ReSource - Projects

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ReSource programs are targeted at three specific project areas: ecological infrastructure, establishing a low entropy framework for choosing technologies, and education about public health and environmental issues. Institutional development, a fourth focus, recognizes our need to strengthen our ability to better address these issues.

Our ecological infrastructure program brings together the complex mix of people, finances, and policies necessary for economical, efficient, and sustainable technology development and applications with regard to community (municipal) services. It addresses issues related to toxics, water, recycling, and pollution prevention in the context of building and maintaining systems that support sustainable efforts to protect public health and the environment and critically examines those that don't. Our technology program provides the framework for choosing technologies and processes that are sustainable. Our education, organizing, advocacy work provide the tools that pull it all together.

USA | Mexico | Central America | China

Program Summary:

Ecological Infrastructure

A systems approach: bringing together economics, politics, policies, civil society, and technologies for sustainable public works

Creative financing of municipal systems, with both private and public support

Regional manufacturing of the "parts" of the system, such as composting toilets

Low Entropy Technologies

Framework: non-depleting, non-wasting, non-polluting - the least throughput (resources, labor, money) with the most output (community satisfaction, quality of life, health and environmental protection)

Enterprise Development
* creating markets
* entrepreneurial training
* technology stewardship through for-profit and non-profit technology hubs
* venture funds
* "franchising" best technologies

Philanthropy Linkage
* education
* linking NGOs and the private sector
* grants and loans

Public Policy
* working at the nexus of technology, community, and health
* nurturing systematic change
* understanding of the implications to human and environmental health of technological choices
* influencing technology choices

Water
* quality
* access
* conservation

Recycling
* organic waste; including human excreta
* greywater

Pollution Prevention
* stopping the land application of sewage sludge
* controlling nutrient discharge
* green building, from local infrastructure to housing to commercial buildings
* toxics reduction in the waste stream
* source separation as a design principle

Research and Development

Technical Assistance
* support program participants
* seed new efforts
* exchange information

Education & Training

Writing About ReSource Programs, Ideas,
and Initiatives
* editorials on ReSource's web page
* magazine publications
* journal publications

Internet and the Web
* http://www.riles.org
* info@riles.org

Public Speaking: schools, workshops, conferences, community meetings

Teaching: guest lectures and courses at universities; EH 745 Wastewater and Health, a graduate course at the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) and EH806 Development and the Environment at BUSPH

Training health promoters, builders, and entrepreneurs.

Institutional Development

Building Institutional Capacity at ReSource

Building Institutional Capacity at Our Project Sites
* non-governmental organizations
* community groups
* cooperatives
* local government

The Center for Ecological Public Health at the Boston University School of Public Health

Addressing institutional weakness in the public sector for water and sanitation operations and maintenance

ReSource
179 Boylston Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 USA
info@riles.org
Last updated: 17-May-2007
Document URL: http://www.riles.org/projects.htm
© 2007 The ReSource Institute for Low Entropy Systems