Orange County Branch Newsletter

December 2007

Secretary's Column

Living Green, working Green and Being Green

By Ziad Y. Mazboudi, PE


In the past year, the term “Green” has become not just a common household name, but we hear it during professional conferences, at meetings, in magazines, on TV.  It is all about being Green.  Well, what are we really talking about and how does that affect civil engineers.  I started interacting with the “Green” movement, about 10 years ago, as I was reviewing developments for compliance with the NPDES permit, and read for the first time “Start at the Source” booklet, developed by the Bay Area Stormwater Management Agencies Associations, BASMAA.  When everyone was installing catch basin inserts, I was recommending grassy swales, infiltration trenches, more open space, less concrete and asphalt.  Well, low and behold, after 4-5 years of this, we now refer to these as LID, Low Impact Development techniques, and they are environmentally friendly, and recommended by the US Green Building Council, and proposed to be included as a requirement for new developments in the latest draft of the San Diego NPDES permit.  But, it doesn’t stop there for civil engineers, we have to think differently, we have to think of how all of what we do impact the environment, and how we can minimize the need on natural resources, not just during construction but when the project is fully complete and operational.  Thinking outside the box and with the other designers, such as the architect, landscape architect, mechanical engineer, etc.. Everyone of the team brings something to the table that could minimize the environmental impacts of the project, or make it healthier to live or work in the future project.  We all take for granted our natural resources, but what is scary is that we are in crisis mode!! Can you imagine turning the faucet one day and no water coming out.  Can you imagine flipping a switch and no light comes on.  We have to start thinking differently.  Have you ever gone home for a long week end and left your computer and a lot of your electrical equipment on.  Well, imagine if thousands of other people like you did that, and think of a hot summer day, when everyone might be turning on their ACs, and all of a sudden, we are on energy alert, and possible electricity shut down might be triggered because we are out of power.  The system is overloaded.  So, as engineers, we should live and work Green, turn off lights you don’t need, replace incandescent bulbs with fluorescent bulbs, or better even yet with LEDs.  The same advise goes for water conservation.  Avoid wasting water, at home, at work, on the construction site, on the project you are working on.  Plant or specify drought tolerant or native plants that require low or no water.  Recycling at home, work or on the job site is another very important element of Green.  We have to increase the life of our landfills, reuse any material that could be reused to cut down on natural resources and most importantly buy recycled material whenever possible to help reduce its price.  Some people might not like Al Gore, but whether you like him or not, Global Warming is a reality, and every bit of Greening we do, will help improve the situation.  So, please take care of Mother Earth by taking simple measures to help.  It doesn’t have to be extreme measures to make a difference.  Be Green!  For more information on Green Building, visit [url=http://www.usgbc.com]http://www.usgbc.com[/url] .

This is the second newsletter that I have put together as a secretary.  I have included many new articles and changed the format a little bit.  I hope you are finding it interesting, and I hope to hear from you with ideas and/or comments on the newsletter.

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