“Simply put, remediation ‘fixes failures,’ and the process of remediation involves significant resources that ‘fix’ landscapes.” That’s how SURFer Sabine Apitz (SEA Environmental Decisions Ltd.) got our attention at a SURF session during the AEHS West Coast Conference last month. Instead of reactively “fixing,” Sabine suggested we focus our remediation planning on the bigger picture – that is, the future visions for a site and region. The challenge? We often start our remediation planning too late. Starting earlier in the remedial process would allow us to engage stakeholders more frequently, link sustainability indicators to stakeholders’ values, and weigh the indicators in terms of different stakeholders’ priorities. Another challenge? We need incentives to change the current thinking to one that answers the question “How can we leverage our investment in clean-up to create a more resilient future?”

Dive In! Recognizing the Role of Sustainable Remediation and Demonstrating Compliance with ISO 14001:2015

Our friends across the pond, SuRF-UK, have published a bulletin entitled How Sustainable Remediation Concepts Align with ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management Systems. The five-page document identifies how the key points of each section of ISO 14001:2015 align with SuRF-UK’s framework for assessing the sustainability of soil and groundwater remediation. It’s a natural fit. SuRF-UK says it best: “…the practice of sustainable remediation is…a natural outcome of true ISO 14001:2015 compliance.” 

Click here to learn more about SuRF-UK and access their publications.

Did You Know? What a Difference a Day Makes!

It’s possible that Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson hoped for a big ripple effect after he founded Earth Day in 1970, but could he have dreamed of the global impact that the day inspires decades later? Here are a few fun facts about the day:

• The date was chosen to make it easy for college students to get involved. (April 22nd fell between Spring Break and finals.)
• Twenty million Americans (10% of the U.S. population at the time) participated in the first Earth Day.
• The first Earth Day led to the creation of the EPA and eventually the passage of other environmental laws protecting air, water, and endangered species.
• In 2009, the United Nations named it “International Mother Earth Day,” which is how countries outside of the U.S. refer to it.
• In 2016, the United Nations chose Earth Day as the day to sign the Paris Climate Agreement.

Today, almost 1 billion people worldwide celebrate Earth Day. Visit www.earthday.org to learn more about the day’s history, see Walter Cronkite reporting on the first Earth Day, and discover what is planned for this year.