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Supporting Environmental and Human Health Protection at the Local Level: Decision Support Tools to Leverage EPA, Community, and University Resources through EPIC-N
Citation:
Zambrana, J. AND L. Bloch. Supporting Environmental and Human Health Protection at the Local Level: Decision Support Tools to Leverage EPA, Community, and University Resources through EPIC-N. EPIC Two-Day Training Workshop - California Higher Education Sustainability Conference, Santa Barbara, CA, July 12 - 13, 2018.
Impact/Purpose:
With budget and resource constraints at all levels of government, EPA is exploring creative approaches to bring expertise and assistance to local governments so they can address priority issues and implement solutions that protect human health and the environment in the present and into the future. Colleges and universities (campuses) are uniquely positioned to assist municipalities, local leaders and community members to develop strategies that deal with challenges posed by a changing climate, pollution, and water, energy, waste, and natural resource management. Through Campus Community Sustainability Partnerships (CCSPs) based on the Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities (EPIC) framework, campuses provide direct support to communities to implement priorities and projects from a local government’s own work plan aimed at achieving their sustainability goals. In return, students receive valuable “real world” skills developing and implementing projects. EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) works closely with EPA regional offices to provide meaningful science-based tools, methods, models, and strategies to assist local communities in achieving their goals of protecting the local environment while also advancing human well-being and stimulating the economy. Strong CCSP Programs provide an avenue for EPA Regions to leverage university capacity to meet priority needs at the local level. Using EPA’s convening and facilitating abilities to educate universities and cities about the framework expands the number of anchor institutions that can provide local assistance and that EPA can tap into now and in the future. These programs also allow ORD’s tools, methods, and technical models to be used in real-world settings by end users - including campuses, cities, tribes, and underserved communities – who can then make more informed decisions as well as provide direct feedback to ORD.
Description:
This is to present to faculty, sustainability staff, and university administrators from the California State University System and University of California System, who will be gathering to learn about forming an EPIC partnership. The presentation will discuss EPA's efforts to leverage the educational Partnerships for Innovations in Communities Network (EPIC-N) and model, the kinds of tools and resources EPA has been providing through the activities of the partnerships, and example results from a 2015 workshop EPA hosted with California university and city staff. The presentation will touch on several science based tools and approaches that partnerships can utilize to advance the needs of cities, while providing a learning opportunity for students.