The Brownfields and Land Revitalization Technology Support Center
Provided by the U.S. EPA, Argonne National Laboratory, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Green Remediation

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Green Remediation on CLU-IN

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The practice of considering all environmental effects of remedy implementation and incorporating options to minimize the environmental footprints of cleanup actions. Through green remediation, site-specific conservation benefits are compared for different cleanup strategies and the environmental trade-offs of those strategies are weighed. More information is available at www.clu-in.org/greenremediation/.

Incorporating Sustainable Environmental Practices into Remediation of Contaminated Sites [PDF, 780kb] - In accordance with its mission to protect human health and the environment, EPA is dedicated to developing and promoting innovative cleanup strategies that restore contaminated sites to productive use, reduce associated costs, and promote environmental stewardship. With the implementation of green remediation, these goals can be met by considering all environmental effects of remedy implementation and incorporating options to maximize net environmental benefit of cleanup actions. Green remediation reduces the demand placed on the environment during cleanup activities and can help increase the environmental, economic, and social benefits of cleanup. This primer includes:

• Best management practices (BMPs) that can help decision-makers, communities, and other stakeholders identify new strategies in terms of sustainability
• Identifies the range of alternatives available to improve the sustainability of cleanup activities
• Cross-educates remediation and reuse decision-makers and other stakeholders about green remediation
• Provides tools for daily operations and introductory information on the use of renewable energy resources
• Includes profiles of site-specific implementation of green remediation strategies to help federal and state agencies, local communities, and other stakeholders learn from collective experiences and successes

More Details about Green Remediation

Overview of Green Remediation

Green Remediation is the practice of considering all environmental effects of remedy implementation and incorporating options to maximize net environmental benefit of cleanup actions. Strategies for green remediation rely on sustainable development which meets the need of the present without compromising the need of future generations, while minimizing overall burdens to society. Sustainable practices emphasize the need to more closely evaluate core elements of a cleanup project; compare the site-specific value of conservation benefits gained by different strategies of green remediation; and weigh the environmental trade-offs of potential strategies. Green remediation addresses the following five core elements:

• Energy requirements of the treatment system
• Air emissions
• Water requirements and impacts on water resources
• Land and ecosystem impacts
• Material consumption and waste generation

Site Management Practices

BMPs of green remediation help ensure that day-to-day operations during all cleanup phases maximize opportunities to preserve and conserve natural resources while achieving the cleanup’s mission of protecting human health and the environment. Opportunities to implement the practices are not restricted to cleanups involving media treatment; for example, the practices can apply to removal actions involving primarily institutional controls or short-term soil excavation with offsite disposal.

Each site management plan can incorporate practices addressing core elements of green remediation with periodic review and update as new opportunities arise. An adaptive approach to site management planning enables early plans, in many cases initiated during emergency removal actions, to be expanded throughout remediation and extended into long-term stewardship controls. Each plan can outline site-specific procedures to:

• Reduce air emissions and energy use
• Demonstrate water quality preservation and resource conservation
• Establish near-term improvements to the ecosystem that carry forward into site revitalization
• Reduce material consumption and waste generation

List of Available Resources

• A Toolkit for States: Using Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) to Promote Energy Efficiency (EE) and Renewable Energy (RE), EPA-043-K-04-001, January 2005, PDF
• Brownfields Road Map to Understanding Site Investigation and Cleanup, Fifth Edition, EPA 542-R-12-001, February 2012
• Clean Fuel and Emission Technologies for Site Cleanup, EPA 542-F-10-008, August 2010, PDF
• Design Solutions for Vapor Intrusion and Indoor Air Quality, EPA 500-F-04-004, March 2004, PDF, 3 pages
• EPA's Green Remediation Toolbox: Decision Tools, October 2009
• EPA's Green Remediation Toolbox: Related Initiatives and Partnerships, October 2009
• Green Cleanup Standard Initiative Update, September 2009, PDF
• Green Remediation Best Management Practices: Bioremediation, EPA 542-F-10-006, March 2010, PDF
• Green Remediation Best Management Practices: Integrating Renewable Energy into Site Cleanup, EPA 542-F-11-006, April 2011, PDF
• Green Remediation Best Management Practices: Pump and Treat Technologies, EPA 542-F-09-005, December 2009, PDF
• Green Remediation Best Management Practices: Site Investigation, EPA 542-F-09-004, December 2009, PDF
• Green Remediation Best Management Practices: Sites with Leaking Underground Storage Tank Systems, EPA 542-F-11-008, June 2011, PDF
• Green Remediation Best Management Practices: Soil Vapor Extraction and Air Sparging, EPA 542-F-10-007, March 2010, PDF
• Green Remediation: Best Management Practices for Excavation and Surface Restoration, EPA-542-F-08-012, December 2008, PDF
• Green Remediation: Incorporating Sustainable Environmental Practices into Remediation of Contaminated Sites, EPA 542-R-08-002, April 2008, PDF, 54 pages
• Guidelines for Water Reuse, EPA-625-R-04-108, September 2004, PDF
• Incentives for Greener Cleanups, June 2009, PDF
• Incorporating Greener Cleanups into Remedy Reviews, August 2009, PDF
• Incorporating Sustainable Practices into Site Remediation, EPA-542-F-08-002, April 2008, PDF
• Integrating Water and Waste Programs to Restore Watersheds: A Guide for Federal and State Project Managers, PDF
• Managing Your Environmental Responsibilities: A Planning Guide for Construction and Development, EPA-305-B-04-003, April 2005
• RE-Powering Americas Land: Renewable Energy on Potentially Contaminated Land and Mine Sites, PDF
• Sustainable Design and Green Building Toolkit for Local Governments, EPA 904-B-10-001, June 2010, PDF
• Technology News and Trends Newsletter Issue 36, EPA 542-N-08-003, May 2008, PDF