Better Planning for Green Buildings

Any project which is planned in advance with the concept of profitability through sustainability will attract green buildings. It is bounden duty of engineers to ensure that environmental balance is maintained for welfare of the mankind. Sustainable issues to be addressed at different stages during a building design by engineers are:

· Carbon emissions from buildings.

· Use of water.

· The indoor environment.

· The way that buildings can be adapted for climate change.

· Reducing the use of potential pollutants (e.g. refrigerants).

· Effective waste management

LEED places a high priority on building energy performance. Green buildings are more likely to purchase "green power" for electricity generated from renewable energy sources. Solar energy may be the energy of the future.

Though there are many uncertainties surrounding environmental problems, all can be resolved by the collective efforts of engineers in association with policy makers. It is expected that the world is marching towards clean development mechanism (CDM). Engineers, being a part of the society, are the main driving force of this CDM and to play crucial role to save the planet earth for future generations.

What will best "save the planet earth for future generations" is simple; it is not sovereign - not Russian, certainly not LEEDs; it is working together.

Policy makers have their local agenda. Clean Development Mechanisms have, well, policy makers' local agenda.

Engineers SHOULD have but one agenda: that is that "not one dam or levee, not one building, not one highway or railway, not one sidewalk nor one single set of stairs to even the lowliest occupiable structure; not one of any of these will fail on my watch."

"Green" is a political catchphrase; engineering is a calling.

Politicians will embrace the latest political gambit while devising ways to divorce themselves from their previous embraces. Engineers will, inevitably, simply lead the rebuilding after the inevitable political failures - including those resulting from political declarations of "peace" or "sovereign" or, lately, of "green."

Sad in the short term, but hopeful in the long: political declarations come and go, but engineered solutions to PEOPLE'S problems stand as models. They exemplify either egregious error or phenomenal foresightedness, but they should - MUST - never embrace jingoism. We learn from the failure or success of engineered solutions, not from jingoes like LEED or Kyoto or even Al Gore.

If my country relegates yours to the use of coal, will your engineers have the courage and the POLITICAL support to "greenify" the massive consumption of coal it will take you to achieve your desired destiny? Substitute "oil" for "coal" if you must; substitute "nuclear" for "oil" as you will certainly must sooner or later; no matter, substitute "gray-brown" for "blue" before the word "sky" because engineers have abdicated their responsibility to humanity, we have given that over to politicians and pundits (jingoists) and our infrastructures and our public sanitation have failed our societies. But we do have 4G cell phones! That's a start, right? Uhhh - what's THAT carbon footprint?

I digress. You spoke also of waste management and of water use, and I left those without comment. Or did I? Re-reading the above, inserting only those few new words then adding only "next world war" to that mix...

We have work to do, my fellow engineer, despite the politicians, the LEEDs, whatever. I'd be honored to help and receive help and feel certain you would be honored as well, but I will not dance the latest jingo, I will not endorse CFLs, and I despise ...

Again, I digress. Regards to you, my fellow human, and to our Russian counterparts.

Gene