Tag Team: Collaborating with Academic Institutions for Valuable Research on a Limited Budget

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Tag Team Collaborating with Academic
Institutions for Valuable Research on a Limited
Budget

• Ohio EPA Miami University
• July 22, 2003

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The Tag Team Team

• Susan Willeke Public Involvement Manager,
  Ohio EPA
• Gene Willeke, Ph.D. P.E. Director, Institute of
  Environmental Sciences, Miami University
  

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The Tag Team Premise

• Open burning compliance problems
• Lack of resources for effective education
  outreach strategy
• Creative solution Ohio EPA receives free
  research and consulting graduate students
  receive credit for work accomplished
• Win-win situation

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Whats wrong with open burning?

• Quick, right?
• Easy, right?
• Economical, right?
• So, whats the problem?

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Warning! Open Burning may be Hazardous to your
Health!

• Toxic fumes from open burning can
• Cause throat irritation
• Aggravate asthma
• Make breathing difficult for those with allergies

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Problems with Open Burning

• Ohio must attain or maintain health-based air
  quality standards
• Factories already closely regulated
• Air pollution caused by open burning increases
  air quality challenges

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More problems with Open Burning

• Open burning can harm neighboring buildings
• Corrode metal siding
• Damage paint
• Open Burning is inefficient waste disposal
• Fire not hot enough to completely burn materials
• Causes other environmental problems

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Open Burning Causes Wild Fires

• The Ohio Department of Natural Resources reports
  approximately 1,000 wild fires annually in Ohio
  (most caused by open burning)
• April 2003 760 acres of burned forest due to
  uncontrolled open burning

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Ohios Open Burning Problems

• Rural vs. metropolitan
• Safety, economic, habitat loss
• Individual vs. commercial problems

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Open Burning Still Occurring
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History of Ohios Open Burning Laws

• Open Burning is regulated by Ohio
• One of the first regulations in Ohio used to
  achieve the National Ambient Air Quality
  Standards
• Slight modification over time

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Current Compliance Problems

• Awareness
• Understanding
• Economics
• Resources

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Ohios Unique Open Burning Problem

• Ohio has large Amish population
• Common Amish industry sawmills
• Many Amish sawmill business owners use open
  burning as primary waste disposal method for
  sawdust

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An Amish Sawmill in Ohio Typical Ash Pile to
be Open Burned
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The Aftermath
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Ohio EPAs Challenge

• Priorities
• Awareness and education must be ongoing
• Lack of resources
• Resource application ever-changing
• Finding Solutions to Common Causes of Open
  Burning (e.g. lack of
  rural trash pickup)

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The Solution?

• Tag Team with innovative Environmental Sciences
  program
• Ohio EPA gains valuable research,
  students gain valuable experience
• The environment wins

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Miami UniversityInstitute of Environmental
Sciences

• Founded in 1969
• Professional Master of Environmental
  Science degree
• Curriculum includes Public Service Project (PSP)

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Public Service Projectsat Miami University

• 1st year Masters students in Master of
  Environmental Science program
• Substantial environmental issue
• Clients lack funds to hire consultant/employee to
  do the work
• Team of 5-6 students of varying academic
  backgrounds and levels of experience
• 1,000 hours professional level effort

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Clients

• Local government or nonprofit environmental group
• Private sector
• State or Federal
• Problem scope and proximity are important factors

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Process

• Client writes brief project description
• IES determines whether it is appropriate for a
  PSP
• Students choose project
• Client designates resource contact person
• IES provides faculty advisor(s)

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What the PSP Team Does

• Careful problem definition
• Clear goals and objectives, clients perspective
• Useful information
• Libraries
• Internet
• Contacts with others with similar problems

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What the PSP Team Does

• Formulates alternatives
• Evaluates alternatives
• Makes selection from alternatives, with client
  involvement
• Develops implementation plan
• Designs monitoring and evaluation plan

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Field Work

• Field trips and direct observation
• Field notes
• Photos
• Field sampling
• Water
• Soil
• Vegetation

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Team Resources

• University libraries and time
  to research them
• Libraries
• Chemical and biological
• GIS labs
• Computer resources
• Geographic information systems
• Statistical analysis software
• Graphic presentation software
  and hardware

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Learning from People

• In-depth interviews
• Focus groups
• Surveys
• Workshops and other meetings

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University Perspectives

• Problem solving methodology
• Broad dimensions of environment
• Wildfires AND pollution consequences of open
  burning
• Not bound to billable hours, as are consultants

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Benefit to Miami University

• Real client interaction
• Resume enhancement
• IES credibility
• Project nearly unique in U.S.

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Benefit to Client

• Inexpensive examination of important problem
• New ideas and approaches to problem solving
• High implementation rate
• Environmental Improvement

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Costs?

• No personnel costs to client
• Direct costs for some activities
• Laboratory work
• Survey mailings
• Meeting costs
• Some clients able to make financial contribution

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Ohio EPAs Public Outreach Efforts

• Five district offices
• Public Involvement Section
• Public Involvement Coordinators

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Open Burning Public Outreach Challenges

• Compliance issues
• Public Awareness issues
• Challenges associated with raising awareness and
  concern regarding open burning

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Student Conclusions

• Community-based environmental protection
• Education of children and adults
• Improved infrastructure
• Enforcement
• Monitoring emissions on a spatial landscape
• Targeting problems areas
• Public involvement
• Interagency cooperation

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Community Based Environmental Protection

• Human social needs
• Long-term ecosystem health
• Economic prosperity
• Environmental well-being

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Education

• Children
• Educational materials
• Incorporation into lesson plans
• Add to littering and recycling messages
• Adults
• Educational materials
• Public service messages on radio
• Newspaper articles

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Infrastructure

• Rural trash pickup improvements
• Transfer stations
• Recycling opportunities
• Residential waste recycling centers
• Commercial waste as feedstock for industrial
  process (sawdust and wood chips)
• Composting
• Incentive based measures
  to increase recycling

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Publicize Open Burning Problem

• Web based displays of the problem
• Maps
• Tables showing amounts and pollution contribution

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Enforcement

• Criteria for burning permits
• Field citations by Ohio EPA personnel, as is
  available to ODNR personnel

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Public Involvement

• Regional advisory groups
• Workshops in especially troublesome areas of the
  State
• Regionally sensitive approaches for small
  audience target groups
• Amish sawmill operators
• SE and NW Ohio farmers
• Third party communicators who are influential
  with a particular community

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Interagency CollaborationSeveral Agencies are
Concerned
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Ohio EPAs Analysis

• Is partnering with a university worthwhile? YES!
  Why?
• Inexpensive
• Different perspective (layperson and technical)
• Solutions will be used as a springboard
• Ohio EPA beginning to implement students
  recommendations

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Win-Win Situation

• Ohio EPA
• Miami University
• The environment
• Citizens of Ohio