Resources: Networking and Forums- Information Platforms, Portals, Societies

Faced with decades-old treatment programs with high resource needs and no endpoints in sight, SURF was initiated in late 2006 to promote the use of sustainable practices during the investigation, construction, redevelopment, and monitoring of environmental cleanup activities, with the objective of balancing economic viability, conservation of natural resources and biodiversity, and the enhancement of the quality of life in surrounding communities. They provide a forum to collaborate, educate, advance, and develop consensus on the application of sustainability concepts throughout the lifecycle of remediation projects, from site investigation to closure. SURF members accomplish these objectives through volunteer working groups. SURF also promotes and supports student chapters at universities across the US, encouraging the incorporation of sustainability concepts into undergraduate curricula and graduate research. 

This site provides information about innovative treatment and site characterization technologies while acting as a forum for all waste remediation stakeholders. Special topics of interest to our readers include phytotechnologies, brownfields, ecological land reuse, evapotranspiration covers, nanotechnology, mining sites, and much more. The site offers information on specific contaminants, application strategies, vendors, regulatory assistance, training, video pod-casts, software tools, and more. 

COST is a European cooperation in scientific and technical research. Different COST working groups address different issues of concern. This group was chaired by The University of Greenwich, United Kingdom, from 2004-2009. 

COST is a predominantly European science collaboration to address special issues of concern. This one was chaired by Dr. Jean-Paul Schwitzguebel of The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland from 1998-2003. 

This active discussion forum and clearinghouse for information on phytotechnologies was established by the University of Parma. You can view and download many resources, but you need to subscribe to actively participate in the discussions and post your own material.