Annual Report 2008 - (Page 33) Sustaining Infrastructure SUSTAINING OUR ENVIRONMENT Global challenges to the earth’s environment include the long-term availability of nonrenewable resources, concentrations of pollution and waste from human activity, and climate change. Infrastructure’s contributions include: • Increasing bio-capacity by taking advantage of natural energy sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal; expanding the earth’s ability to absorb waste by increasing green space; remediating the impact of prior human activity through projects such as hazardous waste recovery and disposal; and treatment of polluted water; • Reducing ecological footprint by minimizing greenhouse gas emissions through building designs with “green” materials and a greater degree of natural cooling, heating, and lighting; minimizing detrimental environmental impact through new facilities designed to produce less polluting waste; and extending the life and uses of existing infrastructure assets; • Making wise use of nonrenewable resources through more efficient consumption, more efficient production, and expanding resource supplies. 34
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