Presentation at the Massachusetts Green Careers Conference on September 20, 2019

1. Research for Environmental Agencies and Organizations
A class that connects students to work on real world problems
Rick Reibstein, Dept. of Earth and Environment, Boston University
Graphic from http://www.bu.edu/rccp/files/2019/07/Community-Scale-
Greenhouse-Gas-Accounting-Methodologies-1.pptx
a report to the Cape (Cod) and Vineyard Electric Cooperative on
Carbon Accounting Methodologies

2. A few things students have done
• Presented to the staff of the joint legislative committee at the
State House concerned with energy on the potential to provide
thousands of homes with energy using community solar at
contaminated sites. With legislative changes 1,742 Gigawatt
hours per year could be developed.
http://www.bu.edu/rccp/files/2009/11/What-Community-Solar-Can-Do-BU-April-2018-1.pdf
http://www.bu.edu/rccp/files/2009/11/Community-Solar-on-Waste-Sites-in-EJ-Communities-Presentation-1.pdf

3. Subsequent students expanded on the idea
• For a composting cooperative contemplating operations at a brownfield (and using
community solar
as well) students
explained the process,
options for proceeding,
available services and
subsidies.
http://www.bu.edu/rccp/files/
2019/01/Comm-Solar_Brownfield-
Writeup-1.pdf

4. Environmental Justice
Students drafted a sample ordinance for a
municipality to use, emphasizing
– Improving engagement with the community
– Institutionalizing reporting and accountability
– Stepping up environmental evaluations of existing
conditions to enable assessing cumulative impacts
– They presented at EPA and their work was presented to a
meeting of the National Environmental Justice Advisory
Council.

5. A team prepared for the City of Boston a report on Transforming
Environmental Justice Neighborhoods into Green Communities
• Not Just De-Browning but Greening
www.bu.edu/rccp/files/2019/01/Transforming-EJ-Neighborhoods-into-Green-Communities.pdf
http://www.bu.edu/rccp/files/2018/12/Environmental-Justice-Neighborhoods-1.pptx

6. Subsequent students followed up by thinking about what to do if the city
succeeded in improving blighted areas: what do you do about Eco Gentrification?
They reported that tax subsidies to promote development in
poorer areas might worsen this problem and described
neighborhood-led development that would work better.
http://www.bu.edu/rccp/
files/2019/06/
EJ_Full_Report-1.docx

7. Subsequent student work explored ways to
prevent resident displacement
• Community benefits agreements
• Community land trusts
• Local and Equitable Hiring
• Zoning and Permitting for Sustainable
Affordable Housing
• Rental Assistance Programs and Policies
• Community Engagement in Planning
http://www.bu.edu/rccp/files/2019/07/Empowering-Community-Based-Development.docx

8. Students hosted a discussion on RESIDENT-DRIVEN
ENVIRONMENTAL REDEVELOPMENT and the Flow of
Tax-Incentivized Funding (Spring, 2019)

9. Many students have analyzed water data - for
DEP, EPA, a watershed coalition
Figure 7 Phosphorus Levels in Dry/Wet Weather Conditions (2007-2017)
The average phosphorus levels of both the ponds and the streams have exceeded the environmental limits.
http://www.bu.edu/rccp/files/2018/12/Water-Quality-Data-Analysis-NRWA.docx

10. Showing how public data can be put into Pivot
charts to see water quality trends
Chloride at W0680
Chloride (mg/L)
0
150
300
450
600
12/23/08 1/30/11 3/8/13 4/15/15 5/22/17
http://www.bu.edu/rccp/files/2018/01/Sample-Count-Pivot-Tool.docx

11. Finding problems
http://www.bu.edu/rccp/files/2017/07/Wastewater-Discharge-Presentation-2017.pdf

12. Several projects have involved clean energy
• EVs - for the STATE OF MASS (Spring, 2018)
• ● Charging demand
- Traffic convenience vs expanding network
- Emphasis on flow rather than destination
● Impact on transmission and distribution network strength
- Real time balance between power generation and consumption
● Education
- Advertisement
- Sign consistency
● Advanced planning
- Regulation and permitting
- Communication with property owners and city planners
- Underground conduit and wiring inspections
● Utilize economic models to help predict conditions (e.g. ISM, Bayesian,
FMICMAC)
● Analyze traffic patterns and heat map of traffic flow

13. Solar Canopies
For the Leading by Example program of the Massachusetts Department of Energy
Resources, students got data and advice from places and companies that did it.
(Fall, 2016)

14. Recycling electrical batteries, for a nonprofit organization and
the State’s Environmentally Preferable Purchasing program.
Contract Recycling Status
Boston Lawnmower Company,
Inc.
Yes - Processed through Interstate Batteries, who recycles all types of prominently used electric batteries
through Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corp. Lithium Ion batteries are converted into stainless steel and
material for new batteries[5].
Cason Equipment Partial - "Offer take back through safe disposal, but not recycle” Batteries are returned through their battery
vendor Northeast Battery. Northeast Battery recycles lead, but not lithium batteries.
Mean Green Products, LLC No - “We will take back any batteries, but we do not have a written program [to recycle]”
Orlando’s Garage Yes - Processed through Interstate Batteries, who recycles all types of prominently used electric batteries
through Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corp. Lithium Ion batteries are converted into stainless steel and
material for new batteries[5].
Table 1: Contracts of four state vendors for electric batteries
within the Commonwealth of MA [2].

15. On sequestering carbon, for the Executive
Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
• Tree retention (Fall, 2017)
• Guidebook (Spring, 2018)

16. For Boston City Officials
• Urban greening
• Energy efficient housing for low-income
residences
• Community choice aggregation – presented to
the Municipal Sustainability and Energy Forum
• Lead information sheets
• Toxicity comparisons of hair products
• Needle management

17. Along with a literature search on pesticide toxicity
students examined policy options for the state

18. A continuing focus on LEAD
• 2013 survey to states on implementation of
the Renovation Rule http://www.bu.edu/rccp/lead-project/
• 2018 survey of cities in MA on lead in water pipes

19. S 955 in the 191st MA General Court: An Act
Enhancing Justice for Families Harmed by Lead
• Students provided legislative support, wrote
fact sheet and presented at a public meeting at
the State House
• Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=AxronhtudPU&feature=youtu.be
• Also presented at MA Fair Housing and Civil
Rights Conference

20. AND
• What we know and don’t about
Nanomaterials
• How to improve town recycling
• Mapping contaminated sites and chemical
storage vulnerable to flooding:
CHEMICAL RESILIENCE
CLIENTS HAVE INCLUDED: State, Local and Federal Government,
nonprofits concerned with environmental and public health

21. This Semester!
• Community farms, sustainable agriculture
• How to help indigenous peoples protect their
land
• Coastal community preparedness for climate-
change consequences
• Increasing composting in Boston area
• Lead in water and products
• Waste needle management

22. A student wrote to medical experts to find out if medical providers were being
taught in school or on their jobs how to identify when the symptoms they
reviewed might be caused by toxic exposures.
She learned that there is much to be done about this.
There many problems about which much needs to be
done.
School is one place where work can take place.
It is not the only place! Good work can take place
anywhere. May you find it!