Sustainability Metrics: Measuring The Transition To A Renewable, Abundant, Just San Diego Region

Sustainability Metrics
Measuring the Transition to a Renewable, Abundant, Just San Diego Region
Dan Noble
Noble Resources Group

Sustainable Market Development
San Diego Regional Sustainability Partnership (SDRSP)

http://sdrsp.wordpress.com/
Mission The largest volunteer-based consortium of business, government, academic & community organizations leading & promoting practices that support a sustainable future for the San Diego region. Focus Partnership is a collaborative, bi-national and inter-regional effort to reduce pollution, enact energy savings and improve the quality for current and future generations in the region.

2
We Build Healthy Soil
Topics
San Diego Regional Sustainability Partnership (SDRSP) SDRSP - Metrics Task Force Process, Steps, Examples Lessons Learned 3Ps Revisited
Sustainability Sustainability Sustainability Sustainability
= = = =
Collaboration Renewability Abundance Integration
- People - Planet - Profit - both horizontal & vertical, internal and external
Barriers to Transformation Discussion

3

Metrics Task Force
Sustainability Metric Levels (holonic)

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holon_(philosophy))
Increasing depth and complexity:

Product Green Product Labeling Facility Green Building + Resource Throughput Company All Products & Services Industry/Market Renewable/Non-renewable
Community Whats included?

4
Matrix of Sustainability Metric Systems
Review of Systems & Examples

Global Reporting Initiative - www.globalreporting.org Global Environmental Management Initiative www.GEMI.org ICLIE (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives) -
www.iclei.org
City of Santa Monica, CA, www.smgov.net/departments/ose City of Portland, OR, www.portlandonline.com/osd City of Whistler, BC, Canada, www.whistler2020.ca
View the Matrix of Sustainability Metrics System. MatrixofSus.MetricSystems061408.xls

5
Metrics Review
Number of Sustainability Metrics Reviewed and Selected by the SDRSP-MTF
Metrics Elements 2008 4/2009 7/2009 10/2009
Metrics (reviewed) Core Metrics (decided) aka Index Objectives Vision Statements
197
65 30 9 9 16 8 6
{Show Metrics Worksheet}

Weighing, Conceptual Modeling

6
Metrics Task Force Next Steps from 2009!

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Circulate Findings Metrics Accountability Policy Development Metrics Champions MTF Continuing Work Metrics Budget Metrics Use Scope refinement/determination www.equinoxcenter.org
Others doing great work: Equinox Center - Regional Dashboard

7
Lessons Learned 3Ps Revisited
Sustainability = Collaboration People
Sustainability = Renewability Planet

Sustainability = Abundance Profit
Sustainability = Integration both Internal & External, and Horizontal & Vertical

8
Sustainability = Collaboration
All about managing differences! Conflict Contrast Collaboration
Forcing
SELF ASSERTIVE 100
Collaboration
Collaboration
Compromise COMPASSIONATE 100
Avoidance
0
Accommodation

9
Sustainability = Renewability
Linear to Circular Economy

Nested Cycles and Markets
Zero Waste or darn near!

10
Journey to Sustainability: Development of a Circular Economy

Linear Economy*
Natural Resources & Resource Industries
Air Water Land & Minerals Energy Biological
Industrial Processes, Distribution & Product Use
Waste & Pollution
From Eugene Odum, Ecology, 1963 and www.Ecocycle.org, 2008

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Commodity Price Increases

12
Journey to Sustainability: Development of a Circular Economy

Circular, Zero Waste, Economy*
Natural Resources & Resource Industries
Air Water Land & Minerals Energy Biological
Industrial Processes, Distribution & Product Use
Waste & Pollution
Environmental Industry
From Eugene Odum, Ecology, 1963 and www.Ecocycle.org, 2008
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Circular Economy:
Biological & Technical Nutrients

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The Organics Value Cycle

Haul, Pre-process:
Communicate & Report Communicate & Report
Process: Generate:
Landscape trimmings Food/Ag waste Biosolids Manure
Communicate & Report
Gov. Agencies EPA: air, water, solids

LEA, Planning, CDFA CEC/PUC, etc., etc.
Compost Chip and Grind Anaerobic Digestion Fertilizer Energy (gas, electric)
Stakeholders
Env. Eng. & Tech. Env. Activists Communicate & Report
Use:
Landscape Agriculture Environmental Bioenergy
Market:
Communicate (Sell!) & Report
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Compost Fertilizer Energy
Nested Resource Cycles

Commercial Indu stry Residential
Tier 3: Between Communities Government to Wholesale Markets Tier 2: Community, Municipality, Agency Wholesale - Retail Markets
Tier 1: Residential, On-site/Facility - Onsite Market
No one niche is right, correct or the best. Sanitation (water & solids) agencies are typically involved in all at the same time. Solids & Water Market Development Strategies and Tactics must work synergistically to build resource value and system efficiency (esp. w/ energy!!). This is still a goal to which all our communities are actively working.
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Zero Waste Movement*

Zero Waste is emerging as a:

paradigm shift, a new, comprehensive socio-technical system, that addresses our resource use from product design to disposal Cradle to Cradle http://www.mcdonough.com/cradle_to_cradle.htm
* From www.EcoCycle.org

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Zero Waste Movement

There are four central concepts to the Zero Waste system: 1. Changing the Rules to support resource recovery; 2. Producer Responsibility to hold industry liable for creating less toxic and more efficient products; 3. Purchasing for Zero Waste to use our buying power as our voice for Zero Waste; and 4. Resource Recovery Infrastructure to build the processing and recovery systems to move us toward Zero Waste. Learn more about all these aspects and the Zero Waste System.

18

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Zero Waste, Resource Recovery Centers (EcoParks)

Seven key Zero Waste Facilities Needed:
1. 2.
3. 4. 5.
6. 7.
Re-Use Facilities e.g. like thrift stores (www.reusealliance.org) The MRF Materials Recovery Facility (sorting) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Materials_recovery_facility C&D Facilities Construction & Demolition debris recycling Composting Facility to recycle dry organics Aerobic & Anaerobic Digestion Facilities to extract energy and/or produce fertilizer products from wet organics The CHaRM Center for Hard to Recycle Materials Residue Facility like the old landfill but VERY MUCH smaller
Can often be built at active or closed landfills!

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Urban Ore
To end the Age of Waste

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Resource Recovery Park, U.K.

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Know Your Discards

Material 1. Reusables 2. Putrescibles 3. Paper 4. Ceramics (C&D) 5. Metals 6. Polymers 7. Soils 8. Glass 9. Textiles 10. Plant Debris 11. Wood 12. Chemicals
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% in Wastes 6% 26% 21% 10% 9% 9% 6% 4% 3% 3% 2% 1%
Value ($/ton) $400 $35 $100 $15 $80 $150 $15 $25 $20 $35 $15 $200
Sustainability = Abundance
Well Being is about feeling the positive energy!
Happiness and Joy (Well-Being, Pure-Potential) is a choice (to Be, Allow, Receive), not based on conditions(!) Financial Abundance (wealth, profit) is about feeling wealthy first money, like entropy, is always expanding money is not limited by physical matter or energy its an exchange of value (good will) which has no limit(!) Relationships (culture, society, people) are about nonseparation which is always already the case we are all connected anyway so receive your friends(!) Resource Abundance (planet) is about living the circle, efficiently not necessarily accumulating stuff.
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Sustainability = Integration
Internal (subjective) & External (objective)
Both horizontal & vertical,

Ways of viewing reality perspectives All true but partial!

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Life & Consciousness are evolving, Development recapitulates evolution We Build Healthy Soil
Barriers to Transformation
Theyre in our mind (culture/consciousness) AND imbedded in past investments (financial)!
Specialized (non-integrated) Professions

E.g. civil, structural, electrical, chemical engineers vs. ecological engineers Air, water or solid specialists, vs. cradle-to-cradle integralists!
Resources Laws Based on Linear vs. Circular Economic Model Profit-centric (economic) vs. Planet & People-centric view Trillions of Dollars of Sunk Investments

E.g. Old refineries, manufacturing practices, mines, etc., etc. People DO NOT want to abandon those investments!
Solutions Include
Building Economies of Scope vs. Economies of Scale
i.e. lots of little, distributed, integrated values, vs. a few, large, centralized, specialized values

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Reference Sites

Global Reporting Initiative, www.globalreporting.org Global Environmental Management Initiative www.GEMI.org ICLIE (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives) -www.iclei.org International Society of Sustainability Professionals, www.sustainabilityprofessionals.org Grass Roots Recycling Network, www.grrn.org Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, www.livingeconomies.org GreenSource Network www.greensourcenetwork.net San Diego Regional Sustainability Partnership www.sdrsp.org US Green Chamber www.usgreenchamber.com Green Chamber of San Diego County www.greenchambersd.com City of Portland, Office of Sustainable Development, http://www.portlandonline.com/bps/index.cfm Sustainable Business.com www.sustainablebusiness.com Sustainable Industries, www.sustainableindustries.com CorporateResponsibility.net www.corporateresponsibility.net Environmental Business Journal, www.ebiusa.com Terry Tamminen, Lives per Gallon: The True Cost of our Oil Addition www.terrytamminen.com Paul Hawken, The Ecology of Commerce www.paulhawken.com Natural Capital Institute, www.naturalcapital.org Ecocycle, Inc., www.ecocycle.org Ecological Engineering Group, www.ecological-engineering.com

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Questions? Comments? Discussion

Dan Noble Noble Resources Group

(619) 992-8389 danwyldernoble@gmail.com

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Sustainability Metrics

Measuring the Transition to a Renewable, Abundant, Just San Diego Region

Noble Resources Group

San Diego Regional Sustainability Partnership (SDRSP)

Noble Resources Group

We Build Healthy Soil

Sustainability Sustainability Sustainability Sustainability

Collaboration Renewability Abundance Integration

Barriers to Transformation Discussion

Noble Resources Group

Metrics Task Force

Sustainability Metric Levels (holonic)

Increasing depth and complexity:

Community Whats included?

Noble Resources Group

We Build Healthy Soil

Matrix of Sustainability Metric Systems

Review of Systems & Examples

View the Matrix of Sustainability Metrics System. MatrixofSus.MetricSystems061408.xls

Noble Resources Group

We Build Healthy Soil

{Show Metrics Worksheet}

Weighing, Conceptual Modeling

We Build Healthy Soil

Metrics Task Force Next Steps from 2009!

Others doing great work: Equinox Center - Regional Dashboard

We Build Healthy Soil

Lessons Learned 3Ps Revisited

Sustainability = Collaboration People

Sustainability = Renewability Planet

Noble Resources Group

We Build Healthy Soil

Noble Resources Group

We Build Healthy Soil

Linear to Circular Economy

Zero Waste or darn near!

Noble Resources Group

We Build Healthy Soil

Journey to Sustainability: Development of a Circular Economy

Industrial Processes, Distribution & Product Use

Waste & Pollution

From Eugene Odum, Ecology, 1963 and www.Ecocycle.org, 2008

We Build Healthy Soil

Commodity Price Increases

Noble Resources Group

We Build Healthy Soil

Journey to Sustainability: Development of a Circular Economy

Industrial Processes, Distribution & Product Use

Waste & Pollution

Noble Resources Group

We Build Healthy Soil

Biological & Technical Nutrients

Noble Resources Group

We Build Healthy Soil

The Organics Value Cycle

Gov. Agencies EPA: air, water, solids

Compost Fertilizer Energy

We Build Healthy Soil

Nested Resource Cycles

Tier 1: Residential, On-site/Facility - Onsite Market

Noble Resources Group

Zero Waste Movement*