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Sustainability. What’s it all about ? A Quick Review. Roger Middleton. Black & Veatch. Sustainability Defined ?. Brundtland: ‘meet the needs of today without compromising the needs of future generations’ Engineering for our Grandchildren…..
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Sustainability What’s it all about ? A Quick Review Roger Middleton Black & Veatch
Sustainability Defined ? • Brundtland: ‘meet the needs of today without compromising the needs of future generations’ • Engineering for our Grandchildren….. • Triple bottom line: Environmental, Social, and Economic; technology is only a tool. • Long term thinking across boundaries, • Uncertainty leads to the Precautionary Principle, • Natural systems are complex, not Newtonian, linear or mechanistic; we need to fit nature • Sustainability is a balance we can keep forever.
Need for Change? • Indicators are all around us:-- Climate Change,- natural and man-made: CO2, SOx, NOx, etc • Ocean temperatures and glaciers, ice records, • Large systems, hence long response time lags, • So do we wait and see? • Causes start with the Industrial Revolution • The Sun is our sole source of energy: We need to match our usage rate to the earth’s reception rate.
Development Chart Cause curves in black Response curve in Blue Developed countries ? Developing countries ? Sustainability ? Survive? Crash & Burn ? 1800 1900 2000 2100
Panic ? No ! Change? Yes. • But we didn’t leave the Stone Age because we ran out of stones…..We left because Bronze is better ! • Wood Coal Oil Nuclear RE ?? • We won’t leave the Oil Age because we run out of oil …..We’ll leave because it’s too hot !!
Social Bottom Line • Fair trade or ExploitationWhich is more sustainable? • Stakeholder views and participation ?or imposition of culture from strength? Social Equity on a local and global scale will become our biggest concern; Exploitation + deprivation Resentment Resentment + opportunity 9/11 ?
Living Within Our Means Five Forms of Capital(FftF)
What can we do about it? • Maybe no quantum leaps yet, but some leaders are:-- Nike: toxic trainers and sweatshop labour,- Interface Carpets, materials and trading method,- Sherwood Energy Village, miners bought the land,- Holsworthy agricultural sludge CHP,- ABN Amro bank, Equator Principles,- Forestry Stewardship Council, Fair Trade, etc • Waste segregation, composting, school trains, • Client management: check the big picture, advise against short-term expediency, BATNEEC, etc • Develop sustainable technology for mutual benefit.
On a Practical Level: • ID early wins, things we can do now; learn and move on, • Get as many people involved as possible, and take them with you, • Don’t be scared of saying, “We can’t do that yet, but the time will come …” • Keep the big picture in mind and open for all to see, • Don’t scare people before we have the technology and people to do the needful, • Don’t forget things on the back burner, • Keep pushing the limits, because nature always will, • And if we ever think we are on top of nature, entropy will bite us back!
And my Personal Action Plan: • Disseminate on about 5 levels, • Liaise with people in relevant roles, to plan coherent implementation, • Incorporate Susdev items in design checklists, • Check relevant QM docs for Susdev input, • Check current relevant projects and assess any input required, • Check current clients and their receptiveness, • Check possible new clients with Marketing intentions.
So Why Bother ? • What is our philosophy, do we care? do we leave it to the kids or do we start now? • Check our personal beliefs, why us? • What is our religion, what are we doing here? • What is different about Planet Earth? • Do we fly over, drive past, or walk within; are we a part of, or apart from nature? • Animal kings or earth stewards; ad infinitum or ad hoc; Use it or lose it? • How will our grandchildren remember us? Roger Middleton Black & Veatch middletonr1@bv.com