Title Can an infrastructure sustainability rating system point the way toward more harmonious living? Speakers Robert M. Beinstein, P.E., ENV SP, Director of Sustainabilty at The Environmental Financial Consulting Group, Inc. Robert Beinstein is director of sustainability for the Environmental Financial Consulting Group, Inc., a business consultancy that works with AEC firms on the financial aspects of the engineering and construction industry. He works closely with the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure at the Harvard Graduate School of Design (one of the developers of Envision™) and the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (which stewards Envision in the marketplace), roles that leverage his passion for articulating the business case for realigning engineering and corporate practices around more sustainable outcomes. He has a BS in civil and environmental engineering, and has held technical and managerial roles in the commercial nuclear industry, managed environmental programs in the Federal marketplace, and lead a diverse array of client service-related work. Beinstein is an advisory board member at the Zofnass Program, a licensed professional engineer, a credentialed Envision Sustainability Professional, an approved Envision trainer and a member of the Tau Beta Pi national engineering honor society. Abstract To most people, infrastructure is not noteworthy, except when it fails. We take the pipes, cables, roads, power plants, bridges, and the like that surround us for granted. Seldom do we consider the aggregate impact these systems have on how we live our lives. This talk will center on the Envision™ Sustainable Infrastructure rating system, as a tool for planners and designers to look at proposed projects through a holistic series of lenses that help communities maximize co-benefits and minimize negative impacts. It will explore the myriad ways infrastructure is interconnected, and how that interconnectedness poses both risks and opportunities for communities. Finally, it will suggest that societies rethink how they define and measure progress, proposing that perhaps it is time to think beyond economic success and GDP in the ongoing quest for an improving quality of life. Webinar Date(s) Thursday, November 3rd, 2016 12 pm - 1 pm
