In December 2002, responding to a report from past president Tony Ridley on his experience of the World Summit for Sustainable Development, ICE Council passed a resolution stating, ‘Sustainable development is now absolutely central to civil engineering and we must organise ourselves accordingly’. A range of actions have been set in place to ensure that this resolution is implemented including:
a revision of the accreditation guidelines for undergraduate courses to ensure sustainability issues are integrated into first degrees;
a sustainability audit of all boards, committees and panels delivering ICE learned society activity;
a refocusing of ICE's Communications activities to ensure the civil engineer's role in solving problems thrown up by sustainable development is more widely recognised.
In addition we felt it was vital to encapsulate in a single short document the ICE's:
belief in the centrality of sustainable development to civil engineering;
recognition of our members’ role in devising solutions that meet the aspirations of society while contributing to economic growth, environmental protection and improved quality of life;
expectations placed on members to understand, foster and promote sustainable development;
expectations placed on the Institution to ensure that sustainability should be incorporated into our educational and learned society activity;
commitment as a corporate body to enhancing its own sustainability performance through the setting and monitoring of a corporate sustainability policy.
This document, the ICE Charter for Sustainable Development, was approved by Council in April 2003 and launched at the ICE Annual Conference in June 2003. The ICE Environment and Sustainability Board, chaired by Council member John Ekins, drafted the text. The document builds on and supersedes the ICE's environmental policy statement, Civil Engineers and the Environment that was distributed to all members in 1998.
ICE CHARTER FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
The Institution of Civil Engineers believes that sustainable development is central to civil engineering and that ICE and the profession it serves must organise themselves accordingly.
In making this statement the Institution recognises the vital role played by its members in identifying the needs of society and devising and delivering solutions that are affordable and meet society's aspirations. In fulfilling this role, civil engineers contribute to economic growth, to environmental protection and to improved quality of life.
The Institution equally recognises the need to protect and enhance the environment and to use resources in a way that does not disadvantage future generations.
To achieve these objectives requires solutions which strike an informed balance in terms of cost, benefits, sustainability and acceptability within the broader legislative framework, and involve an evaluation of whole life costs.
All grades of membership must aim to develop and maintain a high standard of sustainability awareness and to continuously improve sustainability performance within their professional activities.
The Institution expects that:
every member should understand, foster and promote the concepts of sustainable development and the need to deliver projects with an appropriate balance between environmental, social and economic factors;
its members should understand the contribution that other professions make to sustainable development;
its learned society activities should promote continuing improvement in the sustainability of design, construction and maintenance of the built and natural environment;
its members at all grades should receive education and training in the concepts of sustainability and inter-related social, economic and environmental issues;
its members should formulate, promote and disseminate views on sustainability issues associated with the built and natural environment. In carrying out this activity ICE should engage with government, public authorities, other institutions and societies, the general public and other bodies and organisations in the UK and internationally;
case histories of good practice should be collated and disseminated by the ICE;
as a corporate body its own sustainability performance should be monitored and action taken to enhance this performance. A corporate sustainability policy and action plan should be drawn up and approved by the Council.
To further the aims of this Charter the Institution will:
actively support and assist its members in delivering this policy;
develop strategic alliances with other organisations with an interest in the built and natural environment and sustainable development.
