Sustainability Works

It’s been a busy few months for the Institute of Sustainable Infrastructure. 

Stantec has become the most recent company to commit to getting at least 100 of its employees credentialed as ENV SPs this year. Other “fast track” companies are Arcadis, Arup, HDR, and Psomas.

This month’s edition of the APWA Reporter has two terrific articles on Envision^TM.

    - Vicki Vickery Quiram and Carl Quirams’ article: Envision – The tool that creates confidence.
    - Kim Lundren’s article ENV SP: The only accreditation I will ever have.


Many ENV SPs will be speaking at next week's 2013 APWA Sustainability in Public Works Conference.

     - Ann Radil will give a presentation on "Using Envision to Advance the Practice of Sustainable Design and    Construction"
     - Katherine Gies will discuss "Achieving Wastewater Treatment Plant Sustainability Goals Using Envision"
    - David Reardon and Stephane Laroque will talk about "Sustainable ROI: Making the Business Case for Sustainability"
    - Kim Lundgren will discuss "Assessing Vulnerabilities of Infrastructure to Climate Change"
     - Jay Bockish will present a "Comparison of Transportation Sustainability Rating Systems"
     - Rene Vidales will participate in a panel discussion of "North Park San Diego: From Historic Neighborhood to Sustainable Community"

The Center for Sustainability has also added new EnvisionTM resources to its website to help public works departments join ISI and to incorporate sustainability principles into RFPs.

ISI has added a new feature to its website that will help you find speakers or presenters for your conferences or meetings.  You can now "Request a Speaker" for your event or group to learn more about Envision^TM.   Download the form at the bottom of the Resources tab on ISI's website.

The members of the APWA Center for Sustainability Leadership Group are pleased to release the Center’s Strategic Plan and Action Plan. 

Since its creation, the APWA Center for SUstainability has developed a series of tools, resources and professional development programs to further its goals and objectives.  Now that a foundation has been laid for sustainability in public works, the Center Leadership Group determined that it was the appropriate time to take a step back and evaluate where we have been and where we would like to be in the long term. 

Since July of 2012, the members of the APWA Center for Sustainability Leadership Group have been developing a five year strategic plan to guide the Center’s efforts and activities in the coming years  The goal of the strategic planning effort was to identify the strategies and tactics, resource requirements and an implementation plan that will enable the Center for Sustainability to continue to bring the principles of sustainability to the public works profession.  In formulating the plan, the Center Leadership Group identified that the building of sustainable communities is the greatest challenge to public works in the 21st Century. 

The adopted Strategic Plan focusses on meeting this challenge and recommits APWA as an organization to the promotion and support of public works professionals’ efforts to advance sustainability in their communities.  The Strategic Plan identifies six goals for the next five years: 

(1) institutionalize sustainability principles and practices into all APWA operations so that APWA as an organization can demonstrate its commitment to sustainability;

(2) design and execute an effective marketing and outreach program on APWA Center for Sustainability activities, resources and accomplishments;

(3) leverage existing APWA resources, programs and initiatives to fully integrate sustainability throughout all APWA offerings;

(4) promote and support the Institute for Sustainable infrastructure and the EnvisionTM Sustainable Infrastructure Rating System;

(5)  develop the next generation of sustainability leaders; and

(6)  establish APWA as a leader on sustainability with other organizations considered key to influencing community sustainability.   

The Center Leaders also identified a series of activities they can implement to ensure that the six identified goals of the strategic plan are implemented.  For instance, the strategy identifies the integration of sustainable components or principles into the curriculum of APWA’s professional development activities to ensure that we are providing APWA members with the latest information on applying sustainability principles to public works management.  The Strategic Plan also identifies highlighting the role the EnvisionTM  rating system can play in helping a community meet its sustainability goals.   Each of the goals and action items identified in the plan continues to solidify the foundation for public works professionals to take the lead in building sustainable communities for the 21st Century.    The Strategic Plan also clarifies and further refines the role of the APWA Center for Sustainability. The APWA Center for Sustainability exisits to inform APWA members on best practices, tools, and knowledge, identifies and communicates a compelling case for sustainability in public works, and creates,complies, organizes and distributes information on creating sustainable communities.

Over the coming weeks, months and years the APWA Center for Sustainability Leadership Group will be working to see that the mission and vision of the APWA Center for Sustainability and the goals and actions identified in the Strategic Plan and Action Steps are fulfilled. 

To review the full Strategic Plan and Action Steps click here.
 

Join your public works peers from all across North America in sunny San Diego this May for your chance to discover some of the most exciting sustainable solutions in public works!  Hear the latest community success stories and case studies and network with your peers, vendors and consultants leading the way on bringing sustainability to public works. 

We've got a fantastic exhibit floor lineup in store for attendees this year as well as a full slate of exciting tours and an all-new, expanded education program showcasing five distinct learning tracks. No matter your area of expertise – energy use, air and watershed quality, ecosystem and human health, climate, civic life, local prosperity – you'll be sure to find sessions that deliver the exact sustainability training and knowledge you're looking for!

Follow a single learning track or customize your experience by combining sessions from all five:

• Perspectives on Climate Change
• Strategies: Planning, Design and Implementation
• Measuring Success: Rating Systems & Certifications
• Public Works Practices and Innovations
• Views on Solar Power

Register today and join us in San Diego, May 13-15!

I've been designing public transportation infrastructure for over 10 years and have seen a wide variety of approaches to design and construction in the public ROW. From multi-lane thoroughfares to multiuse trails, there are only so many things that public agencies can squeeze into the allotted space and only so much funding to do it. As always, how this space is used and how projects are built impacts everyone and everything in and around our communities. It is imperative that public agencies and their consultants and contractors consider all the impacts of public transportation projects throughout design and delivery.

I took the STP exam because I wanted to see how Greenroads would assess a professional’s understanding of sustainability. I think it’s a big step in an important direction for the industry and they are very much on the leading edge with this test. After taking it, I still think it has some fine-tuning but they are getting their arms around the full spectrum of topics needed by transportation professionals, regardless of if they are consultants, agencies, or contractors. I could call the test components ‘progressive’ but it’s time to move past the idea that these concepts are in some sort of testing phase and realize that they are all highly relevant to solving transportation system challenges across the board. It has a blend of technical and policy related material and this may be fleshed out over time while some may never be agreed upon by everyone at all.

Greenroads is a straightforward roadmap to more sustainable transportation projects and is being currently used all over the US and internationally. It is practical for the public works professional as it avoids getting mired in state and regional planning considerations by not revisiting the hard work already completed by these agencies. Rather it provides guidance to engineer and designers on how to get sustainable design incorporated at the ground level with projects in hand. It can be scaled as needed and backs-up it’s standards with dependable science and relevant research. When it's time to engage with your public and elected officials, the tool allows for engagement on a multitude of design issues and notes where projects have gone above and beyond.

I've appreciated using Greenroads on two projects here in Bellingham and will continue to advocate for the use of the tool where we can apply it. We've got more projects on the horizon that would certainly benefit from having a comprehensive review to make sure we've got the best project we can have. I'll add the STP to my signature line so folks will have to ask me what's it's all about.

Freeman Anthony P.E.  STP

City of Bellingham Public Works

Washington State, USA