TerraGraphics Environmental Engineering and the University of Idaho have undertaken the International Environmental Health and Restoration Initiative, a joint Research and Development project to adopt and apply environmental cleanup methodologies used in the U.S. to hazardous waste sites in the developing world. This is accomplished through cooperative projects implemented in conjunction with local governments, Universities, and NGOs.

The Initiative provides financial and technical assistance to site assessment and characterization, development of community support groups, and preliminary cleanup design activities. The conceptual cleanup plans are then used to support funding applications for cleanup activities to be implemented at the local level in the participating countries. Currently, the Initiative is working with international NGOs to develop a systematic process for site characterization and an international funding source for cleanup of legacy sites adversely impacting children’s health. These projects utilize health intervention, environmental remediation, and institutional controls techniques developed in the mining districts of northern Idaho by adapting those to local cultural, economic, and socio-economic conditions.

Currently projects are underway in Russia, China, Ethiopia/Kenya, and the Dominican Republic. Two of these sites were listed in the Blacksmith Institute's Top Ten Polluted Sites in the world in 2007. Strategies for improvement include:

• Site Characterization / Assessment
• Health Response Feasibility Studies
• Lead Health Intervention Programs
• Biological Monitoring
• Environmental Sampling
• Environmental Restoration
• Community Relations / Education
• Institutional & Industrial Controls
• Soil Remediation
• Cleanup Design / Oversight Activities