Principal Partner
Major Sponsors
Supporting Sponsors
- Anchor
- Brisbane City Council
- Calibre Global
- Cullens
- KarelCAD
- Monadelphous
- PCA
- Powerlink
- Project Services
- Sinclair Knight Merz
- Valemus
- WorleyParsons
Sustainability
What is Engineers Australia Doing?
With sustainability issues reaching 'critical load', it is past time to wonder about whether sustainability is important to the engineering profession - rather, how quickly can the profession make the transition to considering sustainability in every role of every engineer every day. Time is of the essence. At a national level, Engineers Australia is committed to the role that the engineering profession must play in moving society towards a sustainable future. There are a number of past and current initiatives that are driving change within the profession, in undergraduate education and in professional development. For more details and useful information please click on the links below.
Sustainability Site Profile
Townsville: Queensland Solar City
Townsville is Queensland's first Solar City and is set to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50,000 tonnes. The Solar Cities program, a $75 million Federal Government initiative, will run from 2004/05 to 2012/13, coinciding with the first Kyoto commitment period.
Engineers Australia Activities
Engineers Australia is committed to a sustainable future. As an organisation we aim to foster and encourage our members to embrace the need to integrate sustainable engineering practices into all work projects. The Queensland Division has had a long and healthy relationship with the EPA, and in particular the Sustainable Industries Division.
Key Links for Engineers
It is important to realise that the term 'sustainability' overlaps many of our traditional engineering professions. The following links provide opportunities for you to explore aspects that appeal to you. If you have any ideas for additional key weblinks, please let us know.
Essential Reading for Engineers
We have developed a reading list for engineers wishing to find out more about sustainability. The list includes general reading, technical documents and background reading.
Reading - General
- Benyus, J (1997) Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. HarperCollins.
- Hargroves, K and Smith, M (2004) The Natural Advantage of Nations, Earthscan
- Hawken, P., Lovins, A., & Lovins. L. H.,(1999) Natural Capitalism - Creating the Next Industrial Revolution, Little, Brown & Company, Boston. Freely downloadable online.
- Hawken, P (1994) The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability. HarperCollins.
Reading - More Technical
- Lovins, A. Small is Profitable: The Hidden Economic Benefits of Making Electrical Resources the Right Size. Chapter excerpts freely downloadable online.
- McDonough.W, Braungart.M (2002) Cradle to Cradle, Remaking the Way We Make Things. North Point Press.
- Weaver.P, Jansen.L, Van Grootveld.G, Van Spiegel.E, Vergragt.P (2000) Sustainable Technology Development. Greenleap Publications. Chapter 1 freely downloadable online.
Background Reading
- Carson, R (1962) Silent Spring, Mariner Books (click here for a brief description)
- CSIRO Sustainability Network
- Australian Virtual Engineering Library - Sustainability Knowledge Network (AVEL-SKN)
How Does Sustainability Relate to Engineering?
If you are new to the area of 'sustainability', it may seem like there have been a lot of contradicting messages about the term and other terms like 'sustainable development'. While some in federal government talk about the 'long term sustainability' of the national economy, others talk about preserving our lifestyle and environment for future generations.
