Sustainability: make it tangible and small

The news this year came earlier than it did last year. During my summer holidays, back on 29 July, I read that it was Earth Overshoot Day. The day symbolizes the moment the world’s annually available resources for the year have been used up. From that day until 31 December, we are overexploiting the earth. In short, from that point on we are in the red. Even more alarming is the fact that this day comes earlier every year.

News about the depletion of resources reaches us almost daily through all sorts of media. On the one hand, reports and headlines warning about the declining quality of life on earth. The recent forest fires in Brazil and Siberia, for example, or tree mortality in Germany caused by beetles, the plastic soup in oceans, the destruction of nature in the Netherlands because of drought, and the news that 9,000 people die every year in the Netherlands from the effects of air pollution. On the other hand, there are plans offering solutions, measures actually implemented, and behavioural change among people. They include a national climate agreement, an increase in the number of windmills and solar panels, and the rise in the consumption of meat substitutes. Discussion often centres on the accuracy of cries of alarm, how to interpret reports, and the effectiveness of proposed measures. But there is a general consensus that we cannot continue to live this way, and that much change is needed.

 

There will always be obstacles

In my view, there are two major obstacles blocking our path to a sustainable world. First, insufficient awareness of the urgency. Because most of the problems caused by the overexploitation of the earth lie in the future, you scarcely experience the consequences today, certainly not in a prosperous country like the Netherlands. Future generations stand to benefit most from the measures we have to take now. So we’re not doing it for ourselves. Second, there is still insufficient knowledge. Here lies a major responsibility for science. How do climate and ecological systems work exactly? Can we develop new, 100% clean sources of energy? How do we achieve zero waste? Or how can we clean up existing pollution completely? It is also a great pity that we don’t make full use of existing knowledge. There’s a world to be won there too.

 

Affilation to society

It is vital to follow the developments aimed at creating a better world, but worrying about matters that you cannot influence is a waste of time. The question I ask myself is what can I contribute. In doing so, I make big, often abstract problems small and personal. Can I change the way I live? What can I improve through my work? At EGM, I enjoy the challenge of making sustainability tangible and an integral part of our way of working.

Sustainability - sometimes a subconscious habit, sometimes a conscious systematic approach. That’s my aim.

 

Business operations and projects

Sustainability has been a regular part of the work at EGM for years. This applies to both the operational side of things and, in particular, design aspects. Each year we chart the environmental impact of our office and look at ways to reduce it. For example, we look again at purchasing, waste processing, lighting and travel behaviour. But most of the environmental improvement our architecture firm can make can be achieved through our projects. For me, the key to sustainable design lies in the literal meaning of the word ‘sustainable’: ‘long-lasting, subject to minimum deterioration or decay, causing minimum environmental damage’. This applies to both the use of materials and to aesthetics and user value. We not only design for current use but also consider what can be done with a building or parts of it when it reaches the end of its life span and the building or component enters the circular economy.

 

Daily application is self-evident

Sustainability as an integral aspect of all decisions, sometimes a subconscious habit, sometimes a conscious systematic approach. This is my aim. For instance, we rescheduled a working meeting with an interior constructor as a conference call, thereby reducing mobility for everybody involved; we are working on a material passport for an office complex; and in transforming a library, we are first looking at which components can be reused.

To be able to make the right choices, it is important to assess the options, investments and impact. Luckily, there are many developments that can help us. For instance, sustainability certificates and calculation methods that assess the sustainability of designs, materials and operational management in conversations with clients and colleagues. And suppliers are constantly coming up with new sustainable products in the field of energy efficient installations, façade systems and furniture. Every time EGM starts a project, we organize a kick-off meeting in which we discuss the sustainability ambition. My role is to achieve maximum sustainability for our clients by collecting, assessing and making available knowledge and information.

 

Next year I hope it’s not until after my summer holiday, preferably during my autumn break, when I read we’ve reached Earth Overshoot Day.

 

René Buckers

Senior technical designer, EGM

 

_2019.09.02