EGGG167 Fall 2006 Sustainability and its Impacts on Civil & Environmental Engineering Sue McNeil X 6578 Dupont Hall 360D

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5 Sustainable ‘Meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability to meet the needs of future generations.’ –Egalitarian viewpoint of equal outcomes –Technological progress may negate concern. ‘Economic and social change to improve human well being while reducing the need for environmental protection.’ –Human centric viewpoint

6 Triple Bottom Line for Sustainability Economic: effective investments (eng. econ.), essential finance, job creation Environmental: natural systems, public health –Reduce use of non-renewable resources –Better manage use of renewable resources –Reduce the spread of toxic materials. Social: equity, justice, security

7 Numerous Environmental Issues Global climate change Spread of toxic materials: –Conventional air and water pollutants such as particulates –Organic materials such as endochrine disrupters Dwindling biodiversity Overuse of common resources such as fisheries.

8 Triple Bottom Line Assessment Analytical Difficulties Multi-objective problem – many dimensions of impact. Valuation problems for many items. Priorities differ among stakeholders. Trade-off and dominance analysis relevant. Role of precautionary principle – do not risk irreparable harm.

Infrastructure Concepts ‘Tangible capital stock’: buildings, roads, telecommunications, water systems, etc. –Long lived investments with spatial extent ‘Foundation of an organization’ –Rather broad, including human capital ‘Publicly owned capital’ –Consistent with government statistics.

ASCE 2001 & 2005 Infrastructure Report Card Aviation: D 01, D+ 05 Bridges: C, C Dams: D, D Drinking Water: D, D- Energy Grid: D+, D Haz. Waste: D+, D Waterways: D+, D- Parks: --, C- Rail: --, C- Roads: D+, D Schools: D-, D Security: --, I Solid Waste: C+, C+ Transit: C-, D+ Wastewater: D, D- GPA: D

Economic Sectors of Highest % of External Air Emissions Costs Ref.: H. Scott Matthews, PhD Dissertation Data.

Some US Construction Impacts

Infrastructure Failure: New Orleans

Triple Bottom Line Failure in New Orleans Levee Failure Economic – massive losses of buildings and economic activity, large rebuilding costs. Environmental – significant clean up issues. Social – accusations of class and racial prejudice.

Coming Sustainable Infrastructure Information Technology Structural health monitoring. Toll collection and infraction identification. Operational monitoring and improvement. Multi-tasking: wireless communications. Quality and security monitoring. Etc.

Life Cycle Perspective Infrastructure inherently exists for a significant period of time. Focusing upon one life cycle phase can be misleading – minimizing design or construction costs can increase life cycle costs, even when discounted.

Residential Life Cycle Energy Source: Ochoa, Hendrickson, Matthews and Ries, 2005

Motor Vehicle Energy Use

Life Cycle Analysis Extraction to End of Disposal Need to Account for Indirect Inputs

Life Cycle Analysis Approaches Process Based LCA – Build up individual processes from mineral extractions through end of life. Economic Input-Output Based LCA – Use the Leontief Model of an economy. Combined or Hybrid LCA – use both process models and economic input- output models.

Some Tools (Continued) Triple bottom line assessments (multi- objective optimization) Life Cycle Analysis Consider wide range of design alternatives (not a tactic limited to sustainable infrastructure, of course…) –New technology (datalogger, new materials) –Alternative approaches (different modes)

Example: Producing Electricity in Remote Locations 52% of electricity is produced from coal Coal deposits are generally not close to electricity demand The Powder River Basin produces more that 1/3 of U.S. coal, 350 million tons shipped by rail up to 1,500 miles Should PRB coal be shipped by rail?

Alternative Shipment Methods Coal by rail Coal by truck or waterways (non-starters!) Coal to electricity and ship by wire Coal to gas and ship by pipeline Coal to gas and ship by wire Beyond scope of example: move demand, reduce demand, alternative energy sources

Wyoming to Texas Coal Transport

US Freight Traffic is Increasing

Roadway Capacity is Stable

Rail Mileage is Declining

Leading to Heavier Use

Transporting Energy from WY to Texas: All New Infrastructure Annual Cost ($millions

Emissions from Transporting Energy

Shipping Energy Conclusions If infrastructure exists (rail lines), then it is best to use it. For new investment, alternatives to rail can be attractive but involve trade-offs.

Some Other Familiar Tools (Continued) Appropriate boundary setting. Risk and uncertainty analysis. Life cycle cost analysis.

What can be done to promote sustainable infrastructure? Policy Education Research Local Action Personal Action

Some Policy Examples Fuel economy requirements and incentives – reduce infrastructure needs. Higher density development encouragement Brownfields re-development encouragement. Toxics emissions reporting and regulation. Full cost pricing. Green buildings, e.g. LEED certification

Some Research Examples Re-use and recycling of goods. Alternative fuels and power generation. Energy efficient buildings. Carbon sequestration. New Technology (bio-materials, information technology, etc.)

Switchgrass (Cellulosic) Ethanol

Some Resources Center for Sustainable Engineering (ASU, Carnegie Mellon, Texas): Carnegie Mellon Green Design Institute: Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment: website at Book: Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Goods & Services: An Input-Output Approach,

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