Bill Wallace wrote an excellent overview (circa 2005) of sustainable development which can still help engineers begin to form ideas about how to integrate sustainability and resilience into direct engineering practice. Becoming part of the solution [1] directly mentions the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and Agenda 21, which have evolved into the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030. Wallace updated my 1998 perspective to see 2005 state of the art and raised my curiosity. Wallace also helped FIDIC develop a sustainability framework engineers in international practice still use: Project Sustainability Management.

Listen to a short interview with Bill [2], find some key insights in less than 15 minutes from 2010.

Key ideas

• remember 4 elements to engineer's role in sustainability

• understand overview of sustainability principles frameworks

• match client needs to sustainability opportunities

• find ways to push your organization's envelope

• showing commitment to sustainability through policy, staffing and choices

• delivering projects has particular sustainability elements

• use the FIDIC project sustainability management framework and checklist to jumpstart your sustainability

4 elements to engineer's role in sustainability

• Become part of the solution...
• Develop and communicate the business case for sustainable development to clients...
• Visualize and deliver projects that truly improve sustainable development conditions...
• Test and verify technical performance...

Understand sustainability principles and frameworks

To understand the state of the art, Wallace summarizes several key principles and established frameworks for sustainability to help engineers make sustainability an operational part of practicing engineering. This high-level tour includes The Natural Step, Natural Capitalism, eco-efficiency, eco-effectiveness, industrial ecology, by-product synergy, Design for Environment. Some of these frameworks you'll recognize in the circular economy.

Match client needs to sustainability opportunities

Engineers can help clients understand where they are and can guide clients towards sustainability:

• sustainability assessment
• sustainability reporting
• greenhouse gas emissions inventory and reduction
• green building design and construction
• industrial ecology and by-product synergy

Push your organization's envelope

• Use your knowledge about your clients

• Work outside the box (considering life cycle concerns, stakeholder issues, eco-efficiency, eco-effectiveness, controversial projects, technologies)

• Find projects that build social-ecological systems in 'developing nations'

How might you conduct your engineering practice under the new paradigm of sustainability?

Showing commitment to sustainability through policy and staffing

Engineering firms need to intentionally build sustainability into its ability to practice engineering to succeed with sustainability:

• Endorse and incorporate sustainability principles into strategies, policies and programs

• Acquire the necessary resources, processes, people and tools to fill the historic gaps between traditional engineering firms and sustainability practice (Wallace includes examples)

• Continually improve its own internal sustainability-- greening a firm is only a first step

Engineering firms must understand that our greater impact on sustainability results from the project we deliver. Screening projects exemplifies our credibility on sustainability and resilience.

Delivering projects involves particular sustainability elements

Wallace writes in detail about selecting, planning and delivering projects to improve sustainability. The following ideas struck me.

Projects need several conditions to succeed and contribute to sustainable development

• Knowledgeable and committed project owner
• High-performance project team
• 'Alternative procurement' and contracting mechanisms
• High but achievable sustainable development goals and objectives
• Access to and willingness to share knowledge and achievements

To achieve high levels of performance requires new forms of project delivery, forms that create a more collaborative atmosphere among the project team members. ... Openness and stakeholder involvement are essential ingredients. Cross-discipline teams working with stakeholders produce design solutions that are the product of multiple views and experiences.

Project managers need to include comprehensive sustainability goals and indicators.

Use the FIDIC project sustainability management framework

You can use one of several sustainability frameworks, and Wallace describes the FIDIC framework in detail alongside LEED, SPeAR, and CH2M-Hill's. Each has strengths and limitations. Other frameworks emerge by 2018, such as ENVISION, Green Roads, LEED NG.

All consist of a set of categories and indicators in each category for elements that, when done, help us execute projects with the "greatest sustainability".

[1]:Wallace, Bill (2005) Becoming part of the solution

[2]:ASCE Industry Leaders Council Podcast Interview with Bill Wallace. 2010. 10 minutes.