Transformation and Upgrade: Creating a Sustainable World

The President of American Society of Civil Engineers， Blaine Leonard， P.E.， D.GE， F.ASCE， addressed an attentive audience of entrepreneurs， engineers， practitioners and scholars at the China High Tech Conference (CHITEC) held at the Holiday Inn Crown Plaza Hotel on Friday， May 28， 2010. During his address at the CHITEC Conference， Leonard encouraged Chinese civil engineers to join their U.S. counterparts in embracing and encouraging sustainable practices， and to work together to develop innovative solutions.(By Mrs. Eva Lerner-Lam)

This 13th China Beijing International High-Tech Expo is an honorable testament to China’s dedication to the goals of the 11th Five-Year Program for National Economic and Social Development.With more than 2，000 domestic and international high-tech enterprises and high-tech zones， the best and brightest minds are here today to help China continue its strong future development.By bringing together both government and non-government entities from around the world to share their knowledge and innovation about emerging strategic industries and low-carbon green economy， China has taken great strides towards the goal of developing a sustainable and resilient economy. China has recognized that economic growth and social progress need to travel hand-in-hand with environmental stewardship， and that sustainability is the key to responsible future growth and progress.You are to be commended for this vision and deserving of all our support.

As President of the American Society of Civil Engineers， I am here with all of you today as part of our outreach efforts to advance civil engineering globally.With over 144，000 members， our technical society serves approximately 14，000 international members， has Agreements of Cooperation with 72 engineering organizations in 59 countries， and supports 17 International Sections and 17 International Groups.The Society also has eight institutes that focus on such specialty areas as architectural engineering; coasts， oceans， ports and rivers; transportation， construction， environmental and water resources， structural engineering， the Geo-Institute， and Engineering Mechanics.

All of us here today are partners in forging a new path to a global sustainable future.Our goal is to draw upon the earth’s resources in a more responsible and efficient way.Both of our nations are being watched by other countries around the world.As two of the leading economies with advanced technology and growing populations， the rest of the world expects us to find solutions that can be emulated.This is a challenge that we must accept.If our nations can continue to recover and improve our economies in the future， maintain and expand our infrastructure， while protecting our citizens and the air， water， and land that supports our very existence， we will have succeeded.We need to learn from natural disasters， and then utilize and share this knowledge as we design， build and plan ahead to minimize the health， safety and economic risks to our communities. To do so in a way that also creates a positive effect for our neighbors around the globe will benefit all of us.

The concept of sustainability is a key element in that journey.If we build and maintain our infrastructure while focusing on the environmental， economic and social well-being of our society， we will create a foundation that will carry us efficiently and effectively into the future.

As an engineer， I have to marvel at some of China’s greatest engineering achievements.The Sutong Bridge， which was named the winner of the 2010 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award (OCEA) at our American Society of Civil Engineers’ Outstanding Projects and Leaders Gala in March.It won this prestigious award because the Sutong Bridge was deemed to embody the best in civil engineering and to make a significant contribution both to the civil engineering profession， and to society as a whole.It is an elegant symbol of China’s ingenuity.

The speed and comfort achieved by the China Railway High Speed is the envy of many nations， including the U.S.The beautiful Bird’s Nest Stadium， constructed when you hosted the 2008 Summer Olympic Games， won the world’s recognition.I come from Salt Lake City， where we hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics， and I appreciate the great work you did to host the 2008 games.The hydro-electric marvel， the Three Gorges Dam， and the recently completed artistic and inspiring structures of the Shanghai World Expo， are also on the list of notable engineering achievements.

All of these achievements are a reflection of your status as a global leader.China has been able to create these magnificent structures because of what you have accomplished in transforming your society. Our nations are very alike in many ways.

Technology is only one of many tangible products we both create and use.As global economic leaders， our two nations are the largest supplier and consumer of goods and services. From airplanes and textiles， to computers and motorcycles， China provides the world with desirable commodities.With your country’s increased interest in environmental protection and management of waste， more multi-national companies will come to China to provide products and services to help tackle these issues created by rapid industrialization.Many non-governmental entities within China will also help to foster a viable economic and environmental future.As we are starting to do in the U.S.， this focus on sustainability will help you create strategies and use your natural resources more efficiently while minimizing costs in the future.

Now that our country has established a level of prosperity， we have begun to notice that the infrastructure we built fifty years ago is starting to age， and it is no longer adequate.Although we made our best estimates then of how it would stand up to the pace of growth we would experience， we have outgrown it.Similar to China， we didn’t originally think long and hard about the costs – to the environment and the infrastructure.We haven’t invested adequately on maintenance and renewal.We just didn’t consider the ramifications each time we built a new factory or airport.We didn’t predict the impact of urban sprawl.We didn’t take into account the amount of waste produced by a growing society and dumped into our waterways， or the fact that it could some day harm our population or the ecosystem that supports it.

In the 1960s， the United States started discovering the impact of our rapid industrialization.Pesticides used for agriculture were poisoning the water， land and air and was threatening human health.The lesson we have learned is that damage to the environment has a long-term cost.And it is a cost that crosses all borders.We need to be sensitive to the environments of our countries， because it greatly affects the global environment.As we move forward， we must do so and pay attention the sustainability of what we are doing.And while we have discussed environmental impacts for 40 years， the word “sustainable” is relatively new.Within the last 10 years， this word has become common in our language， not only in the design and construction world， but also in the language of everyday life.Sustainability is everywhere.

We have also learned that we can create significant change.There’s an old saying that “if you always do what you always did， you will always get the same result.”And the same result is just not adequate enough today.We have to do things differently in the future.And we have to get a different outcome.As civil engineers and as a society， we need to transform to meet the needs of tomorrow.

As we， at the American Society of Civil Engineers， began to think about the future of civil engineering， we realized that we needed to define our profession’s future role. We wanted a global vision for civil engineering in the year 2025， not really that far off.We wanted to know what our role as civil engineers would be in that future world?And we came up with a truly inspirational vision， one that is very carefully worded.Let me share that vision with you.I ask you to think about the words.

“Entrusted by society to create a sustainable world and enhance the global quality of life， civil engineers serve competently， collaboratively， and ethically as…”

* Master Builders – master planners， designers， and constructors of society’s economic and social engine (what we call the built environment);

* Master Stewards - of the natural environment and its resources;

* Master Innovators - and integrators of ideas and technology across the public， private and academic sectors;

* Managers of Risk - and uncertainty， caused by natural events， accidents and other threats;

* And Leaders in discussions and decisions shaping public environmental and infrastructure policy.

We believe this Vision does not describe who civil engineers are today.It might describe some of us – but it does not describe all of us… yet.It is truly an aspiration - a Vision of who we want to become.This sets a target for us - a global state of affairs where civil engineers have a leading role in the economy of the future.A role in which we are trusted， where we are innovators in the sense of helping to define problems， not just solve them.As we move toward the future， in sustainability and in many other areas， we invite China and all countries to join us.As we transform the profession， and move toward the Vision of 2025， our goal for the future is a collaboration that creates a sustainable world and enhances the global quality of life.

And I believe， that working together as two of the largest economies in the world， we can work together to bring about change and progress. There are a number of next steps we could pursue together – academic activities， partnerships between government and non-government entities - even a joint commission to analyze common infrastructure problems. The challenges we have before us today and for the future will not be easy.They will be daunting， they will be hard， and they will measure the best of our abilities.They will challenge us， they will make us better， and they will stretch us.They will provide work and an exciting opportunity to enhance the capability of independent innovation and accelerate the transformation of development that this High-tech Expo is all about. We choose our future， we choose our destiny， and we choose the direction we are going.I would encourage you to think about our shared destiny， to choose your role in the future， and to join us.We look forward to working with you to create a global sustainable future.”