SCSers are excited to celebrate our clients who continue to make great strides toward sustainability this Earth Day. As one of the nation’s top environmental consulting and construction firms, SCS Engineers has been dedicated to helping companies develop sustainable solutions that balance today’s financial, environmental, and bureaucratic challenges since its founding a few weeks before the very first Earth Day in 1970. Below, we’ll share a few examples of how our team and clients are making eco-friendly and sustainable impacts.
Chris Jimieson, PE, a project manager in our Madison, Wisconsin office, is sharing his story with our SCS Young Professionals across the U.S. He’s describing his journey from a dedicated and concerned parent observing recyclables being landfilled, to teaching and engaging students, and now to developing policy around district recycling in the Madison Metropolitan School District. It’s a win-win for Madison and our Young Professionals!
The City of San Diego implements a waste reduction program that funnels unsold grocery store inventory to non-profit food programs for distribution to the community. In addition to directly benefiting the people of San Diego, this program resulted in a significant decrease in food waste in local landfills, thereby increasing the lifespan of those landfills and reducing the cost of that utility over time.
A power company using coal (many still do as they transition to renewable energy sources) has taken several eco-friendly steps, optimizing the sustainability of both the plant and the company. They’re now desulfurizing flue gas, preventing air pollution and creating a by-product to make gypsum. And fly ash, another by-product of creating energy, is now being sold to concrete companies for reuse. Wastewater is pretreated for safety and chemical characterization during the permitting process, and regular sampling during operations ensures fluids are non-hazardous and unchanged. These modifications have allowed them to provide energy at a reasonable cost, qualify for government incentives offered to companies that employ green practices, and protect health and human life. That’s sustainability!
Technology is impacting the waste management industry in amazing ways, too. Drones with sensors can fly over a landfill, detecting methane leaks and allowing technicians to visualize below-the-surface conditions. The result is safer, faster, and more efficient landfill operations. Captured methane is turned into Renewable Natural Gas as a clean-burning energy or fuel source. Special sensors and automation can remove organic waste reused as by-products to create compost. Plastics, paper, and cardboard become new products. The use of technologies significantly cuts the amount of greenhouse gases that once went airborne after being buried in a landfill. All you need to do is recycle!
Finally, we’re also excited to be joining an array of Earth Day 2025 community events nationwide and globally – you can too! Find an event close to you here!
Together with our clients, SCS Engineers remains committed to advancing sustainable practices that make a meaningful difference. This Earth Day, and every day, we celebrate progress, partnership, and the promise of a greener future.
