Summary of the 2011 Transportation Research Board (TRB) Waste Management & Resource Efficiency Committee Workshop; “Sustainability & Liability in Transportation”

The Sustainability & Liability in Transportation Workshop was held in Portland, Oregon (hosted by the Oregon Department of Transportation) from July 25-27, 2011. There were a total of 37 presentations given by national and international transportation professionals during the first two days of the workshop. The third day involved a boat tour of the Portland Harbor Superfund Site. The workshop was well attended by representatives from state departments of transportation, the Federal Highway Administration and transportation consulting firms. Read More

Sustainability based rating systems have become quite numerous over the past few years.  It is estimated that there are over 200 individual rating systems for civil engineering projects. I thought it would be informative to share a summary of some rating systems that are or are currently being planned to be used by transportation agencies. It is hard to determine if these rating systems will eventually be consolidated into just a few credible rating systems or programs. Many programs that have been developed are specific to an organization’s operations, environmental needs, local context and sustainability philosophy.  Read More