The Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL) Queensland Chapter successfully hosted its 9th Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Activity on Sunday 11th October 2020. The presentation on the above topic was made live online by Dr Sunil Herat, who is an Associate Professor at the School of Engineering and Built Environment – Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Program Director of Master of Environmental Engineering and Master of Environmental Engineering & Pollution
Control at the Griffith University.
In addition to his academic duties, Dr Herat provides expert advisory support and training services in waste management to global forums and a number of overseas countries. He used his considerable knowledge and experience during the presentation to demonstrate how Population growth, rapid urbanisation, accelerating technological, unsustainable development, and unsustainable consumption have led to resource depletion and environmental degradation. He highlighted how new and complex waste streams like e-waste, food waste, construction/demolition waste, disaster waste, and marine litter (plastic waste) have emerged and why the current trends are not sustainable and will profoundly impact on current and future generations.
He used case studies to highlight that it is essential for us to decouple environmental degradation and resource use from economic growth and associated consumption and production patterns. More importantly, he demonstrated how engineers could play a role in waste management to resource recovery. The event, which was attended by more than 70 participants from around Australia and overseas, including Sri Lanka, ended with a lively Q & A session.
The Management Committee of the Chapter takes this opportunity to thank Dr Herat for his excellent presentation, everyone who attended the event and 4EB Sri Lankan Radio Group for media coverage.
Dr Chanaka Abeysinghe
Chair for Technical Sub Committee, IESL QLD Chapter
