Green & Sustainable Remediation Roundtable

Presented by: Y. Nicholas Garson, P.G.

President – Sustainable Remediation Forum

Hosted by the Horinko GroupWashington DC

June 3, 2014

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Sustainable Remediation Forum (SURF)Who are we?

SURF’s Mission:Advancing the science and application of

sustainable remediationDeveloping best practicesExchanging professional knowledgeProviding education and outreach

SURF - http://www.sustainableremediation.org/

SURF’s Value PropositionAlignment with organizational

sustainability goalsReduce environmental footprintIncrease social responsibility & public

outreachReduce remediation costs & long term

liabilities

Protecting human health and the environment while maximizing the environmental, social, and economic benefits throughout the remediation project life cycle.  

Sustainable Remediation

The Brief History of Green and Sustainable Remediation

Along the way, SURFs form in Brazil, Canada, UK, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, Italy, and NICOLE in Europe

2006 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

First serious meetings

Sustainable Remediation Forum starts

EPA Green Remediation

Primer

Interstate Technology and

Regulatory Council (ITRC) workgroup

American Society for Testing

Materials (ASTM) guidance

SURF White Paper

Federal Government - Various DOD and EPA policies emerge from Presidential Executive

Order 13514

Sustainable remediation at Battelle conference

SURF white papers (3) on framework, metrics, and Footprint Analysis

and LCA

ITRC technical overview document and

technical/ regulatory guidance

ASTM Greener Cleanups & ASTM Sustainable

Cleanups

Battelle Green RemediationStrategies

EPA’s ContributionsGuidance & Strategy Documents Special Issues Primers Technical Bulletins Fact Sheets Case Studies and Project ProfilesProgram Support lettersCurrent and In-depth Information:

»BMPs for common cleanup approaches »Policy information at Federal and State level »Assessing a project’s environmental footprint »Incorporating sustainable practices»ASTM Standard Guides

EPA Memo

Challenges

Limited case studiesTraining/Education/AwarenessPerception with doing less cleanupMetrics need to be improvedPerception of increased cost

Project Cost Staff Resources

Program insularity

Estimated Number of Cleanup Sites by Program

Source: EPA, Cleaning Up the Nation’s Waste Sites: Markets and Technology Trends, 2004.

What Does Success Look Like?EPA cross-program vision for GSRCelebrate successesFuture collaboration

What does success look like?

GSR=Business As Usual

Region 7 – LEAFS Award

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