The Earth Healing Resource Assessment provides an integrated analysis of an institution or community and serves as an instrument for long-range planning in order to achieve greater natural resource conservation and sustainability. Our Assessment examines goals, resource use patterns, and opportunities for improved efficiency, self-reliance, and dollar savings.
About the assessment
The Environmental Resource Assessment provides a method to examine land use, water, food, energy, shelter, waste recycling systems, and contemporary lifestyle patterns. A complete Environmental Resource Assessment includes the following components:
Land Use:
This aspect of the
assessment examines the
totality of past and current use of the institutions complete
landholdings, including forests, wetlands, riparian areas, meadows,
pastures, food growing areas, and land areas surrounding the built
environment and places of recreational use. The goal to promote and
enhance self-sufficiency and efficient delivery of services can be realized by examining methods for edible landscaping, gardens and
other ways of food growing, ponds,
lakes and
aquaculture potential, multiple use for recreation, parking, and
assembly, walkways and
silent space, preservation of wildlife refuge areas,
and the aesthetic qualities of landscaping/land use to achieve balance and
harmony.
Physical Facilities, Indoor Space,
& Wellness:
The physical condition
of buildings and the patterns of use in these areas are determined for
maximizing efficiency of energy and human-scale interactions. More
efficient and practical use of existing buildings is underscored as a
way of avoiding the resource and dollar costs of
new construction. Space is examined for its
potential to enhance a sense of recreation, harmony, and reflection.
Indoor air quality is becoming an increasing area of investigation.
Water Resources:
The Assessment examines water
use and sources as well as management of wetlands and riparian
areas. It offers suggestions for conservation, alternative sources and
improved management and appreciation of water in the ecosystem.
Energy Conservation, Efficiency,
& Alternatives:
A basic requirement of
environmentally compatible institutions is to supply at least a portion of their own energy
needs. The assessment explores conservation
and efficiency
opportunities and recommends possibilities such as: solar, wind,
biomass, and hydropower; solar food drying and cooking; greenhouse use; passive solar design for natural space heating and
cooling; solar for
domestic water heating,
saunas, pools; and photovoltaic potential receive special analysis.
Gardens, Food, & Nutrition:
The
Assessment recommends ways to
increase on site food growing for greater self-reliance and to reduce
costs in food procurement,
production, and preparation. The educational value of agro-ecological land management
and food production is stressed, and important attention is focused on
nutritional education as a way to promote individual and institutional wellness.
Transportation & Parking:
This part of the
analysis provides an
overview of the available sources of public and private
transportation, vehicle pools and maintenance, distance of the properties from shopping, recreation areas, places of worship, as well
as frequency of travel, and for present and future parking space
determinations. Recommendations are made for improving the efficiency
and environmental quality of transportation types -- including
alternative fueled vehicles and travel patterns.
Discarded Materials - Not Waste -
Management, and Resource Recovery:
A look at disposal of
personal and community waste materials reveals much about current lifestyle practices
and care for
resources -- their place of origin, the method of their extraction,
processing, manufacturing, and delivery to point of end use. This portion of the total assessment suggests alternatives strategies such as: source reduction, waste minimization, reuse, recycling --
including innovative marketing approaches, composting of organic
materials, and use of compost toilets.
Habitat Restoration &
Wildlife Management:
This topic covers native species -- birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, and
other fauna, as well as vascular plants, woody plants, and tree species.
Suggestions are made for improving, protecting, and restoring populations and habitat with emphasis on rare, threatened, and
endangered species. Habitat restoration with backcrossed hybrids of the
American Chestnut is explored. Identification and strategies for eradication of invasive exotic species is emphasized.
Community Relations:
Every
institution is situated in a rich
and diverse social habitat -- a community of organizations and people who have many resources to give and share with the institution, and
also many benefits to receive. The Assessment will try to identify
potentially beneficial linkages that already exist and are perhaps
under- utilized, or to create institution-community partnerships that
will enhance overall institution and community well-being.
We invite institutions and communities to put their growing environmental awareness into action by converting their landholdings and other property into a model of what larger communities can become healthy and sustainable ecosystems which revitalize their own neighborhoods.
Institutions and communities can become exemplary models of practical ways to achieve more holistic, mindful, and sustainable resource use. New ways of using land, water, energy, built-environments, and food producing techniques can result in institutional changes that improve health, restore environmental quality, cut operating expenses, and enrich our collective consciousness.
Lifestyle changes require a total consideration of options, including goals, means, and resources currently or potentially available. A written report integrating all recommendations into a practical model plan for action is presented at the end of the analysis.
The Assessment is typically initiated by the invitation of the institution or community. The group provides basic materials -- maps, various records, data, previous reports and analyses, and a list of particular concerns that they wish to be addressed. The Environmental Resource Assessment team then compiles an analysis from assembled data and produces a 30-40 page report and series of recommendations. Then the host institution or community has the catalyst necessary to begin or to continue its mission in the most environmentally conscious manner.
With the completion of this report, the ERA team then will be available to help in the process of guiding the implementation phase of the work by suggesting a variety of groups or consultants with expertise in various disciplines who will be able to bring the plans into action. If a host institution or community would like to offer educational outreach on any phases of the plan implementation, the ERA team will be willing to help create and organize workshops and training programs.