WVU Today | WVU partnering with industry to improve health, environmental outcomes for disadvantaged communities
WVU Today | WVU partnering with industry to improve health ... WVU Today
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West Virginia University Industrial Engineers Partner with Local Industry to Support Sustainable Development Goals
A team of industrial engineers from West Virginia University (WVU) is leveraging $800,000 in funding from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide direct support to local industries. The team is partnering with industrial facilities in disadvantaged communities across the state to offer free technical assistance aimed at improving energy efficiency, minimizing waste streams, reducing air pollution, and lowering carbon footprints.
Supporting Community Health and Environmental Well-being
Lead by project lead Ashish Nimbarte, professor and chair of the Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering at WVU’s Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, the team aims to address the chronic health issues in West Virginia caused by exposure to industrial emissions. Disadvantaged communities are often disproportionately affected by these emissions. By assisting facilities in reducing their impact on environmental and community health through process and equipment updates, the project seeks to benefit local communities while maintaining profitability for businesses.
Funding and Objectives
The funding for this initiative comes from the EPA’s Pollution Prevention Grant Program, authorized by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The program aligns with the federal Justice40 Initiative, which aims to direct 40% of certain federal benefits to communities burdened by pollution and underinvestment.
Identifying Industrial Facilities
To identify industrial facilities in West Virginia, Nimbarte’s team will utilize data from the Council on Environmental Equality’s Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool. This tool characterizes census tracts as disadvantaged based on criteria related to climate change, energy, health, housing, legacy pollution, and transportation. The team will then conduct pre-visit assessments and outreach to the identified facilities.
Overcoming Barriers and Providing Technical Support
Assistant Professor Avishek Choudhury highlights the lack of technical support as a major barrier for facilities in disadvantaged communities in developing and implementing source reduction plans. To address this, the team will conduct onsite assessments tailored to each facility’s specific pollution, emissions, and waste. They will also provide technical knowledge and recommendations to enhance environmental performance, competitiveness, and profitability. The team will prioritize return on investment in their recommendations.
Comprehensive Support and Information Dissemination
In addition to onsite technical assistance, the team will offer support through various channels. This includes in-person trainings, videos, self-guided modules, interactive media, and widely distributing information through online platforms such as e-newsletters. The team also plans to organize a conference to present case studies and discuss ways technology and processes can prevent pollution through production reformulations, raw material substitutions, and improvements in maintenance, training, or inventory control.
Contributing to Sustainable Development Goals
This initiative aligns with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including:
- SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being – By reducing industrial emissions and improving community health
- SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy – By promoting energy efficiency
- SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure – By supporting industrial facilities in improving their processes and equipment
- SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities – By addressing environmental and health impacts in disadvantaged communities
- SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production – By promoting resource conservation and waste minimization
- SDG 13: Climate Action – By reducing carbon footprints and addressing climate change
- SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals – By collaborating with industrial facilities and distributing information
“In West Virginia’s most vulnerable communities, unemployment is high and incomes, education levels, and life expectancies are low,” Nimbarte said. “Through this work, local businesses can serve as catalysts to improve the health and environment of struggling residents.”
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Contact Information
For media inquiries, please contact Micaela Morrissette, Research Writer, WVU Research Communications at 304-709-6667 or micaela.morrissette@mail.wvu.edu.
For the latest news and information from WVU, call 1-855-WVU-NEWS or visit WVUToday.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
- SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
- SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
- SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
- SDG 13: Climate Action
- SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
The article addresses various issues related to health, energy efficiency, industrial impact on the environment, and community well-being, which are connected to these SDGs.
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
- SDG 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination.
- SDG 7.3: By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency.
- SDG 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes.
- SDG 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.
- SDG 12.4: By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water, and soil to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.
- SDG 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning.
- SDG 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private, and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.
The article highlights the need to reduce pollution, improve energy efficiency, upgrade infrastructure, manage waste, integrate climate change measures, and promote partnerships, which align with these specific targets.
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
- Reduction in industrial emissions and waste streams
- Improvement in energy efficiency
- Reduction in carbon footprints
- Number of facilities assessed and provided with technical assistance
- Number of facilities implementing pollution prevention plans
- Number of businesses adopting resource conservation and waste minimization practices
- Return on investment for facilities implementing recommendations
- Number of trainings, videos, modules, and media distributed
- Number of case studies presented at the conference
- Improvement in health and environment indicators in vulnerable communities
The article implies these indicators as measures of progress towards the identified targets.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being | 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination. | – Reduction in industrial emissions and waste streams – Improvement in health indicators in vulnerable communities |
| SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy | 7.3: By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency. | – Improvement in energy efficiency |
| SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure | 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes. | – Reduction in carbon footprints – Number of facilities assessed and provided with technical assistance – Number of facilities implementing pollution prevention plans – Number of businesses adopting resource conservation and waste minimization practices |
| SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities | 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management. | – Reduction in industrial emissions and waste streams – Improvement in air quality – Improvement in municipal and waste management |
| SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production | 12.4: By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water, and soil to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment. | – Reduction in industrial emissions and waste streams – Improvement in waste management |
| SDG 13: Climate Action | 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning. | – Reduction in carbon footprints – Adoption of climate change measures in policies and planning |
| SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals | 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private, and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships. | – Number of partnerships established – Number of trainings, videos, modules, and media distributed – Number of case studies presented at the conference |
Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together.
Source: wvutoday.wvu.edu
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