QUERY Sustainability/climate action software

This forum contains all archives from the SD Mailing list (go to http://www.systemdynamics.org/forum/ for more information). This is here as a read-only resource, please post any SD related questions to the SD Discussion forum.
Locked
Steve Coyle <steve@town-green
Newbie
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Mar 29, 2002 3:39 am

QUERY Sustainability/climate action software

Post by Steve Coyle <steve@town-green »

Posted by Steve Coyle <steve@town-green.com>

Colleagues,

Background

We continue to help Los Angeles to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions (G=
HG)
by working to achieve zero solid waste by the year 2030 in a six-year
project
called the Los Angeles Solid Waste Integrated Resources Project (SWIRP).=20
Since the City wanted to ensure that all residents and businesses in all
sectors of the City had a voice in determining the policies, programs and
solutions, involving as many people as possible in the process, we employ=
ed
an interactive software game to help stakeholders understand the dynamic
consequences of deploying the different policies, programs and facilities=
,
and engage the participants in the planning process. =20

With your help, in order to accomplish the design and execution of a
stakeholder-friendly software game in time for SWIRP=92s city-wide confer=
ence
in Los Angeles on February 2, 2008, HDR contracted with the University of
Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) to build and run the model using Vensim software
through Project Leader Krystyna Stave, Ph.D., who has extensive experienc=
e
developing simulation tools for stakeholder involvement and education,
including group model building projects. Dr. Stave and her UNLV Team
developed the simulation game to demonstrate the benefits and drawbacks o=
f
strategic choices over a 20-year period, help stakeholders understand
uncertainty in the system, and illustrate the effect of taking no action.=
=20
About 180 stakeholders at the SWIRP second citywide conference played the
game on February 2, 2008, using the computer simulation game on laptops, =
two
per table, with about 4 players at each. The operational model was built
from
the causal representation and tested against actual trends in the
performance
measures. The model represented the major =93leverage or change points=94=
,
rates
of change, and other key cause-effect relationships in the waste system.=20
However, it was not a planning model and did not include the level of det=
ail
necessary to make specific management decisions. Rather, the simplified,
strategic-level model allowed non-expert stakeholders to compare the
relative
effect of major policy, program and facility decisions on critical
performance measures, and explore key policy levers that system managers
might realistically use. UNLV will publish the results that were by and
large successful in demonstrating the value of a systems thinking softwar=
e
application in a public venue.

Current Need

However, we need =91climate action=92 software application that can be us=
ed at
the municipal staff level, in a city council workshop format, and for
public-engaged events to comprehensively model carbon and non-renewable
resource reduction strategies and outcomes. The program would allow
participants in a workshop or Charrette to =91performance test=92 the met=
rics or
qualitative and quantitative criteria such as total GHG emissions,
non-renewable resource consumption, first and operational cost impacts, e=
tc.

The strategies might include techniques for reducing total vehicle miles
traveled (VMT/GHG reduction), increasing renewable local energy,
implementing
conservation-related energy reductions, and reducing of solid waste and
waste
water, for example.

We would use this software for initiative called =93Sustainable Community
Charrettes=94, planning events provided for deserving American cities at
minimal cost to them through the non-profit National Charrette Institute
(NCI). The Sustainable Community Charrettes would consist of preparation=
,
Charrette, and follow-up process to produce a comprehensive plan and
implementation strategies that incorporate smart growth principles, and
green
technological, economic, and regulatory tools to significantly reduce the
community=92s carbon footprint and reliance on non-renewables; improve th=
e
community=92s ability to anticipate and adapt to economic (e.g., jobs, re=
duce
utility cost), environmental (e.g., climate, water), and social (e.g.,
affordable housing, public health) changes; and help the community forge =
a
community-authored policy and regulatory framework to achieve the desired
outcomes. The services and products would be adjusted to reflect fundin=
g,
need, and capacity. The software would help us propose, test, compare, a=
nd
select the most effective strategies, policies, programs, and tools, with
public involvement, against the costs and benefits of each.

I would be interested in hearing from programmers interest in and capable=
of
producing an application as briefly described above, for deployment as
quickly as possible.

Steve

Stephen Coyle, AIA, LEED AP

Town-Green
Sustainable Community Planning/Urban Design
Climate Action Plans
1611 Telegraph Ave., Suite 719
Oakland, CA 94612
office: 510.451.7007 =20
cell: 510.755.8551
fax: 510.451.7008 =20
http://town-green.com
&
National Charrette Institute
Helping people work together to create healthy communities
http://www.charretteinstitute.org
3439 NE Sandy Boulevard #349
Portland, Oregon 97232
ph: 503-233-8486 ext 1# fax:503-233-1811
Posted by Steve Coyle <steve@town-green.com>
posting date Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:19:57 -0700
_______________________________________________
Locked