SUSTAINABILITY - Egbc.ca

GUIDELINE 1: MAINTAIN A CURRENTKNOWLEDGE OF SUSTAINABILITYMaintain a level of competence on mattersof sustainability related to the APEGBCprofessional’s area of expertise, and seekadditional expertise as necessary. Theknowledge, concepts and opportunities forsustainable solutions are rapidly evolvingand APEGBC professionals should striveto keep skills up to date and advance theunderstanding of sustainability in theirfield of practice.interrelationships develop through practice.Currently, many APEGBC professionalshave an understanding of, and support, theindividual pillars of sustainability, but maynot be familiar with relationships betweenthese pillars and their own professionalpractice. Achieving sustainability, however,requires an appreciation of the complexrelationships between each of the threepillars of sustainability.Sustainability is a complex conceptthat involves careful consideration andbalancing of three pillars: environmental,economic and social. APEGBC professionalshave identified “lack of knowledge ofhow to employ sustainability” in theirpractice as one of the main barriers to theintegration of sustainability in their work.Guideline 1 emphasizes that ongoing andcontinuous professional development is animportant aspect of sustainability, becausethe state of the art is constantly advancing.Put simply, Guideline 1 recommends thatAPEGBC professionals “be current”, so thatthey are knowledgeable about up-to-datesustainability concepts, technologies andapproaches to practice in their field. Therequirement for APEGBC professionalsto maintain a current knowledge ofsustainability is embodied in the sixthprinciple of the Code of Ethics, whichstates that:As sustainable solutions are becoming anexpectation of Canadian society, APEGBCprofessionals are increasingly being askedby their clients, their employers and/orthe public to demonstrate competenceat the most current level of sustainablepractice. There is an opportunity forAPEGBC professionals to be leadersat the provincial and national levels.Requirements stipulated by codes ofpractice are conservative by nature, soAPEGBC professionals should advocatefor new standards where there are clearlinks to demonstrated improvements insustainable approaches and solutions.While practicing sustainable design willultimately become the accepted standard,the best professionals seek out the nextlevel of performance, as boundaries arecontinually challenged.“Members and licensees shall keepthemselves informed in order to maintaintheir competence, strive to advance thebody of knowledge within which theypractice and provide opportunities forthe professional development of theirassociates.”The APEGBC professional’s understandingof sustainability will evolve as his or herappreciation and understanding of natural,economic and social systems and theirBy maintaining a current knowledge ofsustainability, guided by sound, peerreviewed science as it relates to professionalengineering and geoscience practice,APEGBC professionals provide greater longterm value by delivering smart sustainablesolutions that extend across disciplinaryboundaries and address the wider impactsof the project.Additional benefits to APEGBCprofessionals and the public may include: Reductions in energy and material use,waste production, and operational costsPROFESSIONAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES – SUSTAINABILITY9

I mprovements in the reputation ofAPEGBC professionals as being proactivepractitioners of sustainable professionalengineering or geoscience, which isincreasingly important to clients andstakeholders and is also a basis fordifferentiation on the value of theservice provided P roactive management of issues such asadaptation to climate change, mitigationof greenhouse gas emissions, and energy/materials/waste minimization in advanceof government regulation on these issues(BC’s regulation of carbon, new buildingenergy codes, etc.) Public endorsement of a project throughstakeholder engagementIt is recognized that individual APEGBCprofessionals cannot be expected toassume responsibility for incorporatingsustainability in work or tasks beyond thescope of their authority. In areas withintheir scope of authority, however, APEGBCprofessionals are required to keep theirknowledge current and seek appropriateexpertise where required (see alsoGuideline 3, below).GUIDELINE 2: INTEGRATE SUSTAINABILITYINTO PROFESSIONAL PRACTICEIntegrate sustainability considerationsinto professional practice, reflecting theAPEGBC Code of Ethics’ requirement tohold paramount the safety, health andwelfare of the public, the protection of theenvironment and promoting health andsafety within the workplace.APEGBC professionals have an importantresponsibility to society. This responsibilityis codified in the Code of Ethics, whichAPEGBC professionals must uphold. TheCode of Ethics explicitly compels APEGBCprofessionals to hold paramount thesafety, health and welfare of the public,and the protection of the environment,and to promote health and safety withinthe workplace. Specifically, the Code ofEthics states, in part, that APEGBCprofessionals shall:“act at all times . with fidelity to thepublic needs” (Preamble), and“hold paramount the safety, health andwelfare of the public, the protection of theenvironment.” (Section 14 (a) (1))10 PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES – SUSTAINABILITYThese provisions in the Code of Ethicsimplicitly require APEGBC professionalsto have regard for sustainability in theirpractice, because of sustainability’sinherent relationship to societal needs, thesafety, health or welfare of the public, andthe environment. Sustainable professionalengineering and geoscience practice,as described in these SustainabilityGuidelines, seeks to address these Codeof Ethics responsibilities.APEGBC professionals already haveexpertise in weighing economic andperformance issues, such as cost andfactors of safety. The application of theseSustainability Guidelines will help APEGBCprofessionals incorporate environmentaland social issues in their practice.Embodied in Guideline 2 is theconsideration of the short and long-term,as well as direct and indirect impactsof APEGBC professional’s designsand activities. It encourages APEGBCprofessionals to think outside traditionalproject boundaries and to consider the

greater impacts of their designs andprojects. As we learn more about the wayour world works – particularly, the waythat humans and ecosystems interact – welearn more about what it takes to addressthe well-being of current and futuregenerations and ecosystems. These ideassteer us away from thinking in termsof “trading-off” human welfare againstecosystem wellbeing.There is almost always more than oneway to perform a task. Evaluation ofoptions should consider the full, lifecycle costs, from project conception tofinal decommissioning in order to fullyunderstand the impacts of differentalternatives. Evaluating potential designsof projects may require assessment of theirresiliency or future adaptability to a rangeof potential future altered climate patterns.In reviewing a project’s full life cycle costs,the APEGBC professional needs to considermeasures to mitigate climate change,including but not limited to minimizinggreenhouse gas emissions, while balancingeconomic, social and environmentalfactors. Many of the real costs of projectsare commonly externalized and notconsidered as part of making a decision ona preferred alternative. It is important to tryto consider the full costs and benefits of anyproposed action.In recommending specific options,APEGBC professionals should not limittheir considerations to only technicalissues. For each task, APEGBC professionalsshould consider other implications thatare within their field of expertise. Knownand reasonably foreseeable cumulativeimplications should also be considered.Finally, decisions for sustainability requirea consideration of the consequences ofnot only the proposed action, but also itsproducts and by-products, including theirfinal disposal.GUIDELINE 3: COLLABORATE WITHPEERS AND EXPERTS FROM CONCEPT TOCOMPLETIONAt key stages of the project life-cycle,collaborate with peers and expertsacross disciplines to identify appropriatealternatives and new opportunities forsustainable results.The increasing complexity and innovationin providing sustainable solutionsmeans that APEGBC professionals willincreasingly work in multi-disciplinaryteams with team members having diverseknowledge and skills.It is best to collaborate at the earliest stages,if possible, where opportunities for synergybetween project components can moreeasily be explored to increase value andsustainability.PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES – SUSTAINABILITY11

GUIDELINE 4: DEVELOP AND PRESENTCLEAR JUSTIFICATIONS TO IMPLEMENTSUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONSDiscuss opportunities and documentdecisions made related to the integrationof environmental, social and economicmetrics. These discussions should occurearly enough to enable the client oremployer to make informed decisions abouthow to implement an appropriate level ofsustainability considerations in the task orprojects, products, processes, or systems.Through their widely varying professionalactivities, APEGBC professionals contributeto the form and function of our society:they are frequently decision-makers or in aposition to influence decision-makers. Asthe advice given by APEGBC professionalscan have far-reaching consequences,APEGBC professionals should exploresolutions that promote a broad conceptof sustainability – across environmental,social and economic domains.In the course of an APEGBC professional’swork, there are a number of stages whereopportunities exist to investigate thesocial, environmental and economicimpacts of potential solutions to a client’sproblem. APEGBC professionals shouldcarefully weigh the impacts of alternativesand may provide a comparative analysison their environmental, social andeconomic impacts.The purpose of exploring alternatives is toencourage consideration of processes oroptions that best promote sustainability.This will have the greatest impact at theconceptual phase, where opportunities toapply best practices can be evaluated andclear justifications can encourage a clientor employer to make an informed decisionregarding sustainable solutions. APEGBCprofessionals are not obliged to assess allconcepts, designs and methodologies,12 PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES – SUSTAINABILITYonly those that are deemed reasonableunder the circumstances of the task. Indetermining what is “reasonable”, APEGBCprofessionals are expected to exerciseprofessional judgment.Guideline 4 highlights the APEGBCprofessionals’ duty to exercise theirprofessional judgment objectivelyand consistently. Honest differencesof technical opinion among APEGBCprofessionals are to be anticipated becausethe matters involve professional judgmentand are not subject to simple analysis. Opendebate between APEGBC professionals ishealthy and helpful to decision-makers.Care must be taken to provide independentprofessional guidance and analysis, thepublic will be best served if APEGBCprofessionals maintain objectivity.With respect to documenting decisionsmade, APEGBC professionals shouldrefer to APEGBC Bylaw 14(b), whichaddresses quality management processesfor retaining project documentation.More information on retaining projectdocumentation is available in the APEGBCQuality Management Guideline onRetention of Project Documentation,available on the APEGBC website.While the APEGBC professional canpresent the opportunities and rationalefor sustainable solutions, the decision onsustainable solutions remains with theclient or employer.

GUIDELINE 5: ASSESS SUSTAINABILITYPERFORMANCE AND IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIESFOR IMPROVEMENTIdentify opportunities to improveknowledge and professional practicerelated to sustainability, where bestpractice is to assess actual performance ofimplemented solutions against the originaldesign goals and metrics.It is important to confirm whether designsare performing to expectations. Thatknowledge can be gained through bothqualitative and quantitative data forthe benefit of the profession and futuredevelopments. Where possible andreasonable, analysis of data should be usedto improve or optimize future solutions.The practice of professional engineeringand geoscience continually improves dueto technological advances, innovationand new design concepts. Assessingperformance enables APEGBC professionalsto identify opportunities for iterativeimprovements in designs, methods,processes, and technology. This informationcontributes to the learning process and canbe utilized by other APEGBC professionalsto identify and enhance future solutions.APEGBC professionals should facilitateimprovements and seek to proactivelyanticipate future needs for sustainability.These improvements should adopt amulti-disciplinary approach, considerrisk based assessments and considercumulative impacts, social values,economic requirements, andenvironmental aspects. As knowledgeof sustainability evolves, existing codes,guidelines and standards may need to beupdated. Actively working with others asleaders in the development of new bestpractices and legislation will enhance thepublic view of APEGBC professionals asethical professionals who provide viable,valuable knowledge-based solutions.PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES – SUSTAINABILITY13

THE ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS AND GEOSCIENTISTS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA200 – 4010 Regent Street, Burnaby, British Columbia V5C ca APEG.BC.CA

2.1 Guideline 1: Maintain a Current Knowledge of Sustainability 6 2.2 Guideline 2: Integrate Sustainability into Professional Practice 6 2.3 Guideline 3: Collaborate with Peers and Experts from Concept to Completion 6 2.4 Guideline 4: Develop and Prepare