Cheryl Little Joins E² Inc.’s Policy and Innovations Group

Cheryl Little joined E² Inc. in May 2009 and will be working on climate change, smart growth, and sustainability.  She has 20 years of experience in the fields of surface transportation, contaminated site redevelopment, air quality, and environmental justice.  She specializes in catalyzing interdisciplinary teams to forge innovative policy, research, and community initiatives. 

Before joining E² Inc., Ms. Little served as Associate Director for the Aspen Institute’s Energy and Environment Program where she helped convene decisionmakers, scientists, and policy experts to find common values and recommendations on institutional cooperation on global climate change, Arctic climate change, and sustainable water infrastructure.  In the late 1990s, she coordinated the metropolitan and rural strategies task force of the President's Council on Sustainable Development, a multi-stakeholder committee that advised the White House on policies and practices to build sustainable communities.  She also served as a Director of the National Vacant Properties Campaign for Smart Growth America.  As an air quality specialist for the U.S. Department of Transportation, Ms. Little received two Superior Achievement Awards from the Research and Special Programs Administrator (now RITA) for her work on new fuel economy and vehicular emissions models and for leading an evaluation of a $1 billion R&D program on intelligent transportation systems. 

Ms. Little began her career as a reservoir engineer for Exxon in Southern California.  She has a B.S. in chemical engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, and a M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in international development with an emphasis on energy and natural resource policy.

Melinda Holland and the new Collaborative Solutions Group

Melinda Holland is the Group Leader of E² Inc.’s new Collaborative Solutions Group and has 20 years experience as a senior mediator/facilitator working exclusively on environmental and natural resource issues.  She has 30 years of combined legal, mediation, and technical experience in environmental protection, specializing in water, wastewater, Superfund, hazardous and nuclear waste issues.  Her facilitation/mediation experience includes numerous conflict/convening assessments, community advisory panels, federal advisory committees, public meetings, workshops, training programs, arbitration, and cost allocation. More information on Melinda Holland…

The Collaborative Solutions Group at E² Inc. provides people and organizations with the skills and knowledge to pursue new ideas and develop collaborative solutions that transform environmental decision-making.

• Collaborative Processes
• Environmental Decision-Making Support
• Stakeholder Outreach and Public Participation
• Meeting Facilitation
• Situation Assessments
• Cultural Competencies Training/Coaching
• Collaborative Decision Support Technologies

• Contaminated Sites and Hazardous Waste
• Land Revitalization
• Natural Resource Management and Green Infrastructure Planning
• Social Equity and Environmental Justice
• Climate Change, Sustainability, and Smart Growth

The Group’s skilled facilitators work with clients to carefully analyze complex environmental issues. Together, they design facilitated group processes that address key needs, priorities and goals from the outset, creating participatory, collaborative dialogue which leads to meaningful, sustainable outcomes.

The Group’s projects integrate cutting-edge decision-support technologies and software that turn ideas into visualized opportunities, turn data into knowledge, turn options into a clear path forward. These computer-assisted collaboration tools enable groups they facilitate to test assumptions, improve decision analyses, and enhance communication, leading to new insights.

Outcomes from environmental decision-making impact diverse stakeholders, including historically under-represented minority and low-income neighborhoods and areas burdened with multiple environmental challenges. The Group’s projects bring diverse stakeholders together to work with comprehensive information resources and nationally recognized environmental justice and technical assistance services, resolving conflicts and building lasting relationships.

The Savannah River Site Superfund Job Training Initiative (SRS-SuperJTI)

Senior associate Michael J. Lythcott and associate Tiffany Reed recently completed the first EPA-sponsored Superfund Job Training Initiative at the Savannah River Nuclear Facility in South Carolina. The initiative trained 20 underserved individuals living in the area of the Savannah River Site, a Superfund site, in environmental remediation and placed them in permanent positions as material handlers and production operators with the maintenance and operations contractor at the site.

Funded through EPA’s Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC) contract, the initiative was a collaboration between the United States Department of Energy, EPA, site contractors, local technical training providers and the primary community partner, The Imani Group.

The Imani Group and Reverend Brendolyn Jenkins assisted E² Inc. with the extensive outreach, recruitment and screening process undertaken for the initiative. The recruitment took place January through May 2009 in four communities surrounding the Savannah River Site. The 20 participants of the program were chosen from a pool 450+ interested individuals by a group of evaluators representing government, social service and community organizations.

The participants of SRS-SuperJTI completed courses in job skills, environmental remediation, first aid, computer skills and valving while enrolled in the training program. They interviewed successfully with Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, the maintenance and operations contractor at the Savannah River Site and began their employment on August 17.

Luis Carrasco Joins E² Inc.’s Technical Analysis and Communication Group

E² Inc. is excited to welcome Luis Eduardo Carrasco, Ph.D. to our team. Dr. Carrasco joined E² Inc. full time in October, 2009 and primarily provides data analysis, GIS analysis, and technical research and writing support under E² Inc.’s contracts with EPA’s Office of Underground Storage Tanks (OUST) and the Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC) program. He comes to us with a broad background in environmental science and policy, including natural resources, forestry, and extensive professional experience in environmental impact assessment.

Before joining E² Inc., Dr. Carrasco performed GIS analysis and database management duties for the North Carolina Department of the Environment and Natural Resources. He graduated in 2008 with a Ph.D. from the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at NC State University and also holds a Forestry Engineer title from the National Agrarian University “La Molina” in Lima, Peru. His dissertation focused on developing geospatial analysis platforms for conducting environmental assessment of regional environmental policies (e.g., Strategic Environmental Assessment).  During his graduate studies, Dr. Carrasco collaborated in research topics such as environmental impacts of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), poverty mapping, ecosystem services, and development of incentives for biofuels, biomass, and bioproducts.  In addition, he conducted environmental monitoring and environmental assessment studies for hydrocarbons exploration projects in Peru.

E² Inc. and the Technical Analysis and Communication Group recognize Dr. Carrasco as a valuable addition to the firm and look forward to utilizing his comprehensive skills and experience.

Policy & Innovation’s Group: Longhorn Army Ammunition Energy Project

E² Inc. is working with EPA Region 6 to look at alternative energy possibilities for the Longhorn Army Ammunition Site in Karnack, Texas. This project is an energy pre-feasibility analysis that will investigate the use of electricity on the site, which has since become the Caddo Lake Wildlife Refuge, and explore alternative energy options that might make the most sense for the site given the nature of electrical demand and its location. In addition, E² Inc. will estimate the financial implications of possible systems, factoring in Federal, State, and local incentives.

Melanie Mills Joins E² Inc.’s Community Planning and Design Group

Melanie Mills joined E² Inc. in February of 2010 and will be working on Superfund Redevelopment and Green Infrastructure initiatives. She has nine years of experience working in the field of landscape architecture and an additional six years in land conservation and community development. 

Before joining E² Inc., Ms. Mills was a principal of M+O Landscape Architecture and worked for the innovative Seattle firm, SvR Design Company. As a landscape architect, her work has included public and private campuses, corporate headquarters, parks, transportation corridors, and affordable housing communities; all exhibiting a commitment to long term sustainability through stakeholder participation, green infrastructure design, alternative transportation planning and universal accessibility. 

Ms. Mills began her career working for the Nature Conservancy in Washington State and Alistar Foundation, a non-profit community development organization in Nicaragua. She has a B.A. in Fine Arts from the University of Puget Sound and an M.L.A. from the University of Washington, Department of Landscape Architecture. She resides in San Luis Obispo on the Central California Coast.

Policy & Innovation’s Group: Greenhouse Gas Inventory

In an effort to better understand sustainability issues and local governments, E² Inc.’s Policy & Innovations Group has been working with the City of Lynchburg, Virginia as they perform their first greenhouse gas inventory.  E² Inc. has been supporting the City’s efforts as they perform their first inventory using the ICLEI Clean Air Climate Protection (CACP) software. E² Inc. and the City have worked on meeting with government departments to obtain baseline year data to include in the analysis. The City and E² Inc. have also attended CACP software trainings provided by ICLEI. Once a baseline inventory has been established, Lynchburg will be able to better track greenhouse gas reduction efforts.

The Superfund Job Training Initiative

E² Inc.'s Collaborative Solutions Group has been busy supporting the nationwide implementation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund Job Training Initiative (SuperJTI). SuperJTI is a job readiness program that provides environmental remediation training to underserved citizens living in communities affected by Superfund sites. Many of these areas are environmental justice communities - historically under-represented minority and low-income neighborhoods and areas burdened with significant environmental challenges. SuperJTI's goal is to help individuals from these communities develop a marketable skill set to begin a career in environmental remediation.

2010 SuperJTI Projects

• Recently completed a program in Jacksonville, Florida affiliated with Project New Ground cleanup. After three weeks of lifeskills and remediation training 24 graduates of the program have been placed in positions as dump truck drivers, environmental technicians and heavy equipment operators.
• Currently training a second class of participants in Allendale, South Carolina in partnership with the Savannah River Nuclear Site. The 42 participants of this program will receive eight weeks of training in lifeskills, physics, math and additional topics in preparation for jobs with Site contractor Savannah River Remediation as nuclear production operators, maintenance mechanics and radiological control inspectors.
• Beginning training for a class in northeast Oklahoma for the Tar Creek Superfund site. This program will train 25 participants in Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER), lead and asbestos abatement and CPR/First Aid. Graduates will be placed into positions as dump truck drivers, environmental technicians and heavy equipment operators at Tar Creek.

SuperJTI Project Successes

Upon completion of each SuperJTI graduates receive assistance with job placement in remediation positions at the Sites. In August 2009, E² Inc. placed 15 graduates of the first SuperJTI training class into positions as material handlers and nuclear production operators at the Savannah River Site. Many have since been promoted are all are currently employed. In April 2010 the graduates met with EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to discuss SuperJTI and their employment at the Site.

E² Inc. provides facilitation services, partnership development and environmental education services to two CARE communities

Michael J. Lythcott with members of Albany, Georgia Tools for Change

The Technical Analysis and Communication (TAC) group has been working with the Collaborative Solutions Group, EPA Region 4 and two community groups in Georgia: Albany, Georgia Tools for Change, Inc. (AGTFC) and the South Atlanta for the Environment (SAFE) coalition. AGTFC and SAFE are recipients of EPA's Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) cooperative agreements. CARE is a competitive grant program, which supports communities in building collaborative partnerships to investigate and address multiple sources of environmental hazards in their local environment. Ultimately the CARE program builds community capacity to empower communities to become stewards of their own environment. The assistance provided by E² Inc. was funded through EPA's Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC) contract, and was in support of the CARE projects.

Albany, Georgia Tools for Change, Inc. (AGTFC)

AGTFC's stated mission is to eliminate health disparities by "empowering the community with respect to health improvement, promoting environmental justice and enhancing health education among the residents of Southwest Georgia, especially those living in Albany, Georgia." The AGTFC CARE project is focused on the subdivisions surrounding Alice Coachman Elementary School, purported by some community residents to have been built on a former illegal dumping site. These neighborhoods are predominantly African-American communities characterized by high poverty rates, low incomes and low educational attainment levels. Assessment of this CARE community's need revealed several areas for technical assistance, including team-building and organization of the leadership, strategies for developing a working partnership (particularly engagement of Albany State University and local businesses), and community outreach.

South Atlanta for the Environment (SAFE)

The SAFE coalition was formed by two local environmental organizations and Georgia State University (Institute of Public Health). SAFE is using the CARE cooperative agreement to identify, assess, publicize, reduce and prevent environmental health hazards in Neighborhood Planning Unit V (NPU-V), located in South Atlanta. NPU-V is a predominantly African-American community facing high unemployment rates and low educational achievement. The community is also impacted by negative health outcomes (ischemic heart disease, diabetes and asthma) and multiple environmental stressors (ranging from air pollution to vacant properties, and improper trash and construction debris disposal). Through TASC, E² Inc. provided SAFE with facilitation services, provided strategic planning assistance, and assisted in the development of a summary report of SAFE's Environmental Assessment Report. The summary report communicates CARE project findings to community residents to educate them on the environmental health hazards in NPU-V. Community residents are involved in every step of the project, and the hope is that this project will be used as a model for residents of other NPUs to address concerns in their local environments.