| Session Title: Learning From the Evaluation of Voluntary Environmental Partnership Programs |
| Multipaper Session 816 to be held in Hopkins Room on Saturday, November 10, 1:50 PM to 3:20 PM |
| Sponsored by the Environmental Program Evaluation TIG |
| Chair(s): |
| Katherine Dawes, United States Environmental Protection Agency, dawes.katherine@epa.gov |
| Abstract: Many of today's environmental challenges cannot be addressed by regulation alone. They require a broader mix of solutions - regulatory programs, information, education, technical assistance, grants, and voluntary partnership programs. Partnership programs have been the subject of many evaluations and reviews. EPA Partnership Programs play an important role in improving air quality, energy efficiency, and reducing solid waste. They enable flexible, collaborative, market-driven solutions that can deliver measurable environmental results. EPA began using Partnership Programs in the early 1990s as a unique, non-regulatory approach to environmental management. Recently, EPA Partnership Programs have received increasing scrutiny from internal and external audiences who question whether these programs help the Agency achieve its environmental goals. This multi-paper session will discuss efforts underway to: 1) coordinate measurement and evaluation efforts of these programs; 2) discuss lessons learned from evaluating two Partnership Programs; and 3) begin a dialogue about evaluating the next generation of programs. |
| The Lay of the Land: "Voluntary" Partnership Programs at the United States Environmental Protection Agency |
| Laura Pyzik, United States Environmental Protection Agency, pyzik.laura@epa.gov |
| To help coordinate Partnership Program efforts across the Agency, NCEI has developed a Partnership Programs Coordination (PPC) Team. This Team assures that 'Voluntary' Partnership Programs are well designed, measured, branded and managed, and present a coherent image to external partners. In recent years, EPA Partnership Programs have been the subject of a number of internal and external evaluations and reviews. Consequently, the PPC Team has taken the lead for coordinating efforts to equip Partnership Programs with the necessary measurement and evaluation tools and trainings. The PPC Team will discuss: 1) what was learned from past evaluative inquiries; 2) how program evaluations have helped or challenged their coordination efforts; and 3) ongoing efforts to measure and evaluate EPA Partnership Programs including the development of measurement and evaluation guidelines, training, and an Information Collection Request to allow Partnership Programs to collect information on outcomes. |
| Measuring the Effectiveness of Environmental Protection Agency's Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Program |
| Dena Moglia, United States Environmental Protection Agency, moglia.dena@epa.gov |
| IAQ TfS is a voluntary, flexible, multi-media program that stresses teamwork and collaboration to help schools/school districts identify, correct and prevent indoor air pollution and other environmental problems so they can provide safe, healthy learning environments for children. The IAQ TfS Kit - a central part of the Program -- helps schools develop an IAQ management plan and shows them how to carry out practical action to improve IAQ at little or no cost using in-house staff to conduct straightforward activities. Presenters will discuss lessons learned regarding: (1) the impact of a comprehensive IAQ management plan on a school's indoor environment; (2) the resources associated with implementing IAQ management plans; and (3) how well an IAQ management plan can reduce environmental asthma triggers. The results will shed light on program outcomes, the impacts of the IAQ TfS program, and the effectiveness of the approach to meeting EPA's Clean Air goals. |
| Evaluating the Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) Program's Partner Hospitals' Environmental Improvements |
| Chen Wen, United States Environmental Protection Agency, wen.chen@epa.gov |
| The H2E Program, a voluntary collaboration among the EPA, American Hospital Association, American Nurses Association, and Health Care Without Harm, has operated since 1998. The H2E program provides a variety of technical assistance tools to help Partner facilities reduce their environmental impact, including: fact sheets, website, monthly teleconference training calls, and peer-to-peer listserv's. Among the program goals, the H2E seeks the virtual elimination of mercury containing waste from the healthcare sector by FY2005. An evaluation was conducted to determine how successful the H2E program has been in achieving the aforementioned goal, as well as a 33% reduction of healthcare waste by FY2005, and 50% reduction of healthcare waste by FY2010. This paper discusses lessons learned regarding: 1) how H2E can best help Partner hospitals collect environmental information that will help both the hospitals and EPA; and 2) which H2E activities are most effective in encouraging hospitals to make environmental improvements. |
| Evaluating the Next Generation of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Partnership Programs: Where Do We Go From Here? |
| Laura Pyzik, United States Environmental Protection Agency, pyzik.laura@epa.gov |
| In the spirit of learning and information exchange, the last session of this panel involves a dialogue between panelists and conference participants to respond to three key questions regarding existing and future evaluations of environmental Partnership Programs. 1) What have existing evaluations of EPA Partnership Programs taught us about the design, and effectiveness of Partnership Programs? 2) How do we use what was learned from past evaluations to improve the ability of Partnership Programs to achieve environmental results? 3) What questions still need to be answered regarding evaluation designs, and data collection methods that are the most appropriate for evaluating environmental Partnership Programs? |