sustainability when they make land-use and infrastructure decisions.
The impetus for this project was a collaboration between The Environmental Institute, an interdisciplinary research coordination organization at UMass Amherst, and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. In 2007, this collaborative group was awarded a CNS grant to organize a Pioneer Valley Sustainability Network (PVSN), and develop a set of Sustainability Indicators and a related Decision Support Tool.
Central to the project was the establishment of the PVSN, a broad-based network of organizations and individuals who are dedicated to creating a just and sustainable future for the Pioneer Valley region. There are over 100 member organizations and individuals, including a broad community of sustainability activists and professionals working together to create a flexible and effective regional model for actively advancing sustainability in the Pioneer Valley. The PVSN’s mission is to strengthen its members’ ability to pursue sustainability and environmental equity effectively through information and idea exchange, collaborative approaches to problem solving and visionary thinking, and giving members the tools they need to integrate sustainable practices and scientificinformation into both regional and community decision making. Activities have included an art contest aimed at producing a visual representation of sustainability (see attached picture). The PVSN has developed a structure that will allow it to continue successfully after the end of the EPA funding.
Figure 2: A Table Set Forever
In conjunction with the members of the PVSN, we developed a set of indicators, combining a bottom-up approach with academic research. Through a series of workshops, we applied the ideas of Value-Focused Thinking to derive a set of six fundamental objectives for the Pioneer Valley (See figure). Based on these, and incorporating the results of a research project on sustainability indicators, we developed a set of 16 indicators. The indicators will be posted at pvsustain.org (see figure).
Figure 3: Fundamental Objectives
Figure 4: Sustainability Indicators
Finally, we have developed a decision support tool to help individuals and small businesses evaluate green energy technologies. The tool is intended to help people take a broader perspective, by including not only financial considerations, but also sustainability considerations as well. In the current version of the model, we include financial costs, carbon emissions, and the health impacts of SO2 and NOx emissions as well as uncertainty in future fuel prices and climate change impacts to the model (see table).
Table 1: Example of output from the decision tool
Achievements:
Major achievements from this work are:
- The establishment of an independent ongoing Sustainability Network in the Pioneer Valley.
- The provision of a model for establishing such networks elsewhere.
- The development of a process for defining sustainability indicators, combining top-down research with bottom-up preference elicitation.
- The development of a set of sustainability indicators for the Pioneer Valley.
- The development of a decision support tool to help homeowners make decisions about energy technologies using multiple attributes.
Supplemental Keywords:
ecosystem, planning, operations research, hydrology, public health, modeling, electricity industry, global climate, modeling, northeast, EPA region 1, Sustainable Industry/Business, Scientific Discipline, RFA, Pollution Prevention, Technology for Sustainable Environment, Sustainable Environment, Energy, Ecology and Ecosystems, Environmental Monitoring, environmental sustainability, green design, environmental education, land use, ecological design, economic input output, energy efficiency, sustainable urban environment, alternative infrastructure design , Sustainable Industry/Business, RFA, Scientific Discipline, POLLUTION PREVENTION, Technology for Sustainable Environment, Sustainable Environment, Ecology and Ecosystems, Environmental Monitoring, Energy, economic input output, environmental education, community based, alternative infrastructure design, ecological design, environmental sustainability, green design, sustainable urban environment, land useRelevant Websites:
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.