Sustainability in the marine industry

By V Hagopian posted on Mon, 2009-11-23 15:10 , 245 reads, 0 comments

Sustainable solutions in the Marine Industry.

 

Having spent the better part of my 35 year of professional practice in working on waterfronts and on marine related projects, I am a bit disappointed with lack of measured progress by the industry to stay in step with other industry efforts in retooling and adapting a new philosophy. One might question as to where the prime incentive (the Push) should come from. Grass root effort, industry leaders initiative or government mandate?. The correct answer is all of the above.

 

Global warming and sea level rise is not a single industry problem, it is a global issue and every sector of our industrial machine must wake up to face this significant challenge to correct decades of wrong doing and set our society on a correct and sustainable path.

 

Although research is being done to introduce new ideas to promote new ideology and tools to offset current practices, the pace of making progress has been slow. Some significant gains have been realized and they are worthy of acknowledgment here. The composite industry introduced successful applications of alternative piling, such as fiberglass and plastics. New alternative renewable fuels like bio-diesel, ethanol and electrical propulsion are gaining acceptance. Four stroke outboard engines have been successfully adapted in lieu of two stroke engines that spew spent oil in the water. Studies and pilot programs are under way to explore feasibility of harnessing energy from waves, tidal currents and off-shore wind farms. Further research is being undertaken to find a permanent solution to anti-fouling marine paint that is toxic to the marine environment. All these and much more are good efforts, however there is much more needs to be done.

  

Alternative composite material are finding acceptance in building new vessels resulting in stronger vessel hulls that  last longer with reduced long term maintenance and reduction in total weight to reduce fuel consumption. The ongoing research and material engineering are transferable to the shoreline marine construction industry and we are beginning to see the direct benefits of having new materials available for us to choose from.

 

Should global warming continue to accelerate causing significant rise in sea level 50 to 100 years from now as predicted, the projected time frame is very short to get ready to face the problem. The marine industry stands to be the biggest looser as most industry applications, capital assets and hardware are located along the sea/land interface zone. The effort to change standard means and methods of yesteryear practices must change in a rapid pace to get our society to be ready. Discharge of flotsam material from ongoing activities into coastal resources must stop to prevent further damage and allow time for healing and recovery. Industry giants as well as individual single users of the resource must change from "Let others worry about the future?" attitude to "What I can do to be part of the solution?".

 

What is Sasaki doing in its effort to help with the overall picture.

 

Sasaki's practice spans the globe and every opportunity we get, we promote sustainable solutions and responsive stewardship.

-          First, we try to educate our clients and the communities in which we work with, always keeping an open mind to learn from each commission. After all, it is all about learning and leading others to learn.

-          We plan and develop "practical" and achievable measures affording our clients the capability to meet set goals.

-          We help in structuring a logical and progressive approach to guide the development process through very complex systems that are emerging daily. We must be choosy as not all gadgets, systems and tools on the market are worthy of consideration.

-          We look ahead and foster partnerships with clients/communities to be flexible in our approach to a given problem. This philosophy allows us to continue to evolve and re-invent ourselves to stay on the cutting edge and lead by example.

-          We practice what we preach and believe in the power of collaborative practice to help ourselves as well as the communities who seek our council.

 

As an example of a Green Marina Design by Sasaki, Daniel Island Marina in Charleston South Carolina is currently on the drawing boards and soon to be in construction.

 

 

 

More to follow.