CMM Environmental Sustainability 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A city council is debating whether to adopt a single-use plastic bag ban. Which argument BEST supports this policy from a sustainability standpoint?
- It generates significant municipal revenue through permit fees
- It reduces persistent plastic pollution that clogs waterways and harms wildlife (Correct answer)
- It eliminates the need for a recycling program
- It lowers property taxes by reducing sanitation costs
Correct answer: It reduces persistent plastic pollution that clogs waterways and harms wildlife
Single-use plastic bags persist in the environment for hundreds of years, harming aquatic ecosystems and wildlife that ingest or become entangled in them.
Question 2: Which of the following is an example of a Nature-Based Solution (NbS) for flood risk management?
- Installing larger concrete culverts and detention basins
- Restoring floodplain wetlands to absorb and slow floodwaters (Correct answer)
- Elevating all municipal buildings above the 100-year floodplain
- Building concrete seawalls along all waterfront areas
Correct answer: Restoring floodplain wetlands to absorb and slow floodwaters
Restoring wetlands provides natural flood attenuation by storing and slowly releasing floodwater, reducing peak flows and downstream flood damage.
Question 3: A municipality wants to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) as part of its air quality strategy. Which approach would be MOST effective?
- Expanding highway capacity to reduce traffic congestion
- Investing in mixed-use, transit-oriented development near transit hubs (Correct answer)
- Requiring all city employees to own fuel-efficient vehicles
- Installing more traffic signals to improve vehicle flow
Correct answer: Investing in mixed-use, transit-oriented development near transit hubs
Transit-oriented development places housing, jobs, and services near transit, reducing the need for car trips by making walking, cycling, and transit viable.
Question 4: What is the Precautionary Principle as applied to environmental management?
- Waiting for definitive scientific proof before taking action on potential environmental threats
- Taking preventive action to avoid environmental harm even when scientific certainty is lacking (Correct answer)
- Requiring environmental impact studies only for projects over $10 million
- Limiting environmental regulations to protect economic development
Correct answer: Taking preventive action to avoid environmental harm even when scientific certainty is lacking
The Precautionary Principle holds that when an activity raises threats to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken even without full scientific proof.
Question 5: A city manager is reviewing proposals for a new municipal building. Which certification system is most widely used to evaluate green building performance in the US?
- ISO 14001
- LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) (Correct answer)
- BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method)
- ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager
Correct answer: LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
LEED is the most widely recognized green building certification system in the US, evaluating buildings across categories including energy, water, materials, and indoor environment.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes the concept of a 'circular economy' in municipal solid waste management?
- A system where waste is primarily disposed of in circular landfill cells
- An economic model that keeps materials in use as long as possible through reuse, repair, and recycling (Correct answer)
- A budget approach that recycles unspent funds back into the waste management program
- A policy requiring waste haulers to operate in circular routes for efficiency
Correct answer: An economic model that keeps materials in use as long as possible through reuse, repair, and recycling
The circular economy aims to eliminate waste by keeping products and materials in use through continuous cycles of reuse, repair, remanufacturing, and recycling.
Question 7: A municipality's Environmental Review process finds that a proposed development will have a significant adverse impact on a protected wetland. What is the MOST appropriate next step?
- Cancel the project immediately without further review
- Explore project modifications, mitigation measures, or wetland permitting under Section 404 (Correct answer)
- Proceed with the project since economic benefits outweigh environmental costs
- Transfer the decision to the state government
Correct answer: Explore project modifications, mitigation measures, or wetland permitting under Section 404
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act provides a permitting process for wetland impacts, and mitigation measures or project modifications may allow the project to proceed responsibly.
CMM Environmental Sustainability 4
A city council is debating whether to adopt a single-use plastic bag ban.
Which argument BEST supports this policy from a sustainability standpoint?