In a recently published position paper from the International Coalition of Sustainable Infrastructure (ICSI), STV, along with other contributors, addressed climate adaptation and resilience needs for our nation’s infrastructure
The paper, A Review of the Landscape of Guidance, Tools and Standards for Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure, analyses the gaps that exist in building sustainable and resilient infrastructure and includes contribution from STV leaders Rob Fields, P.E., ENV SP, LEED AP BD+C, senior engineer; and Breanna Gribble, CHMM, ENV SP, WEDG, senior resilience manager. Fields and Gribble have been a part of the coalition since 2019 and played key roles in its publication, contributing research and performing peer reviews for the paper.
“The overall mission of the coalition is to make practical resilience and sustainability principles a cornerstone of every decision in the infrastructure lifecycle,” Fields said. “It aligns so well with STV’s resilience vision, and how we support our clients by developing infrastructure that is more sustainable and resilient against flooding and other disasters.”
“There’s a lot of valuable guidance and tools for resilient infrastructure out there, but the problem is the landscape lacks cohesiveness and is often disconnected between academia and practice,” Gribble said. “Much of what we do at STV is translating that theory into practice. This paper is a much-needed resource for others in the industry and we are excited to be at the forefront of creating a new industry standard.”
Now that the position paper is published, Fields and Gribble are continuing their roles as peer reviewers for ISCI’s next publication, which will develop a common set of indicators for sustainable and resilient infrastructure practices – putting the method into practice.
“It’s a very exciting time to be working with the ICSI since several initiatives are accelerating, including some very aggressive carbon emissions targets,” Fields said.
Read more about the paper at sustainability-coalition.org or download the complete position paper here.
