EWN - Engineering With Nature

The World Bank estimates that climate change will push an additional 100 million people globally into poverty in the coming years.  In Part 1, we talked with Dr. Todd Bridges, Senior Research Scientist for Environmental Science with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and National Lead for Engineering With Nature®, and Dr. Brenden Jongman, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist with the World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR). Todd and Brenden discussed the World Bank’s approach to using natural infrastructure solutions to address some of the most pressing climate change challenges and the synergies with Engineering With Nature’s approach of using innovative natural and nature-based solutions.   In Part 2 we continue our discussion. Coping with environmental and climate crises in a normal year is one thing, but the past year, as the world has been responding to COVID-19, has been unprecedented. Todd and Brenden discuss the opportunity for nature-based solutions to support post-pandemic recovery efforts. And they discuss the importance of the natural infrastructure guidelines their organizations have been working on to help policy- and decision-makers, project managers, and communities think differently about the role and value of nature-based solutions.       Related Links:  EWN Website ERDC Website Todd Bridges at LinkedIn Todd Bridges at EWN Brenden Jongman at LinkedIn   Leveraging Nature-Based Solutions for Resilience (YouTube) What if we could use nature to prevent disasters? Factsheet on NBS portfolio Flagship report on NBS Nature-based solutions: A cost-effective Approach for Disaster Risk and Water Resource Management   Upscaling nature-based flood protection in Mozambique's cities: Lessons Learnt from Beira NY Times: Mozambique looks beyond Cyclone Idai to better protection in the future Blue barriers: A nature-based solution to build resilience Urban planning and nature-based solutions, keys for reducing flood risk in Panama Restoring a long-lost relationship with Rio Bogotá

In 2020, natural hazards like storms, floods, droughts, and wildfires caused more than $200 billion in damage worldwide and the death of 8,000 people. Since 1980, there have been 285 weather and climate-related disasters in the United States alone that have produced at least $1 billion in damage. In this two-part episode, we’re talking with Dr. Todd Bridges, Senior Research Scientist for Environmental Science with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and National Lead for Engineering With Nature®, and Dr. Brenden Jongman, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist with the World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR). Todd and Brenden discuss the World Bank’s approach to using natural infrastructure solutions to address some of the most pressing climate change challenges and the synergies with Engineering With Nature’s approach of using innovative natural and nature-based solutions. The World Bank’s increasing support in this area has recently been recognized by the World Resources Institute as one of their top outcomes of 2020 in their work with key partners.   The World Economic Forum estimates that by midcentury, $100 trillion dollars will be invested in infrastructure worldwide. In its role as an international financier, the World Bank’s overall objective is to end extreme poverty and build shared prosperity around the world. Climate change and natural hazards are strongly linked to poverty as the poor are often the most vulnerable. As Brenden notes, often a single natural disaster can push a family below the poverty line. The World Bank estimates that climate change will push an additional 100 million people globally into poverty in the coming years. As Todd and Brenden discuss, natural infrastructure is an important part of the solution to addressing multiple hazards, including those intensified by climate change, and creating community resilience. Natural infrastructure often has significant benefits over traditional concrete and rock infrastructure. Building a coastal park to provide flood risk management benefits can also create jobs and recreation opportunities, reduce heat island effects, provide trees that absorb carbon and contribute to achieving climate change targets, and provide much needed opportunities for nature experiences in urban settings.   The World Bank is making an estimated $1 billion in annual investments in projects applying nature-based solutions—a 20% increase since 2018. Their guidance, Integrating Green and Gray: Creating Next Generation Infrastructure and Implementing Nature-Based Flood Protection: Principles and Implementation Guidance, emphasizes the need to consider both conventional engineering and nature-based solutions in a more systematic way. They have been applying that approach in projects around the world for over a decade. The World Bank’s Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) Community of Practice, and internal knowledge hub, was established in 2017 with support from the GFDRR. This year, the World Bank and GFDRR will launch a dedicated Global Program on NBS for Climate Resilience, to further scale up the knowledge, investments, and partnerships on NBS across the World Bank’s global activities.   As examples, Brenden talks about his experience in Madagascar and Mozambique. Madagascar is experiencing rapid, unplanned urbanization in a floodplain that is prone to more frequent and more extreme flooding due to climate change. In Mozambique in 2019, the rapidly growing coastal city of Beira faced one of the worst cyclones to hit the African continent. The World Bank’s work with the government of Mozambique on various initiatives, including development of one of the largest urban parks on the African continent, is strengthening the city’s resilience.   Todd reinforced the need for integrating conventional and nature-based engineering, noting the challenges that we're experiencing are very complex and really call for a diversified set of solutions that we can draw together and combine. We’ve just got to develop new, innovative solutions.     In Part 2 of this episode, we continue our discussion. Coping with environmental and climate crises in a normal year is one thing, but the past year as the world has been responding to COVID-19 has been unprecedented. Todd and Brenden discuss the opportunity for nature-based solutions to support post-pandemic recovery efforts. And they discuss the importance of the natural infrastructure guidelines their organizations have been working on to help policy- and decision-makers, project managers, and communities think differently about the role and value of nature-based solutions.     Related Links:  EWN Website ERDC Website Todd Bridges at LinkedIn Todd Bridges at EWN Brenden Jongman at LinkedIn     GFDRR website Shock Waves: Managing the Impacts of Climate Change on Poverty – Background Papers Integrating Green and Gray: Creating Next Generation Infrastructure Implementing nature-based flood protection: principles and implementation guidance Leveraging nature-based solution for resilience (YouTube) What if we could use nature to prevent disasters? Factsheet on NBS portfolio Flagship report on NBS Nature-based solutions: a cost-effective approach for disaster risk and water resource management   Upscaling nature-based flood protection in Mozambique's cities: lessons learnt from Beira NY Times: Mozambique looks beyond Cyclone Idai to better protection in the future Blue barriers: a nature-based solution to build resilience Urban planning and nature-based solutions, keys for reducing flood risk in Panama Restoring a long-lost relationship with Rio Bogotá

Climate change is having a significant effect on Arctic communities. The loss of permafrost and ice sheets, sea level rise, erosion, and many other factors are putting people living in coastal communities and their traditional way of life at risk. In this episode, we’re talking with Jeff King, Deputy Lead of the Engineering With Nature program at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Sam Whitin, Coastal Resilience Director at EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc. PBC; and Enda Murphy, Senior Research Engineer at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). We’re discussing the unique challenges and opportunities involved in identifying and designing resilience strategies to help remote northern communities in Alaska and Canada whose future and way of life is imminently threatened by climate change. And we’re reflecting on how Engineering With Nature approaches could be used to address critical challenges faced by remote northern communities.   The Arctic region is warming at a much higher rate than other parts of the continent. Retreating sea ice, shorter ice season duration, and thawing permafrost are contributing to the destabilization of coastlines. And, as Enda points out, “a lot of these remote northern communities are really reliant on fishing and hunting and the land for subsistence and their livelihoods. That creates an even greater imperative to understand and adapt to the changing climate.” Sam adds that communities in Alaska are also experiencing significant issues related to erosion and flooding, along with impacts to migratory patterns of fish, wildlife and whales: “Given the close connection that these communities have related to subsistence hunting and fishing, climate change is magnified in even more ways than most people typically consider.”   Jeff, Sam, and Enda came together around their common interest of better understanding these impacts and responding to them by applying Engineering With Nature principles and processes. Jeff, through separate conversations with Sam and Enda, “saw a unique opportunity to engage and collaborate and bring more expertise into a region where it's desperately needed.”   One upcoming EWN research project will focus on the whaling community of Point Hope, Alaska, whose traditional way of life is currently being challenged by the accelerating impacts of climate change. Sam talks about the example of ice cellars that have been used in Point Hope for thousands of years to store foodstuffs – fish, wildlife, and whale – throughout the year. The cellars are buried about 20 feet into the permafrost, which is melting due to higher average temperatures. Without those cellars to provide essential refrigeration and fermentation, the community has to harvest extra fish and wildlife throughout the year because there are no roads leading to the city, so outside supplies come in only by plane or once or twice during the summer by barge. This places additional pressure on the fish and wildlife populations and is an example of a problem that could benefit from an EWN approach, drawing on research and expertise from the Army Corps’ Cold Regions Research Engineering Laboratory (CRREL).   Similarly, Enda and the NRC have been working in Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, an Inuvialuit community very close to sea level on the Beaufort Sea. As Enda relates, “We heard from elders that this particular community has had to relocate three residences just in the past year because of the rapidly eroding coast. So that's a really urgent need.” Enda and his colleagues at the NRC are reimagining what future research in the Arctic might look like and broadening their networks and collaborations, to do research, including with the U.S. Army Corps. A particular area of interest is in understanding the role of sea ice in attenuating or dissipating storm surge. Computer modeling has shown that without sea ice, storm surges may be three times higher, which is a significant problem for communities like Tuktoyaktuk.   A key challenge for researchers is that there is little existing baseline data to establish trends. So, engaging the people of these remote communities and gathering local knowledge is critical. Sam, Enda and their teams are sitting down with elders, hunters, and fishers to understand what they’ve seen and experienced. As Sam adds, “One of the most important things is to make sure that we respond appropriately to what the community truly wants, that we're not coming in and presenting a problem that doesn't need to be fixed or presenting our thoughts on how something should be handled. We are listening to and learning from the community.”   Jeff shares his excitement about the opportunities for incorporating EWN approaches into projects in the far north, paired with the importance of collaborating and sharing information between CRREL and the parallel work being done by Sam and Enda: “Thinking about Engineering With Nature and the natural infrastructure strategies that are appropriate for an environment like this is something very new. I think EWN can make an important contribution – and we will learn a lot in the process.”     Related Links: EWN Website ERDC Website Jeff King at LinkedIn Jeff King at EWN Enda Murphy at LinkedIn Sam Whitin at LinkedIn   Presentation to an NNBF Symposium by Enda on Flood Risk Reduction  NRC’s Ocean Program - Coastal Resilience NRC’s Arctic Program - Increasing the quality of life for Northerners through research NRC’s Ocean, Coastal and River Engineering Research Centre   EA Engineering, Science, and Technology  YouTube video of Sam describing some of his NNBF/EWN work EA’s coastal resilience priority Presentation to SAME Seattle by Sam on Thin Layer Placement   Coastal Zone Canada Community of Practice: Cold Regions Living Shorelines Coastal Zone Canada Conference in June 2021 Sub Themes and Topics of the Coastal Zone Canada Conference

In our next episode, we’ll be talking with Enda Murphy of the National Research Council of Canada and Sam Whitin of EA Engineering, Science and Technology about Building Resilience in Cold Regions with EWN and Natural and Nature-based Features. They’ll be talking about interesting projects underway and planned in Alaska and Canada.   And Jeff King, Deputy Lead of the Engineering With Nature program at the US Army Corps of Engineers, invites listeners to participate in the launch of the Engineering With Nature Atlas Volume II on April 7. Click the Atlas II website link to sign up for the launch webcast and panel discussion.   Related Links: EWN Website EWN Atlas Volume II ERDC Website Enda Murphy on LinkedIn Sam Whitin on LinkedIn

What happens when you bring engineers together with landscape architects and their students to work on real coastal resilience challenges in the field? What can the disciplines of engineering and landscape architecture learn from each other? And what kinds of solutions will they produce when faced with very real coastal risk management issues following a hurricane?   In this episode, we’re talking with Rob Holmes at Auburn University, Sean Burkholder at the University of Pennsylvania, and Brian Davis at the University of Virginia. They are landscape architects who have joined forces with Engineering With Nature® to explore innovative solutions to coastal resilience. Jeff King, deputy lead of the Engineering With Nature program at the US Army Corps of Engineers, shares his excitement about bringing these disciplines together and discusses the synergies, opportunities, and potential for advancing the practice of EWN.   This partnership started in the summer of 2017; Jeff and his EWN colleagues hosted a workshop at ERDC in Vicksburg, MS, and invited Rob, Sean, Brian, and other landscape architects. Jeff recounts how that visit really set the stage for collaboration amongst these practices to advance EWN. According to Sean, “the idea that these two disciplines have been parallel for so long and actually are coming together now is a pretty exciting time for us.”   Following the initial workshop, the Galveston District, an EWN Proving Ground, hosted a workshop with students from Brian and Rob’s studios to show them the work being done to create more resilience and ecosystem restoration along the Texas coast. The timing was just after Hurricane Harvey. Jeff recounts taking the students to a house surrounded on three sides by water and their being aghast at the flooding they were seeing: “You could tell they were thinking, ‘Hey, this is real and it deserves real attention’. I just loved seeing that on their faces.”   For the students, getting out of the classroom and into actual landscapes and learning from the District experts about dealing with the fundamental aspects of flood control and risk management was, as Brian notes, “an extraordinary opportunity for the students to build on the great work of others and apply their expansive thinking as landscape architects.” Their ideas and concepts were shared with the Galveston District and, according to Jeff, were very well received. “The integration of natural features, the students’ innovation really resonated. My colleagues and I truly benefited from the novel way the landscape architects addressed some of the coastal resilience challenges we are working on.”   The shared experiences of the students and the engineers—working in the field on real and existential threats to the Gulf coast—really highlights the intersection of shared values between the practices of EWN and landscape architecture. Both focus on producing outcomes that benefit the environment and society.   The Engineering With Nature approach of leveraging natural process to accomplish the desired engineering outcome, while creating environmental and social benefits aligns well with the discipline of landscape architecture where landscapes are co-designed by humans and natural processes. Rob recalled the Army Corps’ Horseshoe Bend project featured in the first season of the EWN Podcast where the island is being “self-designed” by natural processes. “By stepping back and relinquishing some control over how the landscape is shaped, we gain landscapes that are more resilient, more functional, more ecologically healthy, and provide better opportunities for human interaction and engagement. They become better places.”   We discuss the power of combining the practices of landscape architecture in the work Sean, Rob and Jeff are doing with colleagues at the Philadelphia District along the New Jersey coast. As Sean notes, the challenges in New Jersey are vast. The area is experiencing sea level rise and habitat loss and has a population that lives quite close to the coastline. “The primary composition of that landscape is a barrier Island, and a back bay, where you get flooding from the land side and storm surge coming from the sea. We are trying to develop a series of strategies—alternative ways to look at coastal storm risk management—that could achieve cultural, social, and ecological benefits while still serving as proper coastal infrastructure.”   The synergies between landscape architecture and EWN are significant, and the possibilities for collaboration to create new, innovative solutions to coastal resilience challenges seems unlimited. According to Rob, Sean, and Brian, finding out the Corps was solving the basic problems of flooding while also trying to work with in concert with natural systems, for the benefit of society was “like a bolt of lightning for us—it was really striking and exciting!” The opportunities to learn from each other, advance their respective practices, and motivate and challenge future engineers and landscape architects, while they work together on critical coastal resilience projects, is the focus of this podcast.  We hope you enjoy it.   The EWN Program is grateful to the Dredge Research Collaborative (DRC) for their collaboration and partnership over the years and with development of this podcast. As members of the DRC, Rob Holmes, Sean Burkholder, Brian Davis, Justine Holzman and Gena Wirth have contributed greatly to the success of this EWN collaboration.   Related Links: EWN Website ERDC Website Jeff King at LinkedIn Jeff King at EWN USACE Galveston District Rob Holmes at Auburn Sean Burkholder at UPenn Brian Davis at UVA Seven Mile Island Innovation Lab Landscape Architecture on the EWN Website New Jersey Back Bays Landscape Architecture Report Sabine to Galveston Landscape Architecture Report

As the world emerges from the COVID 19 pandemic, infrastructure will play a key role in helping economies around the world recover. The World Economic Forum estimates $100 trillion dollars will be committed to infrastructure projects in the next thirty years. In Season 2 of the Engineering With Nature® Podcast, we’ll explore the important role EWN will play in expanding and diversifying the value of that infrastructure.   Season 2 kicks off with an announcement by Dr. Todd Bridges, Senior Research Scientist for Environmental Science with the US Army Corps of Engineers and national lead for Engineering With Nature®. Mobile District is joining EWN as the fourth EWN Proving Ground. As Todd notes, Mobile District has been doing Engineering With Nature before it was called that. He introduces our guests, Justin McDonald, Coastal Resiliency Program Manager, and Elizabeth Godsey, Coastal Engineering Technical lead, as “EWN superstars.”   Over the past two decades, Mobile District’s innovative technical teams have worked collaboratively with sister agencies in state and federal government and with people who live in the communities where the work is being done. These collaborations are creating impressive solutions, including innovative work to protect and restore barrier islands. Justin and Elizabeth believe becoming an EWN Proving Ground is a great opportunity to share lessons learned and to showcase the work Mobile District has been doing with their partners in Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle.      In Episode 1 we discuss two large-scale island-restoration projects that demonstrate the power of collaboration and cutting-edge science and engineering. Deer Island is a multi-phase initiative where beneficial use of dredge material is being used to repair and restore the island and to create marsh habitat. Restoration of the southern shoreline used dredge material from the navigation channel to create marsh habitat and a recreational area for local kayakers – a cost-effective beneficial use of the dredge material that produced significant environmental and social benefits. Work on the southeastern end of Deer Island will create another 400 acres of emergent island.   Justin and Elizabeth share Mobile District’s work at Ship Island—another critical barrier island—which had a 3.5-mile-wide breach from hurricanes Camille and Katrina. The team and their construction partners placed nearly 19 million cubic yards of sand to restore the islands and the sediment transport system. Justin talks about the importance of sourcing the right size and color of sand to support sea turtle nesting. Experts from a number of agencies collaborated to make this effort successful.   Coastal islands are important natural features that protect the mainland and provide multiple benefits to coastal systems and communities. As Elizabeth discusses, “These islands serve as our frontline of defense. We have a diverse coastline that encompasses more than 375 miles of shoreline from the St. Mark's river in Florida at the east all the way to the Pearl River in Mississippi. It was important to start looking at a system-wide approach.”    Mobile District has a long history and impressive experience working collaboratively to develop innovative solutions to restore critical barrier islands. Todd emphasized that “collaboration is a multisector need and requirement for success. It's government working across government; it's government working with the private sector and with industry. It's all of us working with the nonprofit sector and everybody working with communities to deliver projects that they need. It takes all of us working together.”   Related Links: EWN Website ERDC Website Todd Bridges at LinkedIn Todd Bridges at EWN USACE Mobile District Justin McDonald at LinkedIn Elizabeth Godsey at LinkedIn EWN Atlas Deer Island Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Project Ship Island Restoration

The Engineering With Nature® Podcast Season 2 launches March 17, and we’re pretty excited about the lineup. Host, Sarah Thorne, recently talked with Todd Bridges, Lead Engineering With Nature, US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), about the upcoming season. His bottom line: “the future is right
and the future is bright for EWN. It is the right direction for infrastructure and the timing is ideal.”
Why now? The World Economic Forum recently estimated that that by mid-century, $100 trillion dollars will be invested in infrastructure around the world. As Todd notes, the challenge is how to deliver the most value for that investment and how EWN can expand and diversify the value produced. Join us and our guests as we discuss climate change, coastal resilience, flood risk management, and the need to adapt to
a range of changing conditions in the natural world. We’ll be talking with leaders from USACE, scientists and project
managers, and diverse experts from national and international agencies, public and not-for-profit organizations, and
academia about their visions for engineering with nature and innovative approaches incorporating natural and nature-
based solutions to address these challenges. We’ll have conversations about new partnerships and multi-disciplinary
collaborations that are creating innovative infrastructure solutions. And we’ll launch two important publications -- EWN
Atlas II and the International Natural and Nature-Based Features Guidelines – and talk with some of the contributors
whose work is helping advance EWN through some truly remarkable solutions applying nature-based approaches to
tough infrastructure challenges. Our round table conversations will demonstrate the power of collaboration and hopefully inspire our listeners to think
about and engage in developing innovative solutions that will create better, more sustainable and resilient communities. JOIN THE CONVERSATION. Go to the EWN website www.engineeringwithnature.org or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN. SUBSCRIBE. SHARE. Related Links: EWN Website ERDC Website Todd Bridges at LinkedIn Todd Bridges at EWN

In this episode of the Engineering With Nature® Podcast, our guests are Dr. Brian Bledsoe, Director of the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems (IRIS) at the University of Georgia, and Dr. Todd Bridges, Senior Research Scientist for Environmental Science, with the US Army Corps of Engineers, and founder and national lead of the Engineering With Nature initiative and the sponsor of this podcast.  They discuss a new partnership – the Network for Engineering With Nature (N-EWN). Its focus is promoting the development of new practice and fostering the drive, passion and expertise for delivering nature-based solutions for infrastructure in the next generation of scientists, engineers, business leaders, and decision makers.   IRIS and Engineering With Nature (EWN) have a lot in common. IRIS’s vision is to unite the conventional ‘gray’ infrastructure with ‘green’ or natural infrastructure to deliver a broader array of benefits, all the time, for people and society. In the past, infrastructure development was almost exclusively driven by engineering expertise. The progression now underway in infrastructure development combines environmental and social expertise and practices with engineering, providing a multidisciplinary approach to collaboration, outreach, communication, and solution development. IRIS has effectively bridged the divide between different disciplinary perspectives – engineers, ecologists, social scientists, public health practitioners, landscape architects, lawyers and policy experts – by, as Brian says, being open and humble and coming together to find equitable and sustainable solutions to 21st century infrastructure problems.   Reciprocal visits by individuals and groups from the University of Georgia and the Army Corps’ Engineer Research and Development Center quickly established that the two organizations were on the same page and the conditions were set for developing the N-EWN, which launched October 16. N-EWN is a partnership focusing on two major components: research and education. Research is needed to integrate engineering practice with natural systems, while also actively engaging practitioners and the communities that are going receive and benefit from future infrastructure. Infusing EWN principles and approaches into professional training and education will support the development of professional engineers, for example, within the Army Corps of Engineers, the private sector, as well as the development of future engineers, ecologists and social scientists, through new courses and curricula.   As Todd and Brian discuss, current research activities within the N-EWN fall into four areas:

• Developing rigorous engineering methods, standards and guidelines for planning, design, construction, finance and engagement;
• Making the value case for Engineering With Nature projects and natural infrastructure that recognizes a broader set of benefits;
• Rigorously monitoring these projects to improve understanding and consistency in how these systems perform over time; and
• Engaging with communities and working with people to develop policies that enable deployment of natural infrastructure. 

  When asked why this connection between academia and the Army Corps is so critical now, Todd was emphatic:   “Because we seek a revolution. The Army Corps of Engineers began as an institution to support a revolution in the year 1775. That revolution was a different one of course, but that was the start of the Army Corps of Engineers. Today in 2020, we have a revolution ongoing within the Army Corps of Engineers to revolutionize how we deliver Civil Works – infrastructure, water infrastructure – for the United States. To power this revolution, you've got to bring collaborators into that revolution and a particularly powerful collaboration is the combination of academia with a government research and engineering enterprise – working hand in hand with Brian and his colleagues and academia on the same projects, advancing our capability to produce these outcomes.”   Both Brian and Todd believe the opportunity in the 21st century is tremendous – to create infrastructure that supports a whole range and variety of value and benefits for communities, the environment, and the economy. N-EWN will work to prepare the engineers, ecologists and social scientists of the future and to advance our capabilities to deliver these infrastructure solutions.  In reflecting on the opportunities for Engineering With Nature in the future, Todd adapted a line from a popular song in the 1980s: “The future’s so bright, you gotta wear shades.”     Related Links: EWN Website ERDC Website Brian Bledsoe at UGA University of Georgia, Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems Todd Bridges at LinkedIn Todd Bridges at EWN

The growing global population is putting a lot of pressure on the world's natural resources and its natural infrastructure – the forest, prairies, agricultural lands, estuaries, coasts, and wetlands that we all depend on. Protecting and restoring the health of our natural infrastructure is paramount if we want to continue to enjoy the many economic, environmental and social benefits that it provides. In this episode, we’re talking with two people who believe that sustainable natural infrastructure is critically important, and they are leading their organizations and others in taking positive action to promote natural infrastructure solutions as part of standard practice, rather than as an afterthought or add on.   In this episode of the Engineering With Nature® Podcast, guests Don McNeill, Business Development Manager for Caterpillar’s Earthmoving Division and director of the Natural Infrastructure Initiative (NII), and Dr. Mike Donahue, Vice President of Water Resources & Environmental Services at AECOM, discuss the need for natural infrastructure solutions. As the world's leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, Caterpillar is making sustainable progress possible, driving positive change on every continent. AECOM, an American multinational engineering firm, which is recognized globally for its excellence in infrastructure design and engineering consulting, is promoting natural infrastructure solutions with their clients and identifying opportunities to incorporate it in project designs. In this podcast, we talk about how their efforts to find more sustainable infrastructure solutions that incorporate the principles and practices of Engineering With Nature, and therefore, contribute to its evolution.   To put the infrastructure challenge in perspective, Don talks about a recent McKinsey Institute study that suggests approximately $3.7 trillion a year is needed in global infrastructure to adapt to population growth and sustainability goals. Unfortunately, only about $2.5 trillion a year is currently being invested. Don believes that increased natural infrastructure investments, with its cost-effective solutions and multiple benefits, can help shrink that $1.2 trillion gap. This thinking underlies the Natural Infrastructure Initiative (NII), launched in 2017 by Caterpillar.   NII brings together a group of companies and organizations to promote the use of natural infrastructure projects that advance economic vitality, environmental health and safety in communities. Membership includes the following organizations: AECOM, Brown & Root, Caterpillar, Dawson & Associates, Ducks Unlimited, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock, The Nature Conservancy, The University of Georgia and recently, Conservation International.   NII’s objectives include: creating awareness to support the benefits and uses of natural infrastructure; growing investments, active projects and consideration of projects that embed natural infrastructure thinking; developing and promoting new tools, processes, and capabilities to support natural infrastructure uses and investments; and advocating for policy and legislation to increase the opportunities, considerations and ultimately the quantity of natural infrastructure projects.   These objectives are well aligned with the forward-looking approach of EWN. Mike talks about AECOM’s work with the USACE on nature-based, engineering pilot projects and their collaboration on the development of the Natural Infrastructure Opportunities Tool (NIOT), which is a tool for sharing information and identifying opportunities for developing on-the-ground natural infrastructure solutions.   As Don and Mike emphasize, the ultimate goal, is to see natural infrastructure solutions become institutionalized in the analysis of project options – not an afterthought. Sometimes built infrastructure is the right solution, sometimes natural infrastructure is best, and sometimes a hybrid solution combining both will be the most effective. Don notes, “when we're talking about natural infrastructure, this is an ‘AND’ and not an ‘OR’.” The trend toward greater acceptance of natural infrastructure solutions will continue and grow.     Related Links: EWN Website ERDC Website Natural Infrastructure Opportunities Tool Caterpillar Inc. Caterpillar – Natural Infrastructure Don McNeill at LinkedIn AECOM Michael Donahue at AECOM Michael Donahue at LinkedIn McKinsey Global Institute: Bridging Global Infrastructure Gaps Brown and Root Dawson & Associates Ducks Unlimited Great Lakes Dredge & Dock The Nature Conservancy University of Georgia, Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems Conservation International American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

Monica Chasten grew up in Vineland, NJ, close to the South New Jersey beaches where her parents and grandparents fostered her love for the coast. With a talent in math and science, she started looking at the coast in a different way, wondering why the waves would break the way they did and how “piles of rocks” could protect the fragile shoreline. She translated her passion into a 35-year career as a coastal engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Monica was the moving force leading Philadelphia District to become the third EWN Proving Ground in 2016. In this episode, we talk about her work and her collaboration with other scientists and engineers to advance coastal dredging practices and the beneficial use of dredged material.   As a Project Manager for the District’s Operations Division, Monica’s role involves maintaining coastal navigation channels in New Jersey and Delaware, which includes the 117-mile New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway.  She is also the lead for the District’s Engineering With Nature efforts.   In 2012, Superstorm Sandy devastated the coast, which, as Monica describes, “was, in my lifetime and in my professional experience, the worst storm that has hit the New Jersey coastline.” With roads closed, Monica visited the area by boat to assess the navigation channels. She observed houses in the bay, navigation channels blocked with sediment, and debris everywhere.  Her mission was to restore navigation, given the life safety issues associated with shoaling in the federal channels.   For years, the Corps had been looking at how best to use sediment. People generally accepted that there were better options than basically “throwing dredged material away” in upland areas, but traditional policies and standard practices often presented obstacles to trying anything different. Post-Sandy, however, more favorable conditions for innovation emerged that provided opportunities to apply Regional Sediment Management and Engineering With Nature to produce a range of value through beneficial use.     Working with colleagues across the Corps, the state of New Jersey, private industry, and non-profit organizations, Monica initiated pilot programs that put EWN principles into practice for which she received the EWN Leadership award in 2016. One project involved dredging the New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway navigation channel and using the sediment to restore nearby Mordecai Island, a critical habitat and protective buffer that was degrading because of erosion. Because of her persistence, sediment dredged from the navigation channel was placed to stabilize the most vulnerable section of the island. This effort complemented the work of others, including the State of New Jersey and the Mordecai Land Trust, and served to protect this valuable habitat, while providing an important buffer against waves and destructive storm surge for the nearby community. Other pilot projects undertaken in partnership with the State of New Jersey and others in the Cape May Wetlands Wildlife Management Area included the Avalon marsh enhancement and Ring Island habitat creation projects.   After successfully completing several projects, the Corps, the State of New Jersey and The Wetlands Institute launched the Seven Mile Island Innovation Lab (SMIIL). The initiative is designed to advance and improve dredging and marsh restoration techniques in coastal New Jersey through innovative research, collaboration, knowledge sharing and practical application. SMIIL has brought together a diverse group of organizations to test, demonstrate and innovate in delivering engineering, environmental and societal benefits.       Sediment is an important resource that can be used to protect the wetlands.  In turn, the wetlands help protect coastal communities. Throughout our conversation, Monica highlights the importance and value of collaboration on science, research and development. She talks about learning from others who have conducted similar projects, sharing experiences across the coastal community, and engaging with stakeholders to innovate, develop and apply better practices for protecting fragile coastal environments and the communities they protect.     Related Links: EWN Website ERDC Website USACE Philadelphia District and Marine Design Center USACE Philadelphia District Facebook Page Monica Chasten on ResearchGate Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway Mordecai Island Coastal Wetlands Restoration Coastal Dredging and Beneficial use of Dredged Material Thin Layer Placement The Wetlands Institute New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife Seven Mile Island Innovation Lab - USACE Seven Mile Island Innovation Lab – Wetlands Institute