What Does it Mean?
Please share a brief list of the concepts, ideas, and goals that come to your mind when you think about sustainability and promoting a sustainable built environment.
- Every single bit of energy is used well - we create waste heat through energy generation, and we can use this to heat water for a facility.
- This also means we save what we can, including using heat exchangers to ensure the internal temperatures are kept in an appropriate heat using waste heat
- This means catching and reusing waste water from parts of the facility. You can use rainwater/non potable water in toilets, for example
- Natural cooling, so that any work that can be done by the environment, is
- Built with local, biodegradable materials whenever possible
- Take into account where waste and sustainability are at other parts of the supply chain. You must be aware what cost is incurred by each purchase/design, even if it's not entirely under your control. There might be risks upstream
A great example for sustainability is SESI, Stanford's Sustainable Energy System Innovations. Stanford has an overlap in heating and cooling needs, and by determining how to efficiently serve those needs with the available resources, you save lots of energy. This system is powered by electricity from renewable sources, and is designed to handle more than twice Stanford's current demand.
