Education is the only way to transform society. Educators have a responsibility to bring about change. Academics must start thinking beyond the box. Academia must collaborate with industry, not exist in silos.
These are all arguments of Professor Jorge Vanegas, Interim Dean at the College of Architecture, Texas A & M University, who was in town recently for the annual Conference on Sustainability Engineering and Science at Auckland University.
Sponsored by Timbertank Enterprises, Professor Vanegas was a
keynote speaker at the conference.
As Interim Dean of the University, the largest of its type in
the US, Professor Vanegas leads 40 departments, 5 research centres,
and 4 other groups. One of these groups provides assistance to the
many disenfranchised living along the 12,054 mile border between
Texas and Mexico, hoping, through collaboration with government and
industry, to improve living standards through sustainable building
practices.
Professor Vanegas is a passionate advocate of academics and
other stakeholders 'walking the talk', of taking the leap from
theory to practice. "That's what I stand for," says the Professor.
"I believe in integrating multiple disciplines to find solutions
for people. Government, industry and academia need to take an
integrated, cohesive approach if they are going to relate their
knowledge and theory to reality.
"Sustainability is about enabling people to have a future
without sacrificing today. Satisfy today, yes, but compromise. Have
an understanding of the long-term impact. We need to be aware that
putting up a building is only the beginning of its real, useful
life."
These ideas tie in well with Timbertanks, who continually strive
for maximum value and quality in their water tanks, with low
life-cycle costs, sustainable practices and reuse key parts of
their philosophy.
Says Professor Vanegas, "At the moment people don't have a clear
understanding that every choice we make, and every action, has
consequences. Sometimes our time horizon doesn't allow us to see
the impact of what we do. At the conference, I spoke about the need
to have an integrated approach that looks at a built environment
from an urban scale all the way down to the scale of the individual
resources that go into creating a facility."
The conference was hosted by the New Zealand Society for
Sustainability Engineering and Science (NZSSES), and took place at
Auckland University from 9 - 12 December 2008. The theme of
'Blueprints for Sustainable Infrastructure' covered three main
topics: developing sustainable communities, delivering sustainable
infrastructure, and designing sustainable global solutions.