The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment was a

nonpartisan Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party. While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers sp ...

nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Center brought together representatives of business, government, the scientific community and the environment community to collaborate on the development of

environmental policy Environmental policy is the commitment of an organization or government to the laws, regulations, and other policy mechanisms concerning environmental issues. These issues generally include air and water pollution, waste management, ecosystem mana ...

and science-based solutions to environmental challenges to society. The Heinz Center is best known as the creator of the ''State of the Nation's Ecosystems'' reports, which have become seminal references for U.S. policy makers and environmental managers on the conditions of and trends in U.S. ecosystems and

habitats In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

and the goods and services they provide. The Center was founded in 1995, in tribute to

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

H. John Heinz III Henry John Heinz III (October 23, 1938 – April 4, 1991) was an American businessman and Republican politician from Pennsylvania. Heinz represented the Pittsburgh suburbs in the United States House of Representatives from 1971 to 1977 and ...

of Pennsylvania after his untimely death in 1991, and closed in 2013.

History

Origin

The Heinz Center was conceived of by the wife of the late Senator H. John Heinz III,

Teresa Heinz Teresa Heinz (born Maria Teresa Thierstein Simões-Ferreira; October 5, 1938), also known as Teresa Heinz Kerry, is a Portuguese-American businesswoman and philanthropist. Heinz is the widow of former U.S. Senator John Heinz and the wife of for ...

, who had a vision for a Center where experts from business, science, government and non-governmental organizations could come together to solve seemingly intractable

environmental A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

challenges. Following Senator Heinz' death in 1991, The Vera I. Heinz Endowment and several others made a $20 million gift, one of the largest grants ever made to the environment, to create the John Heinz Center, in memory of Senator Heinz. The Center was founded in 1995 in Washington, D.C.

State of the Nation's Ecosystems 2002 and 2008

The State of The Nation's Ecosystems

The State of The Nation's Ecosystems was designed to provide an impartial and comprehensive understanding of the state of and trends in ecosystems, much the way decision makers use gross domestic product (GDP) to gauge national economic health. As part of the project, The Heinz Center published two ''State of the Nation's Ecosystems'' reports, one in 2002 and one in 2008, and a report on environmental data gaps and policy roadmap for environmental information. Since their publication, the ''State of the Nation's Ecosystems'' reports have become

seminal Seminal, ultimately from Latin ''semen'', "seed", may refer to: *Relating to seeds *Relating to semen *(Of a work, event, or person) Having much social influence Social influence comprises the ways in which individuals adjust their behavior to me ...

references for national and regional policymakers and resource managers on the condition and use of ecosystems in the United States. The reports were created with the input of more than 300 scientific experts, who agreed upon a set of 108 indicators to track trends in the health of distinct U.S. ecosystems— coasts and oceans,

farmlands Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous with bot ...

, forests,

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

grasslands A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natural ...

and shrublands, and urban and

suburban A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

land-use types—on the national, regional, and local levels.

Heinz Center Publications

* Forest Sustainability in the Development of Bioenergy in the US

The Pinchot Institution for Conservation ''Leadership in Conservation Thought, Policy and Action''; and The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, June 2010. * Carbon Capture and Storage Development in China

The H.John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, 2010. * Measuring the Results of Wildlife Conservation Activities

The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, 2009. * Indicators of Ecological Effects on Air Quality

The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, 2009. * Resilient Coasts: A Blueprint for Action

The H.John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment and Ceres 2009. * The State of Nation's Ecosystems 2008: Measuring the Lands, Waters, and Living Resources of the United State

The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, 2008. * Environmental Information: A Road Map to the Future

The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, 2008. * Strategies for Managing the Effects of Climate Change on Wildlife and Ecosystems

The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, 2008. * Landscape Pattern Indicators for the Nation

The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment, 2008. * Filling the Gaps: Priority Data Needs and Key Management Challenges for National Reporting on Ecosystems Condition

The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, May 2006. * Following the Paper Trail: Impact of Magazine and Dimensional Lumber Production on Gas Emissions: A Case Study; The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, 2006. * Innovation by Design: Improving Learning Networks in Coastal Management

The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, 2004. * The Coastal Zone Management Act: Developing a Framework for Identifying Performance Indicators

The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, 2003. * Human Links to Coastal Disasters

The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, 2002. * Dam Removal Research: Status and Prospects

The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, October 23–24, 2002. *The Hidden Cost of Coastal Hazards: Implications for Risk Assessment and Mitigation; The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, 2000. * Fishing Grounds: Defining a New Era for American Fisheries Management; The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, 2000.

References

External links

General * The H. John Heinz III Center, for Science, Economics and the Environmen

* State of the Nation's Ecosystems Projec

* YouTube
Horizons@Heinz
{{Authority control Environmental organizations based in Washington, D.C. Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C.