Sustainability Committee

"As the stewards of society's physical infrastructure, civil engineers must lead the next shift in sustainable planning, design, and construction. ASCE defines sustainability as "a set of environmental, economic and social conditions in which all of society has the capacity and opportunity to maintain and improve its quality of life indefinitely without degrading the quality, quantity or availability of natural, economic, and social resources." - ASCE National Sustainability Page

THE GOALS OF THE ASCE OC BRANCH SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE

With a focus on Orange County-based members, the Sustainability Committee strives to educate and further the state of the practice of sustainability in three broad areas:

Partnership

Provide networking and information exchange opportunities to our members by partnering with sustainable organizations such as USGBC, etc.
Engage student members by developing guest lecture topics and course modules on current sustainable practices.
Coordinate with other ASCE Orange County Branch Committees and institutes, ASCE OC Younger Member Forum, and with the ASCE LA Branch Sustainability Committee and the National ASCE/TAC Committee on Sustainability.

Rating Systems

Advocate and provide resources to support the use of infrastructure rating systems.
Recognize sustainability with a Branch award for Sustainable Project of the Year.
Provide information and resources to encourage public agencies/owners to incorporate and adopt sustainability standards.

Education

Promote and learn about active transportation infrastructure through organizing bike ride activities.
Educate our members and the community at large about sustainable practices.
Organize field trips to certified sustainable projects.
Contribute to the body of knowledge of sustainable practices.
Provide resources to ASCE members to obtain sustainability credentials: LEED-AP, ENV-SP, STP, etc.

HISTORY OF THE SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE

On January 16, 2008, the National ASCE Technical Advisory Committee on Sustainability published Sustainability Guidelines for ASCE Sections, Branches, and Student Chapters. Many ASCE Sections, including Los Angeles, started the formation of Sustainability Committees and our Branch has also demonstrated leadership in advancing sustainability by creating a committee.

MEMBERSHIP

Active ASCE-OC Branch members with genuine interest and experience in sustainability can apply to become a member of the Sustainability Committee. If you would like to be a member of this committee, please send an email to one of the Chairs with a paragraph describing your interest and qualifications (see contact info above on the right). The Committee meets virtually once every month during lunch. Contact committee chair for more meeting information.

Members of the Committee include (pictured from left to right) taken during the COVID-19 pandemic in one of our virtual monthly meetings:

Raul Rodriguez, EIT | Transportation Engineer I | raul.rodriguez@mbakerintl.com
Tonia Wang, PE, ENV SP | Transportation Engineer | txwang@HNTB.com
Sam Ali, PE, LEED AP, ENV SP | hariri@cox.net
Charlotte Wu, PE, ENV SP, STP | Transportation Engineer | charlotte.wu@aecom.com
Nathan Forrest, PE, ENV SP | Technical Director | nathan.forrest@cncement.org
Michael Perkins, PE | Project Consultant | MJPerkins@sgh.com
Sherry Weinmeier, PE, LEED AP, ENV SP (not pictured) | sherry.weinmeier@stantec.com
Janet Fordunski, PE (not pictured) | jfordunski@woodardcurran.com
Nathan Chase, PE, LEED AP ND, ENV SP (not pictured) | nchase@rmcwater.com
Salem Afeworki, ENV SP, LEED GA (not pictured) | salem.afeworki@costamesaca.gov
Ruta Bandziulis, EIT (not pictured) | r.bandziulis@tencategeo.com

ENVISION

Envision provides a holistic framework for evaluating and rating the community, environmental, and economic benefits of all types and sizes of infrastructure projects. It evaluates, grades, and gives recognition to infrastructure projects that use transformational, collaborative approaches to assess the sustainability indicators over the course of the project's life cycle.

This rating system is a collaboration between the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) and the Zofnass program for Sustainable Infrastructure at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. ISI is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization founded by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), the American Public Works Association (APWA), and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

Click the banner below for more details:

ORANGE COUNTY PROJECT PROFILES

OC Streetcar - CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

Newport Beach Learning Center - CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

THE ROLE OF THE CIVIL ENGINEER IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

(excerpt from ASCE Policy Statement 418)

"Sustainable development is the challenge of meeting human needs while conserving and protecting the natural resource base essential for future development."

As the bridge between science and society, engineers must strengthen and broaden their education and find innovative ways to achieve needed development while conserving and preserving natural resources.

To achieve these objectives, ASCE promotes the following implementation strategies:

Promote a broad understanding of economic, environmental, political, social, and technical issues and processes as related to sustainable development;
Advance the skills, knowledge, and information necessary for a sustainable future; including habitats, natural systems, system flows, and the effects of all phases of the life cycle of projects on the ecosystem;
Advocate economic approaches that recognize natural resources and our environment as capital assets;
Promote multidisciplinary, whole system, integrated and multi-objective goals in all phases of project planning, design, construction, operations, and decommissioning;
Promote reduction of vulnerability to natural, accidental, and willful hazards to be part of sustainable development; and
Promote performance-based standards and guidelines as bases for voluntary actions and for regulations in sustainable development for new and existing infrastructure.

PAST PRESENTATIONS

Contacts

Sam Ali, PE, LEED AP, ENV SP
Sustainability Committee Co-Chair
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Charlotte Wu, PE, ENV SP, STP
Sustainability Committee Co-Chair
AECOM
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Committee Files

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