A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO SUSTAINABILITY: A CASE STUDY OF WEST VIRGINIA SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

摘要

This case study presents the impact of the West Virginia Sustainable Communities initiative working in unison with a new program called Economy, Energy and the Environment-West Virginia (E3-WV). Highlighting the synergy of these programs, this paper will discuss how these initiatives are designed to help local governments and industries thrive in a new business era to promote sustainable government, manufacturing, and economic growth throughout West Virginia. The roles of the respective partners are emphasized with a focus on the potential for future development that can result from strong government, university, and private sector collaborations. The results to date will be presented. E3-WV focuses on energy performance, environmental stewardship and economic development to assist West Virginia businesses address energy and sustainability challenges. The primary objective of E3-WV is to identify and evaluate opportunities for energy efficiency and waste reduction through visits to local government and industrial facilities. The scope of this initiative includes a lean review of manufacturing processes, logistics, inventory management and related production functions, an energy use assessment to identify opportunities to reduce energy use, costs and associated environmental emissions, an environmental assessment to identify waste streams and minimize environmental impact on air, water, and solid waste, and a carbon footprint analysis via the examination of carbon sources resulting from plant operations both on and off site. E3-WV is a collaborative partnership among the West Virginia Division of Energy, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, West Virginia University, WVU Industrial Assessment Center, Industries of the Future-West Virginia at the WVU National Research Center for Coal and Energy, and the West Virginia Manufacturing Extension Partnership.