The 2003 Brownfields Conference, “Growing a Greener America,” which convened in Portland, Oregon, was held on October 27–29. A record 4,100 people attended. Portland was chosen to host the conference, due to its role as a national leader in growth management. Portland's unique urban growth boundary is managed by Metro, the only directly elected regional government in the country. The success of the growth boundary in leading to redevelopment of brownfield sites in Portland was highlighted in sessions and mobile workshops at the conference.

Overall sampling of the sediments in the Adriatic Sea at the mouth of the Isonzo (Soça) River in Italy has permitted updating of the extent and level of mercury contamination. The lsonzo River transports mercury-bearing residues from the ldrija mine (Slovenia); that area is contaminated due to the mining of cinnabar (HgS). The mercury mine started operations in the 15th century and was finally shut down in the 1980s because of the decreased demand for mercury. An attempt was made to remove mercury from the contaminated sediments by thermal desorption, with the aim of ascertaining whether low temperature and short residence time could be suitable parameters for sediment cleanup if future needs should so require. To date, no studies have been done on the health of the Italian population living in the Gulf of Trieste area; hence there is no known correlation between the anomalous mercury content of the sediments and symptoms attributable to the ingestion of even small quantities of mercury. Desorption times of about 20 to 30 minutes, at temperatures ranging from 325° C to 350° C, yielded residues with a mercury content below the limit imposed by Italian regulations for contaminated soils and sediments (5 ppm). The air and the mercury vapors driven off during roasting were treated before being released to the atmosphere.

The US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) baseline Hudson River health risk assessment (HRA) is evaluated and found to be biased toward keeping polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in sediments. The HRA systematically mis-quantified parameters, underestimating PCB movement from sediments to water and from water to air. The EPA excluded from its analysis all mono- and dichlorinated PCB congeners, which EPA subsequently estimated at one-third of total PCB mass in the river, and excluded dissolved and colloidal PCB. The EPA included silt-adsorbed PCB, but overestimated the rate at which it would settle out of the water column by inappropriately basing the rate on Stokes' Law for more massive spherical particles. Flat clay particles settle more slowly with a longer path length and residence time. The EPA omitted electrostatic charges on clay particles that separate them, preventing agglomeration and maintaining clay in suspension; they also assumed that particles never “reflect” back into the water column after settling, likewise underestimating PCB concentrations in water. Also omitted was PCB codistillation, in which PCBs at low bulk concentrations preferentially distribute to the air-water interface, accelerating PCB transfer from water to air. Indeed, EPA cited empirical data showing more rapid PCB water-to-air transfer, but reduced its effect on the HRA, reducing the transfer coefficient by averaging in lower modeled PCB transfer coefficients that ignored codistillation. Finally, EPA omitted PCB release to the atmosphere from hot water in cooling towers in communities along the Hudson River. Water at cooling tower temperatures may release PCB into the air more than 10 times faster than rates determined from the surface of cold water and multiple orders of magnitude more rapidly than in EPA's models. Together, EPA's procedures reduced airborne PCB concentrations from above to below de minimis concentrations. This, in turn, eliminated the requirement for EPA's HRA to quantify inhalation risks posed by airborne PCBs; the HRA, therefore, considered airborne PCBs, but attributed zero health risk to them.

Environmental Practice 9:96–111 (2007)

Are young professionals prepared to lead us in solving the environmental challenges of the twenty-first century, such as disaster recovery or global deforestation? Have they learned the basic skills it takes to communicate and work together with different people and cultures? Do they have the inner passion and mindset to be of service to the earth and their community rather than acting in self interest? The nation's universities have responded well in the last decade to become the young professional's preparatory launch pad for lifelong learning. Yet, after they leave school and enter the variety of environmental fields, are their jobs vital?

With energy legislation pending in Congress, research is urgently needed on the public's preferences for environmental policies. This study investigated preferences for government investment in new energy production relative to energy conservation and the variables that influence these preferences among members of the general public and those who live near nuclear and/or coal energy facilities (site-specific sample). A survey using random digit dialing assessed preferences for new energy production relative to energy conservation, beliefs about coal and nuclear energy, cultural worldview, trust in nuclear and coal agencies, environmental activism, and demographics among a general public sample (n = 800) and a site-specific sample (n = 2,400). Results showed that fewer than half of the participants desired more than half of the funding to be invested in new energy production relative to energy conservation. The general public sample's preferences were driven primarily by beliefs about coal, hierarchical values, environmental concern, and gender. The model of the site-specific sample's preferences was more complex and showed that preferences were driven primarily by coal and nuclear beliefs, hierarchical values, environmental concern, age, and race. Overall, the results underline the importance of investigating the underpinnings of beliefs of different groups and being cognizant of the unique factors that influence energy preferences among these groups.

Environmental Practice 13:1–14 (2011)

The article examines the environmental, public health, and management problems associated with developing countries' use of hazardous pesticides. Results from an in-depth case study of Zambia, Africa, provide insights from rural farmers and government officials, and reveal the economic, political, and social factors entangled with the environmental and human health risks of pesticides. The study suggests that problems will intensify unless the incentives, practices, and regulations concerning hazardous pesticides are reformed. Recommended reforms include stronger international and national regulatory systems that emphasize improved risk communication, and culturally sensitive training programs that emphasize alternatives to pesticides and in-country research.

Environmental Politics and Policy, 6th Edition. Walter A. Rosenbaum. 2005. CQ Press, Washington, DC. 366 pp. $44.95 paperback.

The Sixth Edition of Walter A. Rosenbaum's much-used volume is a necessary update for several reasons, not the least of which is the insight provided throughout on the environmental policy impacts of the G. W. Bush administration. Continuing changes in environmental indicators, the effects (or lack thereof) of public opinion on environmental policies, and the emergence of new issues as we learn more about our effects upon the environment justify this important update. In all cases, Rosenbaum, Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida and Visiting Professor at the University of Michigan, has done a masterful job at keeping the older material intact while bringing in the new.

Art is a powerful tool for conveying ideas. It transcends various modes of communication, allowing it to trigger mental, emotional, and physical responses from its target audience. Its effectiveness as a tool for environmental advocacy, however, is limited by the sustainability of the practice and the materials used. Contemporary art practices in the Philippines have found ways to support the campaign for environmental sustainability by using repurposed materials that result in a decreased carbon footprint in the art production process, while conveying environmental themes. This evaluative article presents two case studies tackling the new-found indigenous art practice of the Talaandig tribe in the province of Bukidnon, Philippines, and the contemporary art practice of select assemblage artists from Metro Manila using found objects. This article illustrates how Filipino artists in both the indigenous and contemporary art scenes are supporting the global campaign of environmental conservation in message and action.

Environmental Practice 18: 260–266 (2016)

Despite ongoing recession-induced cutbacks of public health program funding, this article presents a feasible option to certain issues raised at the Second National Planning Meeting for the Surveillance, Prevention, and Control of West Nile Virus in the United States (Nasci, 2001; Roehrig, 2001). This county-level, cost-effective program illustrates the importance of maintaining and improving public health infrastructure, including the role of enhanced surveillance and vector control efforts in preventing human cases of infection. Many agencies at the federal, state, and local levels are available to assist in the planning and start-up of such programs. The goal of Monroe County's Vector Control Program has been to minimize or eliminate risk of arthropod-borne disease to residents/resort area visitors, through a comprehensive Integrated Pest Management framework for mosquito surveillance and control. Monroe County has supplemented their efforts with (1) new technology like Internet/Web-based surveillance data reporting, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and Geographic information Systems (GIS); (2) vigorous public education and involvement, including mosquito breeding site identification, control strategies for the homeowner/other residents, and use of personal protection measures; (3) active interaction with East Stroudsburg University; and (4) interagency collaboration, including local, state, and federal agencies. Until September 2003, when the first and only (to date) human case was reported, there were no human infection cases in Monroe County.

In 2008, the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation funded the Northern West Virginia (WV) Brownfields Assistance Center (i.e., the Center) to create a mini-grant program that encourages brownfield redevelopment in West Virginia. The Center's Foundation for Overcoming Challenges and Utilizing Strengths (FOCUS) WV Brownfields program enables communities to cultivate and implement a redevelopment vision for brownfield properties of strategic community interest. This article describes the FOCUS WV Brownfields program and provides examples of three projects that demonstrate creative and collaborative means toward brownfield redevelopment in West Virginia.

What's beyond oil? This question is leading to one of the most important debates these days. Even if oil resources are only decreasing slowly (but surely), other options to power the future are essential in consideration of climate changes due to greenhouse gas emissions. An obvious solution can be found looking at the perpetual solar energy supply, especially in regions with high availability of sun irradiation. Converting this renewable energy with wind turbines or photovoltaic or solar power plants is common by now. But storing and using the electric energy generated with these technologies is quite difficult because of low energy densities obtained from current battery technologies. By contrast, hydrogen energy storage has the advantage of its higher energy density. It can be used, for example, for auxiliary power units (APUs) in combination with fuel cell systems, for powering automotive fuel cell–based drivetrains, or for local energy supply in fuel cell power plants. Additionally, hydrogen can be transported easily by trucks or pipelines even over long distances and can be distributed and sold. From the economic perspective, with hydrogen and fuel cells some interesting business models can be developed. Investing in hydrogen production and storage equipment, fuel cell systems for APUs and vehicle drivetrains, or a hydrogen infrastructure, return on invest can be seen some years ahead by selling hydrogen or fuel cell systems to national and international customers with increased ecologic responsibility. Finally, in spite of the longer energy conversion chain for hydrogen compared to pure electrical energy storage, hydrogen with the described advantages generated from renewable energies used in fuel cells is definitely an economic and ecologic chance for a greener future.