Sustainability Working Group

Sustainability is a concept that allows decision-makers to make balanced decisions while considering the economic, social, and environmental effects of the agency’s actions. The Sustainability Working Group aims to provide agency-wide guidance in developing and implementing best practices through the creation of focus areas and agency-wide goals.

  1. What they do
    1. The committee serves as the sustainability governance body within the department and acts as a resource for new sustainability programs.
  2. Being adaptable
    1. This ongoing support will help ensure that the Iowa DOT considers or adopts new sustainability practices as appropriate that best serve those using the transportation system.
  3. How it's done
    1. The group will accomplish this through the creation of focus areas with metrics that can be utilized to gauge the department’s performance, research of potential opportunities to reduce the department’s environmental impact or carbon footprint, and the unification of the Iowa DOT behind these initiatives.
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What We Do

Making decisions on how to best spend your money on transportation improvements takes a great deal of research, analysis, and consideration of both the short-term benefits and the big picture over time. Transportation programs and projects often serve several different and sometimes competing objectives.

There are always more needs than available funds and  it can be difficult to justify making decisions that make sense for the whole transportation system over time, but might not be the best short-term solution.

Sustainability is a concept that gives decision-makers additional information when making difficult choices. This additional information includes  the economic, social, and environmental effects of the projects and programs being considered.

What We Strive to Do

Sustainability is a concept that gives decision-makers additional information when making difficult choices. This additional information includes  the economic, social, and environmental effects of the projects and programs being considered

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Our Target Areas

  • Facilities
  • Fleet
  • Roadside Management
  • Construction
  • Operations
  • Resiliency
  • Purchasing
  • Indirect Infrastructure
  • Planning
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Moving Ahead: Strategies

  • Support Workforce Sustainability- Attract and Retain a Quality Workforce
  • Incorporate Renewable Energy and Other Sustainable Design Methods/Expand Alternative Uses of Roadsides and Roadside Vegetation Management
  • Utilize Long-life Pavements and Research Recycled/Sustainably Sourced Materials
  • Invest in Innovation
  • Collaborate with Other State Agencies (Within and Between States)
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Contact

For more information about the Iowa DOT Sustainability Working group, please contact

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