Representative Engagements

Strategy - Environment

  • District Heating – Canadian city

    An evaluation of the economic methodology used in determining feasibility of a district heating installation.

    This included analysis of cost comparisons with fossil fuel derived energy, assessment of capital cost for construction of the distribution system, and overall economic evaluation of the proposed installation.

  • Education – International Non-Government Organization (INGO)

    Based in New York, and subsequently at the Imperial College of Science and Technology in London, design and organization of an international management training program involving 150 middle level managers from 40 countries.

    The training program was based on case studies (also prepared within the scope of this engagement), and addressed as well sustainable environmental measures from a management perspective designed for application in both public and private sector organizations.

    Field work was undertaken within the communities presented in the case studies, the communities being located in the high Arctic and on the western coast of North America.

    The time scope of this engagement was 12 months.

  • Glass – western Canadian entrepreneurial firm

    A detailed feasibility study addressing the use of waste glass.

    The study included literature searches, collection and assessment of process plant designs, analysis of end uses for glass processed and crushed in a variety of ways and development of pro forma income statements.

    Financial outcomes factored in positive environmental impacts.

  • Hazardous Industrial Waste Management – western Canadian private sector client

    A team of engineers (chemical, process, mechanical, structural), scientists, and economists undertook economic, financial, political, and social analyses for this 'green field' initiative.

    This included definition of public communication and educational imperatives, visitation to successful plants in Western Europe (to determine how pricing strategy reflects environmental risk), and development of order of magnitude income statements.

    Outcomes were expressed in generic and technical terms alike.

  • High Grade Steam – private sector client

    Conduct of an analytical study to determine the feasibility of marketing high grade steam from a proposed, fully integrated hazardous industrial waste management plant.

    Data collection required site visits to existing plants in Denmark, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, and a demand analysis incorporating steam transfer costs and related technologies.

  • Impedance Computed Tomography – applied technology research firm

    Expression of environmental consequences of Impedance Computed Tomography (ICT) in financial terms.

    ICT was, and remains, more sophisticated than current scanning technology, being able to digitize three dimensionally, and in real time, both living organisms (e.g. human bodies or portions thereof) and inert substances (e.g. unexploded ordinance on military firing ranges, or identification of unrecovered gold in mine tailings).

  • Integrated Rural Development – Kharnali Bheri region of Western Nepal

    This entailed critical analysis of a proposed seven year capital plan respecting integrated development encompassing road and energy infrastructure, forestry, food processing, distribution, public safety, and education, and development of a fifteen year implementation program.

  • Landfill Sites – large international New Zealand firm of consulting engineers

    Assessment, development and testing of analytical techniques to be used in determining long-term remediation and utilization of abandoned landfill sites was undertaken.

    The outcome was a series of modifications to evaluation processes, particularly with respect to determining the appropriate discount rates to be applied.

  • Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB's) – private sector client

    Conduct of a market and technology study to determine the volume of transformers and capacitors in Canada filled with polychlorinated biphenyls, particularly with respect to the mining and forestry industries.

    In addition to demand analysis, the intent was to determine the viability of retro filling transformers with a substitute coolant, taking into account the costs and benefits and related regulator requirements of using portable refilling technologies as compared to a centralized location.

  • Professional Services – market analyses

    These analyses addressed the demand for environmental consulting services in various markets including Estonia, Finland, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jamaica, Malawi, Nepal, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Ukraine, United States of America, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

    They were highly focused on medium term demand by industrial sector, pricing, competition, and regional market opportunities, particularly with international financial institutions.

  • Rubber Crumb – public and private sector clients

    Conduct of numerous technical and economic studies related to the viability of establishing rubber crumb plants in Southwestern and Southeastern Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba.

    These studies addressed the supply and sources of waste rubber (in the case of Ontario, supply from upper New York State as well), design of collection systems, determination of tariffs for both purchase of the waste rubber tires and ultimate sale of rubber crumb, sensitivity analyses of varies plant sizes, derivation of capital and operating costs (this included site visits to existing plants in New Zealand and collection and assessments of data from test strip rubber crumb ash fault applications in Ontario and Saskatchewan), development of pro-forma income statements and design of negotiation strategies with local governments.

  • Sewage Treatment – western Canadian city

    Analysis to determine the optimum size for an expanded regional sewage treatment plant.

    The study investigated and ranked four plant sizes, and various levels of service within each, and compared the various levels using present value analysis.

    Selection of discount rates was central to the study, and in the final report, a sensitivity analysis was presented using a series of discount rates to assist policy decision-makers.

  • Solvents – private firms in Canada, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe

    Feasibility studies addressing solvent reclaim within the context of technology reviews and assessments, supply and demand analysis, and expression of results in financial terms.

  • Spent Nuclear Fuel – integrated Aboriginally-controlled logistics company

    A state-of-the-art analysis of technologies applicable to the transportation and safe storage of spent nuclear fuel.

    Given the magnitude of financial requirements, the time dimension and cultural considerations, the initial output of analysis was the organization and delivery of a proprietary technical symposium led by world experts on a variety of topics related to collection and storage of spent nuclear fuel, and the interests of Aboriginal people.

    The secondary output was a detailed scope analysis leading to investment in the industry.

  • Training Intelligence – private sector client

    The client was engaged in chemical engineering activities on the frontiers of the industry.

    Analysis of environmental training programs related to advanced technologies was undertaken with special reference given to the chemical, process, and engineering components of these industries, health and safety requirements, and the impact of applied research.