Reflections on Sustainable Futures: The Trade-Off Challenge

The Perry McCarty Distinguised Lecture Series

Speaker: Michael Kavanaugh, Principal, Geosyntec Consultants Inc.

Abstract
Inevitably, development decisions confront a "trade-off" problem, best described by the second law of thermodynamics.  For environmental professionals, who often have a lead role in development projects, the "trade-off" challenge has become more complex over the past 50 years.  In this lecture, Michael Kavanaugh will provide reflections on the evolution of the sustainability paradigm in the U.S. and the "trade-off" challenge, and draw on two recent National Research Council (NRC) reports that provide guidance on how sustainability concepts could be integrated into EPA decision-making.  The so-called "Green Book" (NRC, 2011) recommends a sustainability and assessment process for EPA decisions, while the more recent study ("Sustainability Concepts in Decision-Making," NRC, 2014) assesses the applicability of a suite of tools and approaches for implementing the recommended process.  In the absence of legislative mandates on sustainability goals, I will argue the need for a pragmatic, science-based, adaptive management approach to balance the many factors in the economic, environmental, and social pillars encompassing the sustainability paradigm.

About the Speaker
Michael Kavanaugh is a principal environmental engineer based in California with 40 years of consulting experience in the areas of water quality, water treatment, and groundwater remediation.  He has served a highly divorced group of private and public sector clients, and has participated in numerous boards and advisory committees.  He has the Chair of the National Research Council's Committee on Future Options for the Nation's Subsurface Remediation Efforts, and member of the Committee on Incorporating Sustainability in the US EPA.  He has a BS from Stanford University, and MS and PhD from UC Berkeley.  Among various honors, he is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.