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08.08

The 2008 IEEE-USA Annual Meeting: Fostering Sustainability Initiatives Among Engineers & Technical Professionals

By Patrick Meyer

The foundations of what is today referred to as “sustainability” emerged in the mid- to late-1970s, amid political, environmental, resource, and economic upheaval. From the end of the Second World War, until the early 1970s, the rate and perpetuality of Western growth was rarely questioned. But eventually, “the need for sustainability arose from the recognition that the profligate, extravagant, and inequitable nature of current patterns of development, when projected into the not-too-distant future, lead to biophysical impossibilities” (Goodland, 1995, p. 5). By the early 1980s, the terms sustainability and sustainable development began to be increasingly used by institutions and individuals concerned with the relationships between humans and the global environment (Brown et al., 1987).

The concept of sustainable development did not gain mainstream popularity until 1987 when the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) released Our Common Future. The Commission defined sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (WCED, 1987, p. 8). According to the report, sustainable development is “a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development, and institutional change are all in harmony and enhance both current and future potentials to meet human needs and aspirations” (p. 46). WCED’s definition of sustainable development marked the first attempt to propel the concept into the mainstream, making it accessible by essentially every field of study.

Although some engineers had already begun to devise ways to incorporate mechanisms of sustainable development into their work, it was after Our Common Future that doing so became a central focus of many engineers’ work. Now, more than twenty years after WCED’s report, it has become clear that some level of sustainability initiatives are incorporated in almost all engineering activities. Yet, the activities completed to date are only the tip of the iceberg. Much more work must be completed to pave the road towards sustainable development. The 2008 IEEE-USA Annual Meeting is an example of such work; a two-day event devoted to raising awareness of and spurring action towards sustainability within the realm of engineering.

The 2008 IEEE-USA Annual Meeting, entitled “Green Engineering: A Push Toward Sustainability,” served as proof of engineers’ commitment to the environment. Held 25-27 April in beautiful Indianapolis, Ind., the meeting included sustainability-focused presentations on green businesses, green engineering, green IEEE Sections, as well as numerous presentations on innovation, grassroots and activities designed to promote action at the ground-level. Following is a brief overview of some of the key presentations at the 2008 annual meeting. More information on each of the presenters, as well as a download of many of the presenters’ presentations, is available on the annual meeting Web site.

The first day of the meeting began with keynote speaker, Jill Buck, founder of the Go Green Initiative. Buck set the tone for the rest of the meeting with her powerful presentation “Green Business is Good Business.” She began by explaining a ground-rule point, namely that we’re mostly all in business to make money — and that’s okay. Through her presentation, Buck explained that green business is good business because by making your business green, you can pre-empt government regulation, avoid long-run costs, live up to your customer’s expectations, and improve your employee expectations and retention rates.

Buck further explained that IEEE’s future role should be to incorporate green technology into every field, discipline and standard with which it is involved. Such a task would involve IntraClimate changes to the way IEEE does business, including creating  strategic partnerships with environmental-based organizations, working more closely with government and improving government relations, and developing better public relations and media outreach. Second, making IEEE a green business would involve conserving natural resources through waste reduction, energy conservation, green purchasing, and using alternative fuel vehicles and public transportation. Third, transitioning to a green business would involve InterClimate changes through LEED certification, green cleaning and extensive training and education for employees. Lastly, making IEEE a green business would mean reducing the organization’s carbon footprint. Doing so would require  quantifying the current footprint, increasing recycling and alternative energy use, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. For more information on Buck’s presentation, download it here. Additionally, Buck’s Today’s Engineer feature article, which discusses the content presented at the annual meeting, is available here.

Bill Williams, Senior Legislative Representative at IEEE-USA, provided an involved presentation on green engineering. Entitled “Green Engineering: A Legislative Perspective”, Williams provided an excellent review of legislative actions taken towards sustainability, renewable energy, and green initiatives in the United States. Williams first conveyed a history and background of IEEE, IEEE-USA, and the IEEE-USA Energy Policy Committee, then expanded into a background review of energy legislation in the United States.

Williams explained that the energy crisis of the 1970s spurred the federal government to enact renewable energy policies such as the Energy Tax Act of 1978 and the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) of 1978. These acts sought to reduce energy consumption, increase renewable energy generation, and spur competition to help keep prices down. These early attempts were successful, according to Williams, and partly because of these acts, California today has three major wind farms with over 13,000 installed turbines. In 1999, in Texas, William continued, the Texas Senate passed Bill 7, which mandated a renewable portfolio standard of 2,000 MW of additional renewable energy by 2009 — impressively, the goal was met in 2005. Texas is now the U.S. leader in wind power production, thanks in large part to the legislative actions taken in the late 1990s.

Williams also explained that despite the immense progress witnessed over the past twenty years, renewable energy still faces a number of barriers. For example, when it comes to wind power, the technology is obviously limited to windy areas, limited to small generator size, needs expensive energy storage, can affect endangered birds, and has, in some places, been met with a “not in my backyard” mentality. Another major limiting factor of renewable energy is the cost. Williams cited a European Commission study which reported that 71 percent of the populace would not pay the required amount — $220 per month per household — to significantly cut greenhouse gases.

According to Williams, the 110th Congress recognizes that global warming, the war in the Middle East, and record oil and gas prices, have made necessary the integration sustainability measures into legislation. In fact, more than 280 bills on energy efficiency and renewable energy have been introduced in the 110th Congress, about one-third of which focus on renewable fuels, and one-third of which provide incentives for investment, energy production, fuel use, or fuel reduction. Williams pointed out that in the most recent legislation, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, Congress included mandates to increase the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards to 35 mpg by 2020, increase biofuel production, improve efficiency standards for appliances and lighting, as well as other incentives for plug-in hybrids and smart grid. Yet the legislation did not include the creation of a nationwide renewable portfolio standard, nor did it contain an extension of renewable tax credits — two initiatives that will surely be missed by promoters of true sustainability. For more information, see Williams’ full presentation here.

With their presentation, “Sections Going Green,” William Kassebaum and Earl Hill, both members of the IEEE Central Indiana Section, provided a compelling presentation about what can be done at the Section-level to implement sustainable initiatives. Kassebaum and Hill covered the basics of renewable energy and related policy, then dived into actions that IEEE Sections can undertake to promote sustainability. For example, a Section can sponsor student “green” projects; provide short courses on alternative energy; host talks by power companies, vendors, state agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the realm of sustainability; and provide tours of installations, as they have done for Section members to places such as the Wabash River Station, Lugar Alternative Energy Center, and Benton Country Wind Power, among others. They also explained how IEEE Sections can play a role in the cleaner production of materials, including processes to make greener products, greener development, improve water management, and improve recycling capabilities for computer and other electronic waste. In the realm of transmission and distribution, IEEE Sections can undertake projects aimed at improving cable and conductor materials to reduce losses, increase deployment of distributed generation, and undertake interconnection studies.

In the policy realm, Kassebaum and Hill explained that “green” is often not “black and white.” That is, there are associated costs and tradeoffs. To minimize costs and optimize tradeoffs, they suggested the creation of timelines for action, and clear definitions of what is and is not achievable. Kassebaum and Hill concluded by pointing out that IEEE has abundant resources within industry, universities and research centers, as well as a long list of available speakers and experts. These resources can be used to the advantage of IEEE Sections to allow them to play a leading role in green initiatives. Kassebaum and Hill’s full presentation is available here. Additionally, their Today’s Engineer feature article, which discusses the content presented at the annual meeting, is available here.

Going green often requires actions at the ground-level. Motivating an organization as large as IEEE to implement green initiatives as part of every project will require extensive changes to the way in which everyday actions are performed. The organizers of the annual meeting realized this, and thus planned the agenda so that the presentations did not focus solely on green activities, per se. In between the aforementioned sessions on green business, green engineering, and green sections, there were a number of sessions with various topics such as how to improve innovation (Hutcheson; also see Hutcheson’s Today’s Engineer feature article); how to organize a professional development seminar (Hamzey, Vakilzadian, and Perkins); how to engage the political system at the local level (Harrison); and how to select leaders (Meredith). Such information sessions allow for the foundational changes necessary to implement green initiatives.

The 2008 IEEE Annual Meeting “Green Engineering: A Push Toward Sustainability” was an outstanding success. The meeting is added to a growing list of IEEE activities to address sustainability, sustainable development, renewable energy, and efficiency and conservation. Also on the list are the multiple IEEE Societies and committees, a number of IEEE publications, and hundreds of IEEE conferences which are working on issues of sustainability. IEEE is learning from these endeavors and assisting society’s overall move towards sustainable development.

Synergizing engineering and sustainable development initiatives has proven highly successful in the past. Engineering and technology can be used to solve the problems of the past and create a more sustainable future. IEEE and countless other organizations have already served to further promote the use of sustainable technologies in societies around the globe. But an even more aggressive and progressive effort must be made to ensure the correct path is taken towards global sustainability. IEEE holds the potential to lead the way.

References

B. Brown, M. Hanson, D. Liverman & R. Merideth, Global sustainability: Toward definition Environmental Management, 11(6), pp. 713-719, 1987.

R. Goodland, "The Concept of Environmental Sustainability," Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 26(1), pp. 1-24, 1995.

Our Common Future: Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development, WCED, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987.

Patrick E. Meyer is IEEE-USA Today's Engineer Students' Voice Editor, and a doctoral student at the University of Delaware. Comments may be submitted to todaysengineer@ieee.org.