Partnerships

Environmental Finance Center for EPA Region IX (EFC9)

Dominican is home to one of nine Environmental Finance Centers, partially funded by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EFCs, in collaboration with the private and public sectors, seek to develop and implement techniques to prevent and reduce pollution, curb overuse of resources, develop clean water capacity and promote energy efficiency. EFC IX coordinates the Green Business Programs for California, Hawaii, Arizona, and Nevada.

EFC IX established its Dominican office in 2007 in order to enjoy closer collaboration with the GreenMBA program.
Projects currently underway by the EFC9 include encouraging the use of healthy, non-toxic personal care products, working with southern California tribes to reduce illegal solid and toxic waste dumping, and introducing environmental product placement to the film and television industry.

Dominican faculty and students work in close partnership with EFC9 Director Sarah Diefendorf on wide-ranging projects that include:

EFC9 projects:

• Biodiesel Fuel Roundtable: Held at Dominican in 2008, this roundtable hosted over 50 participants, including state and national government and business leaders, to explore how to recapture restaurant and hotel oils for biodiesel conversion. Fourteen GreenMBA students participated in this forum, and future meetings are planned.

• The Torres Martinez Study. With the help of a grant from US EPA, Diefendorf and her staff conducted a Green Technology Feasibility Study for the Torres Martinez Reservation. As part of this study, EFC9 staff evaluated the potential technologies available for converting waste streams (green waste and construction and demolition debris) into economically viable products such as energy, fertilizers and building materials.  Working together with the local Torres Martinez Tribal Council, EFC9 also identified potential funding sources to help implement these projects. EFC9 staff are hopeful that, in the future, they will be able to help the Torres Martinez Tribe implement these new programs to preserve the land in their community.

 Click here to read a Marin Independent Journal story about EFC's partnership with Dominican.

Dominican also works with the National Park Service (NPS), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD), Marin Mammal Center, Ocean Conservancy, among many other governmental and non-governmental organizations in environmental related projects.