Effective Sustainable Engineering Management Practices In Civil Engineering Essay.

What does the literature suggest that engineering managers need to do to achieve effective Sustainable Engineering Management practices in your area of specialisation?

The Role of Engineers in Sustainable Development

Engineers play a very crucial role in the development of infrastructures in various parts of the world. Usually, Engineers are perceived as problem solvers who apply their experience and knowledge to construct projects which meet human requirements at the same time cleaning up environmental problems (Kauffman, 2015, p. 428). They are known to work on a wide range of issues and projects, and due to that, engineers can give a very important impact on the progress towards sustainable development.

The concept of suitable development was first suggested by the world commission of Environmental in 1987 during the annual meeting of the commission which was made up of 23 members who were from 22 different countries. The commission was created by the  UN  in order to study  the  conflicts  which were arising due to  environmental  challenges  and the needs  of the less developed world. To the field of Civil engineering, a sustainable system refers to the system which is either in balanced or one which changes at a very slow rate. The idea of sustainability is well shown by the natural ecosystems, that are made up of closed loops that change at very slow rates (Roland Gareis, 2013, p. 296). For instance, in the cycle of food animals and plants. Plants survive in the existence of moisture, nutrients and sunlight and are then eaten by the herbivores and insects that usually, in turn, are eaten by consecutively larger animals. The subsequent wastes from the larger animals refill the nutrients which permit plants to produce and the series to start again.

Engineers can greatly contribute to the sustainable development along the entire chain of production   and modern consumption through the following ways;

• Developing and extracting natural resources
• Modifying and processing resources
• Building and designing of transportation infrastructure
• Reusing and recovering resources
• Producing and distributing energy

The number of engineers currently in the world is as many as any other professional. There are different kinds of engineers such as civil, mechanical, environmental, electrical, industrial, mining, petroleum and computer engineers. Civil engineers specifically are involved with two kinds of projects i.e.

• They design and construct projects which meet human needs
• They are engaged in solving environmental problems such as constructing waste treatment facilities, cleaning up and restoring polluted sites and recycling resources.

Köhler, M. A., 2014. Sustainability in Project Management. 3RD ed. London: Gower Publishing, Ltd.

In the field of project management sustainability answers the question close to the entire concept of sustainability in engineering management and offers valued direction and insights. Sustainability relates to the multiple environmental, economic, perspectives and social but also the duty and accountability and values regarding fairness, ethics and equality. The author of this article will motivate the civil engineers to be aware of this considerations and at the same time to apply them to the role they play in managing civil projects. The article clearly suggests ways through which it can be made possible to achieve effective, sustainable engineering management by not just 'doing things right' but 'doing the right things right'.

Concept of Sustainable Development and Its Application in Civil Engineering

Zawawi, N. A. W. A., 2014. Engineering Challenges for Sustainable Future: Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Civil, Offshore and Environmental Engineering. 5th ed. London: CRC Press.

The engineering problems  for the sustainable future   have the papers  which were  offered  at the third internal conference  on the  civil, environmental and offshore  engineering. The conference usually deals with the environmental, offshore and civil engineering fields, in addressing the topics below.

• Geo-informatics
• Structures
• Materials
• Project management
• Construction management

Roland Gareis, 2013. Project Management and Sustainable Development Principles. 3rd ed. London: Project Management Institute.

This journal address the idea of  project management  and the  concept of  sustainable development principal which provides  civil engineers  with all the tools and knowledge which they need in order to  fully understand the  concept of effective sustainable management.

Machado, C., 2016. Management for Sustainable Development. 4th ed. London: River Publishers,

This  journal covers the  issues which are directly related  to the concept of  management  for sustainable  development  in a context where  civil engineers are  regularly facing  many challenges  for what  concerns  the intends  related to the  re-use, waste reduction, recycling, low cost , add value and time production, The sustainable concept  does not only refer to the  environmental perceptive  but also the  management perspective . The current management in Engineering can no longer develop practices based on the existing paradigms. On the other contrary, it is essential to break from these models, creating a total change of approach in the way we manage the Engineering projects.

Silvius, G., 2015. Sustainability Integration for Effective Project Management. 1st ed. Sydney: IGI Global.

The sustainable integration for effective project management offers a detailed understanding of the most significant concepts, issues, trends and methodologies and at the same appropriate practices in sustainability to engineering management. The concepts and research presented in this journal are developed by the academics and professionals with the main aim of offering the most updated knowledge related to the sustainability principles for the prospective professional, academics and researches in this area of expertise. Even though it remains one of the most important problems in the recent past many engineering companies are starting to integrate the ideas of sustainability into the organized projects such as marketing, corporate communication, and annual reports, in this case, sustainability remains a very key influence on the initiation of engineering management.

Mulder, K., 2014. Sustainable Development for Engineers: A Handbook and Resource Guide. 5th ed. Chicago: Taylor & Francis.

Concisely and comprehensively this book studies the key skills, techniques, and tools which can be used in engineering design and management to ensure that the whole-life costs and the impact of the engineering schemes are addressed in all stages of planning, implementing and disposal. This journal also aims to show through the real-life examples the tangible benefits that are already achieved in managing engineering projects, at the same time to highlight how real improvements can be and are being made. Sustainable engineering management is a significant reading for all civil engineering students and professionals who are concerned with effective, sustainable engineering management.

Best Practices and Principles in Sustainable Engineering Management

Perl, J., 2016. Sustainability Engineering: A Design Guide for the Chemical Process Industry. 2nd ed. Texas: Springer.

This journal explores the various aspects of sustainability in engineering through the lens of construction and civil projects to elucidate the safe and the commercial implementation of the of the process designs which are used to transform the raw materials into the useful finished products. The author of this book applies the  tenets  of sustainability  science  to come up with  an engineering methodology  which supports the  perpetual  availability  of the raw materials  through the reusing , incorporating inexhaustible  supplies  and repurposing  of materials and resources such as  solar energy and the municipal wastes  and also to encompass the  husbandly  of these resources  in a given way  which reduces   the negative impact  on the environment. All the professional who is usually involved in the design or the manufacture of the chemicals or the upgrade of the existing manufacturing process will greatly benefit from the literature review in this article.

Kauffman, J., 2015. Handbook of Sustainable Engineering. 3rd ed. Chicago: Springer Netherlands,

This article provides one the context and the best practices which are derived from both the academic, practical and academicals research of successful implementation of sustainable technology solutions. The content of this book revolves around the methods through which the effective, sustainable engineering management can be achieved. Contributions by the various authors who were consulted during the publication of this article reflect a focus of a state of the art insight into the employing of smart materials, new energy sources and the optimized resource management. The contributions reflect a focus on state of the art insights into employing small materials, water utilization, solar cell, recycling of e-waste and transportation and the reverse manufacturing.

Castro-Lacouture, D., 2016. Sustainability in Engineering Design and Construction. 4th ed. Chicago: Taylor & Francis,. 

This article introduces the concept of sustainable development practices and offers insight into the need for constructing and designing sustainable structures for all the sectors. The journal addresses sustainability from the different perspectives of civil engineering such as the construction of structures and the sustainability practices during the engineering design and construction of various types of projects, for instance, the construction of highways, industrial construction, mineral and mining industry, electricity and power industry and the manufacturing industry at large.

Basha, M., 2016. Sustainability Issues in Civil Engineering. 5th ed. London: Springer.

This journal is on sustainability issues in civil engineering management. This journal has been divided into different sections to cover the various aspects of engineering management in the field of civil engineering such as sustainable Geosystems, sustainable transport systems, sustainable water resources, sustainable structural systems, and sustainable environment. In this, the various suitability principles of management have been discussed into details to give the reader a deep understanding of this concept of sustainable engineering management and how it can be achieved effectively. In this article, the concept of sustainability is well illustrated in the human environment in that the concept of sustainability is well illustrated by the natural ecosystems, which are made up of nearly closed loops which change slowly. For instance, in the cycle of food animals and plants. Plants survive in the existence of moisture, nutrients and sunlight and are then eaten by the herbivores and insects that usually, in turn, are eaten by consecutively larger animals. The subsequent wastes from the larger animals refill the nutrients which permit plants to produce and the series to start again.

Selection of Literature on Sustainable Engineering Management in Civil Engineering

All civil engineers should undergo a training which equips them to environmental generalists. These literature review proposes that  the civil engineers in training b should undergo a lot of field based studies and be exposed  to a broad  education  which should combine  the technical skills  for the civil engineers  with a broad discipline of  environmental.

The training which they  civil engineers undergoes should be cohesive with  the background in history, economics, political science  and law and in addition offer  special leadership  training  which should be compulsory  in order to equip one with  communication skills .The various authors  of the literature review argues that  the education system which is  integrated with many  assignments  as volunteers will enable the civil engineers  to develop  leadership responsibilities in education, government and  industry.

It will be of great importance if the civil engineers are involved  in local and regional   responsibilities as volunteers  in the area where there knowledge and skills will be of vital  in making informed decisions .In the situations where the studies for project evaluation  are carefully evaluated  , the engineers  can seek out the  various  players , and at the same time identify their concerns m and incorporate them  in managing civil projects.

Conclusion

In conclusion, to achieve effectively, sustainable engineering management, civil engineers will be required to adopt modern patterns which reflect the natural process. The duties of the civil engineers in the sustainable development can be shown by a closed-loop human ecosystem which mimics the natural systems. The civil engineers can contribute to effective engineering management through;

Developing, transporting and processing natural resources in such away hat it occurs in closed-loop system, which can greatly minimize wastes and at the same time improve the effective use of resources. (Machado, 2016, p. 172).

Processing natural resources well and with minimal or no waste will greatly assist to reserve the earth's finite natural resources. The natural resources can be further preserved by designing the products and packaging, and with that, it is possible to protect the natural resources through the industrial process and the facilities that have minimal effects on the environment through their full life-cycles.

Transporting goods also contribute greatly to environmental pollution, to minimize these civil engineers can design infrastructures which allow efficient transportation of manufactured goods by railways, rives, pipeline or roads (Roland Gareis, 2013, p. 345).

It will be of great importance if the civil engineers are involved  in local and regional   responsibilities as volunteers  in the area where there knowledge and skills will be of vital  in making informed decisions .In the situations where the studies for project evaluation  are carefully evaluated  , the engineers  can seek out the  various  players , and at the same time identify their concerns m and incorporate them  in managing civil projects.

The concept of suitable development was first suggested by the world commission of Environmental in 1987 during the annual meeting of the commission which was made up of 23 members who were from 22 different countries. The commission was created by the  UN  in order to study  the  conflicts  which were arising due to  environmental  challenges  and the needs  of the less developed world.

Basha, M., 2016. Sustainability Issues in Civil Engineering. 5th ed. London: Springer.

Castro-Lacouture, D., 2016. Sustainability in Engineering Design and Construction. 4th ed. Chicago: Taylor & Francis,.

Kauffman, J., 2015. Handbook of Sustainable Engineering. 3rd ed. Chicago: Springer Netherlands,

Köhler, M. A., 2014. Sustainability in Project Management. 3RD ed. London: Gower Publishing, Ltd.

Machado, C., 2016. Management for Sustainable Development. 4th ed. London: River Publishers,

Mulder, K., 2014. Sustainable Development for Engineers: A Handbook and Resource Guide. 5th ed. Chicago: Taylor & Francis.

Perl, J., 2016. Sustainability Engineering: A Design Guide for the Chemical Process Industry. 2nd ed. Texas: Springer.

Roland Gareis, 2013. roject Management and Sustainable Development Principles. 3rd ed. London: Project Management Institute.

Silvius, G., 2015. Sustainability Integration for Effective Project Management. 1st ed. Sydney: IGI Global.

Zawawi, N. A. W. A., 2014. Engineering Challenges for Sustainable Future: Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Civil, Offshore and Environmental Engineering. 5th ed. London: CRC Press.