Sustainability Flashcards
(20 cards)
sustainable development
“development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”
two key concepts in sustainable development
- the concept of needs (in particular the essential needs of the world’s poor, to which overriding priority should be given)
- the idea of limitations (imposed by the state of technology and social organisation on the environment’s ability to meet present and future needs)
defnition of resilient
“the ability of a system to withstand disruption and continue to function and develop”
- adding further that “resilient infrastructure is a low carbon infrastructure”
- falls short to mention water, nutrients, … holistic approach required
Principles of sustainability
- maintain the system within the limits of natural capital
- maintain environmental life support services and the assimilative capacity of the environment
- maintain human activity within the carrying capacity of the environment
- support an equitable, healthy and prosperous society
- account for the present and future generations
sustainable infrastructure assets have
” a long useful life, with minimum reliance on non-renewable resources, which minimise impacts on society and the environment, and which benefit, rather than endanger, economic prosperity in the long term”
Green Infrastructure
- buildings
- landscape
- hardscape
- water
Buildings : Green infrastructure
- green roofs
- green walls
Landscape : Green infrastructure
- bioretention
- green streets
- rain gardens
Hardscape : Green infrastructure
- pervious pavements
- perforated pipe and overflow inlets
Water : Green infrastructure
- condensate harvesting
- rain harvesting
- gray water harvesting
- passive irrigation
Sustainability drivers and issues
- transparency / stakeholders
- social license to operate
- sustainability performance and reporting
social license to operate
” the ability of an organisation to carry on its business because of the confidence society has that it will behave in a legitimate, accountable, and socially and environmentally acceptable way”
Emerging use of tools
- greenhouse gas inventories / life cycle assessments
- strategic sustainability assessments / baseline studies
- multi-criteria analysis / decision support
- project sustainability measures / rating tools
- product lifecycle
- carbon footprinting
- supply chain
sustainability rating tools for buildings
well established environmental and sustainability schemes
- UK: BREEAM launched in 1990
- US: LEED launched in 2000
- Aus/NZ: Greenstar launched in 2003 and 2007 respectively
sustainability rating tools for civil engineering infrastructure
- UK: CEEQUAL
- US: Greenroads, Envision
- Aus: IS
- NZ: Emergence
Green Star
- range of rating tools for buildings
- aims for best practice: beyond compliance
- over 100 rated buildings in New Zealand
- 3rd party verification
Green Roads
- rating tool for design and construction of roads
- aims for best practice: beyond compliance
- used by NZTA
- 3rd party verification
- US based
IS (Infrastructure Sustainability)
- rating tool for design, construction and operations of all infrastructure types
- aims for best practice: beyond compliance
- 3rd party verification
- piloted by Waterfront Auckland, Auckland Transport, and Auckland Airport
- developed in Australia 2012: in New Zealand in 2014
Rating Tool Benefits
- common language for sustainability in infrastructure
- consistent application and evaluation of sustainability in tendering process
- scoping whole-of-life sustainability risks for projects and assets, enabling smarter solutions that reduce risks and costs
- fosters resource efficiency and waste reduction
- fosters innovation and continuous improvement
- builds an organisation’s credentials and reputation in its approach to sustainability in infrastructure
Sustainability and designers
- consider sustainability (and resilience) in your designs
- investigate new technologies/thinking
- see the system as a whole
- take practical actions at an early stage
