Overview

Second Advisory Letter on Sustainability

April 4, 2013

1
Charges to NACEPT & Work Approach

EPA Charge # 1

 Describe challenges, barriers, 

opportunities, stakeholder 

engagement needs & 

recommendations to help EPA 

implement a sustainability strategy

Work Team:

Ron Meissen (Co-chair) 

Alison Taylor (Co-chair)

Fernando Abruña

Ondrea Barber

John DeVillars

Giovanna Di Chiro

Deeohn Ferris

Trish Gallagher

Sara Kendall

Howard Learner

EPA Charge #2

 Recommend a vision, mission, 

measurement systems, ways to share 

progress, tools and 3-5 year 

breakthrough objectives to propel 

EPA’s sustainability implementation

Work Team

Bridgett Luther (Co-chair)

Olufemi Osidele (Co-chair)

Erica Bannerman

Kurt Erichsen

DeWitt John

Robert Kerr

Judith Mazique

Mark Mitchell

Bob Olson

Yalmaz Siddiqui

Note: Full charge questions included in the Appendix 2
SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

3
NACEPT’s Recommendations 

Address Three Areas

I. Aligning EPA on its Path to Sustainability

II. Ensuring Stakeholder Engagement

III. Demonstrating Sustainability Leadership 

Overall: these recommendations provide EPA a 

sustainability implementation roadmap

4
I. Aligning EPA on its Path to Sustainability

Summary of Recommendations

 Recommendation 1: EPA Should Build Upon Its Significant Strengths To 

Develop And Deploy A Robust Sustainability Strategy. 

 Recommendation 2: EPA Should Adopt A Compelling Vision Based 

Sustainability Principles And The Needs Of Present And Future 

Generations.

 Recommendation 3: EPA Should Clarify And Expand Its Current Mission 

Statement To Explicitly Reflect A Sustainability Approach.

 Recommendation 4: EPA Should Endorse A Small Number Of 

Breakthrough Objectives To Achieve By 2020 To Accelerate 

Implementation Of Its Sustainability Strategy And Demonstrate Visible 

Leadership.

 Recommendation 5: EPA Should Develop Quantitative Metrics To Analyze 

Net Impacts And Benefits Of Decisions In Terms Of Contributions To A 

More Sustainable Society And Incorporate These In Goal-Setting 

Processes. 

5
II. Engaging Stakeholders

Summary of Recommendations

 Recommendation 6. EPA Should Clearly Connect Its 

Sustainability Strategy To Its Existing Authorities And Engage 

Stakeholders In Implementation. 

 Recommendation 7: EPA Should Link Sustainability, 

Community Engagement And Environmental Justice 

Approaches Across EPA. 

6
III. Demonstrating Sustainability Leadership

Summary of Recommendations

Recommendation 8: EPA Strengthen Sustainability 

Capabilities In Its Organization And Culture: Leadership, 

Innovation, and Collaboration.

Recommendation 9: EPA Should Enhance Its Presence In 

Sustainability Both Inside The Agency And Across The 

Federal Government.

Recommendation 10: EPA Should Enhance Its Role As A 

Convener To Include Discourse On Sustainability And 

Collaboration Involving Government And Society At 

Large.

7
DISCUSSION TOPICS REMAINING

8
Discussion 1: EPA Vision Statement

1) EPA’s Vision is to propel America towards 

sustainability, protecting the environment and 

health in a way that meets the environmental, 

social and economic needs of the present 

without compromising the ability of future 

generations to meet their needs.

2) EPA Vision is a more sustainable American 

society and environment, now and for future 

generations.

9

NACEPT: Recommend 1 or 2 or both or different?
Discussion 2: EPA Mission Statement

1) EPA’s Mission is to improve human health and the 

environment while maintaining or enhancing quality 

of life.

2) EPA’s Mission is to improve human health and the 

environment and to encourage actions and solutions 

that advance the health, well-being and benefit of 

all. 

3) EPA’s Mission is to improve human health and the 

environment while advancing long term economic 

viability and the quality of life for all Americans.

10

NACEPT: Recommend 1, 2 or 3, all or different?
Breakthrough Objectives

Recommended Criteria

 Breakthrough Objectives must: 

– Support the Sustainability Vision

– Encompass new and/or more effective directions for the 

Agency to take.

– Improve performance throughout the Agency, not just in 

one area

– Advance environmental, social and economic goals.

– Be implementable and measurable at national, state and 

community scales

– Be able to be completed in 3-5 years

– Be simple and intuitively understandable

11
Discussion 3: Breakthrough Objectives 

NACEPT Recommended Options

1. By 2020 EPA will facilitate a number of green infrastructure projects 

that deliver regulatory performance comparable or superior to 

conventional pollution control systems, but at lower costs, with 

higher conservation values and outcomes, and measurable net job 

creation.

2. By 2020, work with a few high carbon-emitting industries (steel, 

cement, aluminum, paper and plastic) to develop incentive 

approaches to help those industries achieve a 25% increase in 

energy and carbon efficiency while demonstrating beneficial 

economic results.

3. EPA will work with priority businesses and or communities to reduce 

water, carbon and waste emissions by 2020 and demonstrate 

continued or improved quality of life.

12
Breakthrough Objectives

Options, cont’d

4. By 2020, work collaboratively with highly impacted communities 

to reduce soot without raising the price of electricity, nor causing 

disproportionate impacts on affected low-income communities or 

resulting in significant reduction in local employment. 

5. By 2020, foster a ‘one EPA’ culture using sustainability as a focal 

point and by dramatically increasing collaboration across 

departments and creating joint programs with measurable 

outcomes.

6. By 2020, EPA will demonstrate measurable progress to become 

carbon positive and outline a plan to achieve that across the 

Agency. 

13
Breakthrough Objectives

Options, cont’d

7. EPA will help the federal government achieve 95% 

sustainable purchasing for all goods and services (with 

the exception of weapons systems) used by the U.S. 

government. 

8. By 2020, EPA will help America's industries achieve a 

20% reduction in product lifecycle environmental and 

human health impacts, while improving their longterm economic competitiveness and job-creation 

potential.

9. EPA should provide a framework for educating the next 

generation of decision-makers about sustainability.

14
15

Mission 

Option 1 

Vision 

Option 2

EPA’s Mission is to improve human health and the environment, while 

maintaining or enhancing quality of life

EPA Vision is a more sustainable American society and environment, 

now and for future generations

Office of the 

Administrator

Office of Chemical 

Safety & PP

Office of Air 

& Radiation

Office of 

Enforcement & 

Compliance

Etc.

Goals, Indicators and Metrics. Roll up to Objectives, Mission and Vision

Goals, Indicators and Metrics. Roll up to Objectives, Mission and Vision

Goals, Indicators and Metrics. Roll up to Objectives, Mission and Vision

Goals, Indicators and Metrics. Roll up to Objectives, Mission and Vision

Goals, Indicators and Metrics. Roll up to Objectives, Mission and Vision

2020 objective 2020 Objective 2020 Objective

Graphic Depicting EPA Internal Alignment
Next Steps

• EPA feedback on final revised draft

• NACEPT discussion & finalization of 

recommendations:

– 10 recommendations

– Vision options

– Mission Options

– Breakthrough Objectives

• Other Input

• Adopt

16
APPENDIX

17
EPA Charge Question 1

1. 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? 

• (1) Identify the significant internal challenges and then recommend 

strategies to address, manage and overcome them; and 

• (2) 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.

•

18
EPA Charge Question 2

2. Using EPA Sustainability Vision as a starting point, and back-casting from 

that vision, what breakthrough objectives does NACEPT recommend for 

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?

-- What measurement systems does NACEPT recommend for assessing 

progress towards these breakthrough objectives and EPA’s sustainability 

vision?

-- What tools are available to help EPA consider the qualitative and 

quantitative environmental, public health, social and economic benefits?

-- What approaches should EPA use to share progress with the public?

-- What other new approaches might be necessary to implement the 

breakthrough goals that NACEPT has identified?

19