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Decision Integration for Stronger Communities (DISC): Development of a downloadable software application to enhance environmental, social, and economic sustainability and resilience of small and rural communities
Citation:
Olszyk, D., A. Brookes, L. Harwell, J. King, A. Rourk, AND Kevin Summers. Decision Integration for Stronger Communities (DISC): Development of a downloadable software application to enhance environmental, social, and economic sustainability and resilience of small and rural communities. Presented at Quarterly Meeting of the Strait of Juan de Fuca Ecosystem Recovery Network, Local Integrating Organization, Virtual, OR, February 26, 2021.
Impact/Purpose:
The EPA is fostering community smart growth and resilience strategies to help communities grow in ways that expand economic opportunity while protecting human health and the environment. At the same time, a community must ensure that this growth benefits all citizens by fostering environmental justice. EPA’s Office of Research and Development, Office of Community Revitalization, and Region 10 are collaborating for further development of a downloadable computer application “Decision Integration for Strong Communities” or DISC to provide communities with information to enhance their sustainability and resilience. One area of special interest to the Pacific Northwest, and US as a whole, is the Puget Sound area of Washington where local integrating organizations are key stakeholders promoting ecosystem recovery. One of these organizations is the Strait of Juan de Fuca Ecosystem Recovery Network (StraitERN) which represents the Strait- of Juan de Fuca and adjacent areas of the Olympic peninsula in Washington. The StraitERN is associated with the Puget Sound Partnership. The StraitERN has invited PESD to make a presentation on DISC, including how it may be useful to evaluate justice, equity, and diversity issues in the area. A PESD scientist will describe the features of DISC and highlight how DISC may be useful to address community justice, equity, and diversity issues. This will benefit the StraitERN as it seeks tools to foster environmental justice in its area. The conversation resulting from this presentation also will provide the EPA with information useful for the further development of DISC as an ORD application to provide on-going information and resources spurs about the actions a community can take to achieve local priorities, including environmental justice.
Description:
EPA’s Office of Research and Development, Office of Community Revitalization, and Region 10 are collaborating to develop a downloadable computer application to communities with information to enhance their sustainability and resilience. The resulting “dashboard” is called “Decision Integration for Strong Communities” or DISC. It has been designed to encourage smart growth and offer relevant and readily-available information. DISC was designed to especially support smaller communities with fewer resources to make sustainable solutions. Many of these are rural and may represent communities with diverse populations. DISC is a downloadable application of existing indicators that offers relevant, local (county level) and readily-available information to assist smaller communities to address their resilience/development goals. This presentation describes DISC and highlights how DISC may be useful to address community justice, equity, and diversity issues. It can The DISC application provides on-going information and spurs conversation about the actions a community can take and helps track the beneficial community impacts of work being done towards attaining local priorities. The presentation invites potential users to offer suggestions to enhance its ability to offer useful information to promote community ecosystem, social, and economic vitality while fostering environmental justice.