What You Must Know About Sustainable Development - CD Seminar (0.1 CEUs)

Course Description

The purpose of this seminar is to cut through the current fog of ideologies and agendas, and present a clear and compelling story of why sustainable development is becoming an important issue for civil engineers, indeed for everyone, for decades to come. It will provide attendees with a new perspective on sustainable development: the trends and market forces that are shaping this emerging issue, and its impacts on the way civil engineers will work in the future. The seminar will also provide information about the knowledge and skills that civil engineers will need to take advantage of the resulting new opportunities. Sustainable development is a goal, not an ideology. It is based on the premise that society’s current approach to economic development cannot be sustained much longer at the present rate of consumption. That is, the rate at which we extract and harvest our natural resources, and the methods and extent to which we produce, deliver and consume goods and services are pushing or exceeding the limits of the world’s resources and carrying capacity.

Furthermore, this is happening at all scales, from local pollution of streams and lakes, to poor air quality, to lack of access to fresh water in the underdeveloped nations, to the spread of endocrine disruptors, to global climate change. The consequences are enormous. If we continue on this current course, conditions will worsen to such a degree that we will be jeopardizing the chances of future generations to enhance or even maintain their quality of life. The effort required to make our development sustainable presents an incredible opportunity for civil engineers. Moving toward conditions of sustainability will be a long journey, spanning many decades. It will require, more or less, a complete overhaul of society’s existing infrastructure, replacing it with structures, processes, systems and technologies that are less energy and resource intensive, use less toxic materials, produce less waste, and otherwise protect the environment and society. Absent some unprecedented multi-national agreements and huge investments, progress toward sustainability will be made incrementally, project by project, driven by the goals and aspirations of individual project owners, and implemented through the special skills and knowledge of engineers. Progress will occur only as new and more sustainable designs and technologies are invented, tested and applied on individual projects.

Webinar Benefits

• Understand what sustainable development means in engineering terms, and how it will impact the civil engineering profession.
• Learn about the trends, events and issues that are driving sustainable development.
• Discover how sustainable development is challenging traditional engineering methods and is becoming a catalyst for innovation.
• See how to apply sustainability principles and practices to your projects and to your organization.
• Earn one Professional Development Hour (PDH)

Summary Outline

• The emergence of sustainable development as a national and global issue
• What is sustainable development: the engineering definition
• The business case for sustainable development
• Sustainable development as a catalyst for innovation
• What makes a civil engineering project sustainable?
• The future of sustainable development
• Resources for additional study