AROUND THE WORLD, THE ENGINEERING PROFESSION IS TAKING UP THE CAUSE OF SUSTAINABILITY. WE ARE FINDING WAYS TO APPLY THE BASIC PRINCIPLES TO THE WAY WE WORK, IN ORDER TO SUPPORT A MORE BALANCED FUTURE

Generally thought of as practical, let’s-get-it-done professionals, some engineering firms are now taking the larger ideals of sustainability and applying them in their project work.

Central to this is the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC), whose Executive Committee includes a long-time Golder employee – John Boyd. FIDIC is working on ways to apply sustainability principles to engineering.

For example, a major goal of sustainability practices is to help alleviate poverty on a global scale. Engineers and scientists can apply this when working on projects in less-developed regions if they make a point of recruiting a workforce of local people and sourcing materials from local suppliers.

As an organization, Golder is applying sustainability principles within the company by finding ways to align our work with those principles. Greater impact, however, will come through recommendations to our clients that fit sustainability ideals, such as carrying out construction projects in an environmentally positive way.

Golder is contributing by developing training materials on sustainability, offering learning through our internal staff-development programs, writing articles in targeted trade media and through workshops for the profession as a whole.

At another level, FIDIC is helping lead the way for the engineering profession to move forward and become more in tune with the world’s needs and society’s expectations.