Learn About Eco-Industrial Networking

Eco-Industrial Networking (EIN) supports the creation of collaborative networks between businesses, governments & communities to more efficiently and ecologically use resources.

Breaking it down:

1. Eco – ecology and economy.
2. Industrial – all operations where materials, water, and energy are used or transformed
3. Networking – building relationships that are physical (e.g. pipes or trucks) or virtual (e.g. common procurement)
4. Resources – materials, energy, water, buildings, land, infrastructure, and people

What Is An EIN Opportunity? There are many types of EIN opportunities, such as:

* “Waste = food” synergies – one business’s waste could be another’s input
1. * Collaborative energy & water conservation – working together reduces upfront costs and maximizes benefits
2. * “Green” materials buyers’ blocks – you could get better prices / rates with a collection of buyers
3. * Joint environmental technology projects – a group of businesses could get a better price for innovative technologies, creating a better business case
4. * Green development (e.g. eco-industrial park) – enhancing your business’s operating environment
5. * Distributed, low-impact, multi-purpose infrastructure – less costly energy, water, and other possible inputs.

What Is An Eco-Industrial Park? An eco-industrial park is an industrial area where the principles of EIN are put to practice both in its design and its ongoing operations. Within an EIP you might find:

1. * Businesses cycling material and energy (waste of one = feed for another), increasing efficiency and reducing their environmental impacts;
2. * Buildings and sites that have been designed to minimize resource use, and protect and even incorporate the site’s local ecology; some facilities are shared by multiple businesses (e.g. storage building or yard);
3. * Green infrastructure – traditional infrastructure is replaced with, for example, naturalized stormwater management; district energy systems; or wastewater capture, treatment, and reuse distribution systems.
4. * Businesses are networking around services. For example, businesses can save money by sharing services such as training and transportation.

It is worth noting that it is not the technology, or green infrastructure, or even the by-product exchanges that make an EIP. Rather, it is the relationships and synergies between technologies, site design, and business practices that make an EIP!