"Pollution Prevention Technical Assistance Tool
for Green Performance Measures"
In
2010, the
United States Environmental Protection Agency Region
4 issued a research grant to FAU Lab.EES to develop an
interactive web-based decision support tool to provide
technical assistance for businesses to reduce pollutants
through increased efficiency in energy consumption,
water use, and effective management of natural
resources.
It is
encouraging that many hotel managers have realized that
sustainability initiatives to control water use,
increase energy efficiency, and limit emissions and
wastes are beneficial. But the question often is “Where
should environmental improvement efforts be focused with
limited resources?”
One
way to take some of the guesswork out of the equation is
use a Decision-Support Tool, which is an interactive
framework used by decision-makers to help answer
questions, solve problems, and focus resources. To this
end, Florida Atlantic University has developed an
interactive web-based Decision-Support Tool that
provides users with technical assistance to determine
which pollution prevention strategies provide the
maximum benefits in terms of energy efficiency, water
conservation, and waste minimization, with the highest
return on investment.
The
Decision-Support Tool also allows the user to track
energy use, water consumption, emissions reductions, and
waste generation rates to monitor and record the
environmental benefits. Furthermore, since the tool is
interactive, it will 1) improve access to results of
independent third-party measurement and evaluation of
lean and green initiatives, 2) improve the design and
implementation of new or upgraded systems for products
and services provided by vendors and small businesses,
and 3) improve the regulatory framework to adequately
deal with changing technologies and lessons learned to
maximize the effectiveness of pollution prevention
programs nationwide.
So
how does it work?
The
key component of the tool is an online database
application that hosts a dynamic Best Management
Practice (BMP) guide. This guide is constantly updated
with information collected from the anonymous library of
user profiles uploaded by subscribers (such as hotels,
restaurants, and other small businesses) and also by
vendors who provide green products or services who can
access the site analytics for performance data-mining
and to see what trends are doing well for other vendors.
"Green Lodging Implementation
and Monitoring"
In
2004, the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection's Green Lodging Program
issued a research grant to FAU Lab.EES to investigate water conservation,
energy efficiency, waste minimization, and clean air practices in
hotels in Florida.
This research
will address a major technological need for sustainable, economical
options for hotels to increase their revenues and generate increased
savings in utility costs from adopting best management practices in
waste minimization, energy efficiency, water conservation and clean
air practices.
The objectives
of the research are to:
-
Phase 1: To
identify best practices for the hotel lodging industry in water
conservation and waste minimization
-
Phase 2: To
identify best strategies for the hotel lodging industry in energy
efficiency and clean air practices
-
Phase 3: To document the
results from planning pilot projects focusing on sustainable solutions for
waste minimization, energy efficiency, water conservation and clean
air practices.
-
Phase 4: To
document the results from implementing pilot projects focusing on sustainable solutions for
waste minimization, energy efficiency, water conservation and clean
air practices prior to the one palm designation.
-
Phase 5: To
document the results from implementing pilot projects focusing on sustainable solutions for
waste minimization, energy efficiency, water conservation and clean
air practices prior to the two palm designation.
"Broward
County Water Use Profile"
Broward County
Water and Wastewater Services contracted with Lab.EES to conduct a
study to determine the water use profile of its water customers. The
program concentrated on establishing base line water use profile
data to make recommendations for future activities.
A water use
profile provides data that defines who the customers are and how
they are using their water. The profile consists of demographic,
operational, and fiscal information that define customer patterns
within each service area. The purpose of developing the profile is
to have sufficient data to recommend targeted conservation programs.
NEWS
-
Dr. Meeroff was a panelist at
the USGBC Broward Branch Meeting - Green Trends in the
Hospitality Industry (02/15/2011)
-
Dr. Meeroff
was the keynote speaker at the
Florida Green Lodging Conference. To view his presentation,
click
here.
The
Florida Green Lodging Conference
Being Green,
Saving Green & Making Green
Hilton University of Florida
Conference Center
Gainesville FL
Nov. 10-12, 2008 |
