The Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation at the University of Pittsburgh and the Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research at Carnegie Mellon University will host Engineering Sustainability 2013: Innovation and the Triple Bottom Line, to be held April 7-9 in Pittsburgh.

As with the 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2011 events, this focused conference will bring together engineers and scientists from academia, government, industry, and nonprofits to share results of cutting-edge research and practice directed at development of environmentally sustainable buildings and infrastructure.

The built environment, which includes buildings, the transportation grid, and water collection and treatment systems, helps to sustain our economy and way of life, but at the cost of heavy resource use and waste generation. Buildings alone consume a substantial percentage of the materials produced globally each year and require significant amounts of energy for operation.

Transportation grids are material-intensive, and the maintenance requirements of aging infrastructure in the developed world are stressing the abilities of municipalities to maintain viable systems. Renewal of urban water infrastructure with new, more sustainable systems delivering higher performance is a critical need, as failing infrastructure systems in many cities impact economic vitality and quality of life for residents.

Stormwater management systems in many cities are inadequate and based on old paradigms, exacerbating flooding problems and leading to sewer overflows. Water also is interlinked with energy production and use, as significant amounts of water are required for energy generation, and production of high purity water with current membrane technologies requires significant amounts of energy.

Join Janie French, PA Environmental Council State Director of Water Programs, who will moderate a discussion on sustainable water management. Integrated water resource management is a sustainable approach used globally to meet the vulnerability of our water resources.  However management and regulations often compete and need to be integrated across the water chain.  Solutions to manage stormwater and wastewater must protect public health and safety while being affordable to those that benefit from the water sector service.

For more information, visit the Conference webpage.

3/25/2013