CIVIL ENGINEERING

SUSTAINABILITY IN
THE FUTURE
What is SUSTAINABILITY?
❑ to sustain
❑ to endure
❑ to maintain
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

- Focuses on meeting the needs of the

present without comprising the ability of
future generations to meet their own
needs.
 THE VISION FOR CIVIL
ENGINEERING IN 2025
Entrusted by society to create a
sustainable world and enhance the
global quality of life, civil engineers
serve competently, collaboratively,
and ethically as master:
 1. PLANNERS, DESIGNERS,
CONSTRUCTORS, AND OPERATORS
2. STEWARDS OF THE ENVIRONMENT
3. INNOVATORS AND INTEGRATORS OF
TECHNOLOGY
4. MANAGERS OF RISK
5. LEADERS IN PUBLIC POLICY
REASONS WHY CONSTRUCTION HAS
A DIRECT IMPACT ON THE
ENVIRONMENT:

- Generation of waste materials

- Emissions from vehicles, machineries
- Noise pollution due to construction
machineries
- Releases wastes and pollutants into water,
ground and atmosphere.
IN ORDER TO PERFORM
SUSTAINABILITY IN
CONSTRUCTION, THE
FOLLOWING MUST BE SATIFIED
1. BIODIVERSITY ENHANCEMENT
2. SUPPORT TO THE COMMUNITY
3. EFFECTIVE USE OF RESOURCES
4. POLLUTION REDUCTION
5. CREATING HEALTHY
ENVIRONMENT
6. PROCESS MANAGEMENT
1. Biodiversity Enhancement
• Discovering and evaluating deposits of industrial minerals such as sand and
gravel.
• Agricultural engineering in land reclamation, drainage and improved farm
operations
• Designing tree plantations and managing forests
• Designing fish farms and supporting aquaculture
2. Support to the community
• Creative land planning and development to minimize negative environmental
impacts
• In emerging mega-cities, helping to establish local organizations that can
provide the necessary infrastructure
• Providing treatment facilities and distribution systems for potable water
• Designing systems to collect and store food and other supplies
• Designing housing and commercial buildings
• Developing streets, utility lines, public transportation and other infrastructure.
3. Effective use of resources
• Developing instrumentation to measure and monitor pollution
• Designing products and packaging for re-use or resource recovery
• Collaborating with other industries by creating “eco parks” or applied
industrial ecology. With this approach, several industries work together so
that each industry’s waste products can be used as the raw materials for
others. This also makes possible more efficient use of waste heating and
cooling water and using combined waste treatment facilities.
• Restoring and modifying old industrial sites for other uses
4. Pollution reduction
• Improving ways to recycle and reuse domestic waste
• Designing better solid waste collection and storage facilities
5. Creating healthy environment

• Restoring the ecology of lakes and wetlands

• Renewing aging urban areas in large cities
• Reclaiming and restoring eroded or damaged farmlands
6. Process management
• Project Initiation
• Project Planning
• Project Execution
In the future, engineers can be of even greater
help in achieving the goals of sustainable
development if they are able to finance and
execute programs such as the following:
• Expanding global educational programs on sustainable
development for students and practicing engineers.
• Encouraging more engineers to become environmental
generalists.
• Becoming actively engaged in the full range of decision-
making processes in addition to performing projects.
• Supporting well-crafted policies and creative applications of
engineering principles, and committing to partnerships with
social and physical scientists and health and medical
professionals.
Indeed, we should all remember that civil engineers are supposed to be first and
foremost “problem-solvers” and not mere “erectors”. After all, civil engineers being
“problem-solvers” sounds better and more decent and dignified than the other one,
anyway. -Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.

Never mind the traditional jokes about civil engineers and architects. Sabi nila, ang
arkitekto daw magdo-drawing lang nang magdo-drawing ng mahirap na design, tapos,
ipapasa sa mga civil engineer para problemahin kung paano ito itatayo. But there is no
reason to be in conflict with one another. Anyway, under Article 1723 of the New Civil
Code, the civil engineer and the architect who drew up the plans and specifications will
be both liable for damages if the building collapses due to defects within fifteen (15)
years from completion. Misery loves company, so they say. -Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.

Indeed, it needs no elaboration that civil engineers and architects are effective partners
in attaining the Millennium Development Goal of ensuring environmental sustainability
in our infrastructures. -Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.