Companies in the construction sector happen to be the largest consumer of the Earth’s natural resources. Every year, contractors in these corporations exploit huge qualities of sand, raw stones, gravel, and virgin wood to construct buildings. Most of these resources are non-renewable and are likely to extinguish in the coming decades. Even the machinery and equipment they use in the construction sites emit tremendous qualities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Moreover, the contractors even encroach on the natural habitat of various wildlife species to build urban infrastructure for an ever-growing population. The time has come for civil engineers to design environmentally-sustainable buildings to reduce carbon footprints.
Reddy Kancharla – How can civil engineers minimize carbon footprints?
Reddy Kancharla is a prominent civil engineer from New York City with over 25 years of valuable industry-based experience under his belt. His areas of expertise are in civil construction, construction quality assurance, and geotechnical consultation. Throughout his career, he has held a number of senior executive posts in major construction quality control companies in New York. He is also the mastermind behind the construction of many prominent landmark buildings in the city.
Civil engineers can play a critical role in creating a clean and green environment for future generations. To minimize carbon footprints, they should consider implementing the following environmentally-friendly tips in their building projects:
- Promoting the recycling of sustainable construction materials
When selecting the ideal construction materials, the engineers should opt for ones that are recyclable and sustainable. This helps to minimize the demand to acquire new building resources and costs for transporting them to the construction sites. This considerably minimizes the carbon emissions and toxic build-up in the atmosphere. It even reduces the necessity to send hazardous waste products resulting from the use of these materials to specific landfills.
- Insulation and adoption of solar panels
Civil engineers should construct cavity wall insulation and double glazing in all of their building projects. This helps to retain heat within the buildings without the need to burn massive quantities of fossil fuels. Moreover, engineers should install a cost-effective solar panels system in their buildings to absorb the Sun’s ultraviolet rays. This enables the occupants of the household to generate enough electricity to meet their domestic use.
- Water harvesting
In conventional building construction, contractors need to use to utilize huge amounts of energy to obtain, filter, and use water. This results in a significant increase in the release of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. However, civil engineers can reverse this trend by installing efficient household fixtures and domestic appliances, which help to minimize water usage. Moreover, the design of buildings themselves should enable the occupants to harvest rainwater for domestic use.
Civil engineers in the construction sector can make a significant contribution to improving the environment. They can reduce carbon footprints by incorporating the latest green technologies and techniques in their building projects. Taking this step allows them to recycle building materials, harvest rainwater, and utilize ultraviolet rays for domestic purposes. In the process, they will be preserving this planet for the next generations to enjoy.
