Sustainability at ITASCA

ITASCA strives to deliver functional, actionable, and long-term sustainable solutions from an environmental and societal perspective. Internally, ITASCA encourages sustainable resource utilization through efficient travel, virtual meetings, and reducing waste in daily operations. In our work with clients, we always aim to minimize environmental impact. The best solution satisfies both the technical and environmental demands of the client and all stakeholders with consideration to long-term sustainable development, from the project planning stages to implementation of the selected design.

We recognize that the modern world needs energy and metals to maintain equitable standards of living for a growing population. The challenge of sustainable Earth engineering is to meet current needs in a way that also allows future generations to meet their needs. ITASCA is committed to approaching these global challenges by advancing sustainability in the geotechnical, hydrogeological, and energy engineering industries and follows The Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact concerning human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption.

Our Role in the Energy Transition

ITASCA is focused on understanding the interaction between the near-surface of the Earth and human-made structures of all types and sizes. Nearly every environmental sustainability project has a geotechnical or hydrogeological component. The green energy transition attempts to balance the seemingly opposing needs of metals and energy with sustainable development. We provide analysis that allows for the removal of less waste rock, a reduction in emissions, the use of less steel and concrete in underground structures, as well as responsible use of water resources.

We contribute to addressing these global challenges, and we are committed to applying our geotechnical and hydrogeological expertise to the energy transition and advancing sustainable practices in all that we do. See a few projects highlighting these principles below.

A Commitment to Future Generations

Engineers today stand on the shoulders of previous generations of engineers, mathematicians, and scientists, using tools and concepts that have taken hundreds of years to develop. We feel an obligation to future generations to advance the state of our art and leave the Earth a better place than we found it. The specialized skills that allow ITASCA to contribute to the mining, energy, and civil industries are not inherently good or bad, an idea summarized well by John F. Kennedy in 1962:

“For space science, like nuclear science and all technology, has no conscience of its own. Whether it will become a force for good or ill depends on man.”