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TR N EW S 288 SEPTEM BERâO CTO BER 2013 3 The author is Air Quality Technical Service Team Leader, Resource Center, Federal Highway Administration, San Francisco, California, and Chair of the TRB Environment and Energy Section. Environmental sustainability is the theme of thisissue of TR News. Going back to the 1987 Brundtland Commission Report, which defined sus- tainability as meeting present needs without com- promising the ability of future generations to meet the same needs, transportation agencies have refined their organizational goals to foster sus- tainable strategies and approaches to problems. More specifically, the transportation community is addressing present and future problems from the perspective of the âtriple bottom lineââenviron- ment, economy, and social equity. Achieving the triple bottom line involves, for example, preserving and restoring environmental and ecological systems, ensuring community health and values, advancing economic develop- ment and prosperity, and fostering social equity among populations. As the Brundtland Commis- sionâs definition indicates, these tasks continue over generations. Addressing environmental issues in transporta- tion project development dates back to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), signed into law in January 1970. The NEPA sought to bal- ance environmental concerns with the social, eco- nomic, and other requirements of present and future generations of Americans. In practice, before making decisions, federal agencies must consider the effects of their actions on the quality of the human environment. The consideration of environmental impacts during the transportation project development process has evolved, as more sophisticated techni- cal approachesâsome highlighted in this theme issueâhave emerged, as well as practices that involve citizens and stakeholders to ensure that decisions reflect community values and quality of life. Context-sensitive solutions, for example, offer a collaborative, interdisciplinary, holistic approach to the development of transportation projects. This approach leads to effective transportation solutions yet preserves and enhances the commu- nity and natural environments. In this issue of TR News, articles and sidebars contributed by the TRB Transportation and Sus- tainability Committee focus on advances that transportation agencies have made in environ- mental sustainability across the transportation modes. Specific examples of how environmental sustainability is contributing to the quality of life for citizens can be found in the articles and side- bars developed through the following TRB com- mittees: Transportation and Air Quality, Ecology and Transportation, Transportation-Related Noise and Vibration, Historic and Archeological Preser- vation in Transportation, Waste Management and Resource Efficiency in Transportation, and Envi- ronmental Impacts of Aviation. INTRODUCTION Environmental Sustainability in Transportation Improving the Quality of Life R O B E R T M . O â L O U G H L I N Appreciation is expressed to TRB Senior Program Offi- cer Christine L. Gerencher for her work in developing this issue of TR News.