© Crane Environmental 3 rd Brunel International Lecture: Delivering Sustainable Development Gold Coast, 3 October 2001; Brisbane, 3 October 2001; Sydney,

© Crane Environmental

3rd Brunel International Lecture:

Delivering Sustainable DevelopmentGold Coast, 3 October 2001; Brisbane, 3 October 2001;

Sydney, 8 October 2001; Melbourne, 11 October 2001;

Auckland, 10 October 2001; London 12 February 2002;

Leeds 12 March 2002; Durban, 30 April 2002; Johannesburg, 2 May 2002; East London (South Africa), 7 May 2002

Roger VenablesManaging Director, Crane Environmental Ltd,

and Chairman of the Institution of Civil Engineers’ Environment & Sustainability Board


Delivering sustainable development

Six central contentions of this lecture:



Six central contentions:

1. Sustainable development needs an immense contribution from engineers and engineering.

2. It needs engineers to work with the many others involved – to do that well, and with an open mind.

3. The best engineering and construction is, perhaps, already – or almost – good enough.



4. But we need to make sustainable development normal.

5. Engineers generally must take a lead and play their full part.

6. Fuzziness’ in the definitions of sustainable development is no excuse for doing nothing. Practical action is possible now – and needed – by everyone involved in development.



Coverage of lecture:



• UK Government’s 1999 Sustainable Development Strategy both reflects and leads public opinion, attitudes and actions

• Called A better quality of life, it defines SD as: social progress which meets the needs of everyone effective protection of the environmentprudent use of natural resourcesmaintenance of high and stable levels of economic

growth and employment

• Sustainable Construction Strategy 2000 – Building a better quality of life, now being updated by DTi – Workshop yesterday



• Forum for the Future definition• “Sustainable development is a process, which

enables all people to realise their potential and improve their quality of life in ways that simultaneously protect and enhance the Earth’s life support systems.”



• Thus a distinction needs to be made between a sustainable society or ‘sustainable living’ as the goal and ‘sustainable development’ as the process that will get us there

• However, let us also accept that sustainable development is also used as a term about built development - in the UK, ‘sustainable construction’ is being used


Sustainable Development

Economic Success

Social Success

High Environmental

Quality

Severe environmental

damage

Social disquiet or unrest

Does not proceed, or economic loss


Un-sustainable project

Economic Success

Social Success

High Environmental

Quality



• UK Strategy says that delivery of sustainable development must be across all sectors of society

• and DTI is pushing industry sectors to produce their own strategies



• We can sub-divide SD delivery many ways, eg:sustainable constructionsustainable manufacturing industrysustainable farmingsustainable forestrysustainable transport and tourism

all of which become elements ofsustainable living



• So, in short:

• Sustainable Development is development that enables Sustainable Living

• Delivering sustainable development will enable us all to live more and more sustainably



Two important provisos:1. Lecture complementary to Special Issue of

ICE’s Journal Civil Engineering, Nov. 2000: ‘Sustainable development: Making it happen’

2. Not discussing climate change, nor other major related political issues such as the call for population control – just two of many drivers for sustainable development



• The two most-commonly-asked questions:

What should I do differently?

Can we recognise a sustainable

development when we see one?



• So, what is it that makes for ‘sustainable development? Is it:Where it is: land use, ecological impact?What it is or is for: materials choice and use,

aesthetics, function? How it was built: construction impacts?How it performs: ‘joy in use’, energy and

water efficiency, maintainability, durability, flexibility, financial success?

All four at once?



• Civil engineering and sustainable development



• Civil engineering and sustainable developmentA water supply project: a balance between

use of natural resources and social and economic benefits brought to people

But: concern on particular projects about –disruption to natural processes– scale of the infrastructure + demand-led–adverse impact on some for the benefit of

othersNeed for the ‘right’ balance



• The ‘right’ balance has not always been achieved in the past:

• We have mastered ‘the art of directing the great sources of nature for the use and convenience of man…’

BUT• We have done it – and may still do it – in

disharmony with the environment and with some of our fellow citizens



• How well did we do in the past?



• Transport infrastructure:Marc Brunel’s Thames Tunnel lasted well

over a century before major refurbishment was needed

Isombard Kingdom Brunel’s Great Western Railway from London to Bristol (completed in 1841) still in use today



• These examples pass the high quality design test, for example in durability and flexibility …

• … and railways are now considered a ‘green’ form of transport

• Yet they are rarely economically successful over the long term, and

• 19th Century Railway bills subjected to strong opposition at all stages of their promotion



• Use of materials:Timber viaducts became uneconomic when

Baltic timbers were no longer availableNo record of Brunel or GWR planting new

trees to re-grow stock used for their bridges

• I K Brunel’s management style …



• So, is the GWR an example of sustainable civil engineering or not?

• You be the judge!



• In summary so far: Many engineers have for many years been

trying to take into account the issues in the sustainable development concept`

But we – and our clients – have taken insufficient account of the impact of construction and operations on the environment and society

We have paid too little attention to resource efficiency.



• However … We have recently learnt a great deal

about how to avoid inadequacies of much of past practice.

We now know what actions to take to deliver a less-unsustainable future and, at best, a sustainable future

Sustainable development needs an immense contribution from engineers and engineering.



• Will show later that delivering sustainable development is possible

• First - Issues and challenges to resolve:



Issues and challenges to resolve:• SD challenge is very large – but we can tackle it• It involves new ways of thinking about

development, eg: The idea that projects need to be in

better harmony with more sectors of society, not just with select groups

The need for a whole-life approach – whole-life costing and whole-life environmental assessment



Issues and challenges to resolve:• Recognition – Often in the detail • The resource efficiency challenge

A great need ‘Factor 10’ A few are demonstrating dramatic changes

• Social acceptability Disconnection between individuals’ action and

environmental impact – so they ask: ‘Why do I have to change?’

Dealing with conflicting single-issue groupsWho decides on the greater goodWho decides who decides



Issues and challenges to resolve:• Assessment of impacts

How far afield do we look for impacts, both positive and negative?

Local – Regional – State – World? • Timescales

How far into the future do we assess? (We’re bad at futurology!)

Do one’s best on basis of current knowledge – eg: long life, loose fit, low energy



Issues and challenges to resolve:• The perception that sustainable development is

only for the rich It’s not! – a myth that it always costs extraSustainable development is crucial to

alleviating poverty eg good low-cost housing• Valuing ‘the environment’

Competing viewsPayment vs compensation

• Human values and the environment – We make value judgements about ‘good’ and ‘bad’



• Projects and Initiatives to help move us forward:



• Maidenhead Flood Relief SchemeDesign to very high environmental standards

– first Edmund Hambly Memorial ICE prizeWill appear to be a natural riverCosting £98M, yet cost-effectiveNow sustaining life in Maidenhead by

significantly reducing the risk of floodingYet it should not have been necessary if a

different approach to flood plain development had been adopted



• The Institution of Civil EngineersEnvironment & Sustainability Board

Appropriate Development Panel

Overall policy + Position Statements

Good (Sustainability) Practice Case Sheets

CEEQUAL – an environmental assessment and awards scheme BREEAM

Sector Sustainability Strategy

Engineers Against Poverty

Aiming to push good practice



• Princess Margaret Hospital, SwindonLed by Carillion plc – ‘flagship’ projectHelp from ‘The Natural Step’Aim is ‘green’ credentials second to none–Waste management–Materials choice, sourcing and supplier

support– Plant choices and energy-efficient features of

the design–Transport plans–Wildlife and habitat management


Landfill reduction by composting and recycling of construction waste

• 50% target reduction from Dartford ( 2500t )• 500 tonnes timber composted or recycled• 400 tonnes paper and cardboard • Compost added to topsoil• Saving approx. £20k• To-date only 250 tonnes removed to landfill• 300 tonnes concrete recycled



• Waste minimisation and Recycling

70 million tonnes of waste every year in UK

This is, per person, 4 x the domestic waste each person generates per year



• Construction Industry Environmental Forum + CIRIA Environment ProgrammeMajor influence on leading industry playersConsidering ethical investment and other

social issues alongside technical solutions and environmental management



• Other important UK initiativesUK Government’s Construction Clients’ PanelMovement for Innovation + demo projectsBRE Centre for Sustainable ConstructionBSRIAHR WallingfordTRLSteel Construction InstituteEngineers for the 21st Century EnquiryProfessional Partnerships for Sustainable

DevelopmentForum for the Future



• Since October, the Young Professionals have formed a foundation – The International Young Professionals’ Foundationwww.iypf.org, based in AustraliaAlready engaging Australian business – Charlie

Hargroves, Ops Director a speaker at Ecofutures: National Business Leaders’ Forum on Sustainable Development

Committed group who want to make a difference



• How do we make sustainable development the normal way of development



Who buys a product when, and why?

• 2.5% - innovators

• 13.5% - ‘Mr & Mrs Jones’ (the opinion formers or early adopters)

• 34% - those who keep up with Mr & Mrs Jones (the early majority)

• 34% - the ‘alright-if-the-price-is-OK’ late majority

• 16% - the ‘alright-if-I-have-to’ laggards



If we think of• environmental management of construction;• sustainable construction; and• sustainable development

as if they were products…

… where are they on the product diffusion curve?



Environmental management of construction in the UK

Sustainable development

Sustainable construction in the UKPractice?

Awareness?

Awareness?

Sales

Time



• Sustainable development characterised by:

Design principles known to only a few ‘manufacturers’

Test-manufactured and test-marketed, for example in a few housing developments

Yet elements of the concept are practised more widely than the overall concept



• If sustainable development were a product• If we were the marketing department of its

owners …• How would we move Sustainable Development

from …

its small, niche market to …

being as ubiquitous as Coca Cola is as a ‘drink’?



We would:• Identify the next most-likely set of buyers

Clients, developers and project leaders, who can take a long-term view

• Identify the benefitseasier planning approvalcheaper initial constructionmuch lower operating costssocial acceptabilityeasier dis-assembly



We would:

• Study why our next target market group buy, how they buy, how they make buying decisions, what advertising messages they respond to

• Identify and deliver our production and delivery methods, and marketing messagesactively present the business caseprepare and disseminate case-studies etcuse the media, for example at and before

Johannesburg 2002



We would:• Move on to consider the same questions for

the next target group• We can – and must – do this for sustainable

developmentMarketing Sustainable Development:• We – all professionals involved in development

– must do this

• We – you and I – can become the marketing department and the sales force for sustainable development



How?

• We – you and I – can become the marketing department and the sales force for sustainable development

• We can demonstrate the concept as far as we can in our work and personal lives

• We can target the opinion formers we know – our clients, our governments, our friends – to do likewise



Practical actions needed



• The ICE’s Sector Strategy Working Party is developing

• Society, Sustainability and Civil Engineering: A Strategy & Action Plan

• Launch – 24 April, ICE 6.30pm



• Action plan builds on past work, and includes lists of actions for four groups:ClientsCivil engineering commercial concerns – designers, contractors, suppliers etc

Professional and trade groupsIndividuals

• including actions they need to persuade Government to undertake

• Some examples (mostly in a UK context) …



Practical actions needed:• Re-use and improve existing built assets• Locate new development appropriately• Relate land-use planning to transport & other

infrastructure• Design for minimum waste and effective use of

resources• Choose an appropriate design life – flexible and

durable, or for dis-assembly & re-use elsewhere• Minimise life-cycle energy consumption



Practical actions needed:• Utilise renewable energy sources where

appropriate• Do not pollute the wider environment• Preserve and enhance natural features and

(appropriate) biodiversity• Conserve water resources, not all demand-led• Respect people and their local environment,

and seek to minimise the adverse social impacts and maximise the positive social impacts of our projects



• Scale of improvementWe need modest-scale improvements

replicated everywhere

alongside

large improvements achieved on occasional large-scale projects



Overall, we should be aiming to create appropriate civil engineering works or buildings:

in the right place and to the right scalewith a sound choice of materials, and sourceswith high environmental performance (e.g.

energy & water consumption, +ve impact, maintainability)

an appropriate design lifein harmony with their surroundings and

neighboursso that, asap, this way becomes our norm.



So, if that is what is needed,

How do we move practice forward?



How do we move practice forward?

• Have an open mind

• A willingness to learn from each other

• Recognise that no one discipline knows best

• Consider sustainability in everything we do

• Deal more respectfully, considerately yet effectively with all the people involved

• Accept there is no longer any excuse for doing nothing, despite the challenges

• Accept it may take more upfront time



How do we move practice forward? • Adopt a whole life approach using life-cycle

analysis – not just life-cycle costing but life-cycle environmental analysis as well

• Move towards sustainability impact assessment instead of just an environmental impact assessment

• Persuade the opinion formers we know – especially in our clients – to adopt new approaches to their development projects



How do we move practice forward?• Use the extensive guidance already available –

from wherever on the planet we can find it• Look for Factor 10 in all we do:

Waste dramatically lessUse dramatically less energy and waterGenerate substantial improvements in

social conditionsAchieve obvious improvements in the

natural and built environments



How do we move practice forward?• Educators have a crucial role – in sending civil

engineering and other graduates in built and natural environment subjects out into the world understanding what sustainable development is and how deliver it



How do we move practice forward?• By creating

appropriate engineering works or buildings

in the right place and scale

with a sound choice of materials, and sources

with high environmental performance

an appropriate design life

in harmony with their surroundings and neighbours



How do we move practice forward?• By recognising this as a sustainable

development project: exciting, and likely to be beautifulhighly efficient (and visibly so if possible)in harmony with its neighbours and

surroundings and better for the businesses involved

a joy to be in or to experiencegood for the business and personal lives of those

involved …



• A challenge:

“Any 21st century professional engineer who is ignorant of, or ignores, sustainability, who does not seek to deliver more-sustainable solutions, and who does not also seek to live more sustainably, will be an incomplete engineer.”

• ‘True’ or ‘false’?



• Web site for further informationwww.ice.org.uk then to Knowledge and expertise, … Environment & Sustainability… Knowledge map… Sustainability… link to Brunel Lecture Includes links to other relevant sites



Documents

© Crane Environmental 3 rd Brunel International Lecture: Delivering Sustainable Development Gold Coast, 3 October 2001; Brisbane, 3 October 2001; Sydney,