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owner
 " Life is too short. SMILE while you still have teeth. " comment To stop the music, just click on the lil coffee cup at the bottom right-hand corner~ To comment, just click on '_ comments' beside the date and time on top of each post 감사합니다, kamsahamnida ♥~ Credits
| Someone who have influenced my life
Since this is not graded, Brad, don't pick on my grammar, vocab and all those mistakes! ;) I hope you enjoy reading my post~
I have no idea if anyone realised, I am not exactly fluent in English. Since young, I am more fluent in Chinese. Yet, because of oral and comprehension exams in primary and secondary education, i need to learn to speak in proper English. Therefore it resulted in this half English and half Chinese sentence structure of mine whenever i speak now. According to my friends, my love for Chinese was incomprehensible. Yes, they said incomprehensible. I score extremely well for Chinese and there are definitely Chinese e-books in my phone. I can survive without games in my phone, but not Chinese e-books. That's how crazy i am in love with Chinese.
In secondary 3, i met my new Chinese teacher, Miss Tang. She was from China, married with no kids. I started the first semester with her. She is similar to other Chinese teachers, requesting us to write essays and practice on comprehension. However, she was the only person who not only complimented my style of writing, she further encouraged me to send my essay to be published on the newspaper. Thanks to her, i managed to publish my essay on newspaper. From then on, my love for writing deepened. Maybe because i was praised, or maybe it was because i loved the sense of accomplishment when my article was successfully published on newspaper, I kept on writing essays. I came out with a topic of my own and started writing narrative essays. I got closer with Miss Tang. I felt this bond with her, that i never had with all my other teachers. I remember going to IKEA with my friend and Miss Tang to choose some furniture for her new house. We also helped out during her house-moving day. We helped to paint and decorate. There was just so much memories during that period of time.
That year, Miss Tang, my friends, some Chinese teachers and i had this gathering at her house. After a meal, i was being called by one of the teachers. She pulled me near to the window and she pointed outside, asking me if i sensed something was wrong. I looked outside, and i replied 'No?'. Then I wanted to turn back and enjoy the desserts served after the meal, but the teacher wouldn't allow. Things got even more epic. The teacher later pulled me out of the house, and kept asking if i sensed anything was wrong. She said she saw smoke coming out from that unit. I looked at the direction her finger was pointing, i was searching hard for that 'unit' she was talking about. I could not find anything and i wanted to go back. So after struggling to get back into the house with my teacher trying to stop me, i got back to the house to see that the lights was dimmed. And i saw my friend carrying a cake and the teachers was singing the birthday song. I was surprised and shocked. This is the first time i had teachers together with my friend celebrating my birthday.
I don't think i can even forget this part of my secondary school life. It was so colourful, so heartwarming, so memorable. I published my essay on the newspaper for the first time. I visited a teacher's house for the first time. I went there as if it was my friend's house. I had teachers celebrating my birthday for the first time. And it all happened in Miss Tang's house. Even though Chinese is no longer a mandatory subject for me to study, i am still trying my best to know this language better. I may be speaking in 'half English half Chinese' style, but i am trying to maintain my standard in essay writing. I know Miss Tang is hoping that we will continue and help to spread this love for Chinese. I will do so and i will remember this Chinese teacher that i once had this strong bond with. Thank you, Miss Tang.
您曾经跟我说过，现在很少年轻人喜欢华文了。您觉得很可惜。我是那些年轻人当中很特别的一个。我相信现在的我或许对这个语言感到有些陌生，但是我永远不会忘记我对它的那一份爱。曾经执着于华文，曾经地一头栽进华文写作，曾经疯狂地阅读华文小说，曾经毫无杂念地写出一篇又一篇的文章。我想谢谢你，因你，我的中学生活留下了那么多自豪的事情。我的青春，很精彩。
A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning. - Brad Henry
Reader Response Draft 3 (Final)
In the article “Advancing Sustainable Infrastructure with Envision”, Nelson (2015) shares about the Envision rating system. It is the new reference model adopted worldwide for the best practices for all types of infrastructure, ascertaining their sustainable achievement. She explains that the rating system consists of 60 credits, and awards will be presented in 4 ranks based on the credits achieved. The author reveals that currently there are six projects that have received the award after completing third-party verification. She also emphasises the usefulness of Envision as it can be used in any point in the project life cycle such as providing guidance in the decision-making process. I have to agree with the author on the usefulness of Envision because it is the only system that is designed for a vast array of non-building infrastructure projects. Envision expands the concept of sustainability from buildings to non-building infrastructure.
Envision was introduced in 2012, created by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI). The idea behind Envision is related to LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design), a green building certification program that certifies a building with outstanding sustainable achievements. As quoted by Nelson from an interim city engineer, Deborah Weintraub, “Envision expands our over a decade long use of green rating systems for buildings to civil engineering projects.” Non-habitable structures, such as bridges, treatment plants and other types of civil infrastructure are not what LEED was designed for. Therefore, with the need to be designed with sustainability in mind, Envision was launched.
Clark (2014) interviewed the president and CEO of the ISI, Bertera. Bertera mentions that Envision should be thought of as another LEED system. Envision is an assessment tool designed and structured just for non-building infrastructure projects, basically covering what LEED is unable to rate for. Mikel Wilkins, a Dallas-based civil engineer who was mentioned in Clark’s article, used Envision on a pipeline project in 2009. Considering that Envision integrates the social, environmental and economic aspects, Wilkins commented that through the rating system a better plan was produced. By so, the cost throughout the project lifecycle was measured using the system as well. He ended by praising Envision as a system that works regardless of the scale of the projects. This verifies Envision as a well-rounded system that is similar to LEED, providing the non-building infrastructure community with a complete palette to make themselves sustainable.
Envision is a highly flexible system. It covers a wide range of infrastructure project types. The project types include energy, water, waste, transport, landscape, and information. In Clark’s article, Wilkins also talked about how the credits in the system helped them marked out more targets after he and his partner opted for Envision. From there, they managed to come out with more plans to implement green infrastructure. Likewise to what Nelson emphasises in the article, Envision guides the decision makers. It allows them to see best practices in civil engineering from another perspective. As a result, it will force them to think out of the box therefore discovering new opportunities to make a project more sustainable. Thus, sustainability can also be achieved in different non-building infrastructure projects by making use of Envision.
However, we cannot assume that this is the perfect system for non-building infrastructure projects yet. Envision is the newest and only system for rating non-building infrastructure. As a result this would be the best system so far. The short term effects are satisfying. Then again, there has not been a chance to evaluate the long term effects. There may be underlying long term harm that is not shown at the moment. Nelson mentioned in her article that there had only been 6 projects evaluated to date. Based on these six projects, it is very hard to come to a conclusion for Envision. As the sample size is still small, I do not consider it to be reliable. More data will be needed in order to prove its reliability. Even so, there is no doubt that this is a promising system. Even though the sample size is small, it is still a good start. The six projects managed to complete third-party verifications and received awards. I think that it has potential to go a lot further in the future.
In conclusion, Envision is undeniably a helpful tool as it targets sustainable non-building infrastructure. By including the triple bottom line into the rating system, it helps to oversee the three aspects where other rating systems do not. The concept of Envision is akin to LEED. However, both rating systems are on different tracks even though they are leading towards the same goal. I believe with Envision, LEED and the other rating systems, more improvements can be made to the buildings and infrastructures. And by so, we can work towards a more sustainable future.
References
Beach, S. (2014, February 26). ISI Envision: Sustainable Infrastructure Rating System. PermaTrack North America. [weblog]. Retrieved September 24, 2015, from http://www.permatrak.com/news-events/bid/100073/ISI-Envision-Sustainable-Infrastructure-Rating-System
Clark, A. (2014, June 26). LEED for roads: Greener infrastructure gains momentum. GreenBiz. Retrieved September 21, 2015, from http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2014/06/26/envision-greener-infrastructure-momentum
Landoll, C. (2013, December 9). Green certifications for your non-building projects. Currents: Enviornment, Landscapes, Interpretation. [weblog]. Retrieved September 23, 2015, from http://www.watershedco.com/blog/green-certifications-for-your-non-building-projects/
Nelson, D. (2015, June). Advancing sustainable infrastructure with Envision | civil + structural ENGINEER. Retrieved September 19, 2015, from http://cenews.com/article/10098/advancing-sustainable-infrastructure-with-envision
Rowe, J. (2015, July 23). How to Envision Green Infrastructure’s Triple Bottom Line. Retrieved September 21, 2015, from http://sustainability.autodesk.com/blog/triple-bottom-line-for-green-infrastructure/
Sustainableinfrastructure.org, (n.d.). Institute For Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI): Rating System. Retrieved September 21, 2015, from https://www.sustainableinfrastructure.org/rating/index.cfm
Vock, D. (2015, September 16). ‘Envision’ System Helps Cities Build Sustainability. government technology. Retrieved 21 October 2015, from http://www.govtech.com/fs/Envision-System-Helps-Cities-Build-Sustainably.html
Xlgroup.com,. (2014, November 10). Envisioning Sustainable Infrastructure: An Interview with Tim Psomas | XL. Retrieved September 23, 2015, from http://xlgroup.com/fast-fast-forward/articles/envisioning-sustainable-infrastructure-an-interview-with-tim-psomas
Assignment : Reader Response Draft 2
In the article “Advancing Sustainable Infrastructure with Envision”, Nelson (June 2015) shares about the Envision rating system. It is the new reference model adopted worldwide for the best practices for all types of infrastructure, ascertaining their sustainable achievement. She explains that the rating system consists of 60 credits and awards will be presented in 4 ranks based on the credits achieved. The author reveals that currently there are six projects that have received the award after completing third-party verification. She also emphasises on the usefulness of Envision where it can be used in any point in the project life cycle such as providing guidance in the decision-making process. I am inclined to agree with the author on the usefulness of Envision because it is the only system that is designed for infrastructure projects. It expands the concept of sustainability from buildings to infrastructure.
Envision is introduced in 2012, created by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI). The idea behind Envision is related to LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design), a green building certification program that certifies building with outstanding sustainable achievements. As quoted by Nelson from an interim city engineer, Deborah Weintraub, “Envision expands our over a decade long use of green rating systems for buildings to civil engineering projects.” Non-habitable structures, such as bridges, treatment plants and other types of civil infrastructure are not what LEED was designed for. Therefore, with the need to be designed with sustainability in mind, Envision was launched.
Clark (June 2014) interviewed the president and CEO of the ISI, Bertera, for her article where she mentions Envision should be thought as another LEED system. Envision is an assessment tool designed and structured just for infrastructure projects, basically covering what LEED is unable to rate for. Mikel Wilkins, a Dallas-based civil engineer who was mentioned in the article, used Envision on a pipeline project in 2009. He commented that through the rating system, they managed to produce a better plan and measured the cost throughout the project lifecycle. He then ended off by praising Envision as a system that works regardless of the scale of the projects. The incorporation of triple bottom line in the rating system is well reflected in Wilkins’s example. Sustainable projects often come in high costs, thus the triple bottom line concept evaluates the benefits over the full life cycle, allowing limited budget projects to become cost-effective as well as creating the most public value. This verifies Envision as a well-rounded system that is similar to LEED however, catering only for infrastructure projects.
In addition, Envision is highly flexible and it covers a wide range of infrastructure project types. The project types include Energy, Water, Waste, Transport, Landscape, and Information. Taking the previous example, Wilkins also talked about how after they opted for Envision, the credits in the system helped them marked out more targets. And from there, they managed to come out with more plans to implement green infrastructure. Likewise to what Nelson emphasises in the article, Envision guides the decision makers. It allows them to see best practices in civil engineering from another perspective. As a result, it will allow them to spot opportunities to make a project more sustainable.
However, we cannot assume that this is the perfect system for infrastructure projects yet. Envision is the newest and only system for rating infrastructure, as a result this would be the best so far. The short term effects are satisfying, then again, there have not been a chance to evaluate the long term effects. There may be underlying long term harm that is not shown at the moment. Nelson mentioned in her article that there are only 6 projects that are evaluated up to date. Based on these six projects, it is very hard to come to a conclusion for Envision. As the sample size is still small, I do not consider it to be reliable, more data will be needed in order to prove its reliability. Even so, there is no doubt that this is a promising system. Even though the sample size is small, it is still a good start. The six projects managed to complete third-party verifications and received awards, hence I think that it has potential to go a lot further in the future.
In conclusion, Envision is undeniably a helpful tool as it targets sustainable infrastructure and by including the triple bottom line into their rating system, it helps to overlook at the three aspects where other rating systems do not. The concept of Envision is akin to LEED however, both rating systems are on different tracks even though they are leading towards the same goal. By the end of this essay, I have to agree with the author about Envision, and I believe with Envision and the other rating systems, more improvements can be done for infrastructure and buildings and together, working towards a sustainable future.
(814 words)
References
Beach, S. (2014). ISI Envision: Sustainable Infrastructure Rating System. Retrieved September 24, 2015, from http://www.permatrak.com/news-events/bid/100073/ISI-Envision-Sustainable-Infrastructure-Rating-System
Clark, A. (2014). LEED for roads: greener infrastructure gains momentum. Retrieved September 21, 2015, from http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2014/06/26/envision-greener-infrastructure-momentum
Landoll, C. (2013). Green Certifications for Your Non-Building Projects. Retrieved September 23, 2015, from http://www.watershedco.com/blog/green-certifications-for-your-non-building-projects/
Nelson, D. (2015). Advancing sustainable infrastructure with Envision | civil + structural ENGINEER. Retrieved September 19, 2015, from http://cenews.com/article/10098/advancing-sustainable-infrastructure-with-envision
Rowe, J. (2015). How to Envision Green Infrastructure’s Triple Bottom Line. Retrieved September 21, 2015, from http://sustainability.autodesk.com/blog/triple-bottom-line-for-green-infrastructure/
Sustainableinfrastructure.org,. Institute For Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI): Rating System. Retrieved September 21, 2015, from https://www.sustainableinfrastructure.org/rating/index.cfm
Xlgroup.com,. (2014). Envisioning Sustainable Infrastructure: An Interview with Tim Psomas | XL. Retrieved September 23, 2015, from http://xlgroup.com/fast-fast-forward/articles/envisioning-sustainable-infrastructure-an-interview-with-tim-psomas
Edited on 01/10, 4.15pm
Edited on 02/10, 12.55am
Assignment : Reader Response Draft 1
In the article “Advancing Sustainable Infrastructure with Envision”, Nelson (June 2015) shares about the Envision rating system. It is the new reference model adopted worldwide for the best practices for all types of infrastructure, ascertaining their sustainable achievement. She explains that the rating system consists of 60 credits and awards will be presented in 4 ranks based on the credits achieved. The author reveals that currently there are six projects that have received the award after completing third-party verification. She also emphasizes on the usefulness of Envision where it can be used in any point in the project life cycle such as providing guidance in the decision-making process. Even though Envision is a new rating system, I have to agree with the usefulness and effectiveness of it that the author is trying to suggest in this article.
Envision was introduced in the 2012, created by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) and the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. The idea behind Envision is related to LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design), a green building certification program that certifies building with outstanding sustainable achievements. Nelson quoted from an interim city engineer, Deborah Weintraub, commenting “Envision expands our over a decade long use of green rating systems for buildings to civil engineering projects.” Non-habitable structures, such as bridges, highways, treatment plants and other types of civil infrastructure are not what LEED was designed for. Therefore, with the need to be designed with sustainability in mind, Envision was launched. With that, it further expands the concept of sustainability to infrastructure.
Clark (June 2014) interviewed the president and CEO of the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure, Bertera for her blog where she mentioned that Envision should be think as another LEED system. Envision is an assessment tool designed and structured just for infrastructure projects, basically covering what LEED is unable to rate for. One example mentioned in her blog is a Dallas-based civil engineer Mikel Wilkins, who used Envision on a pipeline project in 2009. He commented that through the rating system, they managed to produce a better plan and measure the cost throughout the project lifecycle. He then ended off by praising Envision as a system that works regardless of the scale of the projects. Nelson brought up in the article regarding the incorporation of triple bottom line in the rating system that is well reflected in Wilkins’s example. Sustainable projects often come in high costs, thus the triple bottom line concept evaluates the benefits over the full life cycle, allowing limited budget projects to become cost-effective as well as creating the most public value. This verifies Envision as a well-rounded system that is similar to LEED however, catering only for infrastructure projects.
In addition, Envision is highly flexible and it covers a wide range of infrastructure project types. The project types include, Energy, Water, Waste, Transport, Landscape, and Information. Taking the previous example, Wilkins also talked about after they opted for Envision, the credits in the system helped them to mark out more targets. And from there, they managed to come out with more plans to implement green infrastructure. Likewise to what Nelson emphasises in the article, Envision guides the decision makers. It allows them to see best practices in civil engineering from another perspective. As a result, it will allow them to spot opportunities to make a project more sustainable.
In conclusion, Envision is undeniably a helpful tool as it targets sustainable infrastructure and by including the triple bottom line into their rating system, it helps to overlook at the three aspects where other rating systems do not. The concept of Envision is akin to LEED however, both rating systems are on different tracks even though they are leading towards the same goal. By the end of this essay, I have to agree with the author how useful Envision is, and I believe with Envision and the other rating systems, more improvements can be done for infrastructure and buildings and together, working towards a sustainable future.
(673 words)
References
Nelson, D. (2015). Advancing sustainable infrastructure with Envision | civil + structural ENGINEER. Cenews.com. Retrieved 19 September 2015, from http://cenews.com/article/10098/advancing-sustainable-infrastructure-with-envision
Sustainableinfrastructure.org,. Institute For Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI): Rating System. Retrieved 21 September 2015, from https://www.sustainableinfrastructure.org/rating/index.cfm
Clark, A. (2014). LEED for roads: greener infrastructure gains momentum. GreenBiz. Retrieved from http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2014/06/26/envision-greener-infrastructure-momentum
Rowe, J. (2015). How to Envision Green Infrastructure’s Triple Bottom Line. AutoDesk Sustainability Solutions. Retrieved from http://sustainability.autodesk.com/blog/triple-bottom-line-for-green-infrastructure/
Xlgroup.com,. (2014). Envisioning Sustainable Infrastructure: An Interview with Tim Psomas | XL. Retrieved 23 September 2015, from http://xlgroup.com/fast-fast-forward/articles/envisioning-sustainable-infrastructure-an-interview-with-tim-psomas
Landoll, C. (2013). Green Certifications for Your Non-Building Projects. The WaterShed Company. Retrieved from http://www.watershedco.com/blog/green-certifications-for-your-non-building-projects/
Beach, S. (2014). ISI Envision: Sustainable Infrastructure Rating System. Permatrak.com. Retrieved 24 September 2015, from http://www.permatrak.com/news-events/bid/100073/ISI-Envision-Sustainable-Infrastructure-Rating-System
Assignment : Summary (Edited)
In the article “Advancing Sustainable Infrastructure with Envision”, Nelson (June 2015) shares about the Envision rating system. It is the new reference model adopted worldwide for the best practices for all types of infrastructure, ascertaining their sustainable achievement. She explains that the rating system consists of 60 credits and awards will be presented in 4 ranks based on the credits achieved. The author reveals that currently there are six projects that have received the award after completing third-party verification. She also emphasizes on the usefulness of Envision where it can be used in any point in the project life cycle such as providing guidance in the decision-making process.
Edited, 11.15pm
Assignment 2: Summary
In the article “Advancing Sustainable Infrastructure with Envision”, Nelson (June 2015) shares about the Envision rating system. It is the new reference adopted worldwide for the best practices for all types of infrastructure, ascertaining their sustainable achievement. She explains that the rating system consists of 60 credits, categorized into 5 clusters. The author added awards will be presented in 4 ranks based on the credits achieved. She reveals that numerous projects are on their way towards attaining awards and currently only six projects have received the award after completing third-party verification. She also emphasizes on the usefulness of Envision where it can be used in any point in the project life cycle such as providing guidance in the decision-making process.
2nd Draft
(With Paraphrasing, 96 words)
Nelson (June 2015) discussed about the Envision rating system where it is the new reference adopted worldwide for the best practices for all types of infrastructure, ascertaining their sustainable achievement. The rating system consists of 60 sustainability criteria. Based on the points achieved, different levels of awards will be presented accordingly. Countless projects are on their path towards an award, only six projects have completed third-party verification and received awards. Besides assessing projects for a score, Envision can be used in any point in the project life cycle such as providing guidance in the decision-making process.
10:30am
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