Reflection Paper for Civil Engineering Senior Project
The definition of sustainability according to World Commission has been found to lack specificity. However, the triple bottom line (TBL) has been widely used to act as a starting point towards identification, monitoring, and development of actions forming three facets of sustainability: the environment, economy, and social equity (Stenzel, 2010). Every project designed has an impact on at least one of the following factors: the environment, the society, or the economy. When designing a project, there is a need to take into consideration the impact of the project on the environment, the society, and the economy. In the context of the project design, the concept of sustainability is achieved by design a project with the triple bottom line also known as people-planet-profit in mind. In the environmental aspect, some of the key issues include ecosystems, greenhouse gasses, and carbon footprint. Other aspects of sustainability include economic factors and social factors. People-planet-profit forms the three pillars of sustainable development. Designing a project while incorporating aspects of sustainability is a process which requires a balancing act where the decisions made during the design take into account the impact of the project on the TBL. On social sustainability, the idea is to design a project which ensures that it is beneficial to the community. On environmental sustainability, the idea is to design a project which results in minimum or no negative impacts on the environment. Such project would not consume a lot of resource usage, release hazardous substances, emissions, and wastes into the physical environment. On the economic aspect of sustainability, the goal is to design a project which results in enhanced profitability, productivity, or efficiency in the economy.
The project designed incorporated all aspects of sustainability: TBL (the environment, social equity, and economy). The idea was to design a project which has no or little negative impacts on the environment, a project which enhances the economic value of the community, and also a project which promotes social equity. On the economic aspect, the choice of the project was influenced by the number of jobs it will create in the area. When the project implementation begins, there will be a need to hire people who will take part in the construction. Therefore, the project will create jobs. There will be people visiting the area after completion of the project. The people visiting there might be local tourists or people who are just visiting the place as local, regional, or international tourists to watch wildlife. The project will support the local economy in that the people in the community can set up business to serve the visitors. Further, another reason which influenced the choice of the project was the increase in the property value in the area. The rise in the value is an economic factor, and it will be a boost for the local community who own property near the site. Sustainability is guaranteed in a project which has low maintenance cost. The design and maintenance of the project were found to be low cost and this factor influenced the choice of the project.
Sustainable projects need to incorporate aspects of the environment in that it should minimize negative impacts while promoting positive impacts. The project results in no pollution or emission of any other waste to the environment. During the design, the project was meant not only to avoid but also to preserve endangered species in the area. Further, the design of the project had to apply guidance and principles which re consistent with those issued by government agencies such as NEPA. Upon completion, the project is likely to result in increased levels of recreation. This enhances aesthetic value of the area. Pollution of water is an environmental hazard which may lead to other problems to aquatic creatures and the people in the community. The project will support sustainability in that it will reduce water pollution. Once complete, the project was designed to improve meadow wetland. This is another positive aspect of the environment. Although the goal of the design was to optimize on sustainability, there are some issues which are not unavoidable during the implementation of the project and which has a negative impact on the environment. During construction, there is a likelihood of negative environmental consequences such as soil erosion as well as compaction of soil. There is also a low damage to the vegetation growth in the area from the machinery that will be used. Besides damage to vegetation, there is also a small disturbance to the terrestrial animals in the area during project implementation. Finally, the activities taking place during implantation at the site are likely to ignite wildfires. Although there are negative environmental consequences due to the project, the positive impacts outweigh the negative impacts. The negative impacts are also minor and may not impact the environment on a scale which can be felt for a longer time.
Besides economic and environmental aspects, the design of the project also had to take into account the social impacts. Completion of the project would see an increased overall improvement in service to the community. The project will also revitalize the local community and thus result in increased physical activities as well as social engagement among the members of the community. The completion of the project will also see an increased level of tourism among the members of the local community. The creation of easy access to the recreation site would result in increased frequency of visits to the site. Once completed, the project would create not only stable neighborhoods but also the stronger community. The senior members of the community can hold their own events. There will be an education center in the facility where the local members of the community can learn about the history of the place. Due to increased recreation and exercises, there is an improved overall health condition among the community. All these three aspects of the triple bottom line formed the basis of the selection for sustainability of the project.
Certain concepts learned in during project design are not only important for now but also for future career development and professional practice. The major ideas learned were drawn from project management and communication skills. In project management, I learned about the stages of the project from conceptualization to the project handover. I also learned issues involved in project management including budget, quality, and time. Further, I learned about the issue of project stakeholders, team management in the project, and project scheduling. Project success is influenced by many factors. In these project, I confirmed Hwang and Ng (2013) finding that a competent manager is very critical to the project success. And that project manager faces a myriad of challenges during project management including planning-related, project-team related, resources-related, and labor-related challenges. One other major aspect learned is also communication skills. First, I learned the importance of communication skills in the project including written and verbal communication. Besides understanding the usefulness of communication, I also learned how poor communication can affect the project progress. In the future, I aspire to manage projects. In addition, I also anticipate playing an active role in professional practice. The concepts I have gained in project management and communication will contribute a lot in my future professional practice. I have understood the need to incorporate TBL in projects and also the need to employ effective and efficient communication networks in projects. TBL is about resource management as well as conservation where the conservation objectives and social equity are maximized while the overall costs associated with the project are minimized (Halpern et al., 2013).
References
Halpern, B. S., Klein, C. J., Brown, C. J., Beger, M., Grantham, H. S., Mangubhai, S. & Possingham, H. P. (2013). Achieving the triple bottom line in the face of inherent trade-offs among social equity, economic return, and conservation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(15), 6229-6234.
Hwang, B. G., & Ng, W. J. (2013). Project management knowledge and skills for green construction: Overcoming challenges. International Journal of Project Management, 31(2), 272-284.
Stenzel, P.L. (2010). Sustainability, the Triple Bottom Line, and the Global Reporting Initiative. Global Edge Business Review, 4(6), 1-2.
