Using higher education community partnerships to promote urban sustainability
SESSION: EDUCATION AND PRACTITIONER TRAINING TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY Industry Perspectives on...
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SESSION: EDUCATION AND PRACTITIONER TRAINING TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY Industry Perspectives on Transportation Sustainability Issues and Practitioner Needs Damon Fordham, Cadmus Group This presentation will highlight the needs of transportation industry practitioners in commercial and government organizations in terms of how education and training can support the integration of sustainability into agency planning, project development, operations, and maintenance. Damon Fordham is a recognized national sustainable transportation expert and an experienced project and program manager with a background in civil engineering and Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. Prior to his career in consulting, Mr. Fordham was the first Sustainability Program Manager at the Oregon DOT, where he provided program development, strategic planning, and policy analysis to redefine and execute Oregon’s sustainability and climate change agenda. Mr. Fordham is an active member of TRB, serving as Vice Chair of the Committee on Transportation and Sustainability and a member of the Committee on Transportation Energy.
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Transcript of SESSION: EDUCATION AND PRACTITIONER TRAINING TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY Industry Perspectives on...
SESSION: EDUCATION AND PRACTITIONER TRAINING TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY Industry Perspectives on Transportation Sustainability Issues and Practitioner
Needs
Damon Fordham, Cadmus Group
This presentation will highlight the needs of transportation industry practitioners in commercial and government organizations in terms of how education and training can support the integration of sustainability into agency planning, project development, operations, and maintenance.
Damon Fordham is a recognized national sustainable transportation expert and an experienced project and program manager with a background in civil engineering and Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. Prior to his career in consulting, Mr. Fordham was the first Sustainability Program Manager at the Oregon DOT, where he provided program development, strategic planning, and policy analysis to redefine and execute Oregon’s sustainability and climate change agenda. Mr. Fordham is an active member of TRB, serving as Vice Chair of the Committee on Transportation and Sustainability and a member of the Committee on Transportation Energy.
Industry perspectives on transportation sustainability issues and practitioner needs
Damon FordhamPrincipal, Sustainable Transportation Practice,
The Cadmus Group, Inc.Vice Chair, TRB Committee on Transportation
and Sustainability (ADD40)
Sustainability and Resilient Infrastructure Workshop June 18, 2014
Evolving Challenges• Uncertainty in revenues• Responsiveness to community
concerns
• Changing demographics
• Increasing freight
• Climate change
• Performance-based management
6/18/2014 3
A sustainable transportation system strives to:
1. Reinforce livable and economically strong communities
2. Facilitate modal choice
3. Support efficient land uses that reduce travel distances and increase travel options
4. Distribute system benefits and burdens equitably across society
5. Encourage pricing that reflects true costs
6. Reduce emissions of greenhouse gases to address climate change
6/18/2014 4
A sustainable transportation system strives to: (con’t)
7. Protect local air and water quality from pollutants
8. Transition away from nonrenewable fuels to cleaner, renewable alternatives
9. Use maintenance and construction practices that are compatible with native habitats and species
10. Apply life-cycle costs to transportation investments
11. Minimize raw material use and disposal during construction and maintenance
6/18/2014 5
A sustainable transportation system strives to: (con’t)
12. Improve safety to eliminate accidents and fatalities
13. Prioritize accessibility over mobility where appropriate
14. Exhibit resilience to extreme weather events
15. Minimize noise impacts to communities and natural areas
16. Be funded with sustainable revenue streams that are publicly accepted and reflect the beneficiary-pays concept
6/18/2014 6
Source: NCHRP Report 750, Vol. 4 (2014)
“The U.S. overall policy system and institutional framework today is not yet capable of making the strategy, policy, and funding decisions that are truly driven by TBL considerations.”
Transportation sustainability programs: Practitioner lessons
• Internal & external • Cross-divisional• Integrated into existing policies
and practices• Top-down & bottom-up• Governance• “Management system” approach
6/18/2014 8
Vision
• Goal(s) • Indicator(s)• Strategies • Actions
Vision
6/18/2014 9
6/18/2014 10
Sub-Area Long-Run Goal Short-Run Goal Indicators Strategies
Building energy use
Electricity use reduction: 50% below 2000 levels
Natural gas: zero use of fossil natural gas (stretch goal)
100% of total electricity needs will be met by new renewable energy sources by 2025
Electricity use reduction: 20% below 2000 levels by 2010
Natural gas: 20% reduction in use from 2005 baseline
25% of total electricity needs will be met by new renewable energy sources by 2010
Total electricity use (kWh)
Total natural gas use (BTUs)
Renewables (excluding large-scale hydro) as percentage of electricity grid mix
Use of renewables in grid mix
Monitoring/ tracking of energy use
Encourage efficiency measures & conservation
Energy retrofits for existing buildings
Switch lighting fixtures to LED’s
On-site generation where appropriate
Use of ENERGY STAR equipment
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Emerging tools and rating systems
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Final thoughts…• Get over the squishy-ness• Use buckets – even if imperfect• … But don’t silo by department• Get your data sorted• Recognize the significance of operations and
maintenance• Make friends with land use professionals• Reinforce links to other critical initiatives, like safety,
asset management, and funding • Transportation in service of a sustainable society (i.e.,
not necessarily “sustainable transportation”)6/18/2014 13
6/18/2014 14
Thank you!Damon FordhamPrincipal, Sustainable Transportation
PracticeThe Cadmus Group, Inc.1555 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 300Arlington, Virginia 22209Tel: 703.842.5524Email: [email protected]
Cadmus is committed to helping our clients create social and economic value and improve the quality of people's lives, today and for future generations.
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SESSION: EDUCATION AND PRACTITIONER TRAINING TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY
Education Development in Sustainable Transportation
Ann Xu, Georgia Institute of Technology
The National Center for Sustainable Transportation (NCST) is a national university transportation center funded by the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) and includes the participation of the University of California Davis (lead institution), Georgia Tech, University of Southern California, University of California Riverside, Cal State Long Beach, and University of Vermont. Georgia Tech is the designated lead for the development of the NCST education program. The established NCTS education goal is to create a new course series of eight courses in Sustainable Transportation and develop the materials for the first four university courses (one undergraduate, one graduate, and two in professional education). The team has cataloged Georgia Tech’s transportation and sustainability courses, as well as those at our partner institutions and other universities. The team compared the foci of existing courses to those of the sustainability tools and performance measures being used by practitioners and researchers. Through the comparisons, along with an expert survey, the team identified the most important elements of these courses with respect to sustainability education in transportation.
Dr. Yanzhi "Ann" Xu’s research focuses on policy evaluation and emissions and energy analysis. Her research cuts across a broad range of transportation engineering, from travel behavior, emissions, to safety, with an explicit emphasis on sustainability. Xu has managed multiple projects and collaborated with various organizations. As Center Operations Director at Georgia Tech, she manages the development of 8 new courses related to sustainable transportation. Xu’s multidisciplinary research also includes resource mapping and environmental evaluations for renewal energy sources. She is passionate about STEM education in K-12 schools, and is directing STEM programs at local inner city schools.
