Sustainability Agenda - Essay Example

THE ENGINEER AND THE ENVIRONMENT: SUSTAINABILITY AGENDA Introduction Sustainability agenda is a commitment made by the strategic decision makers to incorporate social, environmental, economical and ethical factors in the business. Sustainability is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. There are obvious global challenges related to sustainability which ranges from pollution and climate change to education, poverty, health and human rights thus various jurisdictions, regulations and standards of practice have been set up. The sustainability agenda sees human activities as the part of and dependent upon the natural world. It focuses on meeting basic needs and wants. It is about the legacy we want to leave for our children. History The idea of sustainability emerged in 1970s during the meetings. In 1972 the UN Stockholm Conference on the environment highlighted the issue that how the human activities were harming the environment and putting human to risk. The international milestones of environment agreement were as follows; 1972 The limit to growth report Stockholm conference on the human environment UN 1979 Berne convention on habitant protection Geneva convention on air pollution 1980 World conservation strategy (IUCN) Global 2000 report (USA) 1983 Helsinki protocol on air quality World commission on environment and development (UN) 1987 Montreal protocol on substance that deplete ozone layer (UN) Our common future (Bruntland commission on behalf of the UN) 1990 Green paper on the urban environment 1992 Rio summit agreement (UN) Our common inheritance (UK) 1994 European environment agency established (EU) 1997 Kyoto conference on global warming (http://scom.hud.ac.uk/scomjm4/mmport/susmod/Page2.htm) Thus in 1980 the world conservation strategy was set up by the International Union to conserve nature for the self interest of human species. In 1987 the UN sponsored Brundtland Commission released a report 'Our common future' which increased the concern about environment and poverty in many parts of the world. It stated that economic development could not stop but it could be changed to fit the planets ecological limits. In 1992 the world combined in sustainability agenda in Rio de Janeiro, many governments participated due to the series of incidents and discoveries that had taken place including the leak of poisonous gas from a chemical plant at Bhopal, India, the explosion and radioactive release from Chernobyl, Ukraine, the hole in the Antarctic ozone layer, leaking toxic chemical dumps, such as Love Canal, general fears about chemical contamination and conflicts over decreasing natural resources such as forests and fisheries. The Rio summit focused on 3 points Environment (agenda 21 action plan) Ecology (biodiversity, rainforest) Energy (climate change) (http://scom.hud.ac.uk/scomjm4/mmport/susmod/Page2.htm) Impact on construction The idea of sustainability has spread widely and sustainable construction has taken firm roots in both political and business agendas. All the aspects of sustainability agendas are closely studied while making recent contact with major clients of construction and their suppliers. A few steps followed by many construction companies in UK and worldwide are; Reducing energy consumption in buildings In order to reduce energy consumption there has been a change made in structural building performance which are designed as such to reduce the carbon dioxide emission and to suit the needs considerable insulation thickness and thermal performance are set. Improving occupant comfort in buildings Due to the importance of social aspects of sustainable development emphasis is placed on occupant comfort. Reducing the impact of the construction process There are a number of environmental and social impacts in the construction process including noise, dust, traffic, waste and health and safety hazards. Thus to minimize them the construction process are bought near to the factory if possible. Recycling and reducing "End of Life" impact In the current time the papers are being recycled and used for insulating built-up steel cladding panels in industrial buildings. The paper fibers are used as an alternative to glass fiber or rock fiber insulation. The recycled paper insulation is made from 100% recovered waste paper and is also recyclable at its end-of-life. The sustainable construction strategy for the UK concrete industry was established in July 2008, this strategy established a common vision for the concrete industry and created a benchmark for the industry performance, it demonstrated continuous improvement for the future in delivering sustainable construction. The performance was measured by British precast and the companies were awarded charter status. It continues to promote and encourage the best practice in sustainability by arranging awards for the respective members. The projects arranged cover areas of minimizing waste and pollution, recycling, reducing green house gases and carbon dioxide emission, improving the efficiency of the supply chain, working with the community and reducing energy use. The British Precast Concrete Federation (BPCF) is a world class trade association, there aim is to promote construction and develop the members interest in the UK and worldwide. The New York City has also taken many steps to support sustainability agenda. It is using many energy saving measures, and has used LED's for the streetlights, it has incentivize the use of inexpensive energy saving devices and the construction of green buildings. The city has created a small density bonus for buildings that are LEED gold-or-silver certified. The existing buildings however are contributing towards greenhouse gas emission but the new construction is planned to be energy efficient and carbon neutral. To change the countless office buildings, apartment and commercial spaces is a heroic task which will require the effort and full cooperation of real estate industry. The individual property owner can contribute in the effort by taking various steps like replacing inefficient light bulbs, insulating steam risers and updating heating control systems. The city is planning to create an office dedicated to assisting homeowners and property managers to green their buildings. This office should work actively with the real estate industry, business improvement districts (BIDs), community boards and other local stakeholders. The city should also develop a simple toolkit to assist building owners in developing plans to improve their buildings' efficiency. Conclusion The legislature of many countries has set up rules for sustainability and the governments are actively involved in green agendas. The clients are notified of low carbon economy legislation and policies such as energy performance of building regulations regarding climate change Act 2008 and carbon reduction commitments. The sustainability advices are provide for financial institutions and there are advises on lease structures for installation of ground source energy, Photo Voltaic Cells CRC implications for data centers. Presentation Sustainability agenda is a commitment made by the strategic decision makers to incorporate social, environmental, economical and ethical factors in the business. It is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The global challenges related to sustainability include pollution, climate change, education, poverty, health and human rights thus various jurisdictions, regulations and standards of practice have been set up. The idea of sustainability rose in 1970s and then with the coming time it established its firm roots. In 1992 many governments participated in sustainability agenda in Rio de Janeiro due to the series of incidents and discoveries that had taken place including; 1. The leak of poisonous gas from a chemical plant at Bhopal, India, 2. The explosion and radioactive release from Chernobyl, Ukraine, 3. The hole in the Antarctic ozone layer, 4. Leaking toxic chemical dumps, such as Love Canal, 5. General fears about chemical contamination and, 6. Conflicts over decreasing natural resources such as forests and fisheries Many places including UK and worldwide have taken measure to promote green environment which is the nature friendly structure in construction. Various steps have been taken including; 1. Reducing energy consumption in buildings 2. Improving occupant comfort in buildings 3. Reducing the impact of the construction process 4. Recycling and reducing "End of Life" impact Many legislatures and various ACTs have been set up by various governments in order to promote sustainability agenda. The projects are designed for minimizing waste and pollution, recycling, reducing green house gases and carbon dioxide emission, improving the efficiency of the supply chain, working with the community and reducing energy use. Work cited Building a greener future, A progress report on New York City's sustainability initiatives, New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (NYLCVEF), 2008 The history and chronology of sustainable development, the move towards sustainability, http://scom.hud.ac.uk/scomjm4/mmport/susmod/Page2.htm The sustainability agenda, Industry perspective, Pricewaterhouse coopers, 2008 Read More