The Dow Chemical Company, Shell, Swiss Re and Unilever, working with The Nature Conservancy and a resiliency expert, recently published a collaborative white paper that argues for green infrastructure solutions to become part of the standard toolkit for modern engineers.Green infrastructure employs elements of natural systems, while traditional “gray infrastructure” is man-made. Examples of green infrastructure include creating oyster reefs for coastal protection, and reed beds that treat industrial wastewater.
The Dow Chemical Company, Shell, Swiss Re and Unilever, working with The Nature Conservancy and a resiliency expert, recently published a collaborative white paper that argues for green infrastructure solutions to become part of the standard toolkit for modern engineers.
Green infrastructure employs elements of natural systems, while traditional “gray infrastructure” is man-made. Examples of green infrastructure include creating oyster reefs for coastal protection, and reed beds that treat industrial wastewater.
The research team evaluated how green infrastructure can provide more opportunities than gray infrastructure to increase the resilience of industrial business operations against disruptive events such as mechanical failure, power interruption, raw material price increases and floods. The team found hybrid approaches, utilizing a combination of green and gray infrastructure, can provide an optimum solution to a variety of shocks and improve overall business resilience.
The case studies gathered to support this research encompass a wide variety of possible applications of green infrastructure, ranging from growing plants that cost-effectively remediate contaminated soil (phytoremediation), to constructing wetlands that naturally treat industrial waste water, to mitigating air pollution through innovative forest management approaches.
One case study features Union Carbide Corporation, a subsidiary of Dow Chemical, which uses constructed wetlands to treat wastewater near Seadrift in Texas. The 110-acre engineered wetland was designed to consistently meet regulatory requirements for water discharge from the manufacturing plant and has operated successfully for over a decade.
The green infrastructure solution, which was implemented in half the expected time for the gray infrastructure alternative and was fully operational in 18 months, delivered a series of additional benefits. The capital expense was between $1.2 and $1.4 million, compared to an expected $40 million for gray infrastructure. The wetlands also require no electric power and very little operations and maintenance support as opposed to the energy-intensive gray infrastructure alternative requiring 24/7 support. The cost savings associated with this decision yield value year after year and increase exponentially over time.
“Instead of thinking about independent solutions, we must look at integrated systems,” said Andrew Liveris, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dow. “Natural systems not only serve multiple functions, but have multiple benefits — often requiring less capital and less maintenance while promoting biodiversity that we all enjoy.”
In other Dow Chemical news, last week the company was one of several chemical industry leaders to sign the Green Chemistry Commitment to ensure proper education and proficiency of all graduating chemistry majors in green chemistry applications.
Published Jun 17, 2013 12pm EDT / 9am PDT / 5pm BST / 6pm CEST
Managing Director, Sustainability & Social Impact
Deutsche Bank
Mike Hower is a sustainability communicator and connector committed to helping purpose-driven businesses and people unlock their full potential for positive impact. As founder and principal consultant at Hower Impact, he works with companies to translate sustainability strategy into stories that inform, engage and inspire investors, customers, employees, regulators and other stakeholders in the service of social, environmental and business goals. Through his Impact Hired initiative, he works to connect and engage corporate sustainability professionals at all stages of their careers.
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