Introduction to Environmentally Sound Design & Management

1. Introduction to Environmentally Sound Design & Management [SPEAKERS NAMES] [DATE]

2. Defining ESD  Environmentally Sound Design & Management is the • design & implementation of activities so that. . . • Environmental damage is kept to a practicable minimum. • Environmental benefits are maximized to the extent practicable ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

3. Why ESD? If ESDM is not a conscious goal,then ENVIRONMENTAL FAILUREis much more likely ! ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

4. Environmental Failure &Small-Scale Activities • Definition of environmental failure:When an activity creates an adverse impact on the environment that substantially reduces or offsets the activity’s intended benefits • The reality of “environmental failure”-- some examples coming up: • Health care facilities • Water and Sanitation Activities • Community Forestry Environmental Failure can be TOTAL when benefits of the activity are completely overwhelmed in size and scale by the effects of the adverse impacts ! ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

5. Environmental Failure & Small-Scale Activities • Myth: “the environmental impact of small-scale development activity on the environment is negligible” • Reality:If small-scale activities are implemented poorly: • Impacts of a single small-scale activity may be small in absolute terms • But impacts at the local level--to people and communities--can be very significant • And because small-scale activities are numerous, together they have a very significant impact ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

6. Environmental Failure & Small-Scale ActivitiesExample: Health care facilities • Goal: Improve public health • Risk:Endanger the health of patients and the community with poor facilities design & improper waste management An unused incinerator. . . surrounded byneedles & other medical waste (open access to livestock, ~15m from households) ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

7. ! An open invitation to oral-fecal disease transmission Environmental Failure & Small-Scale ActivitiesExample: Health care facilities Less than 10m A newly constructed open-air kitchen Unscreened simple pit latrines ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

8. Environmental Failure & Small-Scale ActivitiesExample: Health care facilities Health facility wastes that require management Sharps (used needles, scalpels,broken glass) Excrement(Urine & faeces) Pathological wastes(tissues, organs, blood & body parts) Radioactive* Pharmaceuticals (expired, contaminated, surplus) What are the consequences of failing to manage these different waste streams? What constitutes acceptable management? Site latrines, waste pits close to wells Site unscreened kitchen near latrines Design issues ? ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

9. Environmental Failure & Small-Scale ActivitiesExample: Water & Sanitation Activities Around the back of the latrine. . . • Goal: Improve/preserve public health & quality of life • Risks:Endanger public health, degrade water supply, with poor design and operation Seepage Uncontrolledwaste disposal ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

10. Environmental Failure & Small-Scale ActivitiesExample: Water & Sanitation Activities Failure to test new water source, especially groundwater, for natural & industrial contaminants Design problems How, specifically, can these problems arise? What are the impacts that result from these design & operation problems? Creation of standing water & other disease reservoirs Contamination of ground or surface waters Design and operation problems Failure to safeguard water source from runoff Unsustainable extraction rates ? ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

11. An activity intended to improve the environment! Environmental Failure & Small-Scale ActivitiesExample: Community Reforestation • Goals: Conserve soil & prevent erosion, provide building materials & fuel, reduce risk/impacts of flooding • Risks: • Deplete water table, • Displace local plants and vegetation, • Intensify use of pesticides • Increase community vulnerability ? Is this a nice picture? ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

12. Environmental Failure & Small-Scale ActivitiesExample: Community Reforestation ! An extensive monoculture reforestation scheme was undertaken decades ago. The aging trees have proved vulnerable to a blight known to impose 80% mortality. All trees are approximately the same age. The unforeseen long-term vulnerabilities created by monoculture reforestation will likely affect thousands of small coffee producers. Unfortunately not. Progressive blight in the shade trees, an aging monoculture High-quality organic shade-grown coffee ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

13. How does environmental failure happen? In the previous examples, the environmental failures were obvious. ! Failure to plan for the effects of increased scale But environmental failure is often harder to understand & avoid. This type of environmental failure is often caused by some common design mistakes: ! Designing for average conditions ! Ignoring economic-environmental linkages ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

14. Common causes of environmental failure #1 ! Failure to plan for the effects of increased scale Or, failure to plan for success! The environmental effects of a small-scale animal husbandry project may be minor BUT if the project is successful, and many more individuals begin to hold larger numbers of animals, serious problems may arise. . . Health hazards from animal waste. . . Fodder shortages (may lead to overgrazing and erosion and/or land conflicts) ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

15. Common causes of environmental failure #2 ! Designing for average conditions This schoolhouse is being rebuilt with plank walls and a split-bamboo roof. Strong winds ripped the aluminum sheet roofing off the structure and toppled the landcrete walls. In this area, one or two storms every 5 years typically have winds of this strength. Other “average conditions” to be careful of: Rainfall, tides, water tables. . . What else? ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

16. Common causes of environmental failure #3 ! Ignoring economic-environmental linkages Another failure to plan for success! • Household consumption depends on income. • Success in raising income in a community may increase • demand for building materials (brick & timber) • the number of livestock, • demand for water • generation of waste, including disposable packaging All can have significant adverse environmental impacts! ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

17. Food Aid & Environmental failure Change crop and livestock production strategies Change seasonal & long-term migration patterns • Food Aid: Fulfills a vital need • However, Food Aid may alter the relationship between people and how they manage natural resources in their area(see right) • These changes can create long-term problems Change land use & tenure Reduce production & use of local seed/varieties Introduce foreign species Change wood-gathering practices ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

18. Is ESDM only about avoiding failure? NO. Remember the 2 parts of the ESDM definition: • Environmentally Sound Design is the design & implementation of activities so that. . . • Environmental damage is kept to a practicable minimum. • Environmental benefits are maximized to the extent practicable ESDM is proactive. It seeks to preserve and improve the resource base upon which future economic activity and subsistence depends ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

19. Wait! • Are we saying that environment should be the ONLY concern in development activity? • ABSOLUTELY NOT! • Development always involves environmental change • Environmental soundness is not enough!Development activities must also be technically, socially and economically sound. • The long-term health of the environment depends on successful development. Poverty degrades the environment, • BUT REMEMBER environmental degradation endangers future subsistence & future development ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

20. How do we achieve ESDM? ESDM requires design and implementation of activities with an understanding of their environmental impacts, and active efforts to minimize these impacts. Success requires following 3 basic rules: 1 2 3 Be prevention-oriented Apply best development practices to environmental aspects of the activity Be systematic ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

21. ESDM is prevention-oriented • Implement design decisions • Build capacity for environmentally sound operation Prevention occurs across the project lifecycle—but it starts with design! Design Construct/ implement Operate(may include handover) Decommission(in some cases) Make decisions about site, technique and operating practices to minimize impacts • Implement & maintain proper operation • Monitor the activity and its impacts ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

22. ESDM is prevention-oriented • Prevention starts early in the DESIGN phase • DESIGN starts with the choice of means. Objective Improve agricultural productivity Possible means How do you choose? Change use of agricultural inputs? Introduce improved crop varieties? Change cultivation practices? ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

23. ESDM is prevention-oriented ! In ESDM, the choice of MEANS considers the environmental impacts of each alternative. ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

24. Now, rule 2 for achieving ESDM. . . 1 2 3 Be prevention-oriented Apply best development practices to environmental aspects of the activity Be systematic ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

25. What are best development practices? • As development professionals, we say. . . “For a successful project, we need. . . A technically sound design To build beneficiary capacity & stakeholder commitment To design for the local social & policy context To adjust what we do as results come in ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

26. ! Each of these general best practices has particular application to ESDM. ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

27. General BP #1:The design is technically sound For example. . . • Environmental application: the design must be appropriate for local environmental conditions ? Appropriate choice of crops or trees? ? Appropriate choices of construction materials & methods? Environmental conditions include. .. Rainfall, temperature, soils, flood, drought and earthquake potential. . . What else? ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

28. Example:Design for local environmental conditions Structure: Schoolhouse Local environment Coastal West Africa; deforested area subject to heavy winds & rains. Moist tropical climate. Building sits on slight slope. Construction Long-span split-bamboo roof Unplastered “landcrete” walls No rock or concrete foundation ? Appropriate choices of construction materials & methods? ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

29. General BP #2:Design for the policy & social context • Environmental applications: 1 2 NRM and land tenure Compliance The activity must comply with national & local environmental laws and policies Activities that require the utilization of natural resources (including land) must be compatible with local NRM and land tenure. 3 Language, literacy The activities demands on beneficiaries must be matched to capabilities. land & resource rights are often gender-specific! 4 What else? ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

30. General BP #3:Build stakeholder commitment & capacity Environmental application: ! Local communities/ organizations need to be trained and committed to: • environmentally sound operation. • maintain the equipment/ structure Proper maintenance and operation are critical to controlling environmental impacts. Who will maintain it? Who will operate it? ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

31. General BP #4Practice adaptive management Adaptive management means:  • Environmental applications: • If your activity has unintended environmental consequences, you need to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! adjusting implementation of your activity based on results from the field Adaptive environmental management requires: A project budget that funds environmental monitoring The flexibility to adapt the project in response to unanticipated adverse impacts ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

32. General BP #4Practice adaptive management ! Adaptive management also means adjusting implementation of YOUR project based on the experiences of others. Communicate, coordinate, share lessons on environmental impacts with colleagues! ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

33. Note:ESDM requires community involvement Two basic reasons for community involvement: 1 Local residents must live with the environmental impacts of activities! Ethics require it. You can’t apply BPs without it. 2 Why? ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

34. BPs require community involvement! Technical soundness LOCAL KNOWLEDGE is critical! ! • Stakeholders and local communities have local knowledge that you need. • Is there a land tenure problem? • How often does the river flood? • How often are crops rotated? • What do people value and need? LISTEN to thecommunity.TALK to bothmen & women. Design for the policy & social context Beneficiary commitment & capacity Adaptive management ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

35. BPs require community involvement! Technical soundness Design for the policy & social context Beneficiary commitment & capacity Building commitment & capacity is not possible without actively engaging the community. Adaptive management Communities are often essential to monitoring ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

36. Now, rule 3 for achieving ESDM. . . 1 2 3 Be prevention-oriented Apply best development practices to environmental aspects of the activity Be systematic ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

37. ESDM is systematic • ESDM requires a systematic look at: • the possible adverse environmental impacts of an activity • waysto reduce these impacts. • The best way to be systematic: Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)! ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

38. Defining EIA  Environmentally Impact Assessment is • A formal process for identifying: • likely effects of activities or projects on the environment, and on human health and welfare. • means and measures to monitor & mitigate these impacts ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

39. Origins of EIA Cuyahoga River burns in 1966 (3rd time). Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. 1960s & 70s: Environmental crisis affects all industrialized economies EIA is one response: First national EIA requirements:1970 US National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires EIA for US government projects. Other responses: regulation of industry, environmental treaties 1952 “Killer fog” kills 4,000 in London 1963 Silent Spring documents the effects of DDT Etc. . . ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

40. EIA today • Most countries & almost all donors now have EIA requirements • EIA now extends beyond government to • Infrastructure and economic development projects funded by the private sector & donors • Analysis of policies, not just projects • In Africa, national environmentalregulation is usually centered on EIA requirements. ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

41. EIA: A good idea in many ways • EIA is a tool that helps you to be systematic about all the elements of ESDM. 1 Be prevention-oriented • Prevention begins with choice of means. “Consider alternatives” is a key principle of EIA. • EIA provides a formal process to consider environmental issues and make changes at early stages in project design. Early consideration is key to prevention. ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

42. EIA: A good idea in many ways EIA helps you implement Rule 2 for achieving ESDM: 2 Apply best development practices to environmental aspects of the activity Technical soundness EIA requires characterizing environmental conditions Stakeholder commitment Stakeholder consultation is central to EIA EIA requires a systematic approach to field monitoring Adaptive management ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

43. EIA: More than just a good idea ! • EIA is: • REQUIRED BY LAW in most countries. • REQUIRED by almost all donors. ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design

44. Summing up • We commit to ESDM to avoid environmental failure and maximize the long-term benefits of our activities. • ESDM requires design and implementation of activities with an understanding of their environmental impacts, and active efforts to minimize these impacts. • Success requires following 3 basic rules: be prevention-oriented, apply best development practices, and be systematic. • EIA is a tool to make ESDM a reality. ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Intro to Environmentally Sound Design