Hello Readers,

Welcome to my series on transitioning from a traditional to sustainable engineering practice.  I am currently spending much of my time learning as much as possible about sustainable engineering because I feel that it is imperative that today’s engineers begin to incorporate sustainable strategies in all design work.  I hope that through the Sherwood Institute blog forum I will be able to learn and share new information about greener engineering practices.  I plan to write a bi-weekly blog where I can discuss what I learn and hopefully inspire others to increase the use of sustainable design strategies.

I would like to begin by telling readers a bit about my background and how I became so passionate about learning sustainable engineering methods. I received my B.S in Civil & Environmental Engineering from The University of Vermont, where I was taught by very environmentally friendly professors and surrounded by forward-thinking peers.  It was there that I became interested in the environment and how important it is that we practice sustainable design.  A professor (also my adviser) would always say, “Water Bottles are the Devil!”  If you wanted to do well in her classes, you knew ahead of time that you’d better not come to class after stopping to get a Dasani from the vending machine!  When I first started at UVM I thought the majority of these “hippie” professors were a bit crazy.  However, they taught traditional engineering schooling while incorporating sustainable philosophy, and by the time I graduated I guess I, too, had become a bit of a hippie engineer.

Upon graduation I went to work in the public sector.  This was a wonderful experience in traditional engineering.  I had great managers and co-workers and was able to gain experience as a project designer and manager. I became more familiar with contract documents, design software and engineering judgment.  My manager noticed my passion for “green” and allowed me the opportunity to become involved in our work to become a more sustainable agency.   This included learning adaptation strategies that will be necessary for key infrastructure as the climate changes, design methods such as green and complete streets and using recycled or permeable pavement.  This experience was especially valuable because it allowed me to see just how difficult it can be to incorporate sustainable practices.  There are many important design standards that have been tested and proven over time.  To not follow these standards can be a scary first step, and sometimes is against local or national policy.  There are also environmental permitting and cost issues that can limit how many new “green” ideas can be incorporated into a project.

While working I took a class at the Harvard Extension School titled “Sustainable Buildings: Design and Construction.” In a multi-disciplinary environment, filled with people with a true desire to incorporate green practices, I learned about topics such as integrated design, LEED, air quality, rainwater harvesting, graywater use, and green roofs.  After attending “West Coast Green 2010” and hearing several incredible speakers including Bry Sarté discuss sustainable engineering, I knew that I wanted to help spread the Green Movement and become a part of sustainable engineering progress.

I feel it is important both personally and globally to transition to more sustainable practices.  I am a fairly environmentally friendly girl:  I purchase many green products, follow a vegetarian lifestyle, try to use as little energy and water as possible, commute via bike, bus or car-pooling, and carry a Lifefactory Water Bottle everywhere I go.  However, I also enjoy a few luxuries and feel that everyone should be able to indulge a bit and still be a friend to the planet and all of the other people with whom we share it.  At “West Coast Green 2010” William McDonough gave an incredibly inspiring keynote speech.  The message I took home from his speech was that we can not just make the world “a little better” but need to make drastic changes so that we will have enough resources for a rapidly growing population to live luxuriously in both developed and developing countries.

I believe that engineering design must become greener so that we live sustainably and do not deplete the world of valuable resources, so that the world’s inhabitants are living in a healthier environment. We must do this in a way that is not more expensive than traditional engineering options.  Bry Sarté’, in his book Sustainable Infrastructure: The Guide to Green Engineering and Design, sums it all up by saying  “Sustainable design, then, becomes the art of satisfying the same human needs with less energy and materials by increasing efficiency, and also reducing the environmental impact of the energy and materials we do use.”

Over the next several months I hope to learn and share about all things related to sustainable engineering.  I plan to finish reading Sustainable Infrastructure: The Guide to Green Engineering and Design and study for the LEED Green Associate exam.  I want to learn more about integrated design, rainwater harvesting and policies in different countries regarding water re-use.  I am currently living in Lake Tahoe where the “Keep Tahoe Blue” slogan is a very important part of life.  I hope to talk to different businesses about the new Best Management Practices that they need to implement in order to be environmentally friendly.

I am sure that as I learn more, new ideas will snowball into in-depth new topics regarding sustainable engineering and water resource management.  I hope that I will learn and share interesting and helpful information for all of our readers and hope to develop a relationship where we can all gain knowledge from each other.  I look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas. I hope this blog will become a forum where we can all share lots of new ideas!

Looking forward to learning with you,

Jessica

Posted in BLOG, Design, Education/Career, Energy, Lifestyle | No Comments »