The Sustainability Imperative - Sustainable Design: The Science of Sustainability and Green Engineering - page 232

“easier” in lower-income and minority neighborhoods. However, if an inte-
grated design approach is applied, potential problems such as that of unfairness
can be avoided. In this case, another voice can be added to those of the design-
ers, technical professionals, and builders. Stakeholders, present and future, can
share information and the history of an area that may not be readily available,
if available at all, through the usual documentation. For example, many south-
eastern U.S. communities have rich histories that have only been captured
by oral traditions. By giving these stakeholders a place at the drawing table,
future problems can be avoided and rich cultural resources can be optimized.
Historic and cultural preservation can be built into the process. Even sources of
pollution, such as the location of buried wastes, can be identified by residents
who are well aware of previous industries and land uses.
We now use the term environmental justice, which is usually applied to social
issues, especially as they relate to neighborhoods and communities. The environ-
mental justice (EJ) communities possess two basic characteristics:
1. They have experienced historical (usually multigenerational) exposures to
disproportionately 23 high doses of potentially harmful substances (the envi-
ronmental part of the definition). These communities are home to numerous
pollution sources, including heavy industry and pollution control facilities,
which may be obvious by their stacks and outfall structures, or which may
be more subtle, such as long buried wastes with little evidence on the sur-
face of their existence. These sites increase the likelihood of exposure to
dangerous substances. Exposure is preferred to risk , since risk is a function
of the hazard and the exposure to that hazard. Even a substance with very
high toxicity (one type of hazard) that is confined to a laboratory of a man-
ufacturing operation may not pose much of a risk, due to the potentially
low levels of exposure.
2. Environmental justice communities have certain specified socioeconomic
and demographic characteristics. EJ communities must have a majority
representation people of low socioeconomic status, or those who are racially,
ethnically, and historically disadvantaged (the justice part of the definition).
These definitions point to the importance of an integrated response to ensure
justice. The first component of this response is a sound scientific and engineering
underpinning to decisions. The technical quality of designs and operations is
vital to addressing the needs of any group. However, the engineering codes' call
that we be “faithful agents” lends an added element of social responsibility to
green design. 24 For example, we cannot assume a “blank slate” for any design.