THE ARIZONA CIVIL ENGINEER
Volume 97 Issue 9 - October
In This Issue

  • A Message from the President

  • 2022 ASCE/ASHE State Conference

  • Phoenix Branch News and Updates

  • Top Golf Event

A Message from the President
Jose Aguilar, PE, ENV SP
Hello ASCE Arizona Section Members,

Sustainability gets tossed around a lot these days but what does it really mean? Here is a quick definition: 

“Avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance” - Oxford Languages

For my daily life it means using a stainless steel bottle for drinking water to avoid single-use plastics; requesting “no straw” at bars and restaurants to reduce waste; composting to reduce my waste to the landfill; switching to reusable silicone zip bags. We have a limited amount of resources and we will eventually run out if we don’t reduce, reuse and recycle. So what does it mean in terms of our infrastructure? The way I like to see it is how can our built environment be more friendly to our natural one. One thing we know for a fact is that our population will continue to increase but our earth will not so we need to make sure that we make a conscious decision to see the impacts our projects have on our environment. So why do I bring this up?
Well 1) To begin the conversation and help you to start thinking how your projects affect our natural environment and 2) A shameless plug for our 2022 ASCE ASHE Annual State Conference that will take place on October 27, 2022 at the Desert Willow Center in Phoenix, AZ. I hope you can join us!

Also, this is my last newsletter as President of the Arizona Section and I would like to take the time to thank YOU for giving me the opportunity to serve you as your President this past year. I am very happy to see our Section is growing stronger and I am excited for the bright future that lies ahead. I want to wish Laura Spencer (our incoming President) as well as all our Branches and YMGs Officers and Leaders, the best of luck in the upcoming year. I know great things will continue with this incoming group. I am not going anywhere so I will continue to be available if you ever need anything. See you around!

Thank you for letting me serve you,
Jose Aguilar, PE, ENV SP
WSP (Project Manager)
ASCE Arizona Section President
2022 ASCE/ASHE State Conference
Phoenix Branch News and Updates
Brad Donais, PE, Vice President, Phoenix Branch
Past Summer Events 

On August 4th, the Phoenix Branch / YMF and Arizona Section hosted a Happy Hour event at OHSO in Arcadia, with over 45 in attendance throughout the evening. Thanks to all that came out and made this summer social event a success. 

The Sustainability Committee of the Phoenix Branch sponsored a Sustainability Presentation on August 24, with the general overarching topic of Sustainable Infrastructure for Cities and Rural Areas. The Workshop consisted of eight sessions covering topics of What’s New in Sustainability; Designing Climate Change in the City of Tempe; Culdesac Tempe, The First Car-Free Neighborhood built in the US; MAG MOMENTUM 50 & More; BIL/IIJA Sustainable Infrastructure Funding for the City of Phoenix; The Climate is Changing, Deal with It; City of Phoenix Climate Action Planning for a Sustainable Desert City; and Sustainable Drainage Infrastructure. For those who attended, be on the lookout for an email containing a PHD certificate. If you attended and did not receive a certificate, please contact the Board. 

Upcoming Events

September Luncheon
Our next lunch meeting will be September 14th, held at the Hilton Garden Inn Phoenix Airport with the topic and meeting details to be provided in a future announcement. 

Future Luncheon Topics
If you have a topic of interest or project that you would like to present and/or are interested in, please reach out myself at bdonais@hept7.com or any board member, and we will fit you into our monthly meeting schedule. 

Brad Donais, PE
Phoenix Branch Vice President
Top Golf Event RSVP
Wednesday October 26, 2022
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Top Golf Scottsdale
9500 E. Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale, AZ
Dinner will be provided

Deadline to RSVP is October 14, 2022!
The Arizona Civil Engineer is a publication of the Arizona Section of ASCE.

Information published in the newsletter must be consistent with ASCE Arizona Section Board policy.