Enhancing environmental benefits and resilience in Brownfields
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Summary: Please join us for talks and discussion previewing tools and innovative approaches to enhancing resilience and sustainability in Brownfields. Attendees will leave this session with actionable takeaway messages including Brownfields applications of cutting-edge tools recently updated by EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD); how to use the latest research in Ecosystem Goods and Services in brownfields work; and lively discussion with experts on how to leverage policy developments in Nature-based Solutions to increase resilience and sustainability in brownfields cleanup enforcement.
This Topic Talks Session will include a bundle of three Topic Talk presentations that explore:
- Examples of easy, current approaches to enhance environmental benefits.
- Examples of tools that can be used to identify ecosystem services and environmental benefits of cleanups
- Examples of elements of sustainability in enforcement of contaminated site benefits
This three-talk session is directly relevant to Track 3 (Climate Change and Resiliency) but includes elements of interest to audiences interested in Track 5 (Environmental Justice and Public Participation), Track 6 (Brownfields Assessment and Cleanup Approaches), and Track 7 (Forging Effective Partnerships with Tribal Governments).
Topic Talk #1: Enhancing Environmental Benefits in Brownfield Revitalization
(Kelly Garbach and Matthew Harwell)
As cleanups move from gray design to nature-based solutions, the incorporation of nature-based design elements has become popular. A brownfield restoration allows important opportunities to enhance the local community and provide both economic and environmental benefits. One example of enhancing environmental benefits is using nature-based design elements. Popular approaches range from rain gardens to permeable pavements to green spaces and the use of green infrastructure as part of the remediation work. This presentation will explore examples of easy, current approaches to enhance environmental benefits.
Topic Talk #2: Navigating USEPA Tools to Connect Environmental Benefits to Brownfield Cleanups
(Matthew Harwell, Leah Sharpe, Stephanie Kim)
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) researchers are developing resources and tools to help communities incorporate the benefits of local ecosystems (ecosystem services or ES) into their environmental decisions and planning. One such tool is the EPA Ecosystem Services Tool Selection Portal that can guide Brownfield practitioners in selecting among a suite of ES Assessment tools, frameworks, and methodologies for their cleanup application, including enhancing risk assessment efforts in developing cleanup strategies, and identifying potential ES benefits from cleanup alternatives. Examples of case studies where ES tools have been applied to support decision making will be included.
Topic Talk #3: Approaches to incorporating sustainability concepts in Brownfield cleanup enforcement actions
(Phil Page, Elisabeth Freed, Garth Connor, Matthew Harwell)
This presentation will frame up a suite of integrated sustainability themes (climate change adaptation, mitigation, and resilience; ecosystem services; environmental justice; greener cleanups; long-term stewardship; sustainable reuse; traditional ecological knowledge)
relevant to environmental cleanup enforcement (and environmental decision making in general). The presentation will highlight the benefits of developing a shared vision for the “value added” benefits of incorporating sustainability concepts into environmental cleanups and translating sustainability principles in environmental cleanup contexts through enforcement mechanisms.