Hugo Neu Corporation Sustainability Seminar Series: The Carbon You Don't See: Embodied Emissions in Infrastructure

ABSTRACT

As the built environment faces increasing pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, embodied carbon has become a critical consideration in the planning, design, and construction of infrastructure projects, particularly across the tri-state region. This seminar will explore what embodied carbon is, why it matters, and how owners, designers, and contractors are working to measure and reduce it throughout the project lifecycle. Drawing on perspectives from both the engineering consulting industry and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the discussion will highlight current practices, emerging policies and regulations, and real-world examples from transportation infrastructure projects. Attendees will learn key embodied carbon concepts, including Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), Global Warming Potentials (GWPs), and the use of Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) to quantify emissions and inform decision-making. The session will also showcase innovative tools, strategies, and industry trends that are helping advance low-carbon infrastructure delivery. Participants will gain insight into the challenges and opportunities of delivering resilient, high-performing infrastructure while supporting broader decarbonization goals and a more sustainable future.

BIOGRAPHY

Kate Aglitsky has 26 years of experience as Environmental Management System and Sustainability champion at New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Construction and Development. The scope includes development and maintenance of a robust EMS for promotion of sustainability, decarbonization and resiliency in the built environment. Thanks to Kate, MTA has 3 LEED buildings, and one Envision project to date, with several on the way. In the developing regulatory environment for addressing sustainability issues Kate is actively participating in various working groups that provide policy and guidance recommendations to the NYS legislators. In addition, Kate has been teaching and mentoring students at such educational institutions as Columbia, Cornell, CUNY, NYU, and Cooper Union, and presented at numerous conferences (TRB, GreenBuild Government 2015, ISI, APTA, UITP, NYC Climate Week, NYBuild, TAC Canada, etc). Kate is an adjunct professor in Stevens Institute of Technology Sustainability Management Program, teaching EMS, Life Cycle Analysis and Envision.

J.P. Liban is a Staff Engineer with Dewberry Engineers Inc., specializing in greenhouse gas and embodied carbon emissions analysis and Envision Certification, within its Sustainability Consulting Team. He is an Envision Sustainability Professional through the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure and an Engineer in Training. He received his BS and MS in Environmental and Ecological Engineering from Purdue University. Through his career he has completed several greenhouse gas inventories and worked on several Envision projects. Notable projects include Dewberry’s first internal greenhouse gas inventory, Burlington County’s Climate Change-Related Hazard Vulnerability Assessment, and the Envision Verification of the MTA’s Times Square Shuttle Station in NYC.

Zoom Link:

https://stevens.zoom.us/j/99998532806

Website:

https://www.stevens.edu/sustainability-seminar-series

Jointly Sponsored by:

HUGO NEU Corporation
WSP
HDR
NOMADICS
H2M Architects and Engineers
Dewberry

Contact:

Dr. Dibs Sarkar