Sustainable Pacific Rim Cities provides innovation and sustainability by using the method of ecological applied research that both combines academic thinking with application through projects and consultancy between and within the Pacific Rim Cities and Villages. 

     Our Focus: 

Environmental Engineering & Planning

Ecological Economic Development

Ecological Urban Planning and Design

      Key Applied Research: 

Pacific Rim Ecosystem Restoration & Eco-Village Initiative

Pacific Rim Outlook

Urban Design and Planning Responding to Disaster Preparedness and Adaptation

Innovation and Sustainability on Trade, Finance, and Economic Development

Urban Design and Planning for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities

Announcement: 

We are working with our partners to update our key projects. We would like to invite you participating in updating the projects.  For more information please contact us at: info@sustainablepacific.org

   Topic of the Week (our blog):

Climate Change and Adaptation Planning

Pacific Institute Releases Update on Seawater Desalination in California

by Pacific Institute

Natural Disasters and Preparedness

A Run of Bad Luck

by Dan Farber

Health, Safety and Food Security

Burger King to Pigs: Have It Your Way?

by PAIGE SMITH ORLOFF

Understanding Environmental Pollution Problems

The World’s Worst Toxic Pollution Problems 2011 report

by Blacksmith Institute

Environmental and Economic Sustainability

At Risk: America's Poor During and After the Great Recession.

by School of Public and Environmental Affairs Indiana University Bloomington

Environmentalists versus Economists: Time for a Truce?

by Daniel Farber   

Looking Back 2011

In Memory of the Victims of Climate Change 2011

A girl's room is exposed in a destroyed house in the devastated town of Pleasant Grove, Alabama, on May 1, 2011, the second-worst tornado disaster on record. 

Source: Indiatimes

Ocean and Plastic

Marine life under threat because of our dependence on plastic

by Laura Brown

Environmentalists are warning about the effect on sea-life, particularly sea-turtles, of the impact of humans' dependency on plastic.

The stomach contents of a young sea-turtle found dead off the Argentinian coast were examined by scientists. It was found to contain hundreds of small pieces of plastic detritus. More than half of the 90 sea-turtles found dead of the coast of Brazil were found with similar shards of plastic in their guts or faces.

Environmentalists say the small pieces of plastic are caused by human waste. Over 290 million tonnes of plastic are produced each year. When thrown away or dumped in the world's oceans they are not biodegradable so do not break down naturally. Instead they are broken up into smaller and smaller pieces by the seas' currents (more...)

      Maps and Data Resource

Coastal Flood Risk Lookup 

This coastal flood risk map views for the cities, states or zip codes you type. You may make modest adjustments to achieve different sizes, by modifying width and height in the snippet below. Click Here to check the flood risk in your area.

For more information: climatecentral.org

TOXNET 

Databases on toxicology, hazardous chemicals, environmental health, and toxic releases. 

TOXMAP 

e-map to explore on-site toxic chemical releases and hazardous waste sites from the US EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) and the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL).

Find Water Polluters Near You

THE UNITED STATES WATER POLLUTION MAP (the map)

CHINA WATER POLLUTION MAP (the map)

   Environmental Law & History

Intersection of Environmental Law and Disaster Law

by Daniel Farber

In an environmental disaster, a disaster causes environmental harm, or an environmental change causes an acute risk to humans, or a combination of both takes place. Examples include the BP oil spill, the London killer fog of 1952, the 2003 European heat wave, and the 2011 Japanese tsunami. Climate change will intensify the connection between disaster issues and the environment. Given the interwoven nature of disasters and the environment, we should consider what environmental law and disaster law can learn from each other. Environmental law has the most to teach disaster law about risk management and prevention. Disaster law, in contrast, directs attention to issues of unequal risk exposure and to compensation as a supplement to risk mitigation. 

link to the paper

MARPOL Annex V

Annex V of MARPOL prohibits ocean dumping of all ship-generated plastics and regulates the dumping of other garbage. Annex V is of particular importance to the maritime community (shippers, oil platforms, fishers, recreational boaters and cruise lines) as it prohibits the disposal of plastic at sea and regulates the disposal of other types of garbage at sea. Under Annex V, garbage includes all kinds of food, domestic and operational waste – excluding fresh fish – generated during the normal operation of the vessel and liable to be disposed of continuously or periodically. This annex also requires ports and terminals to provide garbage reception facilities for boats. As of 31 July 2007, 135 countries have adopted Annex V (more...)

Source:  The Ocean Conservancy; The PlasTEP 

The US Clean Water Act Basic Information

The Clean Water Act (CWA) establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and regulating quality standards for surface waters. The basis of the CWA was enacted in 1948 and was called the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, but the Act was significantly reorganized and expanded in 1972. "Clean Water Act" became the Act's common name with amendments in 1977.

Under the CWA, EPA has implemented pollution control programs such as setting wastewater standards for industry. We have also set water quality standards for all contaminants in surface waters more...

The US Safe Drinking Water Act Basic Information

The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) was originally passed by Congress in 1974 to protect public health by regulating the nation's public drinking water supply. The law was amended in 1986 and 1996 and requires many actions to protect drinking water and its sources: rivers, lakes, reservoirs, springs, and ground water wells. (SDWA does not regulate private wells which serve fewer than 25 individuals.) more...

     Our Partners 

Asia Society 

Local Ecology

The US-China Green Energy Council (UCGEC)