His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales has recognised the value of civil engineers and the infrastructure they deliver. Speaking at the ICE and Halcrow Sustainability lecture at One Great George Street on 2 February, he challenged civil engineers to think about the individual contribution they could make to the sustainability agenda.
Delivered with humour and a nod to the Institution’s past, the Prince drew on the Royal Charter which states that civil engineering is "the art of directing the great sources of power in nature for the use and convenience of man", suggesting that this could be revisited and updated.
The Prince referred to the work done by many of his charities, and particularly drew attention to the efforts of the younger industry members. He appealed to the Institution to encourage young engineers to work with nature and understand it effectively to be able to deliver sustainable solutions.
Following the lecture the Prince spent time with delegates, gaining insight into member and client views on the built environment. This included all of the President’s Apprentices and members of a similar scheme run by Halcrow.
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