Our History
SURF was initiated in late 2006 to promote the use of sustainable practices during environmental cleanup activities. From the beginning, our members led the charge, spearheading the evolution of sustainable remediation from conceptual discussions to standard operating procedure.
- In 2009, SURF consolidated broad-based institutional knowledge into an examination of sustainable remediation drivers, practices, objectives, and case studies in a groundbreaking white paper.
- From 2006 to 2016, SURF hosted 32 meetings across the U.S. and published 23 papers to advance the practice of sustainable remediation.
- In 2019, SURF published Ten Years Later: The Progress and Future of Integrating Sustainable Principles, Practices, and Metrics into Remediation Projects.
- From 2019 to 2021, SURF members co-led three of the five writing subgroups for the Interstate Technology Regulatory Council’s guidance Sustainable Resilient Remediation.
From our humble beginnings as a group of just 20 individuals, SURF now regularly communicates with thousands of sustainable remediation practitioners, has inspired the creation of over a dozen international sustainable remediation groups, and holds semiannual member meetings in partnership with the Association for Environmental Health and Sciences Foundation (AEHS) East Coast and West Coast conferences.
Our Mission
SURF is dedicated to advancing sustainable remedies and practices on a local and global scale through collaboration, education, and innovation.
Since 2006, SURF has been rethinking how the remediation industry’s behavior, reliance on technology, and consumption of energy could be improved by looking through the lens of sustainability. Our members develop, lead, and participate in SURF’s technical initiatives to advance the science and knowledge of sustainable remediation.
Our Vision
We envision a world that is healthy, resilient, and improved by remediating degraded environmental conditions through sustainable practices.
Cleaning up contamination and preparing impacted land for reuse requires substantial energy, water, and other natural resources. Since 2006, SURF has been promoting the use of sustainable practices during all phases of the remediation project life cycle – from investigation to closure.
Our Board of Trustees
Gerlinde Wolf
President
Katie Elich
Vice President
Paige Molzahn
Secretary
Nikki Peck
Treasurer
Gerlinde Wolf
President
Katie Elich
Vice President
Paige Molzahn
Secretary
Haley Young
Treasurer
Ira May
Maryland Department Of Environment
Jay Smith
Philips
Evan Starr
Department Of Transportation Volpe Center
Nicole Tucker
Dudek
Scott Anderson
Colleen Canfield
Haley & Aldrich
Jay Smith
Philips
Evan Starr
Department of Transportation Volpe Center
Breanna Moak
CDM Smith
Keith Thomsen
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Partnerships
SURF’s connection to and collaboration with our partners are helping us advance sustainable remedies and practices. SURF is a proud partner of the following organizations:
Alliances
SURF is part of the International Sustainable Remediation Alliance (ISRA). Through ISRA, SURF works cooperatively on joint initiatives relating to sustainable land management.
