Dalian Development Zone, China for eco-planning initiative

China's State Environmental Protection Administration

Korea's National Cleaner Production Center

Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute

Ministry of Industry, Republic of Vietnam

International Resources Group for Sri Lanka's Ministry of Industry under on an Asian Development Contract

CRESTech Center, Ontario, Canada

Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Council for the Spencer eco-industrial park project and related sustainable development initiatives

United Nations Development Program and Philippine Board of Investments, PRIME Project

Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand and the German development aid organization, GTZ

Sasol Chemical Industries, South Africa, ChemCity EIP design team

Recovery Solutions Inc., Puerto Rico, Resource Recovery Park design team

Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Environmental and Health Sciences Group

Suntrain Transportation Development Corporation

US-EPA, Futures Unit through subcontract with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

US-EPA, Office of Policy, Planning, and Evaluation, through sub-contract with Research Triangle Institute's Center for Economics Research

Baltimore Development Council, Fairfield Eco-Industrial Project, through subcontracts with Cornell University and currently through SAIC

Sandia National Laboratory, Environmental Group

Economic Development Alliance for Business, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, Calif.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Some of Indigo Development's Projects

Indigo Development has played a major role in applying industrial ecology, particularly in relation to community economic development. We created and implemented the first two US-EPA projects in this field and have participated in the strategic planning of communities, national laboratories, and consulting businesses.

Eco-Industrial Parks (EIP)

Indigo created a comprehensive vision of eco-industrial parks, introduced it to the US-EPA, and recruited Research Triangle Institute as project prime contractor. In 1994-5, as a new division within RPP International, we worked under an EPA cooperative research agreement to flesh out the EIP vision through field research in Brownsville Texas, focus groups, interviews, and a literature review. EPA’s Administrator, Carol Browner, introduced our EIP concept to the President’s Council on Sustainable Development, which adopted it as a class of demonstration project.

Under the EPA cooperative agreement we researched and wrote a Fieldbook for Development of Eco-Industrial Parks and participated in a case study at Brownsville, Texas to test the concept. This report (which we have now updated as Eco-Industrial Parks: a handbook for local development teams Handbook.html ) describes strategies for community sustainable development as a context for industrial park development or renewal. It ranges from the soft infrastructure of policy, finance economic development, and education to the specific technical, architectural, recruitment, and management considerations in industrial park design. Much of the thinking in this report translates readily to design and management of public facilities and infrastructure.

In the Brownsville case study we supported a broad range of industrial, economic development, environmental, and government players in the early phase of strategic planning for a local eco-industrial park.

Development of an Industrial Ecology Sourcebook for US-EPA

Indigo’s second industrial ecology project for US-EPA was development of a primer on industrial ecology for the Agency’s Futures Unit, working under a cooperative research agreement with Pacific Northwest National Lab. Our product, a report named The Source of Value: an executive briefing and sourcebook on industrial ecology, is designed to introduce public and private executives to the potential benefits of applying IE to management and design at different levels of industry and government (including local economic development and municipal infrastructure).

Now updated and published by Battelle Press as Discovering Industrial Ecology, this book explores a wide range of business opportunities opened by IE, describes IE methods and tools, and proposes a strategy for evolution of the field. A number of scenarios offer visions of full-blown application of IE at company, city, and developing country levels. Lists of organizations, online information sources, and bibliographies provide access to sources of information.

Sasol Chemical Industries, ChemCity, South Africa

Indigo’s work in South Africa began with a strategic review of ChemCity, an innovative eco-industrial park which Sasol Chemical Industries is planning at a site south of Johannesburg. We reviewed all project plans, including environmental and social impact assessments, and conducted a series of review meetings with the company’s staff and architect. Our report summarized project strengths, gaps, and opportunities. This time in South Africa led to development of the Sustainable NewTown concept.

Economic Development Alliance for Business (EDAB)

Indigo worked with Urban Ore in developing the concept of a resource recovery-based eco-industrial park for this economic development alliance based in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, California. The project concept features recycling, re-use, remanufacturing, and composting companies as the park anchor. EDAB has conducted a feasibility study based upon our concept and is exploring options for moving the project to implementation. Our  unique concept is one well-suited to creation of business and job development opportunities for low-income communities. See the Indigo Development Paper, Resource Recovery-based Eco-Industrial Parks

Strategic Planning with Sandia National Laboratories

Indigo has supported strategic planning of a Lab taskforce seeking to apply the diverse capabilities of this institution in the industrial ecology realm. This work has involved a capability scan, workshops, and executive briefings.

Industrial Ecology Prosperity Game

We participated in the executive design committee for a 1997 event in which 100 participants played through a ten year path of applying industrial ecology methods and tools in industry, government, communities, and research institutions. Our work included preparation of background materials on IE, "investment" options, scenarios, and display posters. We also reviewed the outcome of the game to identify potential market opportunities for Sandia’s industrial ecology task force.

Strategic Planning with Science Applications International Corporation

Indigo worked with a sustainable development task force in this major research and consulting company, identifying markets for IE and sustainable development services and products. In a strategic retreat and reports we proposed market positioning, innovative services, and specific business opportunities. We also participated in SAIC's contract to implement the eco-industrial development project in Baltimore’s Fairfield district.

A few of the workshops and talks we have presented

The Sustainable New Town, Rinker Eminent Scholar Lecture Series on The Sustainable Built Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, April 20, 1998.

Business Opportunities in Industrial Ecology, Industrial Ecology Retreat for Science Applications International Corporation, August 19-20, 1997.

Participation in executive design team for an Industrial Ecology Prosperity Game organized by Sandia National Laboratory, including development of an IE briefing and handbook

Regional Resource Recovery, and Eco-Industrial Parks: An Integrated Strategy, presented at the Symposium, Verwertungsnetz Obersteiermark Innovation durch regionale Recycling-Netzwerke  at Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz April 28-29, 1997

Presentations at the President's Council on Sustainable Development Eco-Industrial Park conference held in Cape Charles, VA, October 1996.

Presentation on eco-industrial parks at The First International Workshop of the Industrial Maturation Multiplier, Kalundborg, Denmark, May 29-June 1, 1996.

Industrial Ecology workshop at California Institute of Integral Studies, May 18, 1996. This course was organized as a role-playing exercise, with students in teams applying industrial ecology to development issues in a developing country.
Business Opportunities in Industrial Ecology: an executive briefing and workshop at Sandia National Laboratory, April 23, 1996.

Strategies for Development of Eco-Industrial Parks, presentation in the Industrial Park of the Future conference at University of California San Diego, May 5-6, 1995.

Workshops on eco-industrial parks and industrial ecology November 1994, Februrary, and March 1995 to developers, economic development staff, city, state, and federal regulatory staff, and local businesses in Brownsville, Texas and Matamoros, Tamaulipas.

Engineering Foundation Pollution Prevention Conferences January, 1993 and 1994: Presentations and participation in design team that created these week-long events as simulations of a corporation doing strategic planning to apply  industrial ecology.

Workshop on industrial ecology at George Washington University, Continuing Education in Engineering. November, 1993.

Workshop on industrial ecology for Society of Logistics Engineers, November 1993.

Northwest Pollution Prevention Research Center, November 1992: A series of workshops on industrial ecology for corporate environmental officers, US-EPA staff, and environmental leaders in Seattle and Portland. Presentation on IE at Pacific Northwest Laboratory.