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National Advisory Council for

Environmental Policy and Technology

April 5, 2012

The Honorable Lisa P. Jackson 

Administrator 

United States Environmental Protection Agency 

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW 

Washington D.C. 20460

Dear Administrator Jackson:

The National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology (NACEPT) 

unanimously supports the EPA adopting the National Academies overall recommendation in its 

Sustainability and the U.S. EPA report that EPA more fully incorporate sustainability 

considerations into its decision-making processes and day-to-day operations.

NACEPT members believe that this recommendation is fully in line with EPA’s historical 

mission to protect human health and the environment in a manner that can also support the 

nation’s economic and social goals. It is in keeping with the National Environment Policy Act’s 

(NEPA) mandate to “create and maintain conditions under which humans and nature can exist in 

productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present 

and future generations.” It is responsive to Executive Order 13514, which sets sustainability 

goals for Federal agencies and focuses on making improvements in their environmental, energy 

and economic performance. Moreover, it aligns EPA with the movement among corporations, 

international organizations, NGOs and governments to adopt sustainability as a common 

framework for addressing environmental, social and economic issues. 

Incorporating sustainability into areas of decision-making where EPA has regulatory authority 

and discretion in its regulatory and non-regulatory programs will have important benefits for 

EPA and the nation. It helps the Agency pursue its historical and statutory mission by 

encouraging a constant search for innovative win-win-win approaches that advance the Agency’s 

environmental and public health goals and optimize economic and social benefits as well. A

focus on sustainability will act over time to build EPA’s capacity to work more effectively with 

other organizations in dealing with complex, cross-cutting problems like biodiversity loss, 

resource depletion, climate change, impacts of emerging technologies and entrenched poverty.

The concept of sustainability has firmly taken hold among EPA’s stakeholders from leading 

corporations and universities to NGOs, and municipal, state and tribal governments. Formally 

including sustainability considerations into its vision and processes, including decision-making,

can help EPA achieve a more comprehensive approach with its stakeholders.
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A Vision of Sustainability

The National Academies report urges EPA to adopt a Sustainability Vision. NACEPT members 

believe that, by creating its own sustainability vision, the EPA can embed an emphasis on 

sustainability into all levels of the Agency’s operations. 

A vision is a compelling image of the preferred future that sets out an organization’s highest 

aspirations in clear, confident language. The power of an effective vision lies in its ability to 

motivate and align efforts. When people are committed to a vision, they will stretch themselves 

and their organization to make it happen. Visions raise people’s personal aspirations and provide 

a focus for collective activity. They create a big picture of “what we are about” and “where we 

are going” that makes day-to-day activities more meaningful. 

NACEPT recommends that EPA consider incorporating the following ideas into its vision of 

sustainability that describes the future state EPA is trying to help the country reach as well as 

what it is trying to achieve internally:

Achieve and advance the Agency’s environmental and public health responsibilities in ways 

that also advance social and economic goals. 

Protect biodiversity and the integrity of the ecological foundations on which our societies and 

economies are built.

Ensure that everyone enjoys protection from environmental and health hazards.

Meet current needs in ways which ensure that future generations have the conditions and 

resources to meet their needs.

Facilitate a smooth transition to more efficient, environmentally superior technologies, 

recognizing that this transition is an opportunity to accelerate innovation, create jobs and 

foster equitable economic development.

Promote sustainability as a means to advance U.S. competitiveness.

Avoid significant irreversible adverse effects on the environment and public health.

Manage the release of toxic substances to prevent exceeding the assimilative capacity of the 

natural environment, treating pollution as a “design failure” to be eliminated over time.

Promote renewable resources, which are continuously regenerated and available, for future 

use.

Utilize nonrenewable resources efficiently, recycle them extensively, track their depletion 

levels and develop substitutes for critical resources with limited availability. 
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NACEPT members’ thoughts on EPA actions to achieve these results are summarized below:

Connect the EPA’s risk-based paradigm with a broader sustainability paradigm to achieve 

and advance the EPA’s environmental and public health responsibilities in ways that also 

optimize social and economic goals. 

Emphasize whole system thinking aimed at understanding the larger context in which 

problems arise, the connections between issues, and the full potential benefits and costs of 

different actions.

Advance environmental justice, emphasize the social aspect of sustainability and improve 

human health by utilizing place-based approaches for meeting the needs of underserved 

communities, reducing disparities and fostering places that are healthy, vibrant and diverse.

Hire professionals who are proficient in more than one discipline, including social scientists 

and technologists who have applied their expertise to environmental issues.

Support and emphasize sustainability R&D that is solutions-driven and interdisciplinary.

Coordinate extensively with government agencies and a full range of other stakeholders.

Build a “sustainability toolbox” that includes new methodologies and technologies for 

addressing complex, cross-cutting issues and draws on traditional knowledge. 

Create a “dashboard of progress” that includes a wide variety of indicators and associated 

metrics for systematically tracking progress toward the Agency’s sustainability goals, and 

publish progress reports at regular intervals.

Develop an environmental scanning system and targeted foresight studies to identify 

emerging environmental threats and to highlight emerging ideas and technologies that 

support sustainability.

Critical Steps

NACEPT members believe that the initial critical step is to establish an Agency-wide 

sustainability vision and develop a set of sustainability principles. Rather than starting from the 

present and setting goals that inch forward, NACEPT recommends a “backcasting” approach that 

starts with a bold vision of the preferred future and then sets intermediate goals that will help 

EPA to make significant progress toward the long-term vision.

The next critical step is to establish several 3 to 5-year breakthrough objectives at the program 

level that extend beyond current capabilities and experiences and require new strategies and 

approaches to achieve. The Agency should also set several mid-term goals reaching out to 2020. 

These objectives and goals should demonstrate the commitment of Agency leadership to new 

ways of operating by being ambitious enough to require a new level of performance in driving 

toward sustainable outcomes. 
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Over the next two years, NACEPT is willing to provide additional advice letters responding to 

specific questions in the formal charges developed on this topic. We have attached 

recommended charge questions for your review and consideration. NACEPT appreciates the 

opportunity to work on this important sustainability topic and offer any additional advice that 

you may require in the future. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely, 

 

/Signed/

Dr. James H. Johnson, Jr. 

Chair 

cc: Bob Perciasepe, Deputy Administrator 

Craig E. Hooks, Assistant Administrator, Office of Administration and Resources 

 Management 

Lek Kadeli, Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Research and Development

Bicky Corman, Deputy Associate Administrator, Office of Policy

Cynthia D. Jones-Jackson, Acting Director, Office of Federal Advisory Committee 

 Management and Outreach 

NACEPT Members

NOTICE

This letter is the product of the National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology (NACEPT), an advisory 

committee created under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. NACEPT provides independent advice and recommendations 

on environmental policy, technology, and management issues to the Administrator and other officials of the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The recommendations in this letter reflect the opinions and views of NACEPT, and 

not necessarily the views or opinions of the U.S. EPA.

NACEPT’s reports and advice letters are posted on the EPA website at http://www.epa.gov/ofacmo/nacept.
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Appendix I: 

NACEPT Recommended Sustainability Charge Questions for Review and Consideration

This First Sustainability Advice Letter responds to Charge Question #1 below. NACEPT 

suggests Charge Questions #2, #3 and #4 below for the EPA Administrator’s consideration as 

subjects for additional advice letters.

1. The National Academies report on Sustainability and the U.S. EPA recommends that the 

Agency adopt or adapt a comprehensive Sustainability Framework with "... specific processes for 

incorporating Sustainability into decision processes."

Should EPA adopt the National Academies recommendation to incorporate sustainability into its 

decision-making processes? If yes: (a) How should the Agency include sustainability in its 

vision and mission? (b) What are the key points that should be included in a sustainability 

vision? (c) What are the critical steps necessary to implement sustainability principles and 

processes into its programs and practices?

2. What strengths can EPA leverage to successfully deploy, across the Agency, 

sustainability strategies drawing upon both the National Academies report recommendations and, 

also, approaches to sustainability and recommendations from other sources and stakeholders?

How can EPA's deployment also achieve positive influence with other agencies and 

stakeholders? 

Are there internal or external challenges – barriers and gaps – that EPA will need to address, 

manage and overcome to successfully deploy sustainability strategies drawing upon both the 

National Academies report recommendations and, also, approaches to sustainability and 

recommendations from other sources and stakeholders? If yes: (a) Identify the significant 

internal challenges and then recommend strategies to address, manage and overcome them; and 

(b) Identify the significant external challenges and the stakeholders involved, and then 

recommend strategies to address, manage and overcome them and contribute to the EPA’s 

successful roll-out of its defined sustainability strategy while engaging with key stakeholders.

3. Using EPA's sustainability vision as a starting point, and backcasting from that vision, 

what breakthrough objectives does NACEPT recommend for the EPA over the next 3 - 5 years

drawing upon both the National Academies report recommendations and, also, approaches to 

sustainability and recommendations from other sources and stakeholders? In particular: (a) 

What measurement systems does NACEPT recommend for assessing progress toward these 

breakthrough objectives and EPA’s sustainability vision? (b) What tools are available to help 

EPA consider the qualitative and quantitative environmental, public health, social and economic 

benefits? (c) What approaches should EPA use to share progress with the public? and (d) What 

other new approaches might be necessary to implement the breakthrough goals that NACEPT 

has identified?
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4. How can sustainability evolve from a vision to be part of EPA’s organizational culture? 

How should EPA leaders integrate sustainability programs across the Agency and with other 

government programs? How should EPA identify, evaluate and celebrate successful 

sustainability programs within and outside the Agency?
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Appendix II:

NACEPT Sustainability Workgroup Members

Erica Bannerman

Senior Environmental 

Specialist 

Transportation and 

Environmental Services

Alexandria, VA

Dr. James H. Johnson, 

Jr.

NACEPT Chair

Professor and Dean 

Emeritus

College of Engineering, 

Architecture and Computer 

Sciences

Howard University

Washington, DC

Sara Kendall 

Vice President 

Corporate Affairs, 

Sustainability & EHS

Weyerhaeuser Company

Federal Way, WA

Robert Kerr

Co-Founder and Principal

Pure Strategies, Inc.

Reston, VA

Howard A. Learner

NACEPT Vice-Chair

Executive Director

Environmental Law 

& Policy Center

Chicago, IL

Jennifer Nash

Executive Director 

Regulatory Policy Program

Kennedy School of 

Government

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA 

Robert L. Olson 

Senior Fellow

Institute for Alternative 

Futures

Arlington, VA

Olufemi Osidele

Senior Research Engineer

Geosciences and Research 

Division

Southwest Research 

Institute

San Antonio, TX

Billy Turner 

Founder

BTurner Consulting 

Columbus, GA

Supplemental Workgroup 

Members

Effenus Henderson 

Chief Diversity Officer

Weyerhaeuser Company

Federal Way, WA

Jerome Paulson, MD

Children’s Health 

Protection Advisory 

Committee Member

Professor of Pediatrics and 

Public Health

GWU School of Medicine 

and Health Sciences

Washington, DC

Designated Federal Officer

Mark Joyce

Associate Director 

U.S. EPA Office of 

Federal Advisory 

Committee Management 

and Outreach 

Resource Specialists

Frederick W. (Derry) 

Allen

Counselor, Office of 

Strategic Environmental 

Management

U.S. EPA Office of Policy

Dr. Alan D. Hecht

Director for Sustainable

Development

U.S. EPA Office of 

Research and Development