Sustainable Development

3rd Brunel International Lecture:

Delivering Sustainable Development Gold 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 Venables Managing Director, Crane Environmental Ltd, and Chairman of the Institution of Civil Engineers’ Environment & Sustainability Board  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development

Six central contentions of this lecture:

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Delivering sustainable development Six central contentions: 3. Sustainable development needs an immense contribution from engineers and engineering. 4. It needs engineers to work with the many others involved – to do that well, and with an open mind. 5. The best engineering and construction is, perhaps, already – or almost – good enough.  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development •

But we need to make sustainable development normal.

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

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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.

 © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development

Coverage of lecture:

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Delivering sustainable development Coverage of lecture: • What do we mean by and know about sustainable development • Civil engineering in the context of sustainable development • Some of the challenges and issues it presents • A selection of projects and initiatives • How to make sustainable development normal • Actions needed and how to move practice forward  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development • 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 environment  prudent use of natural resources  maintenance 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  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development

• 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.”

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Delivering sustainable development • 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  © Crane Environmental

Economic Success

Severe environmental damage

Social disquiet or unrest

Sustainable Development

Social Success

Does not proceed, or economic loss

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High Environmental Quality

Economic Success

Un-sustainable project Social Success  © Crane Environmental

High Environmental Quality

Delivering sustainable development

• 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

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Delivering sustainable development • We can sub-divide SD delivery many ways, eg: sustainable construction sustainable manufacturing industry sustainable farming sustainable forestry sustainable transport and tourism all of which become elements of sustainable living  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development • So, in short: • Sustainable Development is development that enables Sustainable Living • Delivering sustainable development will enable us all to live more and more sustainably

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Delivering sustainable development So, in this lecture I mean ‘delivering’: • built development that sustains life and improves the quality of life for human beings • work that removes the environmental or social damage from the past • work to improve the sustainability of the wider environment and ecosystems • plus, development of individuals as people, of groups, and of societal quality of life generally • all in an economically successful way but also within Planet Earth’s carrying capacity  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development Two important provisos: • Lecture complementary to Special Issue of ICE’s Journal Civil Engineering, Nov. 2000: ‘Sustainable development: Making it happen’ •

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

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Delivering sustainable development

• The two most-commonly-asked questions:

 What should I do differently? 

Can we recognise a sustainable development when we see one?

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Delivering sustainable development • 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?  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development

• Civil engineering and sustainable development

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Delivering sustainable development • Civil engineering and sustainable development A 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 others Need for the ‘right’ balance  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development • 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  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development

• How well did we do in the past?

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Delivering sustainable development

• Mid-1800s: one of civil engineering’s most important contributions was improvement of public health Joseph Bazelgette’s interceptor sewers in London are still in use today Now over 100 species of fish are back in the River Thames

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Delivering sustainable development • 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

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Delivering sustainable development • 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  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development • Use of materials: Timber viaducts became uneconomic when Baltic timbers were no longer available No record of Brunel or GWR planting new trees to re-grow stock used for their bridges • I K Brunel’s management style …

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Delivering sustainable development

• So, is the GWR an example of sustainable civil engineering or not? • You be the judge!

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Delivering sustainable development • 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.  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development • 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.  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development

• Will show later that delivering sustainable development is possible • First - Issues and challenges to resolve:

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Delivering sustainable development 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  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development 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 groups  Who decides on the greater good  Who decides who decides  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development 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  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development Issues and challenges to resolve: • The perception that sustainable development is only for the rich It’s not! – a myth that it always costs extra Sustainable development is crucial to alleviating poverty eg good low-cost housing • Valuing ‘the environment’ Competing views Payment vs compensation • Human values and the environment – We make value judgements about ‘good’ and ‘bad’  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development

• Projects and Initiatives to help move us forward:

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Delivering sustainable development • Maidenhead Flood Relief Scheme Design to very high environmental standards – first Edmund Hambly Memorial ICE prize Will appear to be a natural river Costing £98M, yet cost-effective Now sustaining life in Maidenhead by significantly reducing the risk of flooding Yet it should not have been necessary if a different approach to flood plain development had been adopted  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development • The Institution of Civil Engineers  Environment & 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  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development • Princess Margaret Hospital, Swindon Led by Carillion plc – ‘flagship’ project Help 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  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development • Waste at Princess Margaret Hospital, Swindon Original estimate of waste generated from construction – 5000 tonnes Design eliminated half of that Construction – maximum 14 waste streams for recycling, only one to landfill About 250 tonnes to landfill so far Factor 10 outcome in sight? Funding regime enabled a long-term view  © Crane Environmental

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

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Delivering sustainable development • UK Government’s Construction Clients’ Panel Plan – Achieving sustainability in construction procurement Government action to implement its own policies Involves Defence Estates, Environment Agency (for flood defence), Highways Agency, the Prison Service, Schools, National Health Service … Potentially very significant driver for change  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development

• 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

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Delivering sustainable development

• Construction Industry Environmental Forum + CIRIA Environment Programme Major influence on leading industry players Considering ethical investment and other social issues alongside technical solutions and environmental management

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Delivering sustainable development • Other important UK initiatives  UK Government’s Construction Clients’ Panel  Movement for Innovation + demo projects  BRE Centre for Sustainable Construction  BSRIA  HR Wallingford  TRL  Steel Construction Institute  Engineers for the 21st Century Enquiry  Professional Partnerships for Sustainable Development  Forum for the Future  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development • Since October, the Young Professionals have formed a foundation – The International Young Professionals’ Foundation  www.iypf.org, based in Australia  Already 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

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Delivering sustainable development

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

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Delivering sustainable development Who buys a product when, and why? • 2.5%

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innovators

• 13.5% -

‘Mr & Mrs Jones’ (the opinion formers or early adopters)

• 34%

those who keep up with Mr & Mrs

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Jones (the early majority) • 34%

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the ‘alright-if-the-price-is-OK’ late majority

• 16%

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the ‘alright-if-I-have-to’ laggards

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Delivering sustainable development 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?

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Delivering sustainable development Sales

Awareness? Sustainable development Awareness? Practice?

Environmental management of construction in the UK

Sustainable construction in the UK

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Time

Delivering sustainable development • 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

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Delivering sustainable development • 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’?

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Delivering sustainable development We would: • Identify the next most-likely set of buyers Clients, developers and project leaders, who can take a long-term view • Identify the benefits easier planning approval cheaper initial construction much lower operating costs social acceptability easier dis-assembly  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development 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 messages  actively present the business case  prepare and disseminate case-studies etc  use the media, for example at and before Johannesburg 2002  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development We would: • Move on to consider the same questions for the next target group • We can – and must – do this for sustainable development Marketing 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  © Crane Environmental

Delivering 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  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development Marketing Sustainable Development: • We – all professionals involved in development – must do so • 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  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development

Practical actions needed

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Delivering sustainable development • The ICE’s Sector Strategy Working Party is developing

• Society, Sustainability and Civil Engineering: A Strategy & Action Plan • Launch – 24 April, ICE 6.30pm

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Delivering sustainable development • Action plan builds on past work, and includes lists of actions for four groups:  Clients  Civil engineering commercial concerns – designers, contractors, suppliers etc  Professional and trade groups  Individuals • including actions they need to persuade Government to undertake

• Some examples (mostly in a UK context) …  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development 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  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development 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  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development • Scale of improvement We need modest-scale improvements replicated everywhere alongside large improvements achieved on occasional large-scale projects  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development Overall, we should be aiming to create appropriate civil engineering works or buildings: in the right place and to the right scale with a sound choice of materials, and sources with high environmental performance (e.g. energy & water consumption, +ve impact, maintainability) an appropriate design life in harmony with their surroundings and neighbours so that, asap, this way becomes our norm.  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development

So, if that is what is needed, How do we move practice forward?

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Delivering sustainable development 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  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development 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

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Delivering sustainable development 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 less Use dramatically less energy and water Generate substantial improvements in social conditions Achieve obvious improvements in the natural and built environments  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development

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

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Delivering sustainable development 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  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development How do we move practice forward? • By recognising this as a sustainable development project:  exciting, and likely to be beautiful  highly 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 experience  good for the business and personal lives of those involved …  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development • 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’?

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Delivering sustainable development • Web site for further information www.ice.org.uk then to Knowledge and expertise, … Environment & Sustainability … Knowledge map … Sustainability … link to Brunel Lecture  Includes links to other relevant sites  © Crane Environmental

Delivering sustainable development

 © Crane Environmental