Canadian takes international lead on sustainability

A Canadian —–consulting engineer will be teaching the principles of sustainable development around the world through a sustainability seminar unveiled in Toronto in March. John Boyd, P. Eng., a member of the Executive Committee of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC), sits on the FIDIC Sustainable Development Task Force and is an expert on sustainability issues.

According to the Brundtland Commission of Sustainable Development: Sustainability, or sustainable development, refers to development that meets the needs of the current generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

“In general,” said Boyd, a past Chairman of the Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada, “there is a concern that the human race is loading the environment beyond its capacity to recover naturally. Perhaps more importantly, there is a social dimension that argues for the participation of stakeholder groups in projects of the type that engineers carry out. When we investigate the issues of sustainability we find out that every type of project that engineers perform has sustainability implications.”

To ensure that future generations are able to fully utilize the resources we enjoy, John Boyd is doing his part.