Institute for Environmental Solutions

The Tree Project | Emerging Contaminants | The Metro Denver Brown Cloud Study | Project Organization | Additional Projects

THE TREE PROJECT: INTEGRATED URBAN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT THROUGH TREE SELECTION AND MANAGEMENT

Trees – properly selected and planted – can reduce energy and water consumption, improve air quality, and mitigate the effects of global warming, in addition to providing other environmental and human health benefits.

The Institute for Environmental Solutions seeks to develop and implement a sound, scientific, effective plan to increase tree planting and improve urban environments.

Find out more about The Tree Project...

EMERGING CONTAMINANTS: LINKING SCIENCE TO EFFECTIVE ACTION

Trace contaminants are small amounts of chemicals found in water systems suspected to originate from pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Some of these chemicals have been linked to human illness, though many are not currently addressed by wastewater treatment processes. IES is tackling this issue through an objective, scientific, stakeholder-based process.

Find out more about Emerging Contaminants...

THE METRO DENVER BROWN CLOUD STUDY

Denver Brown Cloud

An example of the success of the IES approach is demonstrated by the 1987-88 Metro Denver Brown Cloud Study.

In 1987, Denver proposed banning coal-fired power plants to reduce the Denver brown cloud. At the time, all of Denver's electricity was generated at coal-fired power plants. The coal fueling those plants was produced in western Colorado.

The proposed ban was untested and unproven and would have caused enormous damage to the economy of western Colorado and its residents.

A diverse coalition of business interests (Public Service Company, the coal industry, the natural gas industry), under the auspices of Colorado Governor Roy Romer, initiated an independent, objective scientific study to conduct a full-scale field test of the proposed strategy, using actual measurements. The experiment showed that the power plants were not the culprit causing the brown cloud! Most of Denver's air pollution comes from cars and trucks.

The $1.5 million, 14-month private sector / public-sponsored scientific study showed that converting Denver area power plants from coal to natural gas would have been very costly and very ineffective. In addition, it provided alternative strategies which were more effective and less costly, saving Coloradoans tens of millions of wasted dollars every year. Because the study was conducted with the involvement of scientific, government, industry, and community stakeholders, the results were endorsed and implemented.

Cabinet Mountains Wilderness, Montana

PROJECT ORGANIZATION

IES tackles environmental improvement projects based on the needs of our local environment. All IES projects incorporate independent scientific analysis based on real-world measurements to determine effective strategies and solutions.

We include the active participation of all potentially affected community, business, and government stakeholders and beneficiaries.

Environmental quality in the urban Front Range communities of Colorado is increasingly challenged by the stress of population growth, resource consumption, habitat loss, and pollution. The state’s economy has few resources to implement solutions to regional environmental problems. Therefore, improving and protecting our environment requires technically sound and cost effective strategies – solutions with broad benefits that do not end up causing other unintended problems.

Projects are organized in three phases:

Phase 1: Scoping and Design Workshop
Phase 2: Study Implementation
Phase 3: Evaluation and Measurement of Results

Scoping and Design Workshop

The goal of this critical project phase is to engage and lead key stakeholders in developing the approach and methods to fulfill the project mission and to promote commitments for participation in subsequent phases. It includes the following steps:

Develop a proposed project design process

Identify potential stakeholder groups, including state and local elected officials, state and local government agencies, industry representatives, utilities, public health representatives, environmental organizations

Recruit stakeholders to participate in a design workshop

Prepare a workshop agenda to identify common goals and questions, outline the study design, identify study components and scope, and determine measurement of environmental improvement and progress

Prepare workshop materials, including presentations on research, policies, and practices relevant to project design

Lead workshop, functioning as host, facilitator, and recorder

Document workshop outcomes

Follow-up with participants by disseminating written workshop summaries and establishing next steps

Workshop outcomes include a comprehensive stakeholder list, establishment of a network of stakeholder group leaders, development of a demonstration project work plan, and allocation of resources to undertake the Phases 2 and 3.

Study Implementation

Phase 2 consists of measurements and analysis, strategy development, and reporting, communication. Detailed plans for its organization, funding, and implementation will be established in Phase 1.

Evaluation and Measurement of Results

Phase 3 consists of implementation oversight and measurement of results.

ADDITIONAL PROJECTS

Photo courtesy FreeFoto.com

Examples of the potential projects IES has identified in the Rocky Mountain region include:

• Urban (tropospheric) ozone air pollution is caused by a complex mixture of pollutant emissions under certain weather conditions. Compliance with federal air quality standards requires broad understanding of the sources and analysis of potential source control strategies. Reliance on computer model projections and conventional approaches is likely to be expensive and ineffective. A measurement-based project is needed to determine the real-world costs and effectiveness of potential air pollution controls.

• Impermeable surfaces from sprawl have been associated with aggravating drought conditions in the eastern United States (by reducing aquifer recharge and decreasing groundwater storage), but there has been little study of the heat island effects and increased evaporation that may be having parallel impacts in the arid west. A comparison of microclimates created from various surface conditions (e.g., asphalt, concrete, permeable paver stones, with and without vegetative buffers) would be useful to identify low impact hardscapes to reduce water shortages exacerbated by urban warming.

• Stormwater management projects have begun to integrate wetland and riparian plants along drainage corridors for natural filtration, habitat improvement, and aesthetic appeal, but long-term success of these efforts is not guaranteed. Monocultures and competition by invasive species are not uncommon because hydrologic variability, diverse native plant species, and maintenance have been often overlooked. A critical evaluation is needed of the costs and benefits of designing and installing these restored areas, as well as successful maintenance strategies.

• Research into the role of plant diversity is needed to help restore songbird populations which have significantly decreased nationwide due to the loss of native grasses, and what can be done.

• Research into how reclaimed domestic wastewater could provide a water source to restore riparian and wetland systems if multiple-purpose design strategies were applied to water storage and distribution systems.