Research at CEEP creates opportunities for thesis and dissertation development, as well as enabling students to pursue community and professional relationships. The Center’s research agenda evolves as a collaborative project of the faculty and students. Illustrative of CEEP’s work in the area of Sustainable Development are the following research initiatives.

International Solar Cities Initiative (ISCI) Sponsor:International Solar Cities Initiative and CEEP International Solar Cities Initiative (ISCI) is a commitment by cities to achieve sustainable development and climate protection through the application of renewable energy and the efficient usage of energy. Cities are beginning to understand that they play a critical role in finding a solution to the problem of climate change, which will require active collaboration in the implementation of energy efficiency policies and utilization of renewable energy technologies. CEEP is a co-organizer and co-founder of ISCI. A special issue of the Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society (2006, Vol. 26, No. 2 – see http://bst.sagepub.com/) is devoted to ISCI’s research.

WETLANDS RESTORATION AND THE CLEAN DEVELOPMENT MECHANISM: A STRATEGY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FOR SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES Sponsor:Ducks Unlimited The project is to facilitate the restoration of a wetland of international importance in the island chain of Trinidad and Tobago. The wetland has been severely impacted by human activity and a restoration plan is being implemented with the aim of attracting investment from the CDM market (created by the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change) to reflect the carbon sequestered from reforestation. CEEP researchers are assisting in the coordination of restoration activities.

A SUSTAINABLE ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL FUTURE FOR TAIWAN Sponsor:Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency and CEEP CEEP is applying a methodology developed for its Joint Institute for a Sustainable Energy and Environmental Future (JISEEF) scenario in South Korea, to estimate the energy efficiency and renewable energy potential for Taiwan. The implications for current and future levels of fossil fuel and nuclear energy use are examined and policy strategies developed that are consistent with a ‘Sustainable Taiwan.’

STUDIES IN BIODIVERSITY AND SOCIAL EQUITY Sponsor:CEEP and partners A multi-year effort involving partners in Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and several Caribbean organizations to investigate biodiversity and social equity as principles for regional sustainable development.

PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES Sponsor:Delaware General Assembly and others An ongoing effort by CEEP examines the challenges and needs for building sustainable communities. This research includes efforts to ‘green’ the transportation sector and reduce its energy consumption. A recent project examined options to reduce ozone emissions from vehicles. Linking air quality modeling with economic analysis, a CEEP project team delineated policy strategies to address persistent, transport-related, ozone violations in the U.S. urban corridor extending through the Mid-Atlantic region. See: http://ceep.udel.edu/publications/sustainabledevelopment/reports/ sd_transport_strategies/2004_transport_strategies.pdf In a second project, CEEP surveyed twelve U.S. communities who are providing leadership in areas such as land use, water resource, energy, transportation, materials recycling, biodiversity and ‘green’ economic planning, in order to restore a balance among social, economic and ecological interactions. The project is an example of sustainable communities research designed and conducted by CEEP graduate students and published as a report for policy makers. See: http://ceep.udel.edu/publications/sustainabledevelopment/reports/ sd_sustainable_communities/2001_sustainable_communities.pdf