From water and energy to roads and solid waste, there’s no denying that we use a lot of infrastructure during the first half of the day. This itself isn’t necessarily problematic, but when you couple it with troubling infrastructure grades and status reports, it’s becoming increasingly clear that our country’s infrastructure isn’t just in trouble: it’s approaching a state of crisis.

The American Society of Civil Engineers published an infographic titled “How Much Infrastructure Do You Use Before Noon?” in conjunction with the organization’s 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, which assigns a letter grade to each major infrastructure area.

No matter where you live or how you get to work, there’s a good chance you use quite a bit of infrastructure each day. Maybe you start the day with a shower and a cup of coffee (drinking water and wastewater) before making sure your child is safely on the school bus (schools and transit), at which time you jump in your car (roads) to head to the office.

And all this infrastructure use? It adds up. According to ASCE, “If we continue with current investment trends, aging and unreliable infrastructure will cost the average family $28,000 in income by the year 2020.”

Take a look at ASCE’s infographic and think about all of the infrastructure you use before noon each day. And while you’re at it, don’t miss the ASCE’s infrastructure report card. The news isn’t good. For example? The country’s combined GPA is D+, a dire signal that signals an estimated needed investment of $3.6 trillion by 2020.

In light of the May 24 bridge collapse in Washington, the information compiled by ASCE is even more important. A critical first step? Stay informed, which is where we come in. Stay tuned to the Burns & McDonnell blog for ongoing infrastructure-related updates.

Did the ASCE infographic change the way you view your infrastructure use? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Image: milos milosevic via Compfight cc

Father’s Day is almost here (psst — it’s Sunday!), and if you’re still on the search for the perfect gift, don’t stress! We polled some of our employee-owners to find out what dads really want.

The best news? There’s something for everyone on our list! Whether you’re shopping for a barbecue aficionado, a sports fan or a tech lover, we think you’ll find something he’ll love. Here are a few gift ideas to help get you started:

A Smoker

One of our employee-owners described this as a gift that’s “perfect for those dads with way too much time on their hands. It will keep them busy for hours.” We couldn’t help but laugh when we read that. Not only will he stay busy, but you’ll get to enjoy a delicious meal, too!

Take Him Out (to the Ballgame)

What’s better than spending the day watching sports with your dad? Get him a pair of tickets to see his favorite team and make a it daylong outing.

Brewery Tour

Schedule a brewery tour with your dad. Not only will he get a behind-the-scenes look at how his favorite beers are made — he’ll also get to sample them when the tour is done! Most breweries offer tours throughout the week. If you’re interested in an outing at Boulevard Brewing Co., for example, check out the website for tour details and online booking.

Nothing Like a Nap

Let’s face it — when it comes to napping, dads are champions! Your dad deserves some R&R, so give him a chance to kick back and snore the afternoon away. Whisk the kids (or grandkids) away for a few hours so he can enjoy an uninterrupted snooze. New pajamas and fluffy slippers are optional!

The Gift of Science

Looking for a gift that will satisfy your dad’s inner science nerd? One of our employee-owners recommended an EcoSphere Closed Ecosystem, a complete, self-contained and self-sustaining miniature world enclosed in glass. The intriguing gift makes a great addition to an office or favorite room at home. Each ecosphere includes active micro-organisms, small shrimp, algae and bacteria that live in filtered sea water. The ecosystem is incredibly low-maintenance — just add a source of indirect natural or artificial light and watch the ecosystem thrive!

Solar-Powered Soundtrack

Here’s another gift idea for the gadget-loving dads out there. The Soulra XL from Eton is a solar-powered boombox that’s powered for iPods and iPhones. Use the sun’s power to play songs and podcasts from a mobile device. If the Soulra XL’s 72-square-inch monocrystal solar panel is fully charged with direct sunlight, the boombox can charge and play an iPod or iPhone for more than 5 hours. The boombox comes with a shoulder strap for easy portability, as well as a remote control and AC adapter. If this gift causes dad to break out in a spontaneous display of karaoke, well, we’re sorry about that!

And there you have it — a few of our favorite Father’s Day gift ideas straight from some of the dads at our office! Feel free to stop back by and let us know what Father’s Day gift you picked.

Image via VisitKC.com

We’re always looking for ways to inspire kids to think big — especially when it comes to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) initiatives. And that’s one of the many reasons we’re excited to team up with Science City once again for the Battle of the Brains competition, giving area schools a chance to design a new exhibit at Science City AND win part of a $150,000-plus grant for STEM education.

The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that STEM jobs will grow by 17 percent by 2018, yet interest in STEM-related fields in the U.S. is declining. “We believe STEM education is fundamental to maintaining our country’s tradition of ingenuity and inspiration,” said Melissa Lavin-Hickey, director of the Burns & McDonnell Foundation. “The continuation of the Battle of the Brains program is part of our ongoing commitment to local STEM education and supporting a thriving educational environment at Science City.”

The inaugural Battle of the Brains competition in 2011 was more successful that we could have imagined, with more than 560 entries from 128 schools in 35 school districts from around the Kansas City metro. The result? THE SCIENCE OF ENERGY exhibit, which opened in March 2013 and was inspired by last year’s winners at Olathe North High School. We expect this year to be even more exciting, with even more entries and even bigger ideas.

How Does It Work?

School groups have from now until September to register. Once registered, each team has until the end of October to develop their concept and submit a proposal that will be judged by a panel of professionals. Each category will be whittled down to 10 entries and from there, the public helps decide the winners. One team will win the grand prize and will get to see their ideas come to life at Science City, working with architects, engineers and builders from Burns & McDonnell to make it happen.

All elementary and secondary schools in the Kansas City metro area are eligible to participate.

If you’re looking for something to inspire your students to think big and keep them busy this summer, send them down to Science City to check out THE SCIENCE OF ENERGY. It’s proof that with a little hard work and a lot of teamwork, they can turn their visions into reality.

All you have to do now is register — the competition kicks off in the fall. Be sure to visit the Battle of the Brains website, and find us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up-to-date with competition news and approaching deadlines.

So, students and teachers: Are you up to the challenge to think big and create the next great exhibit at Science City? We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

At the core of Dell’s culture is the belief that technology should enable human potential. Powering the Possible is our commitment to put technology and expertise to work, where it can do the most good for people and the planet. That’s the driving force behind our sustainability initiatives.

We have our fair share of sustainability success stories at Dell. For example, our 3Cs packaging initiative has reduced packaging volume by 10 percent, increased the amount of recycled packaging content by 40 percent, and increased the percentage of curbside recyclability to 75 percent since 2008. In the process of surpassing each of our sustainability goals, we also managed to save more than $18 million in packaging costs and 20 million pounds of material.

With results like that, the business value is clear. But that’s not always the case. One of the biggest challenges we face is balancing stakeholder demands with economic realities. We learned early on that to implement sustainability successfully, we have to act through partnerships and collaborations. We work consistently with industry groups and regulatory agencies to create shared sets of standards and uniform conduct across the industry, which makes it easier to drive wider and more accessible adoption of sustainable practices.

But above all else, clear communication at all levels is key. At Dell, we define sustainability through aspirational narratives, because as humans — and as organizations — we’re good about meeting objectives that we want to meet. By better communicating our story, we can help all stakeholders understand not only why, but more importantly, how to get it done.

Implementing sustainability programs can be challenging. It’s hard. The payoffs are often long-term. Making a business case often requires creativity. Part of my role at Dell is working with our customers and customer-facing teams to help them relate what we’re doing with sustainability to better business outcomes both for the customer and for Dell.

I hope you’re planning to join me in Kansas City this Friday, June 7 for the Burns & McDonnell Sustainability Summit, where I’ll talk more about how to achieve sustainability success.

Image via dell.com

As director of sustainability operations at Dell, Bruno Sarda oversees sustainability governance, information strategy, measurement, and reporting, as well as supporting advocacy, policy, and objective setting across internal and external stakeholder engagement. Sarda is also a consultant for the Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives where he advises a professional master’s program in sustainability practices. He is an adjunct faculty member at ASU’s School of Sustainability.

Communications giant Verizon is about to become the latest Internet and telecom company to embrace solar and fuel cell technologies on a large scale with a recently announced $100 million investment in clean power projects. Companies like Apple, Google, eBay and Microsoft have made similar commitments to clean power at their respective facilities, and now Verizon will follow suit with a plan to install clean power technology at 19 locations across seven states.

The new installations will help Verizon power its building and network infrastructure and are described by ClearEdge CEO David Wright to the GigaOM blog as “a stake in the ground for other technology companies.”

Verizon Chief Sustainability Officer James Gowen says the initiative is driven both by the desire to add energy resiliency to Verizon’s facilities and meet the company’s sustainability goals. During Superstorm Sandy, a fuel cell installation that powered a switching station in Long Island remained operable throughout the storm, which highlights the resilient capabilities of this technology — and that dependable functionality is something that Verizon would like to use throughout its facilities.

This isn’t Verizon’s first experience with fuel cell technology, yet the recent commitment does represent a significantly larger investment that will be more widespread across Verizon offices, including call centers, data centers and central and corporate office locations.

The project combines solar panel installations from SunPower that will be applied to the roof of a New Jersey data center, as well as on the ground next to the building. Fuel cells from ClearEdge Power will use a chemical reaction to produce electricity and heat and, if powered by biogas, have the added benefit of producing power that’s free of carbon emissions.

The clean power project is scheduled to be complete next year, when Verizon will be able to generate more than 70 million kilowatt hours of its own green energy annually, enough to power more than 6,000 single-family homes a year. At the same time, the company will eliminate more than 10,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, a significant step forward in the company’s plan to cut its carbon intensity in half by 2020.

Interested in learning about other companies that are making sustainability goals an increasingly important part of their organizations? Join Burns & McDonnell for our upcoming Sustainability Summit on June 7 to explore the theme “People, Planet, Profit: The Triple Bottom Line.” Register online now for admission to this half-day event, which kicks off at 7 a.m. We hope to see you there!

Image: kevin dooley via Compfight cc

At IKEA, drawing from our Swedish heritage and respect of nature, we believe it is important to be a good business while doing good business. We work diligently to minimize our impact on the environment. This commitment to sustainability is visible on a global level and also guides the construction and upkeep of individual stores, as evidenced by the initial activity surrounding the future of our Kansas City location.

Demolition recently began on a 60,000-square-foot building in Merriam, Kan., to make way for the new store. Throughout the process, IKEA is working with Heartland Habitat for Humanity and other local organizations to recycle and salvage as much of the existing building’s equipment, materials and parts as possible.

And as construction begins, we will evaluate potential on-site power generation to complement our U.S. goal of a renewable energy presence at nearly 90% of its U.S. locations.

Our other sustainable efforts in the U.S. include recycling waste material; incorporating environmental measures into the actual buildings with energy-efficient HVAC and lighting systems, recycled construction materials, skylights in warehouse areas; and water-conserving restrooms. We also have made a commitment to eliminate plastic bags from our check-out process, instead introducing reusable bags .

Walk the aisles in an IKEA store and you likely will not find incandescent light bulbs, part of our goal to phase them out and, by 2016, sell and use only LED bulbs. IKEA has also installed electric vehicle charging stations at nine stores in the western U.S.

Globally, we evaluate locations regularly for conservation opportunities, integrate innovative materials into product design, work to maintain sustainable resources, and flat-pack goods for efficient distribution.

Interested in hearing more about the IKEA approach and commitment to sustainability? Make plans to attend Burns & McDonnell’s upcoming Sustainability Summit on June 7. I will offer a more in-depth look at our sustainability initiatives during “A Sustainable Approach to Energy Conservation and Generation.” I hope to see you there!

Joseph Roth is the public affairs manager for IKEA U.S. He serves as the primary spokesperson regarding IKEA U.S. expansion plans and key sustainable initiatives such as renewable energy and property-related matters.

Terminal industry pros are headed deep in the heart of Texas for the upcoming International Liquid Terminals Association conference, which kicks off June 3 in Houston.

The 33^rd annual event is a prime opportunity for those in and connected with the terminals industry to gather for three days of networking, discussion and learning. This year’s conference features specialists from the terminal industry who will share their perspectives, strategies, tools and tips for increasing operational effectiveness, managing business issues and improving safety and environmental performance.

Conference attendees can choose from more than 35 sessions and four workshops, all designed to explore various facets of the terminal industry. Topics include:

• The Panama Canal Expansion and Other Critical Issues for U.S. Ports
• Tank Overfill Protection: Evaluating the Revised API 2350 Standard
• NGL and Crude Oil Storage: Strategies for the Build-Out Phenomenon
• Hazardous Waste Treatment: Conducting Third Party Audits to Reduce Risk
• Mechanical Integrity Programs: The Case for a Proactive Approach
• Tips for Building Successful Teams and Keeping Top Employees
• America’s Second Industrial Revolution: The Renaissance of U.S. Chemical Manufacturing
• Determining Storage Tank Emissions for Heated Oil and Asphalt

The conference starts with a roundtable discussion, “In The Wake of Hurricane Sandy,” that features moderator Jim Benton of the New Jersey Petroleum Council and speakers Jack McCrossin of CITGO Petroleum Corp.; Alice Lippert of the U.S. Department of Energy; and Ralph LaRossa of the New Jersey Public Service Electric and Gas Company.

The ILTA Conference also includes a trade show that, according to the organization, “offers virtually unlimited opportunities to learn about the products and services that terminals need to stay competitive.”

Burns & McDonnell is excited to be one of more than 300 companies exhibiting at the conference. As you explore the trade show floor, be sure to stop by and say hi!

In the meantime, we’d love to hear from anyone attending ILTA. What’s on your must-see list while you’re there?

We’ll see you in Houston!

Image: Katie Haugland via Compfight cc

Researchers in Spain are busy developing a new biological concrete that might just change how you see this essential yet ordinary building material. The new concrete has been developed by The Structural Technology Group in Barcelona to create ‘living’ buildings and introduce enhanced sustainability into architecture.

The concrete, which can be used in new developments as well as renovations, supports the growth of pigmented organisms on buildings. Not only does this help introduce plants to a building’s façade, it also helps reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels, creating more environmentally friendly structures.

A Closer Look At Biological Concrete

Incorporating plants onto buildings isn’t necessarily a new idea — just look at features like green roofs and vertical gardens. But the biological concrete functions as part of the building and, thanks to low pH levels, has become hospitable to plants. In ordinary concrete, pH levels are typically too high for plant growth. The lower pH levels in biological concrete create conditions that promote colonization, so researchers can encourage an array of biological organisms, like microalgae, lichens, fungi and mosses to grow.

The concrete is made up of three layers: a waterproofing layer, a biological layer and a discontinuous coating layer that’s placed on top of the structural layer. The top layer has a reverse waterproofing ability that allows rainwater to enter and blocks it from escaping while, at the same time, redirecting the water to the organisms to encourage growth. The biological layer has the ability to capture and store the water while supporting the development of the organisms. The waterproof layer protects the structural integrity of the concrete by preventing water damage.

Benefits of Biological Concrete

As more companies become invested in sustainability, biological concrete has the potential to revolutionize the construction industry. Take a look at the benefits offered by this innovative material:

Aesthetic Appeal

Forget the gray concrete that’s become prevalent in a variety of infrastructure projects. With biological concrete, building facades can be designed with different colors and finishes, creating a structure that’s as eye-catching as it is environmentally efficient.

Temperature Regulation

The biological coating has the potential to regulate thermal conductivity by capturing solar radiation. Temperatures inside are regulated by the concrete’s heat absorption, which makes biological concrete an ideal building material for a variety of climates.

Environmental Effects

Not only does biological concrete make buildings themselves more sustainable; the material also helps reduce overall levels of CO₂ in the atmosphere. Just think what the effect could be if biological concrete becomes widespread across the globe.

Biological concrete is still in the experimental phase, but there’s already been commercial interest in the material — and given its myriad benefits, we’re not surprised. As the work progresses, you might just find biological concrete headed to a city near you.

What’s your take on the material? Do you see biological concrete as the next step in creating more sustainable structures?

Image via ArchDaily

Previous iterations of the Global Reporting Initiative’s standards have been all-inclusive, encouraging reporters to report widely on their environmental, social and governance issues.  Some critics of the G3.1 and G3 standards complained that they rewarded breadth over depth by categorizing reports into three levels (A, B and C) – with the “best grade” given to the reports with the biggest scope.

G4 represents a big shift in the standard – away from “put it all out there” to “less is more” – so long as what gets reported is material to the organization. The new standards ask reporters to use the sustainability report to document what really matters — a big shift away from reporting on everything the company monitors.

First things first. The G4 is split into two complementary documents: a manual consisting of the principles and standard disclosures themselves and a separate implementation manual to help reporters make their way through the process. The second document details the necessary steps a reporter needs to take to launch and manage a sustainability reporting process within any organization, regardless of their level of experience. The first document offers flexibility for preparers to choose which disclosures to focus on and how to align efforts to local/regional report requirements and frameworks. In addition, new clarifications on how to report on shared supply chain impacts outside of operational control will hopefully support organizations in taking additional responsibility for supply chain sustainability and governance.

Here are the key changes reporters need to know about from G4:

Reporting Levels

Gone are the lettered reporting levels (A, B, and C) that encouraged American reporters to go for that A+. There will now be an “in accordance” system with two distinct tracks: an entry level track for general disclosures called the Core track and a more Comprehensive track.

The concept of full or partial coverage will no longer be relevant. Now, reports can only be “in accordance” or not. If a company does not have all the data available, in order to be “in accordance,” it now must disclose omissions using detailed guidance within the G4.

Organizations can still determine the depth of reporting they wish to undertake. For the immediate future (approximately three months), GRI will continue to offer Application Level Checks. The board of directors will then meet in September to discuss continuation and/or approach to offering this service now that the levels are going away.

What happens to companies that choose not to be “in accordance”? Reporters that refer to GRI as a guide, but do not fully implement the principles and components are not required to publish a Content Index. They are, however, encouraged to state that the Guidelines were referred to.

Materiality

Materiality will continue to be emphasized in prompts throughout the guidelines. Where issues are deemed material, reporters will be required to disclose on those issues.

When organizations are unable to measure and/or track all material aspects or indicators, they will need to acknowledge the relevance and admit limitations in data availability.

G4 will not require a reporting organization to discuss each indicator, as with the previous A level scenario. Now, reporters only need to discuss those that relate to a material aspect. That means that organizations with a large staff of knowledge workers in the U.S. and no physical products, probably do not need to spend much time addressing supply chain issues. For new reporters, this may make things easier as only one indicator from each material aspect requires a response. However, it may require more preparation as going through the materiality process is essential and more details may be required.

Materiality Revisited: It is likely that organizations will be asked to select aspects solely within one or a pair of categories, as opposed to the many different aspects A level reporters were previously expected to report on. This means that some of the reporting process will be a judgment call since organizations need to determine what they can feasibly report on.

Disclosures on Management Approach (DMAs)

DMAs will now be more focused at the Aspect level (GRI’s term for general fields of sustainability performance, like Energy Use or Labor/Management Relations) – meaning that companies will disclose on how they manage each Aspect separately. Makes sense, right? More Generic DMAs will allow for several aspects to be grouped together and addressed at the Category level (one step up). Three distinct elements will help guide reporters in reporting. First, organizations will explain why an Aspect is material and which impacts make it material; second, how the organization manages impacts; and third, which mechanisms are in place for evaluating the management approach.

Though a General Disclosure item will also prompt organizations to describe the supply chain and shared impacts, supply chain mapping as proposed in the exposure drafts will not be a required step in the process. Considering shared impacts across the supply chain and determining who is affected will be an integral concept fed throughout.

Sector Supplements

Current Sector Supplements (specific reporting guidelines for various industries) will be adapted to Sector Disclosure Tables, starting with Financial Services and Mining & Metals. All others will be adapted soon after along with additional sectors developed in time.

External Assurance

The guidelines now allow for external (third party) assurance to be conducted by different organizations for different impact areas. Disclosures about the assurance should be indicated in the Content Index accordingly.

Final Thoughts

All in all, these changes will make the G4 much more straightforward and easy for newcomers and experience reporters alike. The development of the guidelines took two years, and GRI went through nearly one thousand drafts to reach these final edits. The development of these guidelines required extensive stakeholder consultation. Working Groups from across the world contributed feedback as did thousands of individuals around the world. GRI should be applauded for conducting such a thorough process and using this enormous amount of feedback effectively to produce a simple and effective guideline for reporting.

Nancy Mancilla is CEO and co-founder of ISOS Group, a Global Reporting Initiative certified training partner and CDP consultancy partner for the U.S., which provides organizations of all sizes with sustainability and greenhouse gas assessments, reporting guidance and external assurance. Join Nancy at Burns & McDonnell on June 6 for two GRI Master Classes and on June 7 at the Sustainability Summit as she discusses “Corporate Reporting and the Global Reporting Initiative G4 Guidelines.” Register online now to secure your spot!

This post originally appeared on TriplePundit.com

If you want to meet the movers and shakers of the Southwest’s engineering and construction industries, look no further than ENR Southwest’s Top 20 Under 40. This year’s list features young professionals who “have enhanced the design and construction fields with their optimism for the future and dedication to the industry while also enlivening their local communities with ample philanthropic endeavors.”

We’re excited to announce that our own Matt Brinkman, Regional Energy Group Manager in our Phoenix office, is among this year’s honorees. Throughout the past six years, Matt has been instrumental in establishing the Phoenix office as a leader in utility consulting and solar energy projects.

“After joining Burns & McDonnell in 1997, Brinkman was initially focused on traditional power generation projects,” writes ENR’s Scott Blair. “In 2004 he sought to expand beyond the firm’s core services by pursuing opportunities in the emerging solar industry. Shortly afterward, he landed his first solar project as owner’s engineer for Sempra Energy’s 10-MW El Dorado Solar PV project.”

More recently, Matt led a team in a due diligence review for MidAmerican Energy, which gave them the information they needed to move forward on a $2 billion investment in a solar energy project.

ENR Southwest says Matt has a bright future ahead (no pun intended) — and we couldn’t agree more! Increasing opportunities in the region’s solar market are providing exciting challenges and projects for the industry, and we know that Matt and the Phoenix team are ready to help deliver solar solutions to our clients who are interested in maximizing this particular source of renewable energy.

And to Matt and all of the honorees on this year’s ENR Southwest Top 20 Under 40 list, congratulations! We wish all of you continued success.