A Pathway Towards Sustainability

How the engineering profession can contribute to the movement towards sustainabilitybyWilliam A. WallaceSr. Vice PresidentCH2M HILL

presented to theEngineers International RoundtableNational Academy of Engineering13 September 2002

Moving Toward a Sustainable Future How do you shift from a non-sustainable

pathway toward a sustainable pathway? Problems

Legacy investment in non-sustainable technologies, processes and systems

Sustainable development viewed as an expense, not as an opportunity

Poor environment for innovation

Three Steps Develop a practical awareness of the

sustainable development issue Create a sustainable project roadmap Develop a sustainability knowledge base

Developing a Practical Awareness of the Sustainable Development Issue

Is sustainable development an issue worthy of concern? What are the metrics of sustainability

Social Structure

Infrastructure

Production - Consumption Model

Resource Extraction, Harvesting

Process, Modify

Resources

Convey, Transport

Consume Discard

Resource Recovery

Harvesting

Ecological Resources (Renewable)

Discarded Materials, Wastes

Ext

ract

ion

Minerals, Metals, Fuels Resources (Non-Renewable)Not

Economically Retrievable

Not Economically Retrievable

Damaged

Carrying Capacity

Conditions for Sustainability Renewable resources

(ecological) Use < Regeneration

Non-renewable resources (minerals, fuels) Use < Development of

renewable substitutes

Pollution emissions Emissions < Carrying

capacity of environment

The Debate Over Sustainability

Minerals, Metals, Fuels Resources (Non-Renewable)

Ecological Resources (Renewable)

Impending resource shortages

Reaching carrying capacity

No real resource shortages

No real resource shortages

Technological advances will continue to

“save the day”

Resource Constrained Resource Abundance

Impending Resource Shortages

Technology not capable of making additional needed

resources economically

available

Little ecological

damage

Substantial ecological

damage

Carrying capacity not in jeopardy

Creating A Sustainable Project Roadmap

If sustainability is an important issue, then how will we change course? Making progress project by project.

Approach Create a sustainability framework for evaluation

Advance the state-of-the-practice Determine current state of the practice Set targets based on best-in-class technologies,

achievements by others Evaluate using sustainability-based criteria Systems evaluation

Sustainability is a journey, not a binary choice Economic viability is critical!

Five-Step Process Step 1: Project Vision

Where are you going

Step 2: Fatal flaw analysis What issues might cause the project to fail?

Step 3: Benchmarking What existing projects can be used as indicators and benchmarks

for sustainable development?

Step 4: Sustainable technologies Which technologies can be incorporated into the design that meet

SD principles?

Step 5: Systems integration Do systems meet target benchmarks?

Process Flowchart

1

Project vision

2

Fatal Flaws?

Yes

Abandon Project

NoDefine Project

Concept

World of Projects

3Is project usable

for benchmarking?

Benchmarks

No

Drop

World of Technologies

4

SD technologies

No

Drop

5

Do integrated systems meet target

benchmarks?

Yes Report

Final target benchmark, integrated

SD systems.

No

Revise systems or

benchmarks

Pass SD screening?

Developing a Sustainability Knowledge Base

Develop and maintain a knowledge base of sustainable projects and technologies

Developing a Sustainability Knowledge Base Scan the world of technologies

Evaluate technologies against sustainability criteria

Use a sustainability framework (TNS, other) Scan the world of projects

Learn and record what has been achieved Verify performance

Maintain and disseminate the information

Technology EvaluationRenewable Technology Score*

Solar heating/cooling 1.00

Rooftop PV 2.69

Fuel Cells 3.00

Microgen 3.38

Solar Hot Water 2.00

Shading 1.00*1 is most sustainable, 5 is least sustainable

Earth Systems EngineeringEarth Systems EngineeringDepartment of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder

Engineering for Developing CommunitiesThe Developing World as the Classroom of

the 21st Century

ChallengeTraining of engineers:

who have the skills and tools appropriate to address the issues that our planet is facing today and is likely to face within the next

20 years

who are aware of the needs of the developing world

who can contribute to the relief of the endemic problems of poverty afflicting developing communities worldwide

Earth Systems Engineering  ”ESE is a multidisciplinary (engineering, science,

social science, and governance) process of solution development that takes a holistic view of natural and human system interactions. The goal of ESE is to better understand complex, nonlinear systems of global importance and to develop the tools necessary to implement that understanding”

(National Academy of Engineering, 2000)

DEVELOPING COMMUNITIESSUSTAINABILITY

SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE

APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY

GREEN DEVELOPMENT

RENEWABLE RESOURCES

CITY PLANNING AND DESIGNNATURAL CAPITALISM

TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM THINKING

Earth Systems Engineering

Engineers Without Borders

(Field Projects, Hands-on)

CU Program

Engineering for Developing Countries

(Education, R&D)

Students, Technology, Training, Education

Case Studies, Results, Applications,

Needs

University

NGOPartnership

Engineering for Developing Communities Outreach Component

On-Going EWB Projects• San Pablo, Belize – Design, construction, and

improvement of a water distribution system using ram pumps and rope pumps in wells

• San Pablo, Belize – Installation of a water filtration system and submersible generators to generate electricity using the river water current

• Seven Mile Village, Belize – Drilling and installation of wells to alleviate water collection problems

• Punta Gorda, Belize – Technical assistance to the Mayan School Satal Pal Canbalnah (Learning Center for the Lost Child)

On-Going EWB Projects (2)• Foutaka Zambougou, Mali and Bir Moghrein,

Mauritania - Using appropriate technology to solve water and electricity problems

• Jalapa Valley, Nicaragua – Using appropriate technologies to improve source water, sanitation, energy and communication (in partnership with Friendship City Project, Boulder)

• Santa Rita, Peru – Solving local rainfall-induced slope stability problems (in partnership with Peruvian Eco-Sustainable Research and Understanding, Lafayette)

Belize ProjectSan Pablo

Design and Construction of a Ram Pump System

The EndQuestions?