Executives Benefit from Evolving Thought Leadership on Sustainable Design Issues

By Patrick Hicks and Betsy del Monte, AIA, LEED AP

Political and business leaders, in coordination with academicians, agree that sustainability is the most important global issue our society faces today and are joining forces for the future.

Patrick Hicks, Southern Methodist University School of Engineering; and Betsy del Monte, an adjunct faculty member at SMU and director of sustainability at The Beck Group.

The relationship between today’s resource use and future economic, social and environmental conditions is in part dependent on how seriously we look at the issues related to sustainable design and construction. We have a responsibility to understand what changes can be made in the way we create structures and how the negative impact of diminishing resources can be mitigated, or even eliminated. Addressing sustainability is the most important global issue our society faces today and business leaders need to understand the evolving impacts in order to take action and make a difference for our future.

Building owners and developers are dependent on us, as design and construction professionals, to understand green issues and articulate responsible decisions through our building solutions. In response to a felt need to provide knowledge and insight into sustainability concepts and evolving theories, some Texas educational institutions have begun to offer certificate and graduate courses specifically to benefit AEC management. At Southern Methodist University, we developed an environmental and civil engineering certificate in Sustainability. The inaugural program began in the Fall, 2008 term. Other progressive colleges and universities around the state are also implementing programs as a direct response to the need communicated by the management and leadership of AEC firms.

These courses ideally show the total connectedness of resources globally, with emphasis on their influence and impact in Texas. They address topics relating to air quality and energy supply, sustainable construction, water use, transit and waste generation, among others. Designed to educate working professionals in such fields as engineering, architecture, construction, business, transportation, energy, development, urban planning, government, and environmental science, the specialized knowledge can open doors for leaders to take on the earth-influencing challenges that are front page news today.

While many professionals today are dedicated to sustainable practices because it’s “the right thing to do,” that thinking isn’t always enough to make it past financial scrutiny.

Many upper level executives realize the importance of truly understanding the concepts of smart resource use, and they understand that there are significant financial issues attached, but they do not have the time to get educated as deeply as they wish to be able to make wise policy decisions. Often a young, motivated staff member can be identified as someone for whom these issues are already important. To be able to charge that individual with learning about and assessing the opportunities for the corporation can be a way to gain internal expertise, while recognizing and motivating a talented candidate for leadership. The right educational opportunities can have a ripple effect if someone like this is charged with learning and then applying the knowledge throughout the organization.

When you consider participating in a sustainability program through your local educational resources, be sure that they offer programs that address technologies and methods used in sustainable design and analysis. This includes the scientific understanding of alternative energy systems, water reuse and supply, and state-of-the-art materials created for sustainability. Also watch for programs that offer methods for appraising sustainability, including life cycle assessment and the development of sustainable indicators.

As leaders in the green building movement, we all have a responsibility to learn as much as we can about the problems, the solutions, and the opportunities that we face today and that future generations will inherit tomorrow. We are also charged with spreading that knowledge to others. We are all learners and leaders and teachers of one another. The more we know and the more we share, the more we can do to keep our world healthy and protected.

Continuous improvement requires lifelong learning that offers challenging and varied opportunities to explore. To be perceived as sustainability authorities and to tackle the tough challenges that sustainable design requires, experience and education can be your greatest assets and most credible credentials.