In 2020, to mark the 50th Earth Day celebration and outline the many ways in which geosynthetics serve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the International Geosynthetics Society released a sustainability eBook. The succinct, digital publication (Preparing the Ground for a Brighter Future) is based upon IGS Vice President Dr. Nathalie Touze’s 2018 Giroud Lecture, which propelled a major IGS sustainability initiative.
In short order, the IGS and its international chapters have released the eBook in numerous languages. A 7th language version–Italian–has just been published.
IGS SUSTAINABILITY EBOOK EDITIONS
The roster of language editions for the IGS sustainability eBook now includes:
- Chinese Edition (PDF)
- English Edition (PDF)
- French Edition (PDF)
- German Edition (PDF)
- Italian Edition (PDF)
- Japanese Edition (PDF)
- Spanish Edition (PDF)
- Turkish Edition (PDF)
Also, the organization’s outreach in this sector is far from limited to these publications. The ever-growing sustainability page on the IGS site shares numerous other resources, such as conference papers, white papers, and videos.
RELATED: Sustainable Development Goals and Geosynthetics
“The IGS is working hard on a range of education initiatives globally,” Dr. Touze says in an interview on the IGS website. “But as an industry we also need to shout more about the good work we have done and are doing. Case studies, with quantifiable data regarding carbon footprints, lifecycle analysis, and rigorous testing and communication are essential. These will all help us prove our point; geosynthetics are a long-term force for good.”
In Dr. Touze’s lecture, Healing The World: A Geosynthetics Solution, she highlights the 17 SDGs, climate change, and philosophy while emphasizing what we can do in geotechnical engineering to change the world for the better. Geosynthetics are central to engineering’s response.
Learn more about the International Geosynthetics Society’s work in sustainability at www.geosyntheticssociety.org/sustainability.
