SUSTAINABLE AND GREEN PORTS:APPLICATION OF SUSTAINABILITY PRINCIPLES TOPORT DEVELOPMENT AND OPERATION

摘要

In 1992, a UN conference on Environmental Development held in Rio de Janeirornreintroduced the concept of “sustainability”(advanced by the United Nations Commission onrnEnvironment and Development [UNCED] in 1987) and defined it as: “Development that meetsrnthe needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their ownrnneeds.” A year later the U.S. Green Building Council was established to formalize this conceptrnby developing a green rating system – “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design”rn(LEED), applicable to new and renovated buildings. The system utilizes 69 certification pointsrndealing with sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources,rnair quality and innovation. Recently, several investigators, including this author, extended thernapplicability of sustainability to environmental science and engineering studies. This paper dealsrnwith sustainable port development and operation. During the last two decades, several portsrnintroduced “Green Ports” programs to promote environmental stewardship. The paper depictsrnseveral examples and shows how these and more advanced programs can be made to fit arnsustainability framework. Eight specific port operational topics (dredging, ballast water, habitatrnrestoration, air quality, water conservation, energy conservation, material conservation and wasternhandling) are discussed using a sustainability perspective. It is believed that employment of arnholistic approach and adaptive management built around a sustainability framework can promoterninnovative thinking, collaboration, consensus building and streamline regulatory mandates.rnWhile incorporation of some sustainability elements can increase initial costs, they can yieldrnsubstantial life cycle savings resulting from lower energy and water consumption and wastewaterrnand emissions production, lower O&M costs and savings from increased productivity and health.rnThe paper cites port initiatives advanced by the Port of New York and New Jersey to show howrnthis approach can be propagated to create a clean and green system that is self-pollinating andrnrewards heavily. Sustainability is an ideal stewardship-driven alternative to the reactive andrnpiecemeal regulatory-driven modes of yesteryear.