Future of Cities Syllabus 2016

Foresight Prep @ Oberlin College
The Future of Cities
Oberlin College | Foresight Design Initiative
June 19 to July 2, 2016
Table of Contents
COURSE SYLLABUS
Course Description ...................................................................................................................................... 2
Outcomes .................................................................................................................................................... 3
Expectations ................................................................................................................................................ 4
Program Faculty Bios .................................................................................................................................. 4
Speakers & Field Trips. ............................................................................................................................... 6
Projects...................................................................................................................................................... 10
Detailed Course Schedule ........................................................................................................................... 11
“Big Ideas” Project Brief ................................................................................................................................. 31
SUSTAINABILITY & URBANISM RESOURCES
Northeast Ohio: A History............................................................................................................................... 41
Sustainable Urbanism Glossary ..................................................................................................................... 44
Sustainability 101 Glossary ............................................................................................................................ 50
Future of Cities Bibliography .......................................................................................................................... 57
A Brief History of the Modern Environmental Movement in America ............................................................. 65
Environmental Youth Membership Organizations .......................................................................................... 69
Environmental Organizations with Youth Focus............................................................................................. 71
Inter/National Environmental Organizations................................................................................................... 73
Sustainability Related Websites ..................................................................................................................... 77
Media Sources—Podcasts & Blogs & DVDs.................................................................................................. 79
COLLEGE AND CAREER SKILLS RESOURCES
Interview Etiquette: Tips for Success ............................................................................................................. 81
Tools for Successful Group Work and Collaboration ..................................................................................... 82
Hot to Survive a Critique ................................................................................................................................ 91
COURSE READINGS
Movements Without Leaders, Bill McKibben.................................................................................................. 95
Fundi: The Enduring Legacy of Ella Baker, Stephen Preskill....................................................................... 102
The Tyranny of Structurelessness, Jo Freeman .......................................................................................... 111
STUDENT LIFE & EMERGENCY RESOURCES
Oberlin Social and Recreational Options ..................................................................................................... 122
Community Guidelines ................................................................................................................................. 124
RATA Contact Information ........................................................................................................................... 125
Oberlin Campus Map ................................................................................................................................... 126
Downtown Oberlin Map ................................................................................................................................ 127

2016 Foresight Prep @ Oberlin:
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Foresight Prep @ Oberlin College:
Course Syllabus
June 19 to July 2, 2016
Lead Instructor:
Lyndon Valicenti
Program Director:
Peter Nicholson
Program Manager:
Tim Jones-Yelvington
Teaching Assistant:
Max Herzog
Residential Assistants:
Skyler Davis, Rachel Young
About Foresight Prep
Foresight Prep @ Oberlin is an experiential learning, leadership development, and college and
career preparatory program that prepares a forthcoming generation of leaders—highly-motivated
high school students concerned with issues of sustainability and equity—with the insights and
skills required to succeed in fields that are being shaped by complex and rapidly-evolving
problems. It is founded on five principles:
● Insight Into Sustainability. The program defines sustainability through a “triple bottom
line” approach that balances the creation and maintenance of environmental, social and
economic value. Students begin to understand issues and approaches systemically,
including their interdependencies and root causes, and synthesize this information to form
their own perspective about how to most effectively address complex challenges.
● Leadership. The program builds students’ capacity to affect positive social change by
identifying and cultivating their leadership skills and potential. This process is facilitated
by a holistic curriculum that recognizes the uniquely collaborative and innovative
leadership that sustainability challenges require.

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● Diversity. The program seeks to cultivate more representative, equitable and inclusive
future leadership, and expose students to a diversity of perspectives and concerns.
● College and Career Preparation. The program facilitates students’ personal and
professional development in preparation for the next steps in their journey. Experiential
learning opportunities are prioritized over passive instruction. Hands-on projects develop
skills for primary and secondary research and analysis, while classroom discussions help
students reflect upon paths for achieving social impact and personal fulfillment.
● Ongoing Mentorship. A two-week experience can only provide an introduction to
complex topics. Program alumni become part of an ongoing network connecting them
with other like-minded high school students, college mentors and established
sustainability leaders, to support their future engagement.
About the Seminar: The Future of Cities
Today, more than half the world’s population lives in cities. By 2050, it is projected that nearly
70% of people will be urban dwellers (UN, 2011). To put this global urban migration into
context, that is the equivalent of adding over 1 million people to cities every week until 2050.
With this exponential urban growth comes an urgency to better understand and plan for the
systems that define our cities. A city is much like a dynamic ecosystem—when it operates
efficiently and effectively, the result is a healthy, thriving metropolis. However, today, under
unbalanced systems and poor planning, cities are disproportionately driving climate change,
wealth disparities, social injustice, loss of farmland and forests, and increasing water demand.
Cities, at their best, represent hubs of innovation, sources of economic growth, confluences of
bright minds and skilled workers, and the promise of a higher quality of life. The success of
cities in the 21st Century will be dependent on our ability to ensure they are efficient, resilient,
and intelligent.
Through an urban planning lens, students will explore the complex interplay between the built,
natural, and social systems of cities, using Cleveland as their primary case study. They will better
understand the role of policy, technology, industry, economy and equity in shaping
contemporary Cleveland. As their final project, students will be challenged to draw on best
practices and innovative urban interventions from around the world, and reimagine a thriving,
resilient and sustainable metropolis for the 21st Century.
Outcomes
Students will:
● Begin reflecting critically on their own leadership potential and future engagement;
● Increase their awareness of a broad range of sustainability and urban challenges;
● Develop the perspective required to understand the systemic nature of complex issues;
● Better understand the impact of sustainability-related issues on diverse communities;

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● Acquire concrete skills to contribute to undergraduate and career success;
● Be introduced to strategies for influencing change.
Longer-term, the intention is for participants to deepen their engagement with both their own
leadership development and sustainability issues, and to forge successful futures as
sustainability-oriented change-makers.
Expectations
In order to ensure an optimal learning environment, students should arrive to each session on
time and fully prepared for the day’s activities. They will be held accountable for the
commitments made previously in their Student Learning Agreements including:
● Attendance and active participation in all Foresight Prep @ Oberlin classroom sessions,
field trips and activities, a minimum of 6-8 hours daily, and perhaps sometimes a bit
more based upon field trip schedules, extracurricular events, and project deadlines;
● Practicing personal wellness and self care (e.g. exercise, sufficient sleep);
● Contributing fully to group discussion and project work;
● Staying open to constructive criticism, and acknowledging one’s own limitations and
potential areas for growth;
● Completing assigned readings and meeting project deadlines as required;
● Promptly and fully communicating any issues that arise to Foresight Prep @ Oberlin
staff, and to group members as relevant;
● Seeking help/support for any challenges that arise that may affect one’s participation;
● Holding oneself accountable for achieving personal goals.
In accordance with these expectations, Foresight Prep @ Oberlin staff commit to uphold the
following:
● Opportunities for experiential learning, networking with established professionals, and
personal development;
● Facilitation of a respectful and inclusive space conducive to exploration, learning and
growth;
● Clear communication with students regarding expectations, including feedback to inform
project goals;
● Respect for students’ own assets, skills, and leadership potential;
● Openness to constructive feedback.
Program Faculty Bios
Lyndon Valicenti, Lead Instructor
Lyndon Valicenti brings over 10 years of experience in scientific study, policy analysis, and
planning around sustainable ecological and urban systems. She has conducted scientific research
on vulnerable ecosystems in the Arctic and Antarctic; contributed to debates on international

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climate change policy; developed and implemented engagement programs to support city-scale
climate action; and has informed ecological thinking in urban planning across China and the
Middle East. Lyndon has a solid record of leading thoughtful, science-based planning, policy
making, and research, as well as convening coalitions to advance strategic agendas to protect our
most essential resources. Lyndon is Adjunct Faculty of Sustainability Leadership and Change
Management at University of Chicago’s Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional
Studies. She holds a Masters in Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy from
Columbia University and a Bachelors of Science in Aquatic Ecology from University of
California, Santa Barbara. She also holds a certificate in Sustainable Urban and Environmental
Design from Archeworks.
Peter Nicholson, Program Director
Peter Nicholson is Executive Director of the Foresight Design Initiative, a unique nonprofit
organization he established in 2002, and Principal of the organization's consulting practice. Since
early 2012, he has also led Foresight Bright, LLC, a for-profit innovation firm he established to
serve private sector clients. Through these positions, Peter leads a multifaceted career focused on
challenging the status quo and the pursuit of greater social, environmental and economic
sustainability. Peter consults on and undertakes sustainable transformation projects for a
diversity of clients, including government agencies, institutional nonprofits, and diverse
businesses. Considered an engaging presenter and master facilitator, he is in regular demand as a
guest speaker and moderator. Peter is dedicated to the education of the next generation of
sustainability-minded leaders and has created and taught programs for participants ranging from
high school students to corporate executives. Peter began his study of Sustainability and Design
at the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and holds a bachelors degree
from Oberlin College.
Tim Jones-Yelvington, Program Manager
Tim Jones-Yelvington possesses a range of facilitation, research, communications and program
development and assessment skills. He worked for five years as program staff at Crossroads
Fund, a public foundation supporting grassroots community organizing and social justice
activists groups in the Chicago area, including a number of youth-led campaigns. His position
included managing a portfolio of grantees and helping to coordinate a community-led
grantmaking process. He worked closely with the staff and leaders of small, new and emerging
organizations to navigate their organizational growth, and contributed to fundraising and
communications efforts. He recently completed a Masters of Education in Youth Development at
University of Illinois at Chicago. His culminating field experience took place in the After School
and Expanded Learning Team at American Institutes for Research, the nation's largest social
science research and evaluation organization, where he acquired a wealth of resources for
promoting youth program quality.

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Max Herzog, Residential Director and Teaching Assistant
Max Herzog is a recent graduate of Oberlin College where he double majored in Political
Science and Environmental Studies. He has extensive scientific research experience from his
four summers as a Lab assistant at Washington University in St. Louis, but has focused more on
education and community development in his college coursework. His academic goals include
personal philosophical development and preparation for a meaningful and impactful career in
Northeast Ohio. His extracurricular interests can be generally described as music, music, music,
and exercising (sort of). He also enjoys camping, skiing, and SCUBA. At Oberlin he participated
in Ultimate Frisbee and WOBC, the college radio station. This is Max’s third summer with
Foresight Prep.
Skyler Davis, Residential Assistant
Sky is a rising junior at Oberlin College double majoring in Environmental Studies and
Economics. Her career goals include corporate social responsibility, and helping companies and
communities to become more sustainable. Her academic interests include researching the impact
of global economies on different communities' environmental issues, as well as environmental
policy and justice. Skyler enjoys playing on the Women's Ultimate Preying Mantis team, Slam
Poetry, analyzing lyrics of music, and collecting records on records on records.
Rachel Young, Residential Assistant
Rachel is well versed in the fields of education and Japanese language, art, and culture. During
her time as a student at Oberlin College (’15) where she received her BA in East Asian studies,
Rachel focused on cinema and politics, and studied abroad in Japan for a full year. She has an
interest in a wide range of art mediums, and one of her favorites is Japanese Woodblock print art.
Since graduating, she has moved from her hometown of Bowling Green, KY to Meadville, PA
where she is currently working as a substitute teacher for grades K-12. Rachel loves working
with young minds, and is passionate about empowering youth to create change.
Speakers & Field Trips (Alphabetical)
Jessica Bonanno, Director of Strategy, Development & Operations, Democracy
Collaborative/Evergreen Cooperatives
The Democracy Collaborative works to promote strategies and innovations in community
development that facilitate ownership and stewardship over capital, democracy in the workplace,
the stabilization of community and local economies, equitable and inclusive growth and
environmental, social and institutional sustainability. They were key strategists behind the
Evergreen Cooperatives. Launched in 2008 by a working group of Cleveland-based institutions
(including the Cleveland Foundation, the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, Case Western
Reserve University, and the municipal government), the Evergreen Cooperative Initiative is
working to create living wage jobs in six low-income neighborhoods in an area known as Greater
University Circle (GUC), through the establishment of employee-owned, for-profit businesses,
which include a laundry, an energy company that develops and installs solar panels for

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institutional clients, and a growers’ cooperative that operates a hydroponic greenhouse. Modeled
after Spain's Mondragon Corporation, a world leader in the movement for worker-owned
cooperatives, the Evergreen Co-ops pursue community wealth strategies aimed at improving the
ability of communities and individuals to increase asset ownership, anchor jobs locally,
strengthen the municipal tax base, prevent financial resources from “leaking out” of the area, and
ensure local economic stability.
As Director of Strategy Development and Operations, Jessica Bonanno contributes to internal
organizational development, serves as a consultant and project lead, and provides business
development support to the Evergreen Cooperatives. Her primary areas of expertise include
impact investing, organizational design, and business development, with a special emphasis on
start-ups, social ventures, and small to medium sized enterprises. Her early career was spent as a
micro-entrepreneur, teacher, and the leader of multiple mission-driven community organizations.
After becoming aware of cooperative business ownership models and the broader social
enterprise movement, she returned to earn her M.B.A. at The University of Notre Dame, as an
M.B.A. Fellow and Forte Foundation Fellow. During this time, Jessica concentrated in
investments and social business models and served as an Associate in an early-stage investment
office, an Equity Analyst for the university’s endowment, and a Consultant to several domestic
and international impact organizations, including Catholic Relief Services, The Irish Angels, and
The Valley Alliance for Worker Cooperatives.
Kim Foreman, Executive Director, Environmental Health Watch
Environmental Health Watch (EWH) began in 1980 as a group of concerned community
members volunteering time to develop and distribute educational resources about environmental
health issues in low-income neighborhoods across Cleveland. EHW has consistently spearheaded
the Environmental Justice movement in Northeast Ohio. Working on issue areas from lead
abatement to food access, EHW has developed a portfolio of services designed to intervene at all
levels on behalf of the communities most affected by environmental toxicities and climate
change. Their activities range from direct services and technical consulting to research and
policy development. EHW also functions as a connector and organizer for EJ groups across the
region. Ms. Foreman utilizes her nearly two decades of experience in environmental justice work
to maintain EHW’s focus on the disproportionate impacts of environmental issues on low
income communities of color, while remaining a key point person for its on-the-ground projects.
As EHW’s executive director, Ms. Foreman is often the main representative of the EJ
perspective at many decision-making tables, and is sometimes seen as the driving force behind
the movement in Cleveland.
Arathi Gowda, Associate Director, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Ms. Gowda is an associate director at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), one of the largest
and most influential architecture, interior design, engineering, and urban planning firms in the
world. Her main role at this organization is as a team leader for SOM Chicago’s elite
Performative Design Group, charged with researching new technologies and recommending

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integrated environmental design solutions. In addition, she is involved with the Chicago chapter
of the Green Building Council, the organization responsible for the LEED certification system.
Ms. Gowda also brings her architectural background to bear as an educator committed to training
the next generation of practitioners. She fills this role as both the current elected Dean of
Sustainable Initiatives at Foundation University and as a Part Time Professor for the Illinois
Institute of Technology, where she currently teaches Architecture Studio as part of the Urban
Cloud series for 5th year and graduate students.
Matt Gray, Director, Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, City of Cleveland
Mr. Gray is a key member of one of the smallest but most important departments in Cleveland
City Government. Working under the direct supervision of the mayor, the Office of
Sustainability plans, finances, and executes a variety of sustainability initiatives ranging from
internal efficiency improvements to large community outreach programs. Their broad mandate
and small budget often necessitate that the department focus on diplomacy and alliance-building,
working towards deep cultural change. The central organizing principle of the Office’s current
efforts is the Sustainable Cleveland 2019 plan. This initiative is centered on nine subsequent
“Celebration Years” which each focus on a specific area of sustainability (beginning in 2011
with the “Year of Energy Efficiency”). During each year, a community-wide summit is held
which brings together as many as 500 diverse participants to discuss the “celebrated” focus issue.
Using the Appreciative Inquiry framework developed at Case Western Reserve University and
IDEO’s Rapid Prototyping technique, these summits have consistently produced diverse working
groups to tackle sustainability-related problems.
Dave Karpinski, Vice President, Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo)
Mr. Karpinski is a key member of a small management team spearheading the Lake Erie Energy
Development Corporation (LEEDCo), which aims to launch Project Icebreaker, North America’s
first freshwater wind-power facility, seven miles offshore from downtown Cleveland. Created in
August 2009, LEEDCo was established by the Great Lakes Energy Development Task Force,
then developed and launched by a partnership between NorTech Energy Enterprise, the
Cleveland Foundation, City of Cleveland, and Cuyahoga and Lorain Counties. Working with a
team of local actors across government, academia, and manufacturing, as well as Scandinavian
technical experts, LEEDCo and its guiding partners hope to leverage this initial project to
develop the political and manufacturing infrastructure necessary to enable additional future
offshore wind projects on Lake Erie, and to catalyze a scaled industrial solution to energy
sustainability in Northeast Ohio, while building a regional wind industry to drive economic
growth and job recovery. Mr. Karpinski contributes over 20 years of management and
engineering experience in the rubber, steel, and plastics industries, as well as over five years in
the nonprofit energy sector.
Erick Rodriguez, Enterprise Rose Architectural Fellow, Burten, Bell, Carr Development Inc.
Burten, Bell, Carr Development, Incorporated (BBC) is a non-profit neighborhood development
organization founded in 1990 that serves most of Cleveland's Ward 5. Its mission is to enhance

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the quality of life for residents by leveraging partnerships with residents, community groups,
government, corporations and institutions to cultivate housing, retail, employment, and
recreation opportunities. With programs ranging from service programs at local urban farms and
health education for community members to financial support and government compliance
enforcement, Burten, Bell, Carr runs the gamut of social services for the historically
marginalized communities it serves. As an Enterprise Rose Architectural fellow, Erick is
working with Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization (DSCDO) and Burten,
Bell, Carr (BBC) Development, Inc. to enhance coordination and collaboration across Cleveland
neighborhoods with a broad group of community stakeholders. The City of Cleveland, BBC and
DSCDO are contributing to an international dialogue about the development and implementation
of EcoDistricts, and Erick is crafting a comprehensive set of strategies that will serve as a useful
tool, for both city leaders and community members, to recognize ways their neighborhoods can
come together to appropriate sustainability as an essential part of their community.
Jim Rokakis, Director, Thriving Communities Institute
Mr. Rokakis served for a decade as Cuyahoga County Treasurer, where he helped pass a bill that
streamlined the foreclosure process for abandoned properties, and was the driving force behind
the bill that allowed for the creation of the Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corporation,
also known as the Cuyahoga County Land Bank. Prior to his role as County Treasurer, he served
for 19 years in the Cleveland City Council, having ben elected as its youngest member at age 22.
His tenure saw several successes in reversing neighborhood blight, redeveloping Downtown
Cleveland, creating the Cleveland Housing Court and serving as chairman on the influential
Finance Committee for his last seven years on Council. He has been recognized by local and
national organizations for his efforts in strengthening neighborhoods and communities. In 2007
he received the NeighborWorks America Local Government Service Award, the Leadership in
Social Justice Award from Greater Cleveland Community Shares and was named the County
Leader of the Year by American City and County Magazine. He earned his undergraduate degree
at Oberlin College, and his Juris Doctorate degree from Cleveland-Marshall School of Law.
Terry Schwartz, Director, Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative
Ms. Schwartz is the Director of Kent State University’s Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative
(CUDC), an organization that combines client-based consulting and graduate-level teaching to
impact urban design decisions and land use policy in Cleveland and throughout Northeast Ohio.
CUDC is widely considered a thought leader in the urban design and planning spaces throughout
the region and frequently provides strategic guidance to the Thriving Communities Institute (a
policy innovation and advocacy center spearheading the growth of land banks across Ohio),
Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (Cleveland's transportation and environmental
planning entity), Cleveland Neighborhood Progress (the coordinating body for Cleveland’s
network of Community Development Corporations), and the Mayor’s Office.
One of Terry’s current projects is an initiative funded by the Kresge Foundation. CUDC is
consulting with Cleveland Neighborhood Progress (CNP), the administrator of a grant aimed at
cultivating neighborhood-level climate resiliency. CUDC helped CNP allocate the grant money

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to four Community Development Corporations (CDCs) that support low-income communities of
color. Now Terry is assisting these CDCs in implementing a process of community engagement
and co-design to develop local solutions aimed at reducing carbon emissions and mitigating the
public health impacts of climate change.
Louise Yeung, Senior Project Manager,
New York City Economic Development Corporation
Ms. Yeung currently leads the resilience planning for multi-million dollar development projects
across New York City. Her work helps ensure that these infrastructure projects will remain
strong and protected in the face of climate change impacts, from sea level rise to more extreme
heat and storm events. Prior to working for the NYC Economic Development Corporation,
Louise worked at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. There she led the regional
resilience planning work to guide sensible, long-term, community planning and infrastructure
investments in the face of climate change. Her career has been dedicated to ensuring that our
cities remain vibrant, safe, and healthy places to live for centuries to come.
Projects
“Big Ideas”—Transformative Plans for the City of Cleveland
“Big Ideas” will be the seminar’s ongoing and culminating final project. With the program’s
guest speakers and field trips serving as informants, students will gather and record information
and insights from a range of sustainability and urban leaders. This is considered an “impact
research” project, meaning that rather than just generating knowledge, the research is intended to
inform action—in this case, the creation of forward-looking plans to ensure a sustainable,
resilient, and vibrant future for the city of Cleveland. In the project’s initial stage, students will
be assigned to one of five teams focused on gathering insights from a single group of
stakeholders, such as individuals concerned primarily with infrastructure, economic development
or climate change, amongst others. After analyzing their findings, students will bring their
newfound expertise to a new group, with whom they will create an innovative plan for future of
Cleveland. The online platform Podio will be used to manage the research process. See “Big
Ideas Project Brief” for a detailed breakdown of the research process, and project parameters.
Collective Leadership Presentations
While some approaches to leadership rely upon the familiar image of the charismatic, solitary
leader, others present shared and radically democratic forms of leadership that may enable the
transformative social change processes sustainability challenges require. For this assignment,
students will break into three groups, each of whom will be assigned to read and facilitate a short
classroom conversation about one of three articles. A more detailed assignment will be circulated
through Podio.

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6/19 Sunday: Oberlin Campus
12:00-2:00 Residence hall check-in.
● Includes lunch;
● Students arriving by air will be transported from Hopkins Airport to campus
in groups, with logistics coordinated through email.
3:00-5:30 Group Activity: Get to Know Oberlin & Each Other
Designed and facilitated by Skyler Davis and Rachel Young
● Includes campus tour;
● Includes pre-curriculum presentations by students unable to present during
final Google Hangout.
Objective:
● For students to get oriented to campus and begin building community.
5:30-5:45 Walk to Stevenson Dining Hall
5:45-7:00 Dinner
7:30-9:00 Evening Discussion and social activities
Objectives:
● Familiarize students with housing rules and procedures;
● Establish collective agreements for the living space;
● Review Monday schedule;
● Relax, unwind, socialize, and prepare for the first day of the course.

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6/20 Monday: Oberlin Campus
7:30-7:45 Walk to Stevenson Dining Hall
7:45-8:30 Breakfast
8:40 Walk to Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies (AJLC)
Room 201
8:50-10:00 Lecture/Discussion: Elements of a “Sustainable City”
Objectives:
● Explore the principles and indicators of sustainable cities;
● Establish the importance of cities in the 21st
Century;
● Review the history of urban planning and the forces of change on the
horizon;
● Understand the interacting systems built to leverage our essential
resources, starting with the energy system.
10:00-10:10 Feed the Machine
10:10-11:10 Activity/Discussion: City as Complex Adaptive System
Objectives:
● Introduce the concept of systems thinking;
● Explore cities as ecological systems;
● Understand the interacting systems that make up cities.
11:20-12:30 Lecture/Discussion: Leadership as a Concept
Students should arrive for this session prepared with an example of a leader who
has personally inspired them. Students will engage in an activity that positions
them as leadership theorists/researchers, forcing them to inorganically consolidate
their individual lists of leadership qualities into a single group construct.
Objectives:
● Understand that leadership is a concept and construct;
● Shift from understanding leadership as character traits to leadership as a
social change process;

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● Establish initial understanding of the concepts of “transactional” and
“transformational” leadership;
● Accept a working definition of leadership for the program;
● Develop a framework for future exploration of sustainability-specific
leadership processes.
12:45-1:30 Lunch
1:30-2:00 “Big Ideas” Project Research Session
Objectives:
● Understand the structure, goals, interim deadlines, and final assignment
deliverables for the Research Project;
● Define “transformative” within the context of change-oriented efforts;
● Distinguish “impact research” from other forms;
● Acquaint students with their research teams.
2:00-3:00 Guest Speaker (Skype): Arathi Gowda,
Director of Performative Design Studio, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Objectives:
● Hear from an urban design leader who is helping make cities around the
world more sustainable;
● Better understand urban infrastructural systems.
3:00-3:30 “Big Ideas” Project Research Session cnt.
3:30-4:30 Tour/Talk: Seeley G. Mudd Center (Oberlin College Library)
Objectives:
● Become acquainted with collegiate research approaches and expectations;
● Gain familiarity with some of the specialized resources available on
campus.
4:30-5:45 Free Time
5:45-7:00 Dinner

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7:30-8:30 Evening Discussion (Kahn Hall): Understanding Northeast Ohio
Objectives:
● Establish where forthcoming field trip sites are located, relative to the
broader region;
● Understand what is unique about this region, and the challenges and
opportunities it presents for pursuing transformation toward urban
sustainability.
10:00 Check-In

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6/21 Tuesday: Oberlin Campus
7:45-8:30 Breakfast
8:50-10:00 Activity/Discussion: Stakeholder Engagement
Objectives:
● Understand concept of social complexity;
● Recognize the need to engage stakeholders in change-making;
● Explore the best practices and methods for aligning stakeholders and
building consensus;
● Identify key stakeholders in urban planning.
10:10-11:30 Activity/Discussion: Stakeholder Engagement (continued)
11:40-12:30 Activity/Discussion: Stakeholder Engagement (continued)
12:45-1:30 Lunch
2:00-3:30 Workshop: Power, Privilege and Oppression,
facilitated by the Oberlin Multicultural Resource Center
Objectives:
● Begin connecting students’ personal identities and experiences with the
seminar’s broader exploration of the impact of sustainability challenges on
diverse communities;
● Develop students’ consciousness of power dynamics within the group;
● Create protocol for building safer, inclusive space during seminar.
Objectives:
● Review interview intentions, etiquette, and process;

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● Complete preliminary research on, and prepare questions for, Wednesday,
6/22’s field trips.
4:30-5:45 Free Time
5:45-7:00 Dinner
7:30-8:30 Evening Discussion: Privilege, Power and Oppression Debriefing
Objectives:
● Address lingering questions and concerns from the afternoon’s workshop;
● Understand the workshop’s implications for the Foresight Prep
community, including individuals’ identities and experiences, and building
an inclusive group.
10:00 Check-in

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6/22 Wednesday: Cleveland Field Trip
7:45-8:30 Breakfast
8:45 Board bus
8:50-9:50 Drive to Westerly Wastewater Treatment Plant
10:00-11:30 Tour of Westerly Wastewater Treatment Plant
11:30-11:45 Break, and drive to Edgewater Park
11:45-12:30 Lunch in Edgewater Park
12:30-1:00 Drive to Thriving Communities Institute
1:00-2:00 Meeting with Jim Rokakis, Director, Thriving Communities Institute
2:00-3:00 Explore Ohio City:
● View Ohio City Farm;
● Explore West Side Market;
● Visit Mitchell’s Ice Cream
3:00-4:00 Drive to Oberlin
4:00-5:45 Free Time
5:45-7:00 Dinner
7:30-9:00 Community Meeting: Tips for Effective Collaboration
10:00 Check-in

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6/23 Thursday: Oberlin Campus
7:45-8:30 Breakfast
8:40-9:30 Debrief, Wednesday field trips
Objectives:
● Address lingering questions from previous day’s field trips;
● Highlight relevant insights (strategies used, leadership qualities, future
drivers, challenges, etc.);
● Begin to identify key systemic challenges in Cleveland.
9:30-10:30 Lecture/Discussion: Sustainable City Case Studies & Unintended Consequences
Objectives:
● Explore case studies that provide best-in-class examples of transformative
sustainable urbanism from around the world;
● Examine the unintended consequences of our planning decisions;
● Reveal the importance of taking a systems approach to planning.
10:40-12:00 Activity/Discussion: Unintended Consequences
In groups, students will examine examples of planning decisions with unintended
negative consequences, and share these with the full group.
Question:
● How might we have avoided the unintended consequences of the past?
Objectives:
● Review and record Wednesday notes;
● Complete preliminary research on, and prepare questions for, Friday,
6/24’s field trips.
12:45-1:30 Lunch

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Objectives:
● Discuss key challenges facing Cleveland;
● Determine Final Project challenges and groups.
Objectives:
● Revisit definition of “transformative”;
● Describe assignment for weekend work sessions.
4:00-4:45 Guest (Skype) Speaker: Louise Yeung, Senior Project Manager, New York City
Economic Development Corporation
Objective:
● Hear from an urban planner who is helping make New York City more
resilient to climate change.
4:45-5:45 Free Time
5:45-7:00 Dinner
7:30-9:00 Group activity: Sustainability Comedy Night
10:00 Check-in

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6/24 Friday: Cleveland Field Trips
7:15-7:45 Breakfast
7:45 Board bus in front of Stevenson
7:50-8:50 Drive to Sustainable Cleveland Center
9:00-10:00 Meeting with Dave Karpinski, Vice President, LEEDCo
10:00-11:00 Meeting with Matt Gray, Director, City of Cleveland Office of Sustainability
11:00-11:15 Break
11:30-12:30 Lunch, Tower City Center
12:30-1:00 Drive to Hannah Building, Cleveland
1:00-2:20 Meeting with Jessica Bonnano, The Democracy Collaborative
2:20-2:30 Break, reboard bus
2:30-3:00 Drive to CornUcopia Place
3:00-4:30 Tour and discussion with Erick Rodriguez, Enterprise Rose Architectural Fellow,
Burten, Bell, Carr Development Corporation
4:30-5:30 Drive to Oberlin College
5:45-7:00 Dinner
10:00 Check-in

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6/25 Saturday: Oberlin Campus
7:45-8:30 Breakfast
11:30-12:30 Working Session on Big Ideas
● Each student will be prepared to share one transformative idea to address a
key issue in Cleveland. Students will share 2 minute pitches of their big
ideas, starting with a clear articulation of the problem they seek to address.
12:45-1:30 Lunch
2:00-5:30 Social/Recreational Activities (TBD)
● RATAs will plan and facilitate outings—e.g. the Allen Memorial Art
Museum, walk in the Oberlin Arboretum, etc.
5:45-7:00 Dinner
7:30-10:00 Full Group Social Activity
11:00 Check-in
6/26 Sunday: Oberlin Campus
7:45-8:30 Breakfast
11:30-12:30 Working Session on Big Ideas
● Students will work in groups to refine their big ideas (or combination of
big ideas).
12:45-1:30 Lunch
2:00-5:30 Social/Recreational Activities
5:45-7:00 Dinner
7:00-10:00 Free Time
10:00 Check-in

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6/27 Monday: Oberlin Campus
7:45-8:30 Breakfast
8:40-9:30 Debrief, Friday field trips
Objectives:
● Address lingering questions from Friday’s field trips;
drivers, challenges, etc.).
Objectives:
● Review and record notes from Friday’s field trips;
● Complete preliminary research for field trips on Tuesday, 6/28.
Objective:
● With Multi-Stakeholder teams, set guiding principles/objectives, and
develop “big ideas” concept.
11:30-12:30 Continue “Big Ideas” Project Research Session
12:45-1:30 Lunch
Objective:
● Begin to develop an implementation plan.
3:00-4:00 Guest Lecture: Presentation Tips, Peter Nicholson
4:00-5:45 Free Time
5:45-7:00 Dinner

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10:00-11:00 Evening Activity: Oberlin College Observatory
10:00 Check-in

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6/28 Tuesday: Cleveland Field Trips
7:15 Board bus
7:15-8:15 Drive to Kent State University Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative
8:30-9:30 Meeting with Terry Schwarz, Director,
Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative
9:30-10:00 Drive to Environmental Health Watch
10:00-11:30 Presentation by Kim Foreman, Executive Director, Environmental Health Watch
11:30-12:30 Lunch
12:30-2:00 Neighborhood tour with Kim Foreman
2:00-3:00 Drive to Oberlin
3:00-5:45 Free Time
5:45-7:00 Dinner
10:00 Check-in

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6/29 Wednesday: Oberlin Campus
7:45-8:30 Breakfast
8:50-9:50 Debrief, Tuesday field trips
Objectives:
● Address lingering questions from previous day’s field trips;
drivers, challenges, etc.).
10:00-11:20 Presentations and Discussion: Collective Leadership
In three groups, students will present their respective readings on collective
leadership to their peers (previously assigned). Time will be afforded after each
for brief questions/discussion, with a synthesizing reflection at the conclusion of
all three presentations.
Questions:
● What forms of leadership are described in each article? How do they differ
from “traditional” notions of leadership?
● Are the leadership models described in each article viable for confronting
complex, sustainability-related challenges? Are they more viable in certain
situations than others?
● Do these models resonate with students, i.e. can they see themselves using
or participating in them in their own future change-making efforts?
Objectives:
● Develop a more complex perspective on leadership and leadership
processes;
● Reflect upon the viability of cooperative and non-hierarchical leadership
models.
Objective:
● Continue to flesh out implementation plans.

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12:45-1:30 Lunch
Objective:
● Each Multi-Stakeholder team will have 15 minutes to present their initial
concept and will be offered a full group critique, receiving 15 minutes of
feedback.
4:30-5:45 Free Time
5:45-7:00 Dinner
10:00 Check-in

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6/30 Thursday: Oberlin Campus
7:45-8:30 Breakfast
8:50-9:50 Lecture/Discussion: Potential Education and Career Paths
Question:
● What should students consider in order to ensure an impactful and
fulfilling college education and future career?
10:00-11:00 Final Presentations Dress Rehearsal, AJLC 201
11:00-12:00 Guest Speaker: Oberlin College Admissions, How to be a Strong College
Applicant
AJLC 201
12:10-12:45 Final presentations dress rehearsal cnt.
12:45-1:30 Lunch
● With Multi-Stakeholder teams, students will refine final plan and
presentation—faculty will check in.
4:00-5:45 Free time
5:45-7:00 Dinner
10:00 Check-in

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7/1 Friday: Oberlin Campus
7:45-8:30 Breakfast
8:50-10:00 Final presentation preparation
10:00-11:30 Final presentations: “Big Ideas”
● Students will present their finished plans before an audience of Foresight
Prep faculty and peers, and a panel of advisors from the Oberlin College
community.
11:45-12:30 Lecture/Discussion: Leadership Self-Assessment
Students will participate in a reflective free-write, followed by conversation.
Questions:
● Do students identify as leaders? Why or why not?
● What leadership approaches or processes do they find themselves most
attracted to? Anticipate using in the future?
● What personal assets do students have to contribute as leaders? Based
upon these assets, what types of leaders do they see themselves being or
becoming?
● What goals do students have as leaders – either for personal development,
or for creating change? Have these changed as a result of their experiences
during Foresight Prep?
Objective:
● Identify students’ own leadership goals and potential.
12:45-1:30 Lunch
2:00-4:00 Program debriefing and evaluation, Next Steps and “Ask Me Anything”
Objectives:
● Discuss students’ experiences during the seminar, toward the goal of
continuous program improvement;
● Complete written student evaluations;
● Identify mechanisms for building and maintaining an alumni network,
beyond the summer;

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● Identify areas of interest for students’ further learning and growth, and
potential concrete actions for instigating or connecting with change efforts
in students’ own communities;
● Includes “AMA” with program staff.
4:00-5:45 Free Time
5:45-7:00 Dinner
7:30-9:00 Closing Ceremony and Awards Presentation
● Students will randomly draw the name of one peer, for whom they will
create a personalized, creative award.
9:00-10:00 Painting the Rock
11:00 Check-in

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7/2 Saturday
7:45-8:30 Breakfast
10:00-11:00 Residence Hall Checkout, Kahn Lobby
10:00-TBD Students depart for airport

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Project Brief: “Big Ideas”
Project Title
“Big Ideas”—Plans for Sustainable Urban Transformation in Cleveland
Deadline(s)
Propose & Distill Key Conceptual Ideas: Saturday, June 25
Field Notes: Wednesday, June 29
Final Plan Prepared: Thursday, June 30
Final Plan Presentation: Friday, July 1
Staff Coordinators
Lyndon, Max, Tim
Deliverables
Field Notes (notes from all field trips/guest speakers)
Transformative Idea Proposal (from each student)
Conceptual Idea for Group Critique (from each multi-stakeholder team)
Presentation of Final Plan (from each multi-stakeholder team)
Audience
Peers/Foresight Prep faculty
Panel of advisors
Goals
Develop a strong definition/understanding of the various interrelated systems and challenges that
face cities today. Imagine transformative ideas to help ensure the sustainability and resiliency of
the city of Cleveland at the regional, city, and/or community scales. Understand useful processes
and tactics for aligning multiple stakeholders’ perspectives and building consensus. Practice
integrating feedback generated in a design charrette.
Teams Structure
Students will be assigned to two different groups during project execution:
Research Pairs (Star Team) will generate questions for field trips and guest speakers, and add
notes to the Field Notes following each trip/speaker. Each research pair is assigned to one of five
stakeholder typologies (see Stakeholder Group Descriptions). Each pair will also be assigned as
the lead facilitators for 2-3 speakers/trips (see Research Process).

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Multi-Stakeholder Teams will include individuals from multiple research pairs. Each multi-
stakeholder team will work together to define the problem to be addressed, develop guiding
principles to inform the planning process, and refine and present the final plans. There will be
three multi-stakeholder teams, each focused on one transformative idea/plan.
Research Process
The seminar’s field trips and guest speakers will serve as the project’s informants, i.e. the source
of data from which conclusions will be drawn. This is considered an “impact research” project,
meaning that rather than just generating knowledge, the research is intended to inform action—in
this case, insights from a range of sustainability leaders will contribute to the design and
refinement for students’ own transformative urban plans.
Preliminary Research
Prior to each field trip day, or in-class guest speaker, students will break into their research teams
to conduct preliminary research on the forthcoming speakers/trips. During preliminary research,
students will:
● Generally/quickly familiarize themselves with the speakers and their businesses or
organizations—who they are; who they work for; what kind of work they do; what
strategies do they leverage to make change; etc. (see Speaker Briefs).
● Discuss the kind of information they are most interested in gaining from each speaker,
given their background and work. What is exciting about their work? What insights do
they want to hear?
● Consider the speaker/organization through the lens of their research team’s assigned
stakeholder perspective. For instance—what might Matt Gray at the City of Cleveland
have to tell us about climate mitigation, ecosystem services, and environmental justice
issues?
o Note: Some speakers/trips will be more relevant to specific research teams’
assigned stakeholder groups than are others. Students should still consider the
speaker’s relationship to their team’s area of focus, and come up with some
questions.
● Write down 2-3 potential questions for each speaker/trip, based upon their team’s
assigned stakeholder group. Each group will swap their draft interview questions with
another group to read through and edit. Students will keep the edited version of questions
in a notebook that they will bring and use during the trip/speaker.
While in an ideal world, students would find all their own research materials, because of our
tight time-frame, faculty will be providing some of these via Podio. At the conclusion of each
Preliminary Research session, the full class will briefly reconvene to discuss the next day’s
speakers/trips, and share some of the findings of their preliminary research.

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Interviews
During field trips and speakers, students will be responsible for facilitating the discussion. Each
research team will be assigned as lead facilitators for 2-3 speakers/trips (facilitation schedule will
be circulated in person). First, they will handle introductions, including a brief description of the
goals for the conversation. Some speakers will have prepared a 10-minute introduction to their
work. Other speakers will include a tour of their site either before or after the interview.
Following these introductions or tours, the lead facilitators will ask three questions common to
each speaker (see Facilitation Sheet), then moderate questions from their peers. At this point,
students from each research team will have the opportunity to ask the questions they generated
during their preliminary research. All students should take notes (lead facilitators should make
sure they have one committed note-taker, as they may be otherwise busy moderating the
discussion). Some small changes or adaptations may be made to this interview format for
specific speakers—this will be discussed during Preliminary Research sessions.
Debrief/Review/Record Notes
The day after each field trip or guest speaker, time will be set aside first for a brief, full class
debriefing/discussion. Then students will break into their research teams to review and record
their notes from the interview into the Field Notes. The Field Notes will be kept on Podio—there
will be an entry for each speaker/trip that will include a space where each research team will
enter a summary of their findings from the interview, related to their team’s assigned stakeholder
group. The complete Field Notes, including all five teams’ conclusions, will be available to all
students as a resource to support the development of their final plans.
Planning Process
On Saturday of the first week, each student will be prepared to share one transformative idea to
address a key issue/problem/challenge in Cleveland. Each idea must be accompanied by a clear
articulation of the problem it is trying to address, and should be informed by the research
conducted during week one.
Students will then form multi-stakeholder teams to understand the different perspectives of the
stakeholders represented around the table. They will begin by mapping the key stakeholders and
articulating their interests and concerns, answering the question: How would the five stakeholder
typologies from their research teams respond to, or be affected by, the proposed plan idea?
Out of this stakeholder analysis, each team will define 6-10 guiding principles/objectives that
will guide the planning process and, if upheld, ensure its success. After initial concepts are
drafted, each team will share these with the full group for constructive feedback through a typical
urban design critique format that will be provided by faculty. With input from the larger group,
the teams will spend Thursday refining their plans and practicing their final presentation. On the
final Friday, each multi-stakeholder team will present their plan to a panel of advisors. These
advisors should be considered a group of diverse stakeholders whom each team is trying to get

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buy in from on their respective proposals. Final presentations will include the following
elements:
● Clear statement of the problem to be addressed;
● Stakeholder map;
● Table of stakeholder influence, interests, and concerns;
● Feedback from critique and how it was addressed;
● 6-10 guiding principles/objectives;
● Final plan diagrams/visualizations (e.g. maps, renderings, conceptual schematics, etc.);
● Implementation proposal.

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Research Teams—Stakeholder Typologies
Physical Infrastructure
As a stakeholder focused on physical infrastructure, you are primarily concerned with how the built
environment can be designed, adapted, and retrofitted to be more sustainable. Given the scale of change
needed to create a more sustainable region, you see physical infrastructure (pipes, roads, buildings, etc.)
as our most important leverage point.
Priority Issues & Opportunities
● Infrastructure resilience
● Smart, 21st
Century infrastructure
● Urban sprawl
● Energy intensive built infrastructure (inefficient buildings)
● Transportation systems
● Stormwater management
Drivers of Change
● Funding: federal grants that prioritize sustainable and equitable transportation and housing
development (e.g. U.S. Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block
Grants), State Revolving Loan Funds for infrastructure improvements
● Policy: state-established Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standards (EEPS) and Renewable Energy
Portfolio Standards (RPS), potential for Green Infrastructure Portfolio Standard (GIPS), zoning
and building code changes
● Urban/Regional Planning: long-term regional planning efforts (e.g. Vibrant NEO), land banking
programs, promotion of high density mixed-use neighborhoods, local climate action plans (e.g.
Sustainable Cleveland 2019)
● Technology & Infrastructure: smart city movement, smart grid technology, green infrastructure
best management practices (BMPS), shared use mobility systems
Example Professions:
Urban Planners & Civil and Environmental Engineers:
More Information:
Becoming an Urban Planner, American Planning Association:
https://www.planning.org/ncpm/pdf/UrbanPlannerExcerpt.pdf
How to Become a Civil Engineer, Civil Engineering Careers:
http://www.civilengineeringcareers.org/how-to-become-a-civil-engineer
Careers: Environmental Engineers, Big Future:
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/careers/architecture-engineeringand-drafting-environmental-engineers

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Natural Resources
As a stakeholder focused on natural resources, you are primarily concerned with the health of the
natural environment, from rivers to prairies to migratory birds. You will examine the effects
humans have on the quality of land, water, and air in an urban context. The degradation of these
resources not only impact human health but also threatens the biodiversity and stability of land
and aquatic ecosystems. You advocate for the protection and restoration of natural areas as
critical habitat for wildlife, and point to the ecosystem services they contribute to maintain and
improve quality of life across the city.
● Land use change
● Habitat loss
● Wetland degradation
● Agricultural runoff
● Brownfields and industrial contamination
● Air Pollution
Drivers of Change
● Funding: federal grants for conservation, restoration, clean up, and research (e.g. Great
Lakes Restoration Initiative)
● Policy: U.S. EPA’s proposed Carbon Pollution Standards for Existing Power Plants
(Clean Power Plan), U.S. EPA’s enforcement of the Clean Water Act’s National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Program (consent decrees)
● Technology & Infrastructure: constructed wetlands as a wastewater treatment alternative;
green infrastructure best management practices (BMPs)
● Research: environmental economics quantifies the value of ecosystem services, citizen
science
Ecologists & Land Conservationists
More Information:
Learn About Ecology, University of California, Santa Barbara:
http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/ecology/ecologyascareer.html
How to Become a Conservation Scientist or Forester, US Department of Labor:
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/conservation-scientists.htm#tab-4

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Economic Development
As a stakeholder focused on economic development, you are primarily concerned with economic
growth as the necessary foundation for improving the health and sustainability of the city. You
want to reduce any barriers to attracting and retaining businesses to the city. At the same time,
you recognize that the health of the environment and the economy are inextricably linked and are
interested in seeing more businesses in the city and region make strides to be more sustainable.
Emerging business models that capitalize on waste as an untapped resource intrigue you. You are
also quick to examine the economic feasibility of different initiatives, such as renewable energy
technology.
● Cost/Benefit analysis of alternative energy, energy efficiency, and other sustainability
initiatives
● Resource recovery as potential business strategy
● Creating a network of industries that model sustainable water use along Lake Erie
● Creating incentives and high quality of life to attract and retain businesses to the region;
see Cleveland Plus Campaign
http://www.clevelandplusbusiness.com/Why%20Cleveland%20Plus.aspx
Some Drivers of Change
● Funding: federal and state subsidies for renewable energy companies and installations
● Policy: potential federal climate change policy (cap and trade, carbon tax, etc.), U.S.
EPA’s proposed Carbon Pollution Standards for Existing Power Plants (Clean Power
Plan), Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Great Lakes Compact
● Business Trends: corporate efforts to improve their sustainability (e.g. energy efficiency,
sustainability coordinator/teams, life cycle analysis, etc.), public-private partnerships to
support local infrastructure improvements
Business Leaders, Politicians & Community Development Organization Leaders
More Information:
The Big Picture: Careers in Community Development, Net impact:
https://netimpact.org/careers/community-development/big-picture

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Climate Change
As a stakeholder focused on climate change, you are primarily interested in devising strategies to decrease
greenhouse gas emissions. Sustainability is impossible to achieve without mitigating and adapting to the
impacts of climate change, and you see addressing issues of energy, water, and land as crucial to the
achievement of this goal. While you see the relevance of other issues, you still believe that the impending
climate crisis should be the most prioritized problem. You should ask questions about how the Cleveland
metropolitan region can respond to the enormous threat posed by climate change and how various
sustainability initiatives fit into larger, global problems.
● Projected climate change impacts, many of which are already being experienced
● Value of ecosystems services in mitigating and adapting to climate change
● Fossil fuel reliance and existing energy infrastructure (centralized grid)
● Urban sprawl
● Lack of public urgency or concern
● Climate justice
Drivers of Change
● Funding: federal and state subsidies for energy efficiency and for renewable energy companies
and installations
● Policy: international climate policy (e.g. U.S.-China Climate Agreement), potential federal
climate change policy (cap and trade, carbon tax, etc.), U.S. EPA’s proposed Carbon Pollution
Standards for Existing Power Plants (Clean Power Plan), state-established Energy Efficiency
Portfolio Standards (EEPS) and Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards (RPS), U.S. EPA’s water
and energy efficiency standards
● Urban/Regional Planning: local climate action plans (e.g. Sustainable Cleveland 2019), transit-
oriented development
● Technology & Infrastructure: smart grid technology, renewable energy generation, electric
vehicle infrastructure, shared use mobility systems
● Advocacy: Peoples Climate March
Politicians, Policymakers & Climate Scientists
More Information:
On-The-Ground Training for Climate Change Researchers, Science:
http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2009_11_27/caredit.a0900
147
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth Assessment Report – Summary for Policymakers:
http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/syr/AR5_SYR_FINAL_SPM.pdf

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Environmental Justice
As a stakeholder focused on environmental justice, you are primarily concerned with the social
component of sustainability. Social justice is your forte; you examine how pollution,
environmental degradation, and climate change disproportionately affect low-income and
minority communities. You should consider how race, class, and gender play into environmental
issues and ask questions about who has access to and who is impacted by sustainability
initiatives. You also recognize that fundamental to building a more resilient community is
reducing social vulnerability (inequity, unemployment, etc.).
● Disproportionate impacts of climate change on low-income communities, due to social
vulnerability, exposure, and other conditions
● Equal access to open space (e.g. public parks, natural areas, etc.) and other essential
resources such as affordable energy and water
● Disproportionate health impacts for low-income communities located near industrial
areas
● Lack of diversity at decision-making table on sustainability issues
Drivers of Change
● Funding: federal and state funding for marginalized or vulnerable communities (e.g. U.S.
Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grants, National
Disaster Resilience Competition)
● Urban/Regional Planning: zoning and housing codes (e.g. integrating urban agriculture),
land banking programs
● Advocacy: community organizing, citizen science (when average people train themselves
to monitor their community’s water/air quality)
Example Professions
Community Organizers, EJ Organization Leaders & Local Politicians
More Information:
Community Organizer’s Guide, Resources for Organizing and Social Change (ROSC)
http://www.abilitymaine.org/rosc/cog.html

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Facilitation Sheet
(For use by the Research Team assigned as lead facilitators for a field trip or guest speaker).
1. Begin with introductions, and laying out the goals of the conversation.
2. If the speaker has prepared a 10-15 minute introduction to their work, introduce this
introduction.
3. After the speaker’s introduction, ask the three questions that we will be asking all our
interview subjects. Feel free to rephrase in your own words:
● What do you think is most needed to realize a more sustainable and resilient
Cleveland (or cities, in general)? (customize for speaker)
● Looking into the future, what forces of change do you see driving your work?
● What is the most innovative idea(s) that you have heard recently that could lead to
positive transformation related to the issues you work on?

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Northeast Ohio: A History
by Emily Kuhn and Keenen Willis, Oberlin College students
Introduction
Sustainability is the continual integration of multiple values that make up a triple bottom line:
economic, social, and environmental. Throughout the history of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio,
these three components are continually intertwined and affect each other.
Geographical Background
In Cleveland and the surrounding area of Northeast Ohio, geography and geology have played an
important role in the history of essential resources. The area first formed around 14,000 years
ago when a large glacier came through the region and carved out the land we know today,
depositing large amounts of sentiment that made the soil rich in nutrients and good for farming.
The glacier also carved out Lake Erie, an incredibly important natural resource that has been
instrumental in the development of Northern Ohio (Central, Ohio History). Many types of
minerals and rocks such as shale, sandstone and coal were formed in the region over thousands
of years, providing sources for energy and construction (Fleisher & Jeffers, 2011, p. 2).
Colonialism
Due to the vast wooded areas and abundant wildlife, American Indians inhabited the region for
thousands of years, cultivating corn and squash among other crops (Fleisher & Jeffers, 2011, p.
2). They lived on the land without creating a large impact on the ecosystem, using only the
natural resources that they needed (Beach, 1997). Beginning in the 1600s, Europeans and later
American colonizers forced the Native Americans off of their lands in the region. The colonists
would clear-cut forests and kill vast amounts of wildlife in order to protect their crops. For
example, an early Ohio law mandated 100 squirrel scalps from each man of military age every
year (Fleisher & Jeffers, 2011, p. 5). The settlement of Europeans and Americans in the region
was a key force in shaping how the environment would be treated in future years.
Industrialization
As the region progressed into the 1800s, industrialization gradually began to take hold. In 1825,
the opening of the Erie Canal helped to connect Cuyahoga County with the east coast, attracting
many industries like steel and manufacturing. The canals themselves required dams and locks to
control water levels, causing some aquatic ecosystems to dry out while other nonaquatic ones
were flooded. Steamboats that traveled along these canals would often throw their spent coal in
various bodies of water, degrading water quality. With the advent of the railroads in the mid and
late 1800s, Northeast Ohio became further bonded to the east coast, causing the region to
industrialize even more rapidly. Industries such as steel and manufacturing contributed to water
and air pollution and converted natural land area such as woodlands and wetlands for industrial
purposes. As Cleveland became more industrialized, it started to rely heavily on fossil fuels for

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energy. By 1900, 90% of the city’s factories relied on coal (Fleisher & Jeffers, 2011, p. 8). Even
though industrialization did create many new jobs and possibilities for people, it also created an
unsustainable economy since industries and individuals became dependent on non-renewable
resources. While this period in the region’s history was arguably the most environmentally
destructive, there was already a small but growing awareness to conserve resources. For
example, in 1917 William Stinchcomb, an engineer and entrepreneur, persuaded the city
government to use his plan of a continuous parkway that connected various lands around creeks
and rivers in the region with the city’s existing park system. He also pushed for the formation of
the Cleveland Metropolitan Park District and created a board to oversee the future expansion of
the region’s parks (Cleveland MetroParks).
Post-industrialism & Environmental Injustice
In 1920, Cleveland was the country’s fifth largest city and Shaker Heights, one of Cleveland’s
eastern suburbs, had the highest per capita income in the nation. However, by the 1960s,
Northeast Ohio experienced a severe economic decline, as labor costs and prices caused many
industries to leave the region for cheaper locations. Due to the job decline, many white people
and those who could afford to move fled the city for the suburbs, while minority and low-income
groups could only afford to stay in the city center (Fleisher & Jeffers, 2011, p. 14). Though many
industries had moved out, the legacy of pollution they left in the region was still apparent and
affected these minority and low-income groups. By the mid 1900s, there were 350 documented
brownfields, or areas of vacant industrially contaminated land, in Cleveland. Chemicals and
other harmful materials could easily leak out of these areas and harm the residents who lived
near them. In addition, residents of Cleveland still had to live with a high level of water and air
pollution from the few remaining industries (Fleisher & Jeffers, 2011, p. 9). Although
industrialization was one of the first forces with an adverse effect on the sustainability of
Northeast Ohio, deindustrialization also had a negative effect on the relationship between
Cleveland citizens and essential resources.
Modern Environmental Problems
Because so many people were moving out of the city to new suburbs, more asphalt was laid for
roads and parking lots to accommodate this “white flight.” Since asphalt is mostly impermeable
to water, a problem arose when there was heavy rain, since the runoff could not be absorbed into
the ground and instead was transported to bodies of water, carrying pollutants with it. Similarly,
in the agricultural areas of the counties, water containing pesticides and fertilizers ran off into
larger aquatic systems (Beach, 1997). In Cleveland, between 1968 and 1969, the Cuyahoga River
caught on fire at least ten times because of pollution. The 1969 fire became a pivotal moment in
the area’s environmental history as citizens of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio realized the severe
degree of the region’s environmental degradation. The fire spurred not only a regional but also a
national and international environmental awareness (Fleisher & Jeffers, 2011, p. 12).

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Sustainability Movements
From the 1980s onwards, Northeast Ohio began to focus on economic revitalization,
environmental rehabilitation, and social justice. Citizens concerned about the state of natural
resources formed numerous grassroots organizations. Many people set up recycling drives in
order to prevent the waste of metals and plastics. Non-profit environmental organizations also
began to form, such as The Cleveland Waterfront Coalition, which still works on developing
access to the city’s neglected waterfront so citizens can enjoy Lake Erie as an aesthetic and
ecological resource (Beach, 1997). These grassroots groups and organizations have been
working with the city government as well. Reimagining Cleveland, founded in 1988, is a public
nonprofit partnership that focuses on promoting urban agriculture, restoring soil on brownfield
sites, developing renewable energy, and decreasing stormwater runoff (Fleisher & Jeffers, 2011,
p. 18). These are but a few of many projects that aim to remedy the centuries of environmental
degradation and resource depletion.
Conclusion
Knowing the history of Northeast Ohio is helpful in understanding and going about solving the
current environmental, economic, and social problems in Cleveland. Many of the challenges
faced by Cleveland, and cities around the world, are best addressed by integrating economic,
social, and environmental values. As we look into the future, we should use the triple-bottom line
to examine how the Cleveland metropolitan region can become a truly sustainable, resilient,
healthy and vibrant place to live, work, and play for generations to come.
Bibliography
Beach, D. (1997, July 16). Environmentalism-The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Retrieved
January 6, 2015, from The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History:
http://ech.case.edu/cgi/article.pl?id=E5
Central, Ohio History. (n.d.). Ice Age Ohio. Retrieved Jaunary 6, 2015, from Ohio History
Central.
Cleveland MetroParks. (n.d.). History. Retrieved January 6, 2015, from Cleveland Metroparks:
http://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/Main/History.aspx
Fleisher, J. S., & Jeffers, A. (2011, June). Social and Environmental History of Northeast Ohio:
An Introduction for the Sustainability Case Studies. Retrieved January 6, 2015, from
Baldwin Wallace University Sustainability: http://bw.edu/academics/sustainability/neo-
case-studies/cases/Introduction_Chapter_final.pdf

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Sustainable Urbanism Glossary
Adaptation
In urban planning and design, a set of strategies deployed to increase the resilience of the built
environment, ecological systems, and human communities of a city to the challenges posed by
extreme weather events and limited resource availability that result from climate change.
Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD)
A strategy for sustainable development that focuses on empowering community members to take
ownership of their own development process by helping them identify and leverage their
existing, but often unrecognized, assets rather than focusing remedying their needs with external
resources.
Big Data
Extremely large data sets that may be analyzed computationally using powerful processing units
to reveal patterns, trends, and associations, especially relating to human behavior and
interactions. In Urban Planning and Design, often deployed as a tool to observe behaviour
patterns that inform design choices and serve as metrics to evaluate the success of planning
projects.
Bioswale
Landscape elements designed to remove silt and pollution from surface runoff water. They
consist of a swaled drainage course with gently sloped sides (less than six percent) and filled
with vegetation, compost and/or riprap.
Climate Resilience
The capacity for a socio-ecological system to absorb stresses and maintain function in the face of
external stresses imposed upon it by climate change and adapt, reorganize, and evolve into more
desirable configurations that improve the sustainability of the system, leaving it better prepared
for future climate change impacts.
Combined Sewer
A wastewater collection and transportation system that runs wastewater and surface runoff (i.e.
stormwater) in adjacent open pipes. Under normal conditions, this system transports wastewater
to a sewage treatment plant and surface runoff to a nearby body of water after minimal treatment.
This type of sewer design is no longer used in building new communities because of the high
risk of Combined Sewer Overflow (see below) but is in older cities like Cleveland.

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Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO)
An environmental health disaster that occurs when heavy storm events create a water load that
exceeds the sewer capacity of a combined sewer system. During such events, wastewater mixes
with surface runoff and is released directly into the watershed untreated, causing serious health
risks.
Community Based Organization (CBO)
A public or private nonprofit (including a church or religious entity) that is representative of a
community or a significant segment of a community, and is engaged in meeting local human,
educational, environmental, or public safety needs.
Community Development
A broad term given to the practices of civic leaders, activists, involved citizens and professionals
to improve various aspects of communities, typically aiming to build stronger and more resilient
local economic, institutional, and social systems and sometimes including local ecological
systems.
Community Development Corporation
A type of nonprofit, community-based organizations that focuses on revitalizing the areas in
which they are located, typically low-income, underserved neighborhoods that have experienced
significant disinvestment.
Constructed Wetland
An artificial wetland created for the purpose of treating anthropogenic discharge such as
municipal or industrial wastewater, or stormwater runoff.
Environmental Justice (EJ)
The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national
origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of
environmental laws, regulations, and policies. EJ practitioners focus on combatting the
disproportionate impacts of environmental toxicity and climate change on marginalized
communities.
Grassroots Movement
A social or political movement that utilizes collective action from the local level to effect change
at the local, regional, national, or international level. Grassroots movements are associated with
bottom-up, rather than top-down decision making, and are sometimes considered more natural or
spontaneous than more traditional power structures.
Green Architecture
An approach to building that minimizes harmful effects on human health and the environment.
The "green" architect or designer attempts to safeguard air, water, and earth by choosing eco-
friendly building materials and construction practices.

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Green Infrastructure
A natural approach to water management that focus on protecting, restoring, or mimicking the
natural water cycle rather than developing infrastructure-based treatment or storage mechanisms.
Often posited as the antithesis of “Grey Infrastructure” (described below).
Green Jobs
Employment in agricultural, manufacturing, research and development, administrative, and
service activities that contribute to preserving or restoring environmental quality. This includes
jobs that help to protect ecosystems and biodiversity; reduce energy, materials, and water
consumption; de-carbonize the economy; and minimize or avoid generation of waste and
pollution.
Green Space
An area of grass, trees, or other vegetation set apart for recreational or aesthetic purposes in an
otherwise urban environment.
Grey Infrastructure
An engineered approach to water management that focus on developing infrastructure-based
treatment or storage mechanisms rather than protecting, restoring, or mimicking the natural water
cycle. Often posited as the antithesis of “Green Infrastructure” (described above).
Land Conservation
A land use policy aimed on preserving or restoring the native ecological systems. Historically
focused on protecting endangered species or ecosystems from human development through
targeted sale or easement of specific locations, but currently tending more towards an emphasis
on integrating many land parcels into a comprehensive network that maintains connected swaths
of natural areas through urban and suburban landscapes.
LEED certification
Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program
that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices. To receive LEED certification,
building projects satisfy prerequisites and earn points to achieve different levels of certification.
New Urbanism
New urbanism is an urban design movement, created in reaction to the expansion of suburban
development and car culture in Post-WWII United States, that promotes sustainable social
practices by creating community-centered, walkable neighborhoods which contain a wide range
of land use and employment types.
Non-Governmental Organization (NGO)
A not-for-profit organization that is independent from states and international governmental
organizations. They are usually funded by donations, grants, or membership fees but some avoid

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formal funding altogether and are run primarily by volunteers. NGOs are highly diverse groups
of organizations engaged in a wide range of activities, and take different forms in different parts
of the world.
Nonprofit Organization (NPO)
A type of organization that does not earn profits for its owners or shareholders. All of the money
earned by or donated to a nonprofit organization is used in pursuing the organization's mission.
Nonprofit organizations are often dedicated to furthering a particular social cause.
Participatory Budgeting (PB)
A process of democratic deliberation and decision-making in which citizens weigh in on how to
allocate part of a municipal or public budget. Participatory budgeting allows citizens to identify,
discuss and prioritize public spending projects, giving them the power to make real decisions
about how money is spent. PB has the potential to provide much-needed social inclusion in the
decision making of the allocation of resources in communities with low socioeconomic statuses.
Permeable Pavement
A range of materials that allow for the movement of stormwater through the surface of
pavement. In addition to reducing surface water runoff, permeable pavement often traps
suspended solids and filters pollutants from the water.
Placemaking
A multi-faceted approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces that
capitalizes on a community's assets, inspiration, and potential, with the intention of creating
public spaces that promote people's health, well being and civic engagement.
Planning Agency
A governmental or nongovernmental entity involved in urban or regional planning.
Privatization
The transfer of ownership and control of property or businesses from a government entity to a
privately owned entity.
Public-Private Partnership (PPP)
A government service or private business venture that is funded and operated through a
partnership of government and one or more private sector companies. PPP involves a contract
between a public sector authority and a private party, in which the private party provides a public
service or project and assumes substantial financial, technical and operational risk in the project.
Rain Barrel
A water tank used to collect and store rainwater runoff, typically from rooftops via rain gutters.

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Rain Garden
A planted depression or a hole that allows rainwater runoff from impervious urban areas, like
roofs, driveways, walkways, parking lots, and compacted lawn areas, to be absorbed into the soil.
Usually planted with native vegetation that is evolved to thrive during periods of inundation and
to absorb water quickly deep into the ground.
Smart City
An urban development vision to integrate multiple information and communication technology
(ICT) solutions in a secure fashion to manage a city’s assets, including local departments
information systems, schools, libraries, transportation systems, hospitals, power plants, water
supply networks, waste management, law enforcement, and other community services. The goal
of building a smart city is to improve quality of life by using technology to improve the
efficiency of services and meet residents’ needs.
Stakeholder
A person, group or organization that has interest or concern in an organization’s actions.
Stakeholders can affect or be affected by the organization's actions, objectives, and policies.
Some examples of key stakeholders are employees, government, owners, suppliers, unions, and
the community in which the organization and its work are located.
Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)
A mixed-use residential and commercial area designed to maximize access to public transport,
and often incorporates features to encourage transit ridership. A TOD neighborhood typically has
a center with a transit node (train station, metro station, tram stop, or bus stop), surrounded by
relatively high-density development.
Urbanism
Urbanism refers to both the material aspects of urban living and the cultural aspects of city life.
This can include the rural–urban movement of populations or their degree of concentration in
urban areas. It can also describe the characteristic modes of social interaction of inhabitants of
towns and cities. Urbanism, as a field of study, constitutes the core interest of disciplines such as
urban planning and urban sociology.
Urban Design
The process of designing and shaping cities, towns and villages. In contrast to architecture,
which focuses on the design of individual buildings, urban design deals with the larger scale of
groups of buildings, streets and public spaces, whole neighborhoods and districts, and entire
cities, with the goal of making urban areas functional, attractive, and sustainable.
Urban Forest
Ecosystems of trees and other vegetation in and around urban communities. The urban forest is a
critical part of the green infrastructure that provides these communities with important

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environmental, economic and social benefits such as clean air and water and relief from the
Urban Heat Island Effect (described below).
Urban Heat Island Effect (UHI)
An urban area that is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas due to an increase in
hard, heat-absorbing surfaces and the removal of vegetation by human development.
Urban Planning
A technical and political process concerned with shaping the use of land, protection and use of
the environment, public welfare, and the design of the infrastructure passing into and out of
urban areas such as transportation, communications, and distribution networks.

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Sustainability 101 Glossary1
The journey toward sustainability is at times technical – one which can require some definitions
for added clarity and to ensure a common understanding. Below is a list of terms we come across
regularly or use ourselves when defining, discussing and working toward sustainability.
Appreciative Inquiry
A philosophy of organizational assessment and change that seeks examples of success to emulate
and organizational or personal strengths to build upon, rather than focusing upon fixing negative
or ineffective organizational processes.
BALLE
Business Alliance for Local Living Economies.
http://www.livingeconomies.org
Bio-based Product
A product (other than food or feed) that is produced from renewable, agricultural (plant, animal
and marine), or forestry materials.
Biodegradable
A product or material capable of decomposing in nature within a reasonably short period of time.
Biodiversity
the variability among organisms on Earth and within an ecosystem. Maintaining biodiversity is
necessary to preserve the health and survival of an ecosystem.
Biomass
Living or recently-dead organic material that can be used as an energy source, excludes organic
material that has been transformed by geological processes (such as coal or petroleum).
Biomimicry
A design discipline that studies nature’s elements, processes and designs and uses these ideas to
imitate or design new solutions to human problems sustainably.
Carbon Footprint
The total amount of greenhouse gases emitted directly or indirectly through an activity, or from a
product, company or person, typically expressed in equivalent tons of either carbon or carbon
dioxide.
1
Source: Interface, Inc. 2008. Sustainability 101 Glossary. Retrieved on June 29, 2011 from
(no longer active):
http://www.interfaceglobal.com/getdoc/e07d40fd-962e-4ca0-8c5d-5f2fd1c58e63/Glossary.aspx.

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Carbon Neutral
This term effectively means net zero carbon emissions to the atmosphere. Achieving carbon
neutrality means measuring the carbon emissions for an identified product, service or company,
then balancing those emissions with carbon reductions or carbon offsets to reach net zero carbon
emissions.
Carbon Sequestration
The uptake and storage of carbon. Trees can be used for carbon sequestration because they
absorb carbon dioxide, release the oxygen and store the carbon.
Clean Tech
A fairly amorphous term referring to a sector that includes products, services, and processes
designed to provide superior performance at lower costs, greatly reduce or eliminate negative
ecological impact, and improve the productive and responsible use of natural resources. It’s
often associated with renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.
http://cleantechnetwork.com
Climate Change
Refers to a statistically significant variation in either the mean state of the climate or in its
variability, persisting for an extended period. Climate change is a change in the “average
weather” that a given region experiences. When we speak of climate change on a global scale,
we are referring to changes in the climate of the Earth as a whole, including temperature
increases (global warming) or decreases, and shifts in wind.
Closed-loop recycling
The process of utilizing a recycled product in the manufacturing of a similar product or the
remanufacturing of the same product.
Cradle-to-cradle
A design philosophy put forth by architect William McDonough that considers the life-cycle of a
material or product. Cradle-to-Cradle design models human industry on nature's processes, in
which materials are viewed as nutrients circulating in healthy metabolisms.
CSR
Corporate Social Responsibility.
http://www.ethicalcorp.com/
Deforestation
the conversion of forested land to other non-forested uses by the removal and destruction of trees
and habitat. Deforestation is cited as one of the major contributors to global warming.

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Dematerialization
The reduction of mass in a product that does not diminish quality or intended service for the
consumer.
Design for the Environment (DfE)
A philosophy applied to the design process that advocates the reduction of environmental and
human health impacts through materials selection and design strategies.
EcoMetrics
Interface’s quantification of the company’s environmental performance over time. Ecometrics
measures materials and energy inputs and outputs for use in benchmarking and monitoring
environmental progress.
Ecosystem
A place having unique physical features, encompassing air, water, and land, and habitats
supporting plant and animal life, including humans.
Emission Reduction Credit (ERC)/Carbon Offset
An emission reduction credit represents avoided or reduced emissions often measured in tons.
ERCs are generated from projects or activities that reduce or avoid emissions. A carbon offset
refers to a specific type of ERC that represents an activity that avoids or reduces greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions or sequesters carbon from the atmosphere.
Energy Efficiency
Using less energy to fulfill the same function or purpose; usually attributed to a technological fix
rather than a change in behavior, examples include better insulation to reduce heating / cooling
demand, compact fluorescent bulbs to replace incandescent, or proper tire inflation to improve
gas mileage.
Environmentally Preferable Products (EPP)
Products or services that “have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment
when compared with competing products or services that serve the same purpose.” This
comparison may consider raw materials acquisition, production, manufacturing, packaging,
distribution, reuse, operation, maintenance or disposal of the product or service.
EPP Certification
Process by which products or services are certified as Environmentally Preferred Products
(EPPs). The certification addresses all stages of the product’s/service’s life-cycle, incorporates
key environmental and human health issues relevant to the category, and undergoes outside
stakeholder review.

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Fossil Fuel
Any petroleum-based fuel source such as gasoline, natural gas, fuel oil, etc.
Global Warming
This refers to a specific type of climate change, an increased warming of the Earth’s atmosphere
caused by the buildup of man-made gases that trap the sun’s heat, causing changes in weather
patterns and other effects on a global scale. These effects include global sea level rise, changes in
rainfall patterns and frequency, habitat loss and droughts.
Greenhouse Gases (GHG)
These gases are so named because they contribute to the greenhouse effect due to high
concentrations of these gases remaining in the atmosphere. The GHGs of most concern include
carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxides (N2O).
Greenhouse Effect
The trapping of heat within the Earth’s atmosphere by greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide,
which accumulate in Earth’s atmosphere and act as a blanket keeping heat in.
Greenwashing
The process by which a company publicly and misleadingly exaggerates or embellishes the
environmental attributes of itself or its products, while participating in environmentally- or
socially-irresponsible practices.
Green Building
A comprehensive process of design and construction that employs techniques to minimize
adverse environmental impacts and reduce the energy consumption of a building, while
contributing to the health and productivity of its occupants; common metrics for evaluating green
buildings include the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification and
Australia’s Green Star program.
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
refers to the contents of interior air that could affect the health and comfort of occupants.
Acceptable IAQ is air in which there are no known concentrations of harmful contaminants
Industrial Ecology
An interdisciplinary field that focuses on the sustainable combination of environment, economy,
and technology.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
A science-based tool for comparing the environmental performance of two or more scenarios.
LCA quantifies the potential environmental impacts of products or systems throughout their life
cycles, and can highlight a product’s impact areas to target strategic improvements.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_cycle_assessment

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