Sustainability at Willow Lake: A Case Study in Service-Learning and the Successful Implementation of Industrial Symbiosis
Author
Harris, Aaron
Abstract
Industrial
ecology
explores
how
industrial
systems
can
function
more
like
natural
ecosystems.
Industrial
symbiosis
is
a
subfield
of
industrial
ecology
and
aims
to
develop
mutually
beneficial
scenarios
for
the
economy
and
the
environment.
The
purpose
of
this
study
is
to
explain
how
industrial
symbiosis
networks
can
be
created
and
implemented
successfully.
This
study
provides
a
narrative
to
describe
how
Willow
Lake
Water
Pollution
Control
Facility,
once
a
facility
only
for
the
management
of
wastewater,
is
now
a
multi‐purpose
asset
for
a
range
of
organizations
with
waste
disposal
needs.
Central
to
the
Willow
Lake
narrative
is
a
service‐learning
partnership
between
City
of
Salem
and
University
of
Oregon.
The
narrative
was
developed
with
eight
interviews
and
supporting
documents.
The
study
concludes
with
recommendations
for
universities,
cities,
and
state
governments.
Recommendations
include:
State
governments
should
provide
funding
for
cities
interested
in
service‐learning
partnerships;
economic
development
departments
should
use
an
inventorying
process;
economic
development
departments
that
use
an
inventorying
process
should
assess
their
ability
to
function
as
third
party
facilitators;
Sustainable
City
Year
Program
(SCYP)
and
other
universities
engaged
in
service‐learning
programs
should
suggest
industrial
symbiosis
projects
to
partner
cities;
and
industrial
symbiosis
partners
should
stay
current
with
changing economic
values
of
materials
exchanged
in
their
network.