SustainAudit

A detailed look at sustainability, definitions, sustainable applications, metrics and measures, drivers, such as resource cost increase and scarcity, and the triple bottom line sensibilities.

A look at brownfield remediation and land use in terms of sustainable practices applications.

Achieving sustainability in projects, businesses or municipalities can only be accomplished if the metrics and measures of success are understood.  This lecture and/or workshop focuses on the specific metrics and measures that apply to different pursuits.

A detailed look at metals we use in business and industry, their sources and supplies and substitutions, and water resource management and scarcity, as well as other non-renewable and renewable resources used in business, industry and municipalities.  In workshop form, this subject delves into reasonable, cost-effective substitutions for projects and business.

Through a reflection of life cycle analysis approaches the entire materials chain is examined from natural resources discovery, mining, manufacturing, transport, purchase and installation, maintenance and upgrades, and post-uses and recycling.  This is explored in terms of metrics, such as the carbon footprint, economic constraints, and community enrichment.

This lecture series or workshop focuses on new developments and retrofitting of existing developments in terms of sustainable practices in land use planning.  The integration of alternative water management, renewable energy, natural areas, resource use reduction, and other conservation measures with economic imperatives and community improvement measures is investigated.  This can be directly applied to on-going and new projects to improve their measure of sustainability with public relations and marketing benefits.

A detailed look at remediation methodologies that utilize sustainable practices, especially phytoremediation.  Specific project examples are included, and compared with traditional approaches in terms of cost and carbon footprints, as important metrics.

Determining the fundamental ecological and resource value of a given property before significant investment is made is the focus of this lecture and/or workshop.  The methodoogy of performing a Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) to integrate all available data into a product "Green Map" that helps focus land use decisions and maximize the use of sustainable water management, resources conservation, energy use minimization, naturalized green space use and preservation, cost-effectiveness, public perception, marketing, and profits within the sphere of community enrichment.

Our mined natural resources are dependent on a clear understanding of geology, economics, supply and demand, environmental protection, safety and security, legislative imperatives, and community needs.  This series of lectures and workshops delves into the sources and economics of metals and non-metals, their resources life and methods of determining mineable reserves, and the financial and economics of mining, supplies, and uses.  The importance of recycling and resource conservation as well as appropriate materials substitutions are also presented.

Whether or not there is agreement on what to call climate change or global warming, many scientific observations indicate significant change in the Earth's ecosystems, hydrologic environments, and to natural resources availability.  In this series of lectures and workshops the factual data used to understand climate change is reviewed, as well as how to use the information in strategic planning for businesses.  Scarcity or regional supply variations in food, transportation, natural resources, jobs, water, and other critical elements of civilization are discussed.

The opportunity for use and application of renewable energy resources delves into specific aspects of passive geo-exchange, active geothermal, passive and active (PV) solar, wind, tidal, and biofuel potential.

By mimicing nature through the use of sustainable practices for alternative stormwater management the conservation of water resources can be achieved.  This lecture series and/or workshops looks as specific methods of alternative stormwater management, including the use of wetlands, forests and prairies for stormwater absorption, stream and river restoration and reconstruction, groundwater aquifer recharge, green roofs, urban agriculture, rain gardens, graywater use in buildings, and other water conservation opportunities.

This lecture explores the reduction of combined sewer outfall (CSO) for purposes of reducing the need for infrastructure expansion and rates increases through water conservation, graywater usage, and green roof stormwater storage and use.

In this series of lectures the source and global distribution of active geothermal systems (hot springs and magmatic regions) are explored in terms of a renewable energy resource.  The use of groundwater geoexchange is explored in comparison for use as a passive heat exchange resource for residential and commercial HVAC needs.  Examples and costing as well as efficiency parameters are reviewed.

A detailed investigation into the processes forming limestone/dolomite karst terrains, as well as their structural makeup is presented.  The hydrology and potential contamination of surface and groundwater resources in karst terrains is an additional focus of this presentation, and delves into human health issues, agricultural nutrient management planning, industrial, commercial and residential impacts.  Sustainable practices management of karst terrains is reviewed.

The environment of exploration, development, and much needed restoration of the Alberta Oil Sands (tar sands) is explored.  Geologic and hydrologic controls on the oils sands and the impacts of mining to the environment, First Nation Peoples communities, and treaties between Canada and the United States (i.e. NAFTA) are reviewed.

This "journey through time" starts 600 million years ago and chronicles the formation of the Niagara Dolomite in the Michigan Basin, and the ultimate uplift and erosion that resulted in the Niagara Escarpment.  The Escarpment, also known as "the ledge", extends from south of Fond du Lac through Door County in Wisconsin, along the northern extent of Lakes Michigan and Huron, and down to Niagara Falls.  The natural history through time in terms of habitats, ecosystems, species introductions and extinctions, plate tectonics, glaciation, and human impacts are detailed.  Sustainable practices management for the preservation of the Escarpment is presented.

This lecture presents an overview of the magmatic history of the Yellowstone National Park caldera, and potential future threats from eruptions.

This in-depth look at cave formations explores the lithologic-structural-hydrologic drivers leading to significant dissolution of limestone and dolomite, and the redeposition of carbonate as speleothems.  Cave environments, extents, and explorations are a focus of this lecture.  Numerous caving trips by Roger Kuhns and his son Matthew are shown as examples of different cavern types and environments.

Marine and freshwater coastal environments are crucial to human activities such as industry, culture, transportation, residential uses, and recreation and food.  Some of these environments have been significantly impacted by human activities and result in extensive loss of coastal areas through erosion or habitat destruction.  These impacts further result in threats to human infrastructure systems such as cities and ports.  Examples in this lecture series extend from the Danube Delta and the Black Sea Coast to the Gulf of Mexico and impacts from Katrina.  Sustainable practices in coast management are a focus of the presentations.