Associated Engineering does its part to halt global warming

Climate change, global warming and greenhouse gases are topics that are virtually inescapable today. The growing body of scientific consensus clearly links human activities to climate change. Recognizing the importance of these issues, Associated Engineering is bringing innovation to our corporate practices and the services we provide to our clients by initiating a Carbon Neutral Policy.

Going carbon neutral

Associated Engineering has made a major commitment to help reduce greenhouse gases that cause global warming by establishing a Carbon Neutral Policy. Under this new policy, the company will implement measures to reduce or mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and will invest in carbon offset projects to become carbon neutral. Associated Engineering has always acted as stewards of the environment, taking a sustainable approach on our projects. This means developing solutions that are environmentally, socially, and economically viable. The carbon neutral policy goes one step further in our commitment to the environment by establishing a goal that as a business we will be carbon neutral. What does this mean? By using energy for heating and cooling our buildings, lighting our offices, and operating our computers, businesses contribute greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, to the environment. As a responsible business, we believe we can have an efficient and successful business, without increasing the mass of greenhouse gases sent to the environment. Already, the company has implemented measures such as video conferencing to reduce the need for travel, double siding documents to reduce paper use, recycling and reusing paper, transit, and cycling to work, and turning off lights and equipment during non working hours. As part of the carbon neutral policy, Associated Engineering will identify sources of greenhouse gases from our offices, estimate the carbon dioxide equivalents generation rate, and identify additional measures that will reduce or mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. We will also invest in carbon off-set initiatives as a way to mitigate our greenhouse gas generation impact. We are taking the unique approach of establishing and managing our own carbon offset fund. This will allow the company’s management team to assess possible investments to gain assurance the intended carbon offset is achieved. Investments in the communities where our employees live and work will be our top priority, which is directly linked with the company’s strategic goal of helping to build better communities.

Controlling greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater treatment

Nitrous oxide is a powerful greenhouse gas that has an assigned global warming potential 310 times that of carbon dioxide. Under certain conditions, biochemical pathways of various microorganisms can generate nitrous oxide in a variety of nitrogen-bearing environments that can include wastewater treatment facility bioreactors, water bodies receiving effluent, and agricultural sites receiving biosolids application. Associated Engineering’s Dr. Dean Shiskowski, P.Eng. has researched and published several articles on nitrous oxide generation in wastewater treatment bioreactors. In recognition of his expertise in this area, Dean will be participating in the Water Environment Research Foundation’s Nutrient Removal Challenge to advise on nitrous oxide issues related to achieving low total nitrogen levels in effluent.

Researchers at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies recently acknowledged Dean’s waste-water insights to their study on trace greenhouse gases. Dean has applied his expertise in this area to wastewater projects such as the Capital Regional District’s Core Area Wastewater Management Program and the City of Medicine Hat Wastewater Treatment Facility Scoping Study.

Climate change considerations in water system planning

Large regional climate shift is one of the critical metrics, along with ice sheet disintegration/global sea level rise and plant/animal species extinction, that some in the scientific community have associated with climate change. Under certain climate change scenarios, regional climate shifts are anticipated to induce precipitation changes. These changes could include increased drought in sub-tropic areas. Associated Engineering’s Dr. Michael MacLatchy, P.Eng. considered such a scenario in the City of Nanaimo’s Water Supply Strategic Plan. To assess the reliability of the watershed under future climate change impacts, he applied the UBC Watershed Model in conjunction with downscaled climate change data obtained from several climate change models and scenarios. The analysis determined the return periods for annual and summer low yields under different climate scenarios,as well as the impact of climate change on duration and distribution of summer yields. The results assisted the City in identifying the potential in-service date for a new reservoir.

Reducing our environmental footprint

By considering how we can reduce greenhouse gases on projects, at work, and at home, we believe that we can all be part of the solution to global warming and halt the effects of climate change.