We propose a modified eco-efficiency (EE) framework and novel
sustainability analysis methodology for green infrastructure (GI) practices used
in water resource management. Green infrastructure practices such as rainwater
harvesting (RWH), rain gardens, porous pavements, and green roofs are emerging
as viable strategies for climate change adaptation. The modified framework
includes 4 economic, 11 environmental, and 3 social indicators. Using 6
indicators from the framework, at least 1 from each dimension of sustainability,
we demonstrate the methodology to analyze RWH designs. We use life cycle
assessment and life cycle cost assessment to calculate the sustainability
indicators of 20 design configurations as Decision Management Objectives (DMOs).
Five DMOs emerged as relatively more sustainable along the EE analysis Tradeoff
Line, and we used Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), a widely applied statistical
approach, to quantify the modified EE measures as DMO sustainability scores. We
also addressed the subjectivity and sensitivity analysis requirements of
sustainability analysis, and we evaluated the performance of 10 weighting
schemes that included classical DEA, equal weights, National Institute of
Standards and Technology’s stakeholder panel, Eco-Indicator 99,
Sustainable Society Foundation’s Sustainable Society Index, and 5
derived schemes. We improved upon classical DEA by applying the weighting
schemes to identify sustainability scores that ranged from 0.18 to 1.0, avoiding
the nonuniqueness problem and revealing the least to most sustainable DMOs. Our
methodology provides a more comprehensive view of water resource management and
is generally applicable to GI and industrial, environmental, and engineered
systems to explore the sustainability space of alternative design
configurations.