2020 Houses Awards shortlist: Sustainability
Twenty-six projects in this category have advanced to the 2019 Houses Awards.
Source: architectureau.com
Twenty-six projects in this category have advanced to the 2019 Houses Awards.
Source: architectureau.com
Sustainability is one of the most important issues facing businesses and consumers in the 21st century. The global population is growing, which means there is an increasing demand for resources — many of which are being depleted at an alarming rate. It’s clear that we need to find a way to sustain our growth while preserving our environment. Fortunately, many businesses have already begun implementing sustainable practices, which can help reduce waste while strengthening their brand reputation. Some common corporate sustainability goals include reducing emissions, eliminating single-use plastics and improving energy efficiency. However, achieving these goals can be difficult, especially when you consider the size and complexity of most organizations. That’s why technology has been so instrumental in helping businesses improve their sustainability record.
Countries that haven’t overinvested in residual waste treatment have the chance to increase their recycling and reuse ambitions past the circular economy targets…
The sustainability culture at CHEP, a global leader in pallet and container pooling services, was upheld as an aspirational standard for the industry during this week’s episode of Net Zero Carbon. But this culture is baked into CHEP’s history. “CHEP was founded when the allies left all these pallets for moving equipment during World War II in Australia,” said Tyler Cole, FreightWaves’ director of carbon intelligence. “It started as a way to get rid of waste with all the excess pallets laying around, and through a big global growth expansion and standardization of pallet size and forklift offloading, they’ve been able to scale and get rid of a lot of that waste.”
As the current climate crisis spurs supply chain constituents to join the movement, CHEP has continued its efforts by partnering with Convoy to reduce empty miles. Like many shippers, CHEP was paying for those empty backhauls, but during an initial trial of Convoy’s technology, it was able to reduce empty miles by 50%. Behind that optimization lies cost savings, a more efficient supply chain and emissions reductions.
Headline Cork City Marathon going greener with reduction in single-use plastics…
With their futures at stake, university and college students are driving learning leaders to strengthen the role of higher education in sustainability. Many of the 4 million people who took part in the September 2019 youth-led climate strikes are now college-age. A 2021 Deloitte survey also showed that climate change and protecting the environment was the top priority for Gen Z. Clearly, commitments to protect the planet have become table stakes for students. Indeed, 75% of students say that a college’s environmental commitment would influence their choice of school, according to a survey conducted by the Princeton Review. But it’s not just students who are leading the charge. Climate action has become critical for governments globally: At COP26, the 2021 UN climate change conference held in Glasgow, 137 countries agreed to reverse forest loss, and 190 countries agreed to phase out coal power. Addressing environmental sustainability puts higher learning institutions ahead of the curve regarding regulatory pressures.
President Biden signed an executive order that demonstrates how the United States government will leverage its scale and procurement power to lead by example in tackling the climate crisis. The executive order will reduce emissions across federal operations, invest in American clean energy industries and manufacturing, and create clean, healthy, and resilient communities. The President’s whole-of-government effort will create well-paying jobs, grow industries, and make the country more economically competitive. “Right now we have a massive opportunity to create millions of clean energy jobs, save taxpayer money through reduced energy costs, and build a more sustainable future for generations of Americans,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan. “Today’s actions demonstrate how GSA and our federal partners will move forward with a bold vision that meets this moment in history by harnessing the power of American ingenuity and innovation.”