ACEC scores government relations victories
April 1, 2005
By
Canadian Consulting Engineer
ACEC has come together with FIDIC and the Consulting Engineers of Ontario to offer Sustainability seminars as one of its educational services for members. In these seminars, the first of which was hel...
ACEC has come together with FIDIC and the Consulting Engineers of Ontario to offer Sustainability seminars as one of its educational services for members. In these seminars, the first of which was held with great success in Toronto last month, consulting engineers have the opportunity to learn more about a trend that is becoming a recognized solution to both business and environmental challenges.
Sustainability, or sustainable development, refers to development that meets the needs of the current generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. In general, there is a concern that the human race is loading the environment beyond its capacity to recover naturally. Perhaps more importantly, there is a social dimension that argues for the participation of stakeholder groups in projects of the type that engineers carry out. When you investigate the issues of sustainability you find out that every type of project that engineers perform has sustainability implications.
Most levels of government now have sustainability policies, as do many of the industry’s larger private sector clients. There is an opportunity for ACEC to offer a broader range of services to these clients. In fact, sustainability can be a part of a successful business as more and more clients request — and pay for — the service. Adding it to the list of services you provide means adding a new business line to your firm and the potential for increased revenue.
In fact, sustainability is more than just a buzz word: on top of its current sustainability policies, the federal government has focused much of the infrastructure-related items in the 2005 Federal Budget on “greening” itself through its buildings and other procurement activities (see next page for more details). Canada’s cities will also receive money to go green in 2005.
Being able to provide sustainability services means better competitive ability and could mean higher revenue for your firm. ACEC will keep you informed about future opportunities to expand your firm’s services, and about the impact of the federal government’s green policies.
ALLEN WILLIAMS, P. ENG.
CHAIR, ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERS OF CANADA
