Print this pageSustainability for Civil Engineers
Jim Newton, P.E., DEE
Course Outline
This eight hour course provides valuable information for those individuals who are looking to incorporate sustainability into civil engineering, specifically infrastructure projects. It was designed by an instructor who has developed and implemented numerous similar training courses.
This course requires the completion of a multiple-choice quiz at its conclusion in order to obtain the necessary certification.
Learning Objective
At the conclusion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand that civil engineers have an impact on society;
- Understand the role of the civil engineer;
- Understand the what is expected of a citizen engineer;
- Understand key ethics and policies;
- Understand examples of major global projects;
- Understand important laws and regulations;
- Understand the keys components of Envision;
- Understand the key components of LEED;
- Understand top U.S. social and political issues;
- Understand the grand challenges of the 21st Century engineer;
- Understand the key human population dynamics;
- Understand the climate change views;
- Understand key population dynamics;
- Understand the human development index;
- Understand IT future trends;
- Understand federal spending/revenue;
- Understand the estimated U.S. energy flow ;
- Understand energy issues;
- Understand efficiency concepts;
- Understand the efficiency of an incandescent lamp;
- Understand basic solar energy concepts;
- Understand nuclear energy issues;
- Understand where the U.S. gets its oil;
- Understand natural gas concepts;
- Understand key sustainability concepts;
- Understand how the triple bottom line works;
- Understand the concept of sustainable procurement;
- Understand lifecycle analysis basics;
- Understand the role of the engineer in sustainable development;
- Understand citizen engineering concepts;
- Understand the basic ethics concepts;
- Understand the Envision rating system;
- Understand why Envision was developed;
- Understand where to find more information on Envision;
- Understand the categories for rating under Envision;
- Understand the basics of LEED;
- Understand LEED certification;
- Understand LEED professional credentials;
- Understand where to find more information on LEED; and
- Understand other rating systems.
Intended Audience
The intended audience for this course is any professional who is interested in alternative or renewable energy sources.
Benefit to Attendees
Attendees of this course will under stand the basic concepts of how to incorporate sustainability into civil engineering projects.
Course Introduction
Envision™ is a comprehensive and complex approach to looking at infrastructure . . . it covers not just design and construction phases, but from planning to operations; throughout its entire life cycle. This tool gives civil engineers the process they need lead the discussion about sustainability and become the stewards of the natural and built environments that they need. Don’t just talk about sustainability, live it!
Sustainability for Civil Engineers, is intended to be used in university settings for civil engineering students and for those professionals who have some interest in incorporating sustainability into civil engineering projects. However, they can also be used in other settings by a wide range of professionals.
This course is based upon a set of slides that was developed under the direction of the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI). They include an instructional module on the Envision™ sustainable infrastructure rating system and many other related topics. These slides were developed by Frank Sherkow, PE, ENV SP, F.ASCE and others who are experts in design and construction, Envision Sustainability Professionals (ENV SPs) and/or members of the ISI Academic Committee. While these are not official Envision™ training materials, they contain accurate, up-to-date on information on the rating system and you are invited to use them in your classroom, for conferences, and other venues. We just ask that you acknowledge the authors as the source. This slide show can be used in various parts or for the basis for a quarter or semester long course. It covers a wide range of issues that examine the necessity for more sustainable planning, design, construction and operations of the infrastructure. It also examines various laws, codes of ethics, regulations, and rating systems related to sustainability.
Course Content
This course is based upon a three part set of slides developed by the ISI .
Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Course Summary
This course discusses basic sustainability concepts for civil engineering projects..
Related Links
For additional information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:
Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure
Quiz
Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.
DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.
