Selected Projects, Reports, and Work 

ClientEarth, an NGO organization of activist lawyers based in the UK, and committed to global environmental protection, was looking for approaches (in law, negotiation, cooperation, influence, support) to positively impact air pollution in two countries, Indonesia and Vietnam, in three areas (vehicle emissions, fast growing coal power plant air pollution, and climate change related emissions). SEDC focused on key environmental law and regulatory frameworks in both countries, examined applicable treaty obligations under ASEAN and international law, and developed strategic and policy recommendations that included economic development drivers, long run and ongoing sustainability planning, communications and public opinion potential, and public health issues.

• Working for DHI (an international water consultancy) on a project in Singapore, SEDC provided consulting services for the Coastal Protection Framework (CPF), Singapore's adaptation response to climate change and sea-level rise. SEDC consultants provided research and analysis related to legal and institutional frameworks in Singapore likely to be challenged by and necessary for the project's effective implementation and operation. Our focus was on existing agencies and offices, as well as possible new executive agencies, laws, and regulatory mandates, with the ultimate goal being more effective institutional decision-making, better inter-agency communication, and shared implementation of an extensive infrastructure project with wide-ranging social and economic impacts
  
• SEDC consultants worked in Sweden for both Naturskyddsföreningen (an environmental conservation organization) and on follow-up for a Swedish public advocacy group on projects related to wolf conservation and policies. This work started with an analysis of comparative Swedish-U.S. law and regulatory approaches. Also considered were the important connections to public opinion as policies designed to protect wolf populations in Sweden were encountering resistance related to ongoing issues of livestock predation and growing public concern. The successful undermining of wolf conservation efforts by non-representative, but determined, business interests, included lobbying to remove key conservation regulations, as well as privately sponsored public opinion campaigns that misrepresented key ecological and economic issues. SEDC's final report included both legal and communications strategies to address these challenges.

SEDC WORKED WITH A VARIETY OF CLIENTS AND INPUT LEVELS:

• with Senior Management and Board of Trustees on strategy, planning, and policy projects
  
• at Ministry or executive branch levels, but also working between management and specialized staff
  
• with corporations, law firms, and businesses of all sizes
• with other consultancies and civil society organizations in strategic collaborations to develop sustainability solutions
  
• connecting with engineering and technical resources when those specialties drove solutions and challenges
  
• directly with communications and Public Affairs Officers on issues of public opinion and effective communication

• Advised Ashoka, an international organization promoting social entrepreneurship, on opportunities for environmental NGOs in ASEAN
  
• Several projects in the US and Europe leading or supporting work on Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) or Environmental Assessments (EA), including Cost-Benefit Analysis and valuation of environmental amenities, costs, benefits, and liabilities
• Hired by McKinsey & Co to advise a major Asian corporation on economic impacts of changing ASEAN vehicle emissions standards
  
• Several US projects evaluating civic engagement and political support for sustainability and environmental programs, including: helping real estate developers and community groups understand short-term and long-term implications of stormwater fee options; and, advising state governments on public benefits programs after utility deregulation
  
• Comparative case study, talent attraction management as an innovation strategy in Singapore and the Nordics
  
• Subject Matter Advisors, Rockefeller Foundation's 100 Resilient Cities
• Supported sustainability projects and facilities expansion by Warm Hearts orphanage in Thailand
• Advised Singapore consortium on insurance strategies for managing risk and loss from climate change