the quality of engineering september 1… · opportunities are in the future, as we approach the...
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1SEPTEMBER 2014 THE SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING SOCIETY
The quality of engineering
I recently had the privilege to travel to Brazil, as part of certain members of my family’s long-held desire to attend a
World Cup. I was impressed by the efforts being made across the country to provide public transport infrastructure to meet the demands of not one, but two, of the largest international events ever staged (the Olympics will be held there in 2016).
The World Cup matches were held in 12 cities, including Belo Horizonte, about 400 km north of Rio de Janeiro.
Part of the infrastructure scheduled to be completed by May was Belo Horizonte’s Bus Rapid Transit system. Unfortunately, on 3 July, part of an overpass that was still under construction failed, collapsing on to the road beneath. A bus and several cars were crushed, leading to the death of one person and injury of 19 others.
The cause of this tragic accident is still under investigation, but commentary from leading UK structural engineers, reported in the New Civil Engineer, suggests that failure of an anchorage or cable connection point used to prestress the bridge deck could be a possible cause.
We’re fortunate in Australia that engineering failure now rarely leads to loss of life. Australia’s worst construction disaster, collapse of Melbourne’s West Gate Bridge in 1970, cost 35 lives. The Royal Commission that followed attributed the disaster to errors in structural design and construction method. Contributing factors included inadequate independent engineering review, inappropriate time pressures, lack of resources and poor contract terms. The West Gate Royal Commission led to substantial changes in work health and safety, and defined the obligations of the professional engineer.
The quality of engineering in Australia is upheld by regulation, standards, accreditation and professional registration. Engineers Australia’s Code of Ethics requires members to demonstrate integrity, practice competently, exercise leadership and promote sustainability. Our application of these principles helps to keep our community safe.
– Alice HoweChair, Sustainable Engineering [email protected]
SENG National Chair Alice Howe
From the National Chair
2 SEPTEMBER 2014 THE SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING SOCIETY
If your doctor judged your health solely on the basis of the mass of food you eat, or if a board judged company health solely on
its turnover, you would be concerned. Yet we do this all the time by using Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a measure of the health of our economy. This is not to say that GDP should not be measured, but it’s a question of how relevant is the correlation between GDP, wealth and standard of living. Is GDP a valid KPI for an economy?
Christchurch was severely damaged by earthquakes, which required much effort and cost to re-build yet this tragedy increased GDP. Volunteer workers do great things for our society, but GDP ignores this. It also places no inherent value on our natural resources which are handed to us on a plate ‘pro bono’.
Land purchases may reflect some of this value, but in general, accounting practice only valuates ‘improvements’. Disastrous
CONTACTS
National Chair:Alice Howe0428 168 [email protected]
Newcastle chapter:Thomas Brinsmead02 4960 [email protected]
South Australia chapter:Graham Davies0448 652 [email protected]
Sydney chapter:Matthew Guy0419 035 [email protected]
ACT chapter:Adrian Piani0488 901 [email protected]
Queensland chapter:Sandy Stewart07 3412 [email protected]
Victoria chapter:Michael Hassett0407 094 [email protected]
Western Australia chapter:Wahidul Biswas08 9266 [email protected]
College of Environmental Engineers:Eric Maranik0409 497 [email protected]
Young Engineers:Ben Gibbs0413 720 [email protected]
projects (eg. Union Carbide, Deep Water Horizon and Montara off the Australian coast) that result in serious illness, capital write-offs and toxic runoff, require additional expense in the form of doctors, emergency workers, demolition, rebuilding and clean-up. All this extra work increases GDP.
Similarly, consumer products (eg. phones, appliances, fashion) with a short life and designed-in obsolescence increase GDP because of the continual need to repurchase said items after ‘throwing them away’. Criminal activity, disasters, disposable products all add to GDP, but the CFS, charities, and natural water purification do not.
GDP does not predict the future, though it is fair to say that prices go up based on demand and scarcity, so that trends may indicate growing scarcity, and the high prices would cause behaviour to adjust accordingly. However, economic forecasts do not easily consider delayed consequences and thus can mask reality. This in turn leads to cycles (in the same way as steering a houseboat down the Murray without anticipating the time lag) and ultimately can lead to crashes.
GDP did not measure the ‘free stock’ provided to coal powered generation in the UK in 1952, nor did it measure the negative effects of pollution until a week-long smog resulted in the deaths of thousands. The pollution and other negative side effects were costs borne by all, (negative externalities) yet individual companies benefitted. This resulted in the introduction of laws and compliance requirements to better ensure the polluter pays, but do we have to learn the hard way?
So why is there this unquestioned reliance on GDP? The G20 Summit at great (at great expense and thus increased GDP) concluded with a commitment to economic growth (ie an increase in GDP) of 3%. Its ironic that economics relies on continual innovation and efficiency improvement, however the measure of economic success (ie GDP) has remained unchanged for so long.
Historically, when there was scarcity, GDP had some correlation with standard of living, possibly in the same way our ancestor’s health probably correlated with amount of food eaten, or companies with large turnover were economically strong.
So perhaps this was the basis of GDP getting such credence, but given the list of companies with large turnover that no longer exist and the obesity epidemic, is it not time to question whether GDP has passed its ‘use by by date’?
Robert F. Kennedy in 1968 referred to GNP as ‘we seem to have surrendered values to material things … GNP measures everything except that which makes life worthwhile’. In the context of this article, Gross National Product (GNP) and Gross Value Add (GVA), GNI and GSP are considered to be of the same ilk as GDP.
In short GDP does not measure value or even accumulated material wealth; it only measures economic activity – good and bad, and in fact, the developer of GDP Simon Kuznets warned against its use as a measure of wellbeing or standard of living. Now if we consider that Labour Productivity is effectively GDP per person, we then bring into question the Productivity measure as well, and many other KPIs that are all based on GDP.
So what alternative measures or KPIs are there for an economy? There is no easy answer, but it may be better to have no
KPI than a misleading KPI. What about Net Assets, Net Tangible Assets, or Gross Equity? A measure worthy of consideration is the total net tangible assets less the total value of land, which aims to value ‘human improvements’. Further to this, what about subtracting the cost to rehabilitate damaged environments and displaced communities along the lines of the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI)?
There are numerous indices proposed that look at net wealth, wellbeing and standard of living. According to some of these measures, the ‘Western World’ has not really progressed in the last 20 years, which appears consistent with anecdotal evidence and public surveys.
Is it not time to reconsider the purpose of measuring of GDP and Productivity for society? State and National Governments could introduce alternative measures in reporting alongside GDP and see the reaction. The various sustainability reports reports could include alternative measures?
Companies could do a risk assessment on the reliance on GDP, how it would affect them and consider what the business opportunities are in the future, as we approach the limits to growth on a finite planet.
Economic growth has similarities to a Pyramid scheme in that when it reaches the physical limits, the last to join lose out and the scheme collapses. What happens to profitability and assets if/when growth stops and how will this effect market capitalisation. Given that intangible assets make up a significant proportion of share value and reflect the potential for future revenue, I would suspect that we would witness the Great GFC.
Given our finite resources, a measure of efficiency worth consideration may be wellbeing divided by footprint. Using a
measure similar to this, viz the Happy Planet Index, Costa Rica comes out on top! They even did pretty well in the FIFA world cup.
Black Swan events are often cited as unforeseeable events, whereas in reality many were foreseeable and occur as a result of ostrich behaviour.
I foresee that future financial financial crashes and social disruption which will be considered ‘black swans’, until we realise that ‘Just as a profitable business depends on people and systems, so to an economy depends on people and eco-systems and not GDP’.
I would go so far as to say that the mindset change required to become truly sustainable is dependent on us rethinking GDP, economic growth (Change in GDP) and productivity (GDP/total hours worked) as meaningful measures.
– Graham Davies (CPEng, GAICD)
SEPTEMBER 2014 THE SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING SOCIETY 3
GDP – Past its ‘use by date’
The Sydney chapter has held two events in the last quarter. The first event was a networking evening, held in
conjunction with the Waste Management
Association of Australia (WMAA), the Sustainable Engineering Society (SENG) of Engineers Australia, and the Environment Institute of Australia & New Zealand
(EIANZ). We invited MP Rob Stokes, NSW Minister for Environment and Heritage to the Art House to discuss his views on the three pillars of sustainability. This was followed by some lively discussion that went on well into the night.
The second event was a technical talk by Dr Stuart Khan on Treating Endocrine Disruptors in our Waterways. Dr Khan is an Associate Professor in the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the UNSW and gave us some fascinating insights into the endocrine distributors commonly found in waste water and how they result in abnormalities in the sex hormones of fish and other aquatic organisms. He also discussed the treatment methods are available today and how effective are they at reducing this impact on the aquatic environment.
The Sydney chapter is looking to organise one or two more events before the end of the year. Check our webpage for details of future events and please get in touch with any ideas for great talks!
– Rachael Lindup, Sydney SENG
Sydney Chapter: Networking
Graham Davies
2 SEPTEMBER 2014 THE SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING SOCIETY
If your doctor judged your health solely on the basis of the mass of food you eat, or if a board judged company health solely on
its turnover, you would be concerned. Yet we do this all the time by using Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a measure of the health of our economy. This is not to say that GDP should not be measured, but it’s a question of how relevant is the correlation between GDP, wealth and standard of living. Is GDP a valid KPI for an economy?
Christchurch was severely damaged by earthquakes, which required much effort and cost to re-build yet this tragedy increased GDP. Volunteer workers do great things for our society, but GDP ignores this. It also places no inherent value on our natural resources which are handed to us on a plate ‘pro bono’.
Land purchases may reflect some of this value, but in general, accounting practice only valuates ‘improvements’. Disastrous
CONTACTS
National Chair:Alice Howe0428 168 [email protected]
Newcastle chapter:Thomas Brinsmead02 4960 [email protected]
South Australia chapter:Graham Davies0448 652 [email protected]
Sydney chapter:Matthew Guy0419 035 [email protected]
ACT chapter:Adrian Piani0488 901 [email protected]
Queensland chapter:Sandy Stewart07 3412 [email protected]
Victoria chapter:Michael Hassett0407 094 [email protected]
Western Australia chapter:Wahidul Biswas08 9266 [email protected]
College of Environmental Engineers:Eric Maranik0409 497 [email protected]
Young Engineers:Ben Gibbs0413 720 [email protected]
projects (eg. Union Carbide, Deep Water Horizon and Montara off the Australian coast) that result in serious illness, capital write-offs and toxic runoff, require additional expense in the form of doctors, emergency workers, demolition, rebuilding and clean-up. All this extra work increases GDP.
Similarly, consumer products (eg. phones, appliances, fashion) with a short life and designed-in obsolescence increase GDP because of the continual need to repurchase said items after ‘throwing them away’. Criminal activity, disasters, disposable products all add to GDP, but the CFS, charities, and natural water purification do not.
GDP does not predict the future, though it is fair to say that prices go up based on demand and scarcity, so that trends may indicate growing scarcity, and the high prices would cause behaviour to adjust accordingly. However, economic forecasts do not easily consider delayed consequences and thus can mask reality. This in turn leads to cycles (in the same way as steering a houseboat down the Murray without anticipating the time lag) and ultimately can lead to crashes.
GDP did not measure the ‘free stock’ provided to coal powered generation in the UK in 1952, nor did it measure the negative effects of pollution until a week-long smog resulted in the deaths of thousands. The pollution and other negative side effects were costs borne by all, (negative externalities) yet individual companies benefitted. This resulted in the introduction of laws and compliance requirements to better ensure the polluter pays, but do we have to learn the hard way?
So why is there this unquestioned reliance on GDP? The G20 Summit at great (at great expense and thus increased GDP) concluded with a commitment to economic growth (ie an increase in GDP) of 3%. Its ironic that economics relies on continual innovation and efficiency improvement, however the measure of economic success (ie GDP) has remained unchanged for so long.
Historically, when there was scarcity, GDP had some correlation with standard of living, possibly in the same way our ancestor’s health probably correlated with amount of food eaten, or companies with large turnover were economically strong.
So perhaps this was the basis of GDP getting such credence, but given the list of companies with large turnover that no longer exist and the obesity epidemic, is it not time to question whether GDP has passed its ‘use by by date’?
Robert F. Kennedy in 1968 referred to GNP as ‘we seem to have surrendered values to material things … GNP measures everything except that which makes life worthwhile’. In the context of this article, Gross National Product (GNP) and Gross Value Add (GVA), GNI and GSP are considered to be of the same ilk as GDP.
In short GDP does not measure value or even accumulated material wealth; it only measures economic activity – good and bad, and in fact, the developer of GDP Simon Kuznets warned against its use as a measure of wellbeing or standard of living. Now if we consider that Labour Productivity is effectively GDP per person, we then bring into question the Productivity measure as well, and many other KPIs that are all based on GDP.
So what alternative measures or KPIs are there for an economy? There is no easy answer, but it may be better to have no
KPI than a misleading KPI. What about Net Assets, Net Tangible Assets, or Gross Equity? A measure worthy of consideration is the total net tangible assets less the total value of land, which aims to value ‘human improvements’. Further to this, what about subtracting the cost to rehabilitate damaged environments and displaced communities along the lines of the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI)?
There are numerous indices proposed that look at net wealth, wellbeing and standard of living. According to some of these measures, the ‘Western World’ has not really progressed in the last 20 years, which appears consistent with anecdotal evidence and public surveys.
Is it not time to reconsider the purpose of measuring of GDP and Productivity for society? State and National Governments could introduce alternative measures in reporting alongside GDP and see the reaction. The various sustainability reports reports could include alternative measures?
Companies could do a risk assessment on the reliance on GDP, how it would affect them and consider what the business opportunities are in the future, as we approach the limits to growth on a finite planet.
Economic growth has similarities to a Pyramid scheme in that when it reaches the physical limits, the last to join lose out and the scheme collapses. What happens to profitability and assets if/when growth stops and how will this effect market capitalisation. Given that intangible assets make up a significant proportion of share value and reflect the potential for future revenue, I would suspect that we would witness the Great GFC.
Given our finite resources, a measure of efficiency worth consideration may be wellbeing divided by footprint. Using a
measure similar to this, viz the Happy Planet Index, Costa Rica comes out on top! They even did pretty well in the FIFA world cup.
Black Swan events are often cited as unforeseeable events, whereas in reality many were foreseeable and occur as a result of ostrich behaviour.
I foresee that future financial financial crashes and social disruption which will be considered ‘black swans’, until we realise that ‘Just as a profitable business depends on people and systems, so to an economy depends on people and eco-systems and not GDP’.
I would go so far as to say that the mindset change required to become truly sustainable is dependent on us rethinking GDP, economic growth (Change in GDP) and productivity (GDP/total hours worked) as meaningful measures.
– Graham Davies (CPEng, GAICD)
SEPTEMBER 2014 THE SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING SOCIETY 3
GDP – Past its ‘use by date’
The Sydney chapter has held two events in the last quarter. The first event was a networking evening, held in
conjunction with the Waste Management
Association of Australia (WMAA), the Sustainable Engineering Society (SENG) of Engineers Australia, and the Environment Institute of Australia & New Zealand
(EIANZ). We invited MP Rob Stokes, NSW Minister for Environment and Heritage to the Art House to discuss his views on the three pillars of sustainability. This was followed by some lively discussion that went on well into the night.
The second event was a technical talk by Dr Stuart Khan on Treating Endocrine Disruptors in our Waterways. Dr Khan is an Associate Professor in the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the UNSW and gave us some fascinating insights into the endocrine distributors commonly found in waste water and how they result in abnormalities in the sex hormones of fish and other aquatic organisms. He also discussed the treatment methods are available today and how effective are they at reducing this impact on the aquatic environment.
The Sydney chapter is looking to organise one or two more events before the end of the year. Check our webpage for details of future events and please get in touch with any ideas for great talks!
– Rachael Lindup, Sydney SENG
Sydney Chapter: Networking
Graham Davies
Chapter Reviews
4 SEPTEMBER 2014 THE SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING SOCIETY 5SEPTEMBER 2014 THE SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING SOCIETY
Urban renewal strategy
There have been plenty of sustainability-themed professional development opportunities on offer
in Newcastle this year, hosted by SENG and many other disciplinary group. It is excellent to see many of the sustainability values, such as energy and resource efficiency, waste minimisation, and respect for natural ecosystem processes, increasingly informing the engineering profession as a whole, rather than being recognised primarily as a speciality.
The month of May saw a focus on urban water design, with Professor George Kuczera reviewing updates in methods for estimating flood quintile estimates as part of the ongoing review of the Australian Rainfall and Runoff standards. The National Committee on Water Engineering (with SENG) presented some of the issues associated with developing the Lower Hunter Water Plan, a process involving a diverse range of constituent stakeholders, attempting to provide adequate security of supply during prospective drought conditions.
Continuing with the theme of urban planning, the Centre for Engineering Leadership and Management presented a discussion panel on the urban renewal strategy for Newcastle, investigating the role of professional engineers in this important design problem that has significant community impacts.
Engineering professional ethics relate
directly to sustainability engineering, with the core critical skills of values analysis, systems thinking and design creativity; the absence of prescriptive answers and so the importance of evaluative judgment, common to both areas.
Young Engineers presented on the topic of engineering ethics in July, covering both theory and practice, and compared two codes that each document ethical principles for professional engineers.
Energy efficiency was a further theme covered in July. The latest developments in organic electronics and “solar paint” were covered by Dr Paul Dastoor from the University of Newcastle, as co-ordinated by the Electrical College with SENG (and others). The solar dessicant air conditioning system being trialled at the Newcastle TAFE site is still proving to be a popular attraction, with a site visit co-ordinated by the Electrical and Mechanical Colleges. Despite the long lead time for new ideas to be taken up commercially at large scale, it is heartening to see the engineering profession and the sciences driving technological innovation towards solutions to some of our most pressing global challenges.– Thomas Brinsmead Newcastle SENG Chair
NewcastleChapter
Thomas Brinsmead
A cautionary tale
In June we held a seminar discussing the Community Impacts of Coal Seam Gas. Dr Vikki Uhlmann, who
is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Research Manager at the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining, Sustainable Minerals Institute UQ outlined the Cumulative Socioeconomic Impacts research project, which is examining the impacts, both positive and negative, of activities related to the development of coal seam gas in the Western Downs area of South West Queensland.
The project is exploring impact areas such as housing, employment and business, education and training, community wellbeing and governance, while other related research projects are examining impacts on agriculture, water, health and community resilience.
The Qld AGM was held on Tuesday 6 August at the Shore Restaurant in Brisbane’s Southbank, followed by dinner and a conversation with Dr Richard Denniss, Executive Director of The Australia Institute. Richard spoke to the topic of Why economists think engineers don’t understand efficiency. He entertained us with his observations
on the practices of economists, which can be summarised as the efficient allocation of scarce resources – that sounds familiar doesn’t it! Richard then sobered us with a cautionary tale describing the likely outcome to a forecast end in the availability of a resource (let’s say coal for example) in a system which was established when the resource was abundant and its distribution and use was determined solely by the optimisation profit. As we heard, while we have the technology necessary to make changes, it is political and economic systems that must be updated. The event was attended by the EA Qld Division President Blake Harvey, and David Hood the 2012 National President of Engineers Australia.
While we would have loved to have had more people attend, the night was a great success and enjoyed very much by those who were able to be there.– Sandy StewartQueensland SENG Chair
QueenslandChapter
Sandy Stewart
The varied beast that is sustainability
The ACT Chapter of the Sustainable Engineering Society recently held a technical seminar on the ACT’s
climate change policy. It was nice to hear from a government that is pressing ahead with real change, irrespective on what our Federal Government or other State governments are doing. The ACT has adopted a renewable energy target of 90% by 2020, along with a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for the same period. This is all mandated through legislation. They have also committed to a carbon neutral government by 2020. This legislation and policy commitment has seen a number of great initiatives implemented including:• 40 megawatts of rooftop photovoltaic
systems installed • A reverse auction for three projects to
provide another 40 megawatts through large scale photovoltaic systems
• Nearly 80,000 tonnes of CO2-e reduced through energy efficiency improvements
• A 200 megawatt wind auction to promote investments in wind power.We look forward to tracking the ACT’s
governments’ progress against its targets, and becoming the true alternative energy capital.
We also held a seminar to explore the synergies between sustainability and humanitarian engineering. The evening was a ‘conversation’ format where the host Neil Greet chatted with Bruce Sinclair, Simba Kippaya, and Alex Ford about humanitarian endeavours and the social challenges of engineering. Bruce Sinclair needs little introduction as an energetic man (even at 85) as Bruce is one of the founding fathers of SKM and REDR (Australia). Bruce spoke strongly about the professionalism that engineers bring to what is sometimes a chaotic world of humanitarian operations, and that
professional challenge is what first brought him to REDR. As an African immigrant to Australia, Simba Kippaya was able to offer incisive views on humanitarian and development work in Africa. He spoke plainly and incisively about the pragmatic nature of actions in particular the need for good governance which is required to make true change in Africa. Alex Ford rounded out the panel. Alex is the Australian Volunteers International Development Program Manager for Australian Business Volunteers (ABV), and as a non–engineer has worked for Engineers Without Borders Australia (EWB). She offered advice on the placement engineers in international development and pointed to the fact that 65% of volunteers are women, which is almost the reverse of the gender mix in engineering.
The audience had many questions for the participants, and clearly there was an attitude of ‘what can I do that’ goes beyond the banality of paying money to others. The question of professionalism and standards, initially raised by Bruce was reinforced throughout the conversation. The evening left the question unanswered: “Are traditional modes of philanthropy and humanitarian action good enough for future challenges?”
These two seminars provided an insight into the great diversity of topic relevant to the triple bottom line of the environment, communities and the economy. We look forward to continuing our exploration of the varied beast that is sustainability…– Adrian PianiACT SENG Chair
CanberraChapter
Adrian Piani
Communicating Sustainability
VictoriaChapter
We had a very interesting event on 12 June on the subject of ‘Communicating Sustainability’.
Communicating sustainability issues can be difficult, especially to people not broadly receptive to this subject. Climate related matters can be especially problematic, due to the politicisation and misconceptions that have developed (and even been nurtured) in recent years. Two interesting perspectives were provided by Paul Connor, a social psychology academic at Melbourne University and Dr Nick Fleming, director of business innovation at Jocobs SKM. Nick is a co-author of the book ‘Insight Trading – Collaborating to transform the infrastructure that shapes society’.
Our project on marketing of SENG, aimed at building membership is progressing well. We have formed a relationship with the School of Economics and Marketing at RMIT. A full semester project for some
200 students has been developed around marketing SENG through a business to business approach. Our chapter will be collaborating with RMIT in conducting the project and will receive the benefits of the students’ research in its possible application to increasing the membership of SENG.
In the area of policy, we developed in partnership with Engineers Australia national office, EA’s submission to the Renewable Energy Target review. We continue to be involved in the revision of EA’s Climate policy following on from a decision of Congress last November.– Michael HassettVictoria SENG Chair
Michael Hassett
Chapter Reviews
4 SEPTEMBER 2014 THE SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING SOCIETY 5SEPTEMBER 2014 THE SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING SOCIETY
Urban renewal strategy
There have been plenty of sustainability-themed professional development opportunities on offer
in Newcastle this year, hosted by SENG and many other disciplinary group. It is excellent to see many of the sustainability values, such as energy and resource efficiency, waste minimisation, and respect for natural ecosystem processes, increasingly informing the engineering profession as a whole, rather than being recognised primarily as a speciality.
The month of May saw a focus on urban water design, with Professor George Kuczera reviewing updates in methods for estimating flood quintile estimates as part of the ongoing review of the Australian Rainfall and Runoff standards. The National Committee on Water Engineering (with SENG) presented some of the issues associated with developing the Lower Hunter Water Plan, a process involving a diverse range of constituent stakeholders, attempting to provide adequate security of supply during prospective drought conditions.
Continuing with the theme of urban planning, the Centre for Engineering Leadership and Management presented a discussion panel on the urban renewal strategy for Newcastle, investigating the role of professional engineers in this important design problem that has significant community impacts.
Engineering professional ethics relate
directly to sustainability engineering, with the core critical skills of values analysis, systems thinking and design creativity; the absence of prescriptive answers and so the importance of evaluative judgment, common to both areas.
Young Engineers presented on the topic of engineering ethics in July, covering both theory and practice, and compared two codes that each document ethical principles for professional engineers.
Energy efficiency was a further theme covered in July. The latest developments in organic electronics and “solar paint” were covered by Dr Paul Dastoor from the University of Newcastle, as co-ordinated by the Electrical College with SENG (and others). The solar dessicant air conditioning system being trialled at the Newcastle TAFE site is still proving to be a popular attraction, with a site visit co-ordinated by the Electrical and Mechanical Colleges. Despite the long lead time for new ideas to be taken up commercially at large scale, it is heartening to see the engineering profession and the sciences driving technological innovation towards solutions to some of our most pressing global challenges.– Thomas Brinsmead Newcastle SENG Chair
NewcastleChapter
Thomas Brinsmead
A cautionary tale
In June we held a seminar discussing the Community Impacts of Coal Seam Gas. Dr Vikki Uhlmann, who
is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Research Manager at the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining, Sustainable Minerals Institute UQ outlined the Cumulative Socioeconomic Impacts research project, which is examining the impacts, both positive and negative, of activities related to the development of coal seam gas in the Western Downs area of South West Queensland.
The project is exploring impact areas such as housing, employment and business, education and training, community wellbeing and governance, while other related research projects are examining impacts on agriculture, water, health and community resilience.
The Qld AGM was held on Tuesday 6 August at the Shore Restaurant in Brisbane’s Southbank, followed by dinner and a conversation with Dr Richard Denniss, Executive Director of The Australia Institute. Richard spoke to the topic of Why economists think engineers don’t understand efficiency. He entertained us with his observations
on the practices of economists, which can be summarised as the efficient allocation of scarce resources – that sounds familiar doesn’t it! Richard then sobered us with a cautionary tale describing the likely outcome to a forecast end in the availability of a resource (let’s say coal for example) in a system which was established when the resource was abundant and its distribution and use was determined solely by the optimisation profit. As we heard, while we have the technology necessary to make changes, it is political and economic systems that must be updated. The event was attended by the EA Qld Division President Blake Harvey, and David Hood the 2012 National President of Engineers Australia.
While we would have loved to have had more people attend, the night was a great success and enjoyed very much by those who were able to be there.– Sandy StewartQueensland SENG Chair
QueenslandChapter
Sandy Stewart
The varied beast that is sustainability
The ACT Chapter of the Sustainable Engineering Society recently held a technical seminar on the ACT’s
climate change policy. It was nice to hear from a government that is pressing ahead with real change, irrespective on what our Federal Government or other State governments are doing. The ACT has adopted a renewable energy target of 90% by 2020, along with a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for the same period. This is all mandated through legislation. They have also committed to a carbon neutral government by 2020. This legislation and policy commitment has seen a number of great initiatives implemented including:• 40 megawatts of rooftop photovoltaic
systems installed • A reverse auction for three projects to
provide another 40 megawatts through large scale photovoltaic systems
• Nearly 80,000 tonnes of CO2-e reduced through energy efficiency improvements
• A 200 megawatt wind auction to promote investments in wind power.We look forward to tracking the ACT’s
governments’ progress against its targets, and becoming the true alternative energy capital.
We also held a seminar to explore the synergies between sustainability and humanitarian engineering. The evening was a ‘conversation’ format where the host Neil Greet chatted with Bruce Sinclair, Simba Kippaya, and Alex Ford about humanitarian endeavours and the social challenges of engineering. Bruce Sinclair needs little introduction as an energetic man (even at 85) as Bruce is one of the founding fathers of SKM and REDR (Australia). Bruce spoke strongly about the professionalism that engineers bring to what is sometimes a chaotic world of humanitarian operations, and that
professional challenge is what first brought him to REDR. As an African immigrant to Australia, Simba Kippaya was able to offer incisive views on humanitarian and development work in Africa. He spoke plainly and incisively about the pragmatic nature of actions in particular the need for good governance which is required to make true change in Africa. Alex Ford rounded out the panel. Alex is the Australian Volunteers International Development Program Manager for Australian Business Volunteers (ABV), and as a non–engineer has worked for Engineers Without Borders Australia (EWB). She offered advice on the placement engineers in international development and pointed to the fact that 65% of volunteers are women, which is almost the reverse of the gender mix in engineering.
The audience had many questions for the participants, and clearly there was an attitude of ‘what can I do that’ goes beyond the banality of paying money to others. The question of professionalism and standards, initially raised by Bruce was reinforced throughout the conversation. The evening left the question unanswered: “Are traditional modes of philanthropy and humanitarian action good enough for future challenges?”
These two seminars provided an insight into the great diversity of topic relevant to the triple bottom line of the environment, communities and the economy. We look forward to continuing our exploration of the varied beast that is sustainability…– Adrian PianiACT SENG Chair
CanberraChapter
Adrian Piani
Communicating Sustainability
VictoriaChapter
We had a very interesting event on 12 June on the subject of ‘Communicating Sustainability’.
Communicating sustainability issues can be difficult, especially to people not broadly receptive to this subject. Climate related matters can be especially problematic, due to the politicisation and misconceptions that have developed (and even been nurtured) in recent years. Two interesting perspectives were provided by Paul Connor, a social psychology academic at Melbourne University and Dr Nick Fleming, director of business innovation at Jocobs SKM. Nick is a co-author of the book ‘Insight Trading – Collaborating to transform the infrastructure that shapes society’.
Our project on marketing of SENG, aimed at building membership is progressing well. We have formed a relationship with the School of Economics and Marketing at RMIT. A full semester project for some
200 students has been developed around marketing SENG through a business to business approach. Our chapter will be collaborating with RMIT in conducting the project and will receive the benefits of the students’ research in its possible application to increasing the membership of SENG.
In the area of policy, we developed in partnership with Engineers Australia national office, EA’s submission to the Renewable Energy Target review. We continue to be involved in the revision of EA’s Climate policy following on from a decision of Congress last November.– Michael HassettVictoria SENG Chair
Michael Hassett
Sustainable engineering encouragement
Western AustraliaChapter
After the formation of a new committee in March this year, SEng WA Chapter had organized a non-technical
workshop entitled, “How to run great meetings?”, in order to enhance engineers’ professional development experience. The workshop was well attended by the members of Engineers Australia as the venue reached its full capacity. The workshop was conducted by Rachael West who is a Facilitator and Educator with a first class honours in Civil and Construction Engineering.
The SEng WA Chapter had decided to conduct technical seminars on renewable energy, climate change, and material recycling issues in Western Australia. The first technical seminar will be presented on the 28th August 2014 on climate change issues entitled, “Engineering and Climate Change.. ‘what’s in it for us?” by Associate Professor Michele Rosano, Director, Sustainable Engineering Group, Curtin University. Next technical seminar on renewable energy theme entitled, “The Perth Wave Energy Project – Design and Construction Update” will be presented in September by Jonathan Fiévez, Chief Technology Officer, Carnegie Wave Energy.
This technical seminar is very much relevant to Western Australian sustainable energy issue as the state has been identified as one of the best wave resources in the world.
The chapter has already presented certificates of encouragement to students, on behalf of Engineers Australia and SEng Society WA, for best performance in tutorial classes at Curtin University’s sustainability unit – Engineering Sustainable Development in Semester 1 2014. The Chapter is also aiming to organize a sustainability related Final Year Engineering students’ project presentations at the end of this year involving all Western Australian universities and it was decided in a committee meeting that the top three projects will be awarded to encourage young engineers to promote sustainable engineering activities in their professional career. – Dr Wahidul BiswasWestern Australia SENG Chair
Dr Wahidul Biswas
Axe in our backs
SENG SA is increasingly looking at co-hosting or shared events after the successful co-host with EESA. This will
provide the opportunity for getting larger audiences to attend excellent presentations.
In August, we have Zero Waste CEO Vaughan Levitzke presenting. SA is really quite a showcase for recycling, reduced plastic bags, container deposits as well as energy and water efficiency. Having given SA a boost, we also have the highest per capita number of PV panels in Australia, and possibly world-wide, the largest wind generation in Australia. On this basis, you’d think we should hold the next SENG conference – which is what is happening in September 2015.
Daniel Marotti, of our SA committee, recently attended the Al Gore Climate Action Seminar hosted by ACF. In July he spoke at a Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA) and Medical Association for the Prevention of War (MAPW) event. About 30-35 people attended the talks followed by dinner. Daniel presented on fossil fuels, nuclear energy, how well SA is doing in renewables and its impact on the economy, health and the environment. Dr Ingo Weber provided a doctor’s perspective on the adverse health and social disruption effects of the fossil industry, along with the cost burden to the economy and compared this to using Concentrated Solar Thermal energy.
Talking of climate change, it is with great confusion and sadness that the so called ‘Carbon Tax’ has been abolished. This is extraordinary, given the clear risks posed based on scientific evidence, and leaves one puzzled and perplexed. In years to come, people will look back at this decision in the same way we look back at slavery, child labour and
apartheid, and wonder what were they thinking? What was the mindset?
Having said this, it is encouraging that Engineers Australia wrote letters signed by our President to key Senators and MPs urging them to vote against the repeal bills for economic, environmental and community reasons. SENG were very active in getting this to happen.
I gave a talk in May to the Chemical Engineering Colleges on energy, embodied energy and how it underpins society. I posed the question; Engineers can take great credit for our standard of living, but equally carry the responsibility for much unsustainability. Technology can assist in ensuring sustainability, but only if the right economic or social drivers are in place. The deaths of thousands of people prompted the clean-up of Europe’s smog and river pollution. Do we as a society and a body of engineering have the foresight and will to avoid our looming crises of pollution, degradation and emissions?
Given the recent proceedings in Canberra, I have to say the answer is “no”, not without some pain. If we don’t price our waste (and emissions are only one form of waste), then its simply not a level playing field, and we pass the cost onto others (negative externality for the economists). A truly level playing field would see industries such as renewables, recycling and local produce prosper without the need for subsidies.– Graham DaviesSouth Australia SENG Chair
South AustraliaChapter
Graham Davies
Sustainable engineering encouragement
Western AustraliaChapter
After the formation of a new committee in March this year, SEng WA Chapter had organized a non-technical
workshop entitled, “How to run great meetings?”, in order to enhance engineers’ professional development experience. The workshop was well attended by the members of Engineers Australia as the venue reached its full capacity. The workshop was conducted by Rachael West who is a Facilitator and Educator with a first class honours in Civil and Construction Engineering.
The SEng WA Chapter had decided to conduct technical seminars on renewable energy, climate change, and material recycling issues in Western Australia. The first technical seminar will be presented on the 28th August 2014 on climate change issues entitled, “Engineering and Climate Change.. ‘what’s in it for us?” by Associate Professor Michele Rosano, Director, Sustainable Engineering Group, Curtin University. Next technical seminar on renewable energy theme entitled, “The Perth Wave Energy Project – Design and Construction Update” will be presented in September by Jonathan Fiévez, Chief Technology Officer, Carnegie Wave Energy.
This technical seminar is very much relevant to Western Australian sustainable energy issue as the state has been identified as one of the best wave resources in the world.
The chapter has already presented certificates of encouragement to students, on behalf of Engineers Australia and SEng Society WA, for best performance in tutorial classes at Curtin University’s sustainability unit – Engineering Sustainable Development in Semester 1 2014. The Chapter is also aiming to organize a sustainability related Final Year Engineering students’ project presentations at the end of this year involving all Western Australian universities and it was decided in a committee meeting that the top three projects will be awarded to encourage young engineers to promote sustainable engineering activities in their professional career. – Dr Wahidul BiswasWestern Australia SENG Chair
Dr Wahidul Biswas
Axe in our backs
SENG SA is increasingly looking at co-hosting or shared events after the successful co-host with EESA. This will
provide the opportunity for getting larger audiences to attend excellent presentations.
In August, we have Zero Waste CEO Vaughan Levitzke presenting. SA is really quite a showcase for recycling, reduced plastic bags, container deposits as well as energy and water efficiency. Having given SA a boost, we also have the highest per capita number of PV panels in Australia, and possibly world-wide, the largest wind generation in Australia. On this basis, you’d think we should hold the next SENG conference – which is what is happening in September 2015.
Daniel Marotti, of our SA committee, recently attended the Al Gore Climate Action Seminar hosted by ACF. In July he spoke at a Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA) and Medical Association for the Prevention of War (MAPW) event. About 30-35 people attended the talks followed by dinner. Daniel presented on fossil fuels, nuclear energy, how well SA is doing in renewables and its impact on the economy, health and the environment. Dr Ingo Weber provided a doctor’s perspective on the adverse health and social disruption effects of the fossil industry, along with the cost burden to the economy and compared this to using Concentrated Solar Thermal energy.
Talking of climate change, it is with great confusion and sadness that the so called ‘Carbon Tax’ has been abolished. This is extraordinary, given the clear risks posed based on scientific evidence, and leaves one puzzled and perplexed. In years to come, people will look back at this decision in the same way we look back at slavery, child labour and
apartheid, and wonder what were they thinking? What was the mindset?
Having said this, it is encouraging that Engineers Australia wrote letters signed by our President to key Senators and MPs urging them to vote against the repeal bills for economic, environmental and community reasons. SENG were very active in getting this to happen.
I gave a talk in May to the Chemical Engineering Colleges on energy, embodied energy and how it underpins society. I posed the question; Engineers can take great credit for our standard of living, but equally carry the responsibility for much unsustainability. Technology can assist in ensuring sustainability, but only if the right economic or social drivers are in place. The deaths of thousands of people prompted the clean-up of Europe’s smog and river pollution. Do we as a society and a body of engineering have the foresight and will to avoid our looming crises of pollution, degradation and emissions?
Given the recent proceedings in Canberra, I have to say the answer is “no”, not without some pain. If we don’t price our waste (and emissions are only one form of waste), then its simply not a level playing field, and we pass the cost onto others (negative externality for the economists). A truly level playing field would see industries such as renewables, recycling and local produce prosper without the need for subsidies.– Graham DaviesSouth Australia SENG Chair
South AustraliaChapter
Graham Davies
Young Engineers
8 SEPTEMBER 2014 THE SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING SOCIETY
Published by the Sustainable Engineering Society (SENG), a society of Engineers Australia.More information at www.seng.org.au
EnginEErs AustrAliAEngineering House, 11 National Circuit, Barton, ACT, AUSTRALIA 2600Fax: (02) 6273 2358 Email: [email protected]
Planning for 2030
Recently, Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) released its 2030 Market Outlook. This is a view
of how the world’s power markets are predicted to evolve to 2030.
BNEF report that by 2030 over half of the world’s power will be from zero-emission energy sources with rooftop solar PV to contribute significantly.
BNEF also expects wind energy to increase in production due to falling technology costs, with onshore projects being the most progressive.
The Asia Pacific region is expected to lead the rest of the world in terms of renewable infrastructure
and investment with solar, wind and hydro power contributing and growing the most.
With the large amount of predicted growth in renewable energy sources, the BNEF report provides optimistic reading for someone starting out in the sustainable engineering industry or looking to get into it.
Significant career opportunities in design and the research and development of renewable energy are likely to arise in many parts of the world if this growth does occur.
So if you are interested in renewable power and think that this could be the direction you want your career to go then there are a number of things that you can do to get involved.
The first and most important is to get qualified in the field. A number of Australian universities and tertiary
organisations provide courses in sustainability, renewable energy and many other similar topics. In my opinion, the next best thing to do is to get involved in the industry.
The Sustainable Engineering Society holds regular events around the country that focus on a wide range of topics and provide excellent networking opportunities, all of which can be found on our website.
Engineers Australia also run events as well as the National Convention which is happening in Melbourne in November.
Also remember to reach out to people that you may already know in the industry and ask them for advice and about any upcoming opportunities, as this is often the best way to get a foot in the door.
– Ben GibbsYoung Engineers Australia RepresentativeBen Gibbs
From the Environmental College Chair
Promoting sustainability
The College and SENG continue to make significant progress promoting a strong discipline in
environmental engineering and integration of sustainability within engineering practice.
In particular, the College has been hard at work supporting the work initiated through Congress and endorsed by National Council on updating the policy frameworks for Climate Change and Sustainability.
With SENG, the College is represented on a Steering Committee under the leadership of the National Deputy President, helping to develop the draft
policy statements for broader Engineers Australia member circulation.
The existing policy framework was well and truly ahead of its time, and updating the policy documents has reinforced how advanced the thinking at Engineers Australia was during the early the mid-1990’s.
That being said, there have been areas of improvement and refinement and the Steering Committee has recently settled on draft Version 5 of both the Climate Change Policy and Sustainability Policy for broader circulation.
It has also been particularly pleasing to see the level of team work and contribution
on a range of other activities, ranging from exciting progress on the eminent speaker program, progress on the convention, on-going support to members, and delivery of CPD.
Get involved. Positive things are happening. Be part of it.
– Erik MaranikEnvironmental College Chair
Erik Maranik