Surveying sustainability: a short guide rofessional

1 Greenfield / Estate managementPlanning and procurement ConstructionOccupation and use (including refurbishment) Demolition and remediation Surveying sustainability : a short guide for the property professionalJune 2007 Professional LocalThis report was printed by Newnorth Printers. Newnorth haverecently achieved ISO14001 having successfully completedaudits for Envirowise and Action Energy. They have an internalEnvironment Champion and have an active policy to reducewaste and emissions. They use as much recycled material aspossible, and use environmentally friendly press room productssuch as vegetable oil based inks.

2 Newnorth are active in recycling all waste products that are a consequence of their production process and have beenaccredited by Saxon Recycling in accordance with to Surveying Sustainability04 Executive summary05 Part 1 Introduction to sustainability and the property of sustainable for property professionals 07 Part 2 sustainability and your area of and and minerals and waste Environment and 3 Further resources environment and use and development and social tools used in the UK and Europe22 About the authors2303 Surveying sustainability : a short guide for the property professionalThe RICS Commission wasestablished at a time whenSustainability and Climate Changewere just beginning to enter thepublic consciousness.

3 A small groupof members came together underthe auspices of President BarryGilbertson in 2005 to champion thecause of Sustainable Development within the Institutionand to act as ambassadors for the on we elected to join with Forum for the Future in developing PiPS (Professions in Partnership forSustainability), a project aiming to share best practice in sustainable development across the professions, partfunded by DEFRA. We saw the value in working withForum, as well as with other Professions to deliver a fullyintegrated vision of sustainability , and we were the first tojoin this part this led to a period of self reflection for all theinstitutions, and for the RICS the rapid realisation that itwas critical to devise and implement a sustainability policyfor the Institution.

4 This policy was written by theCommission and adopted by the RICS InternationalGoverning Council in July part of embedding sustainability within the Institution,the Commission worked with Faculties and Education todevelop a new mandatory APC/ATC competency inSustainability. This was adopted in July 2006, and fromthat point forward all incoming Chartered Surveyors mustshow (as a minimum requirement) that they candemonstrate knowledge and understanding of how and whysustainability seeks to balance economic, environmental, andsocial objectives at global, national, and local levels, in thecontext of land, property and the built Commissioners have also actively sought to engagewith other professional bodies, government and industryand have spoken at many seminars and events on theimportance of sustainability for professional practice in the21st century.

5 The commission led the RICS delegation toVancouver to develop the Vancouver Valuation Accord inMarch 2007, which seeks to move towards a valuationmethodology that has regard for market attitudes towardsall elements of forward the Commission is committed to furtherdeveloping the knowledge of existing surveyors in theareas of sustainability that are most applicable to them. To do this we will be working closely with all Faculties, and this guide is the beginning of that would like to give my personal thanks to eachCommissioner, Presidents Gilbertson, Chase, Tuffin andthose to come, as well as the staff of the RICS Faculties,and Forum for the Future, without whom the Commissioncould not have achieved so much in such a short space of Ann HeywoodReading June 2007 Foreword to Surveying Sustainabilityby Dr Ann Heywood, Chair of the Presidential Commission on Sustainability04 Surveying sustainability .

6 a short guide for the property professionalChartered Surveyors are facing a new challenge that ofembracing the practical implications of sustainability . Butwhat does this mean for each of the wide variety ofdisciplines that make up the Surveying profession? Thisguide is intended to: provide some clarification of the subject help you formulate appropriate responses to thechanging duties of a Chartered Surveyor direct you to further information aimed at helpingyou to develop your knowledge of terms sustainable development, sustainability ,corporate social responsibility (CSR) are widely used butare often confusing to those who are not experts in theseareas.

7 The most commonly accepted definition ofsustainable development is from the 1987 UN BrundtlandCommission Report:[Development] which meets the needs of thepresent without compromising the ability offuture generations to meet their own needsAs a Chartered Surveyor your clients expect that you willprovide them with the most relevant, appropriate and up to date advice which in the current market includes allaspects of sustainable development. Although climatechange is currently occupying a prominent position as a government and industry driver, successful sustainabledevelopment considers the Triple Bottom Line ofenvironmental, economic and social guide is aimed at surveyors in practice, and intraining, to show how the overarching concept ofsustainability relates to the entire range of practicedisciplines that make up the Surveying profession.

8 The guide is intended to act as an initial point of reference and provide further sources of information. It is not intended to be comprehensive or legally binding considering proposed interventions aimed at improvingsustainability it is also important that we understand ourlimitations both personally and professionally. Using theguide to help understand the key contributions from otherdisciplines should help highlight when it is appropriate toseek specialist guidance and advice from all aspects of your day-to-day activities surveyors havethe opportunity to question and challenge opinions anddecisions to ensure that appropriate long term strategiesfor delivering sustainable development are defined.

9 Youalso have a role in promoting sustainability within andoutside the property summary05 Surveying sustainability : a short guide for the property professionalSustainability is about making sure all our businesses,public services, natural resources, economy andcommunities have the capacity to continue into the we are adept at thinking about their future financialsustainability and investing in economic resources, oursociety has been less successful in looking after thehuman, social and environmental resources that we relyon. Sustainable development is best thought of as aprocess for growth that understands, invests in andmaintains not just financial resources, but human, socialand environmental resources, all at the same time.

10 Only byavoiding the damaging consequences of trading one offagainst the other can the goal of sustainability be a sense the RICS has always been focused onsustainable development. The Royal Charter states thatsurveyors must act in the interest of the public can be as simple as making consciousdecisions about how to approach a project. When presented with a wide range of options, the choicesyou make should be deliberate and seek to balanceeconomic, environmental and social costs and benefits at a local and global Overview of sustainable development RICS Members believe the most importantsustainability issues are energy supply, landcontamination, resource efficiency and transport.