Zoe Elizabeth Develops Sustainability Indicators for Los Angeles Metro
posted: Jun 02, 2009

Zoe Elizabeth, an Urban Planning graduate student and recipient of a Lewis Center Graduate Research Grant, is developing a set of sustainability indicators for the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). As one of the nation's largest land-owners, electricity consumers, and vehicle fleet operators, Metro's activities create serious environmental impacts in the region.

Elizabeth's research project, Indicating Progress: Metrics and Methodologies in Sustainability Reporting, will provide: 1) fifteen recommended sustainability indicators; 2) a sustainability report, including seven years of analysis on the 15 indicators; and 3) an implementation plan and data collection system that will streamline future reporting efforts.

Elizabeth, with assistance from Graduate Student Researcher Eric Yurkovich, will complete the report in June and present it to the Metro Board of Directors to assist them in measuring the agency's environmental performance and comparing the cost effectiveness of various resource management projects.

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