OMAHA, Neb., Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- HDR, a leading architecture/engineering/consulting firm, is showcasing its Sustainable Return on Investment process at the CGI annual meeting in New York City September 22 - 25. SROI is an objective and transparent methodology that allows public officials to assign monetary values to "green" intangibles such as carbon emissions saved.

Developed by HDR economists, SROI is a four-step process that allows public decision makers to measure an initiative's sustainability by assigning monetary values to environmental, social and economic impacts, known as the "triple bottom line."

HDR committed to further refinement of SROI as part of a 2008 Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action and partnered with Columbia University, the city of Boston and CGI to evaluate the methodology as part of its commitment. HDR has applied the process to initiatives for the city of Boston, the United States Army, Johns Hopkins and more than a dozen other public and private clients. When HDR made its commitment in 2008, company professionals anticipated piloting the methodology on two projects.

HDR enlisted a group of graduate students at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs to evaluate and refine the vision for its SROI model. HDR senior vice president John Williams, a CGI member and commitment sponsor, served as their faculty advisor. The students developed a peer-reviewed white paper and article that was published in the August issue of Sustainability: The Journal of Record. They found there is a great need for a tool and methodology that provides flexibility and transparency when creating public works projects and associated green jobs, and that SROI has the potential to help public officials validate their decision making process. Williams will present the SROI process at the Commitment Networking Session for Energy and Climate Change on September 23.

"Communities want to create sustainable solutions, but they need to be able to show taxpayers a return on investment," said Elwin Larson, HDR executive vice president and director of environmental and resources management. "The missing link has been how you show a return on 'green.' Now communities can compare sustainable benefits on a dollars to dollars basis."

For more information about HDR's SROI process, visit www.hdrgreen.com. For information on CGI, which convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges, visit www.clintonglobalinitiative.org.

HDR is an employee-owned architectural, engineering and consulting firm with more than 8,000 professionals in more than 185 locations worldwide. All of them are committed to helping clients manage complex projects and make sound decisions. Learn more at www.hdrinc.com.

SOURCE HDR

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