"A Journey of 1000 Miles"

Today was the first step towards a long journey ...

This reminds me the chinees proverb " A Journey of 1000 Miles Starts with a Single Step ".

I started the public awareness program with a small group of audience... from my office collegues , non other than my fellow engineers including experienced , well experienced , fresh engineers who are passing through the learning curve of their career .

Although it was a very small forum , the experience added my confidence to conduct such forums in future ...

This is one part of green engineers mission , volunteer to spread the message of "Green Building Practices " and it's importance to our day to day professional obligation" to protect the nature from all bad impact of built environment .

As expected , they were quiet reluctant to "change focus " in this direction initially .. apparently I'm sure they will soon join the bandwagon .... at least I have made them today to "think towards green ". ... That's the first step towards green engineers mission ....

Today's topic was about the Role of Commissioning Authority in LEED Certification of Building Projects .

Perhaps .. today's session would drive us to form and practice the Role of Commissioning Authority and may lead us to work towards more closely with the Green Building Practices .

Hope every body enjoyed the session ... and got a fair idea of the necessity of advocating and practicing the Green Building principle in our day to day career .

What is Climate Change ?????

Earth’s climate is changing. Greenhouse gases are accumulating. Human activities are the cause.

The build-up of greenhouse gases (GHGs) threatens to set the Earth inexorably on the path to a unpredictably different climate. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says many parts of the planet will be warmer. Droughts, floods and other forms of extreme weather will become more frequent, threatening food supplies. Plants and animals which cannot adjust will die out. Sea levels are rising and will continue to do so, forcing hundreds of thousands of people in coastal zones to migrate.

One of the main GHGs which humans are adding to the atmosphere, carbon dioxide (CO2), is increasing rapidly. Around 1750, about the start of the Industrial Revolution in Europe, there were 280 parts per million (ppm) of CO2 in the atmosphere. Today the overall amount of GHGs has topped 390 ppm CO2e (parts per million of carbon dioxide equivalent – all GHGs expressed as a common metric in relation to their warming potential) and the figure is rising by 1.5–2 ppm annually. Reputable scientists believe the Earth’s average temperature should not rise by more than 2°C over pre-industrial levels. Among others, the European Union indicated that this is essential to minimize the risk of what the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) calls dangerous climate change and keep the costs of adapting to a warmer world bearable.

Scientists say there is a 50 per cent chance of keeping to 2°C if the total GHG concentration remains below 450 ppm. (Source: UNEP)

A letter to Engineers.... ( Reproduction of my message to my freinds )

Good Morning to all,

Life have changed ....atleast my perspective about future..

Realised now that all i was doing .... continuing the same mistakes during the last 15 years of my career..

Atleast I was either part of the decision making process or part of the execution process of all wrong decision on ground ..

Yet being paid or drawn or demand perks( meager or larger ..whatever it may be ) as a responsible engineer ..

Folks , think about the future , nature of our decision (on everyday) can change course of well being of the planet we are living in .. and in what way we can contribute to sustain it as a resources for your children , grand children and grand grand children .. Once we leave this planet ..let our conscious realise that we did something for this planet ...

This is not difficult....but this is different .. a change in the direction of focus ..

-- Civil Engineers .

Are you aware that by reducing the storm run off at site , reducing the imperviousnes of the pavement , by choosing the higher solar reflective material on the pavement , roof , facade etc , can significantly reduce the global warming , ozone depletion , water scarcity ... look back to our country .. there are several rural areas where more than than 75 % of the people don't have potable water during most of the year ... Are we - engineers -don't have any responsibility ????

Are you aware that , by chosing the right shade of paint on your pavement ,roof etc can significantly effect the energy requirement for the building , and thus more power plant run time .. and thus more CO2 emission .. and thus global warming .. and thus more flooding , and thus more food scarcity resulting to poverty.

More rain water runoff can pollut our rivers and lakes....thus preventing community right of poor drinking water ..

Are you aware that , by applying a little thinking whilst preparing the procurement of material ..ask yourself .. are they sourced from locally available sources ?.. so that the embeded energy ( manufactured some where , transported through ship /vehicle , thus more fuel consumption , more green gas emission etc ) can be reduced and its' effect on plannet ..

---Electrical / Mechanical engineers .

We consider water as a medium to wash away our waste ,,, Remember ...experts warned that .. if there could be third world war...it will be for none other than water ...

By choosing right kind of plumbing fixtures ...high efficient closet fittings , showers , waterless urinals .etc can reduce about 35 % of water consumption in a building ...

Right electrical fixtures with energy efficient fittings can reduce the energy consumption by 20 % ..

Using the right HVAC equipment can reduce further energy consumption .. better indoor air quality resulting better health condition , better productivity , at the end less ozone depletion , global warming ..

Guy's , rise up , change your focus , and do something to preserve this planet ..

If a small dent I can make in this effort , I will relate that to our success, I'"m sure all of you can contribute in every day of your life .. make this dent a little bigger and bigger and finaly we make it as a big hole on the conventional thinking ..

I knew , we engineers are traditionally causcious until we pass through this learning curve .....

Therefore , we - engineers- to reconsider every decision that we make.. should be evaluated against a new 'tripple constraints ..( in terms of project management )

New tripple constraints as Environment ( Planet ) , Equity ( People ) , Economy (Power ) ..

life cycle cost of the project definition as life cycle cost of the planet we live in....

Quality as the Sustainability