A Pledge to Help Restore Our Earth

The theme of Earth Day 2021 is “Restore Our Earth,” which seems especially appropriate as we emerge from the challenges of the past year. We’re all looking for ways to restore our way of life and restore those things most important to us. Many of us have also developed a greater appreciation for the world around us and reaffirmed our role in protecting our planet, personally and professionally.

Sustainability cannot be just a buzzword we use during Earth Week; it needs to be at the very core of how we operate, how we approach every project and client, and a commitment that permeates our culture. Much of the work in the engineering and construction industry has a direct impact on creating a more sustainable world. From green water infrastructure to green building design to clean energy generation and storage and intelligent transportation systems, we have an opportunity to demonstrate commitment to creating durable solutions that lead to a more sustainable planet.

We are committed to bringing sustainable options to our clients. Recent projects supporting our sustainability commitment range from offshore wind and microgrids to net zero building design, airport solar canopies, green infrastructure, and urban road diets, to name just a few.

We should also recognize that we make organizational choices every day that have a direct impact on sustainability. From reducing our use of single-use plastic water bottles, to setting all office copiers to print double-sided copies, to eliminating unnecessary travel to reduce our carbon footprint, each action has an impact. When we take time to measure and evaluate our actions, we can then implement programs to reduce our environmental footprint.

Cultivating a culture that encourages employees to be part of the sustainability journey is essential; employees make an enormous impact in supporting an organization’s commitment to protecting the environment. Across the country, encouragement of volunteerism has resulted in our employees’ involvement in programs and fundraising events to benefit our shared communities. From Indianapolis, Indiana, to Richmond, Virginia, we have worked to clean streets and parks and trails, and supported STEAM activities to encourage and develop a sustainable workforce for the next generation.

As we celebrate Earth Week 2021, we reaffirm our pledge to help restore the earth and commit to building on our efforts to responsibly improve the world we live in. Please join us.