Lincolnshire civil engineer is one of the first ICE Carbon Champions
A Lincolnshire civil engineer has been officially recognised as a Carbon Champion, with his efforts to quantifiably reduce the carbon emissions in the construction and delivery of the Boston Barrier flood defence scheme having been recognised.
Adam Robinson, Boston Barrier Project Director from the Environment Agency, has been named a Carbon Champion by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). The programme forms part of the ICE President Rachel Skinner’s Shaping Zero initiative, to enable civil engineers to implement the drive to net zero.
The other members of the team, Charlie Bell, Account Leader (Contractors) and Kaye Pollard, Civil Engineer, both from Mott MacDonald, were also named ICE Carbon Champions.
It forms part of the ongoing efforts of ICE to place the decarbonisation at the heart of the industry, in line with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
The Boston Barrier project team looked at three main areas for efficiency for the scheme - energy efficiency in the control building, low carbon concrete through the inclusion of ground-granulated blast furnace slag (ggbfsv - a by-product of the iron industry) and overall efficiency in design. It would have been a simple proposition to deliver the project in a ‘conventional’ way, but instead the team was actively incentivised through CEEQUAL, an international evidence-based sustainability assessment, rating and awards scheme for civil engineering, infrastructure and infrastructure, and as the client reinforcing the need for innovation and low carbon solutions.
Adam Robinson, ICE Carbon Champion and Environment Agency Project Director, Boston Barrier said:
“The Boston Barrier team is very proud to be recognised by the ICE as a Carbon Champion. We have continuously strived to look to reduce carbon within the design and build phase and incorporate carbon offset and energy efficient systems within our major infrastructure project. We see this recognition as a great platform to influence and promote how major projects can not only reduce built-in carbon, but also operational carbon footprints as well.
“We see carbon reduction and utilisation of low carbon materials and products as the new normal and are championing the way forward in the Environment Agency on the Boston Barrier with our delivery partners from BAM Nuttall and Mott MacDonald.”
Lara Young, Chair of the ICE Carbon Champions Review Panel, said:
“Civil engineering is all about transforming lives and improving the way we live. Finding sustainable ways to design, deliver and optimise infrastructure is critical for our generation.
“It’s been inspiring see such impressive carbon reduction efforts in practice, making a tangible difference to the way we live today. These individuals, and their teams, are building sustainable resilient infrastructure that is fit for our futures, and to celebrate that is important.”
The programme is part of ICE President Rachel Skinner’s Shaping Zero initiative, designed to enable civil engineers to implement the drive to net zero. It forms part of the ongoing efforts of the institution to place the decarbonisation at the heart of it, and the sector’s, agenda, in line with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
Rachel Skinner, ICE President, added:
“It’s human nature to think that disasters and problems will happen to someone else, somewhere else, but the reality is climate change is and will continue to effect each and every one of us – and we all have a responsibility to make positive change. These individuals, through their hard work and innovative thinking, are doing just that – delivering real change within the industry to help reduce the amount of carbon produced by infrastructure. In celebrating these achievements, we want to recognise this, but also educate and inspire others to look at what they can do in their own projects.”
Teams or individuals can apply to ICE to be recognised as Carbon Champions. Applicants are required to give details of the project they work on, as well as the carbon-savings they have made or plan to make, uploading their calculations and methodology as evidence.
The projects will be used as case studies of carbon reduction in practice, creating data-driven insights and raising awareness of how engineers are contributing to net-zero targets. The champions themselves will be the first members of an all-new ICE Carbon Community, actively collaborating and seeking to implement and share latest carbon reduction approaches.