The IES 2007 Annual Report was published in January 2008.  Please download our 2007 Annual Report for information about IES' projects, services, supporters, and participants.

Also available: 2006 Annual Report and 2005 Annual Report.

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The Institute for Environmental Solutions (IES) identifies, demonstrates, implements and measures solutions to environmental and natural resource problems. IES's unique approach to solving environmental problems addresses critical needs.

Photo by Jim Digby

Bridge Communication Gaps

A critical need exists to bridge communication gaps among environmental institutions and other key business and community stakeholders affected by an environmental initiative. Too often, well-intended environmental initiatives fail because key stakeholders are not included in the design phase and therefore do not support implementation. To remedy this oversight, IES seeks to identify and involve key stakeholders during a project's design phase to derive outcomes acceptable to all. Our process is front-end loaded with significant effort to involve potentially affected stakeholders as participants in designing the solution, thereby encouraging understanding and support of the eventual action. All stakeholders are included throughout the project, reviewing plans, providing comments and criticisms, and evaluating results.

Prevent Unforeseen Side Effects

Rocky Mountain National Park Photo by Jim Digby

An urgent need exists to help environmental institutions avoid the unforeseen, unwanted side effects that often result from compartmentalization of effort by technical disciplines. IES meets this need by facilitating communication and consultation among all technical disciplines potentially involved in a proposed solution. As a solution is identified, we relentlessly seek out and engage scientists and technical experts from wide-ranging disciplines. We reach across government and corporate boundaries as needed to promote collaboration on examination of a proposal from all perspectives. We go further to facilitate independent, objective life-cycle analysis and demonstration of the proposed solution to ensure that stakeholders and decision-makers can weigh all environmental costs and benefits before adoption.

Neutral and Science-Based

IES is a neutral, science-based, non-profit organization: we are not advocates or lobbyists. IES operates as a business, maintaining strict adherence to established budgets and delivering the promised products on time.

Effective Project Implementation

Initial Research and Strategy Selection – IES conducts research to obtain a broad base of technical and economic information about the possible solutions. Selected strategies for research and implementation must relieve a stress by getting at the source to protect and/or remediate the urban environmental system.

Fort Collins, Colorado Photo by Jim Digby

Project Planning – Initial sound planning is essential to program success. A detailed project plan is prepared that includes the scope of a pilot demonstration project, a timetable, cost estimate, and partners. IES will establish appropriate collaborative links with stakeholders and researchers.

Implementation – With peer review and stakeholder input, IES oversees and implements the project plan. Study results are presented in a summary report that includes both quantitative and qualitative sustainable environment indicators to develop our conclusions. Recommendations outlining a full-scale implementation plan will be included. Project completion includes preparing communication materials for information transfer and education. Analysis of project results will include measurements to quantify the success of the project.