Golder Associates joins Sustainable Infrastructure Program at Harvard

CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — Golder Associates, a global consulting, design and construction services company, is now participating in the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure at Harvard University, as part of its commitment to sustainable development. Roberto Mezzalama, Global Sustainable Development Leader, and Jim Kleppe, U.S. Urban Development and Infrastructure (UD&I) Client Sector Leader, are the Golder representatives to the Sustainable Infrastructure Advisory Board of the Zofnass program.

The Zofnass program was established by a donation from siblings Paul and Joanne Zofnass, founders of the Environmental Financial Consulting Group, and it is supported by some of the major global environmental engineering companies, including Arcadis, MWH, Stantec, Halcrow, and the Louis Berger Group through the Sustainable Infrastructure Advisory Board.

"My participation in the first meeting of the advisory board has been very rewarding and these meetings give us the opportunity to discuss sustainable development issues with several sustainability leaders in peer companies and with a group of very competent and dedicated researchers at Harvard University," Roberto said.

The Zofnass research team includes a core group of academic faculty from across Harvard and student research associates from undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs. The program is based at the Graduate School of Design, and extends its activities throughout Harvard, including the School of Public Health, Kennedy School of Government, Business School, and the Center for the Environment.

In 2011 the program joined forces with the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI), a not-for-profit organization founded by the American Council of Engineering Companies, the American Public Works Association and the American Society of Civil Engineers, to develop and maintain a sustainability rating system for civil infrastructure in the United States.

The Zofnass team and ISI have developed Envision, a rating system that provides a holistic framework for evaluating and rating the community, environmental and economic benefits of all types and sizes of infrastructure projects. The system can be used by infrastructure owners, design teams, community groups, environmental organizations, constructors, regulators and policy makers.

Review Golder’s Sustainable Development Report at www.sustainabledevelopment.golder.com.

Information on the Zofnass Program is available at www.gsd.harvard.edu/research/research_centers/zofnass/index.html.