Posts

ENV SP Spotlight: Jesse Unke of RAM Consulting

8-November-2019

Jesse Unke is both a professional engineer in Canada and the United States, and the Director of Project Management at RAM Consulting in Vancouver, British Columbia. He works on a variety of transportation and utility projects, ranging from complex, high-profile projects to smaller capital programs. In addition to being an ENV SP, he is a Project/Risk Management Professional (PMP/RMP), LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) and a MMCD Certified Contract Administrator (CCA).

ISI had an opportunity to connect with Jesse to learn more about his work, and his experience with Envision.

 

Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI): Please tell us a little bit about yourself and what you enjoy most about your career.

Jesse Unke (JU): My career in the civil infrastructure industry started over 18 years ago. The things I enjoy most about my job are developing a deep understanding of a client’s drivers, working creatively and collaboratively as a team, implementing successful strategic initiatives, and engaging diverse sets of stakeholders.

I am actively engaged in the project management/construction community in British Columbia. Currently, I volunteer as President of the British Columbia Construction Roundtable (BCCR) and serve as a Board Member with both the American Association of Cost Engineers – British Columbia (AACE-BC) and Young Professionals in Energy – Vancouver (YPE).

Professional Experience

(ISI): What drew you to your field of work?

(JU): I like using my talents as a problem solver and critical thinker to devise holistic solutions to complex issues. From an early age, construction was very interesting to me. That led me to a career where I can make positive contributions to society and help build communities.

(ISI): What would you say has been your biggest career challenge? What about your proudest career moment?

(JU): My biggest career challenge has also been my proudest career moment. A component of my role at RAM is business development, and I was tasked with implementing the firm’s forward-thinking vision with an emphasis on our core values of safety, innovation, integrity, sustainability, and fun. I am very proud that my contributions helped to triple the size of the firm in just a few years.

Envision Experience

(ISI): How did you learn about Envision?

(JU): I came across some online articles featuring Envision projects in doing research on innovation and sustainable practices. I was impressed. This prompted me to look explore the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure’s website and ultimately pursue an ENV SP credential.

(ISI): Why did you decide to pursue an Envision credential?

(JU): I have been a long-time believer in sustainable practices. Several years ago, I became a LEED AP through the Canada Green Building Council. It was the only credential available for demonstrating proficiency in sustainability at the time. However, I found that LEED was really focused on vertical, occupied buildings. As my firm’s focus is in the heavy civil and electrical infrastructure sectors, my ENV SP credential gave me a much better understanding of how to integrate sustainability into infrastructure projects. It also helps me to represent my expertise in this area to clients and fellow team members.

(ISI): How are you and your organization using Envision? 

(JU): RAM’s core values include innovation and sustainability. As thought-leaders in our field, understanding Envision is important to staying current on global trends and best practices. Being well-versed in environmental regulations and practices is critical to our business model. Envision offers a framework through which social, environmental, and economic considerations can be evaluated during the construction process.

(ISI): How are you putting your ENV SP credential to use?

(JU): In becoming an ENV SP, I really came to learn and appreciate the Envision framework and the level of detail associated with each credit. While I have yet to apply Envision to an active project as an ENV SP, the knowledge I have gained allows me to bring helpful insights to infrastructure projects across our portfolio.

(ISI): What does sustainable infrastructure mean to you?

(JU): Right now, it means being innovative. It means learning from the past, but not limiting our solutions to past approaches that lacked consideration of social, economic, and environmental implications. It means being forward-thinking in that the infrastructure we are building today will shape the well-being of tomorrow’s communities. Sustainable infrastructure brings benefits to people today and sets up future generations for success.

Fun Facts

(ISI): What are some of your favorite hobbies and interests?

(JU): I enjoy weight training in the gym, playing soccer, and hiking with my dog and wife on the weekends.

(ISI): What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

(JU): I am a certified personal trainer and I’ve built over 20 classic lowrider cars.

ISI Launches Live Webinar Series

13-September-2019

New Educational Opportunities that Qualify for ENV SP Credential Maintenance

ISI is pleased to announce the launch of a new live webinar series as a way to engage with the Envision user community and to help Envision Sustainability Professionals (ENV SPs) maintain their credentials. (Each webinar qualifies as one elective education hour towards the annual ENV SP credential maintenance requirements.)

All webinars will be hosted live. Registration is free and those wishing to participate must register in advance.

After registering, participants will receive a confirmation email containing important information about joining the meeting.

Webinar Schedule

Strengthening New York City DEP’s Sustainability Through Programmatic Application of Envision

Presented by Erika Jozwiak, New York City Department of Environmental Protection
Wednesday December 18, 2019 at 1:00 PM Eastern
As the largest combined water and wastewater system in the nation, New York City is in a unique position to advance sustainable infrastructure. Envision has been adopted to assist designers in placing a quantifiable value to the “intangibles”. Several case studies will be presented using both versions 2 and 3 of the Envision framework.

REGISTER

 

Application of Envision to the Ship Canal Water Quality Project

Presented by Richard Fernandez, Seattle Public Utilities and Jennifer Ninete, HDR
Tuesday January 14, 2020 at 1:00 PM Eastern
This webinar describes the process for implementing the Ship Canal Water Quality Project, a large-scale CSO tunnel solution. It focuses on sustainable components and will show how Envision was used to influence design, implementation and policy.

REGISTER

 

Reaching Platinum: Examples of Two Large Scale Wastewater Infrastructure Projects

Presented by Lorraine Moreno, City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Engineering, Environmental Engineering Division
Wednesday January 29, 2020 at 1:00 PM Eastern
The City of Los Angeles’ Bureau of Engineering Clean Water Infrastructure Program has completed construction on two large-scale multi-million-dollar projects: the Advanced Water Treatment Facility (AWPF) at Terminal Island Water Reclamation Plant (TIWRP) and the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant (HWRP) Digester Gas Utilization Project (DGUP). This webinar will discuss the process for achieving Platinum and share some of the lessons learned and the City’s approach to using Envision at a program level.

REGISTER

 

Applying Envision Retroactively – PANYNJ’s experience with the Bayonne Bridge Navigational Clearance Project

Presented by: Melissa Targett, Port Authority of New York & New Jersey
Wednesday February 12, 2020 at 1:00 PM Eastern
The Envision Rating system provides public agencies with a distinguished method to gather and document efforts to develop Sustainable Projects.  This webinar will discuss the types of policies and processes conducted within public agencies that contribute to the documentation needed for Envision credits and present the Bayonne Bridge Navigational Clearance Project Envision verification with a category by category review. 

REGISTER

 

Envision the Westminster Way

Presented by Julie Koehler, City of Westminster
Wednesday December 4, 2019 at 1:00 PM Eastern
This webinar will focus on how the City of Westminster, Colorado has taken active steps to increase knowledge of and practice using the Envision framework as we define what it means to Westminster to be sustainable.

REGISTRATION HAS CLOSED; EVENT HAS ENDED.

 

Advocating for the Use of Envision by Local Public Infrastructure Agencies

Presented by Michael Bloom, R.G. Miller Engineers, Inc. and Liz Parent, 5engineering, Inc.
Wednesday November 13, 2019 at 1:00 PM Eastern
Have you ever wondered how you or your firm can help advocate for expanded use of Envision? This webinar will provide a summary of the advocacy work conducted in the Houston and Harris County area of Texas since 2013. 

REGISTRATION HAS CLOSED; EVENT HAS ENDED.

 

11 Tips for Preparing Envision Documentation

Presented by Jennifer Ninete, HDR
Tuesday October 29, 2019 at 1:00 PM Eastern
Preparing to submit for Envision verification is as much of an art as a science.  The presentation is intended to provide high-level lessons learned that can be applied to developing documentation packages for any Envision project.

REGISTRATION HAS CLOSED; EVENT HAS ENDED.

Credential Maintenance: Required Courses for 2019

15-May-2019

As a part of the Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP) credential maintenance program, ISI prescribes two courses annually that all ENV SPs are required to complete. These courses ensure all ENV SPs have the same foundational understanding of Envision and the current trends within the sustainable infrastructure sector.

Required courses are added to all ENV SPs’ accounts at the beginning of the renewal period. The following two courses were published and are available as the 2019 required courses for ENV SPs whose credential maintenance renewal period began in 2019.

ISI Required Course 2019: The Envision Framework

The purpose of this course is to examine the six components of the Envision framework. Each of the components are presented in detail, providing a comprehensive look at the framework. This course describes the interrelatedness of the components, illustrating how they optimally support the framework together.

ISI Required Course 2019: Sustainable Infrastructure and the Role of Envision

This course provides an overview of the trends impacting the implementation of sustainable infrastructure. Envision is detailed as a framework that can be used to address challenges in the infrastructure sector.

Log in to your ISI account to access these courses. For additional information on how to complete these courses and use the other credential maintenance features of your ISI account, please reference the illustrated Web Tutorial: ENV SP Credential Maintenance.

New Online Course for ENV SPs Available

15-May-2019

We are 6 months into our new credential maintenance program and Envision Sustainability Professionals (ENV SPs) are eager for more courses to continue learning and to meet their credential maintenance requirements.

To meet growing demand for new courses, ISI has recently published a new course titled Beyond the Basics: Envision Verification. This course provides a detailed look at the verification process allowing for a streamlined project review. The first of many new courses to be added to the online library, this course qualifies for one elective, or “user’s choice”, education hour toward maintaining the ENV SP credential. The course is available for purchase in ENV SPs’ accounts. ENV SPs may use their continuing education credit to purchase the course.

Log in to your ISI account to access this course. For additional information on how to purchase this course and use the other new credential maintenance features of your ISI account, reference the illustrated Web Tutorial: ENV SP Credential Maintenance.

It is not too late for ENV SPs to enrol in the credential maintenance program. The enrollment grace period for ENV SPs who originally earned their credential prior to 2018 ends on June 30th, 2019. Enroll today to access the Beyond the Basics: Envision Verification course and other informative courses that will be made available soon.

ENV SP Credential Maintenance Success

22-April-2019

Since the launch of the Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP) Credential Maintenance program, 60% of our ENV SPs have successfully enrolled. We’re happy to keep you on board and are working on building new program content that is meaningful for you.

New course highlight! As a part of your credential maintenance, you can access new courses that will help you succeed. Check out our latest offering: Beyond the Basics: Envision Verification. This course gives you an inside look at project verification and equips you with the skills you need to submit streamlined projects for review. It is available in your ISI account today!

If you have not enrolled in credential maintenance – there is still time! You are currently in the 6-month grace period during which you may renew your credential.  While you will be able to pay your renewal fee at any time during this window, your credential maintenance reporting period will remain the same.

If you do not renew your credential within your grace period, your ENV SP will expire. To regain a credential after expiration, you must register, train and retest as a new ENV SP candidate.  You will be responsible for all applicable fees.

Click on the links below for more information on how to maintain your ENV SP credential, review the Credential Maintenance Guidance Document and to access a new web tutorial on credential maintenance.

ENV SP Credential Maintenance Guidance Document

Web Tutorial: ENV SP Credential Maintenance

ENV SP Spotlight: Julie Koehler

25-February-2019

Julie Koehler is a Professional Engineer in the state of Colorado with a Master’s in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Master’s in Development Management from The American University.

Julie hit her 5-year mark with the City of Westminster in January 2019, was recently promoted to Utilities Engineering Manager and previously worked as a Senior Engineer in the Utilities Engineering Division.

Prior to joining the City, she spent 13 years as a Senior Associate for a private engineering firm in Denver designing several municipal engineering projects.

Julie also spent time working with the US Agency for International Development in Washington DC as well as the Peace Corps and the Agency for International Development in Africa, where she worked on urban environmental issues such as solid waste, gray water, and erosion control.

ISI staff had the chance to connect with Julie, and she provided the following insights from her career:

Professional Experience

What drew you to your field of work?
In a previous life I managed Peace Corps’ Urban Environmental Management project in the Ivory Coast, West Africa.  30 Peace Corps Volunteers served in 15 secondary towns to assist and improve solid waste management, latrine construction, and increase knowledge of health issues related to ineffective management of solid waste, human waste, and related urban environment issues.  I appreciated the engineering perspective which was science driven, mathematical, and results oriented.

What has been your biggest career challenge?
I made a career change from International Development to Engineering in my 30s.  Accepting the challenge to take all the math and science required for an engineering degree with a background in social studies and foreign language was, and is, a big deal!

What has been your proudest career moment?
Successfully obtaining my PE.

Envision Experience

How did you learn about Envision?
Dewberry, my former employer, is a charter member of ISI and encouraged staff to pursue and obtain the credential to improve sustainability of horizontal infrastructure. I decided to pursue my credential because most of my project work involved chemical feed and storage systems and potable water pumping systems designs.  Having a tool and metric against which municipal infrastructure could be evaluated attracted me to Envision.

How is the City of Westminster using Envision?
The City of Westminster is using Envision in three ways:

  • The City has over 20 credentialed ENV SPs. We  provided training to introduce an alternative way of thinking about sustainability and Capital Improvements Projects (CIP).
  • With the City’s Chief Sustainability Officer, we interviewed 16 Project Managers from different departments within the City about their work. The intent was to explore how the Envision rating tool meshed with their 2019/20 CIPs, and to determine what role the Envision tool could play in future CIPs.  The discussions helped to increase the understanding of Envision’s applicability to a wide range of projects. Ultimately, the outcome of the discussions will inform the recommendation to the City Manager about the formal use of the Envision tool in the City.
  • Public Works and Utilities committed to seeking 3rd party Envision verification on a large CIP at our Big Dry Creek Wastewater Treatment Facility. The project is now under construction.  Following construction, the project team will submit the documentation to support what the City hopes will be a bronze rating.

Can you share some highlights from an Envision project?
The series of 16 meetings with City Project Managers to discuss the Envision tool was eye-opening for me, in a good way. Many City projects and PMs use Envision principles and are supported in thinking about sustainability even if they had not previously heard of Envision. Conversations about if, how, and when to use the tool across a wide range of projects suggests that the tool is a relevant metric in our municipal project context.  Our next steps include presenting overall results to City PMs, developing a recommendation for City Management, and possibly creating City policy based on using the Envision tool for City CIPs.

Fun Facts

What are some of your favorite hobbies and interests?
I like riding my bike to work in the summer, quilting, reading, and spending time with my family.

What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
I completed the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim in the mid 90s and placed 39th in my age group.