Lauren Alger, PE, STV’s national director of sustainable design, has been a long-standing leading voice of embodied carbon reduction efforts across the design and construction processes, having most recently spoken on panels at the Women Builders Council’s AIM Leadership Forum and NASCC: The Steel Conference. At these events and in her daily work at STV, Alger is working with stakeholders and clients at all phases of the project delivery process to identify strategies and better outcomes for infrastructure and communities.
In this Earth Month interview, Alger examines the changing federal legislative landscape on emissions reductions, her strategic partnerships with stakeholders, and her leadership role as the Chair of ASCE Infrastructure 2050, where she is also championing the newly launched Signatory Firms program. This initiative provides a framework for organizations to formally commit to the challenge of low-carbon infrastructure and collaborate towards shared goals.
1. How are shifting legislative priorities impacting reducing embodied carbon emissions within the construction industry?
What we’ve seen is an emphasis on developing and using materials that demonstrate improved quality, performance and efficiency. This is best evidenced by the house bill, H.R. 1534, the Innovative Mitigation Partnerships for Asphalt and Concrete Technologies Act or IMPACT Act. The IMPACT Act passed the House on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis and now awaits approval in the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The goal of this legislation is to boost innovation, research and development, and manufacturing of low-emissions cement, concrete and asphalt with an understanding that in making this investment, the United States is staying competitive on the global stage, improving infrastructure locally and making meaningful emissions reductions with the world’s most used building materials. This demonstrates a commitment to developing and adopting advanced production technologies that are not only cost-effective but also create more durable and resource-efficient materials, inherently lowering their embodied carbon footprint. If this passes the Senate, this has the potential to substantially advance embodied carbon reduction efforts.
2. How are you communicating about these shifts to clients and communities?
When we speak to clients about their programs, we are advising them to think and plan for a more decentralized federal environment. We’re closely tracking data and identifying emerging bipartisan solutions for the materials used in our built environment. The outcomes we aim to deliver are consistent, such as minimizing disruptions to our communities. For example, efficient projects that reduce traffic benefit everyone. To achieve these outcomes, especially when tackling challenges like transporting materials to construction sites, we take a holistic, systems-based approach. We are engaging with the supply chain to understand the challenges faced by stakeholders, policymakers and clients.
3. In some of your recent public events, you’ve engaged with stakeholders representing different aspects of the supply chain (i.e. concrete, asphalt and steel). How does our approach differ with each stakeholder?
Sustainable material choices begin by deeply engaging with the communities that produce concrete, asphalt, and steel. Each industry has its own unique challenges and pathways to decarbonization – informed by their own deep understanding of their materials and processes – so we actively participate in and support their existing networks. The American Institute of Steel Construction’s Sustainability Partner Program for steel fabricators, the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association’s significant work bolstering Environmental Product Declarations and establishing regional baselines for ready-mix concrete, and the National Asphalt Pavement Association’s Practical Guide for Sustainable Asphalt Pavements are examples of the incredible progress made within these sectors. Our role as sustainable design and construction advocates is to connect with these communities, build and strengthen these networks, implement their advancements on our projects, educate design and construction teams on sustainable material selection and best practices, and work collaboratively to overcome barriers to adoption. We leverage the valuable resources and data transparency provided by these industry groups to inform our clients, ensuring they understand the benefits and impacts of material choices, and ultimately facilitate the broader adoption of lower-carbon materials.
4. Tell us about your involvement with ASCE Infrastructure 2050. Why is this organization so important to your larger goals for the industry?
We are actively building a community – including industry professionals, including engineers, owners, contractors, and manufacturers – who are working together to advance embodied carbon reduction strategies across infrastructure projects. We are currently identifying best practices, generating case study templates and data collection frameworks, and developing practical guidance for implementing carbon reduction strategies. This community is directly supporting the development and adoption of low-carbon solutions for infrastructure projects, and we have officially launched our Signatory Firms program, allowing organizations to formally commit to this challenge and work together towards collective goals. Additionally, we are also helping to update the next version of ASCE’s Standard Practice for Sustainable Infrastructure (73-23).
