Summits

October 26, 2016 Summit, The Future of RCRA – Making the Business Case

THG has distinguished itself as an organization that connects the dots: people to people, people to ideas, and ideas to action for practical results infused with values for sustainability. Consistent with its role as convener and connector, THG held summits for leaders in the environmental fields to discuss current topics on emerging environmental policy, programs, and partnerships.

The Future of Transboundary Water Management — Cooperation, Informed Decision-Making, and Empowering Local Actors
October 12, 2017 / Washington, DC

The ubiquitous growth of big data has revealed significant implications for better informed water resources decision-making. Constantly improving analytics can provide operational managers and policy-makers with better informed choices. Real time monitoring, early impairment detection, tracking water contaminants and identifying sources, and the impact of drought in arid regions have game-changing value in improving negotiations across state and international borders. But, how can the over-abundance of data be managed effectively to guide decisions by science and fact, rather than conjecture and politics?

THG and the Mannie Jackson Center for the Humanities addressed this question at its 2017 Summit hosted in Washington, DC on October 12. An impressive collaboration of presenters discussed implications of big data management from the conflict-torn Jordan River in the Middle East, to the complicated water rights of the Western United States, to the Mississippi River’s cyclic drought and abundance. The invitation-only gathering convened key capacity and community-builders on a national and international scale, well positioned to make immediate and measurable impacts.

Thank you to our Summit partners, The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies and The National Great Rivers Research & Education Center, and to our Summit supporters, Booz Allen Hamilton, HSW Engineering, Crowell & Moring, and Water Resource Action Project.

The Future of RCRA – Making the Business Case
October 26, 2016 / Washington, DC

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act’s (RCRA) regulatory and enforcement programs have accomplished a great deal over the past forty years. At its 40th anniversary, the RCRA statute stands to achieve much more. Looking forward, real progress will be made through collaboration with states, local governments, industry, academia, and communities. How can we capture the accomplishments of the past and leverage these results into a new, innovative, and productive enterprise? As U.S. EPA fashions its approach to RCRA 2040, we gather a community of experienced practitioners to exchange ideas and shape the debate about the future of this important program.

Thank you to our Summit partners, ASTSWMO and ITRC, and to our Summit sponsors, Booz Allen Hamilton, Sustainable Remediation Forum, HSW Engineering, Republic Services, Institute for Scrap Recycling Industries, and Cement Kiln Recycling Coalition.

A&WMA/EPA Colloquium—Waste Information Exchange
May 14, 2015 / Washington, DC

On May 14, 2015, the Air and Waste Management Association (A&WMA) and U.S. EPA in partnership with THG and Crowell & Moring hosted the inaugural A&WMA/EPA Colloquium—Waste Information Exchange in Washington, DC.  This one-day conference featured high-level government and industry representatives presenting on and facilitating dialogue around waste regulations, remediation, and new technology.

Keynote speakers included Stan Meiburg, Acting Deputy Administrator, U.S. EPA and Mathy Stanislaus, Assistant Administrator, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, U.S.EPA.  The event also offered in-depth content, expert perspectives, and robust discussion through three panel sessions.  The topics covered included: moving legacy cleanups toward completion; sustainable materials management; and hazardous materials transportation.

Transforming America’s Contaminated Lands – A Vision for Our Nation’s Waste Program
November 7, 2013 / Washington, DC

As our nation’s waste management and cleanup programs mature, we anticipate a transformation of the regulatory landscape.  The concurrent emergence of a new economy, available investor capital, and a resurgence of manufacturing in the U.S. are creating a renewed interest in site cleanup and repurposing.  Rising property values and the public demand for more sustainable products and practices are driving innovative approaches to the management of wastes, materials, and land use.

The 2013 Summit convened thought leaders in the fields of environmental cleanup, land revitalization, and sustainable materials management.  Participants examined how EPA and those interested in its policies can sharpen the focus on opportunities to “do more with less” through public-private collaboration to advance environmentally responsible stewardship.

The Next Generation of Environmental Compliance and Enforcement
October 17, 2012 / Washington, DC

In anticipation of the Presidential election and the nominees’ promises to bring vastly different approaches to environmental protection, the 2012 Summit comprised thought leaders with a great depth of enforcement experience in both the public and private sectors for a lively debate on the future of environmental compliance and enforcement.

Sustaining Our Nation’s Water Resources: Answering the Call for Stewardship
October 25, 2011 / University of Maryland, College Park

Three sectors played a pivotal role in setting the tone – the public sector, the advocacy sector, and the business sector. THG welcomed a distinguished lineup of prominent actors in each of these sectors to discuss and reveal recent gains to better integrate and innovate. Our goal for this daylong series of panels was to establish a mark for what’s taking place today and what’s being planned for tomorrow. The summit served as an important conversation for anyone currently operating in the water world.

Sustaining Our Nation’s Water Resources through Collaboration: Connecting Water Leaders Across Watersheds
April 13, 2010 / Washington, DC

Convened seventy executive-level leaders to examine case studies of effective public-private partnerships taking place along the Mississippi River and Chesapeake Bay, seeking to address policy and governance challenges hindering the replication of such efforts within other watersheds.

Emerging Environmental Challenges to Business Sustainability
January 14, 2009 / Washington, DC

THG’s Inaugural Summit brought together a roundtable of senior-level public and private officials to discuss current environmental challenges facing our nation and forecast emerging trends facing the incoming Obama Administration.