Introduction To Sustainable Engineering

Introduction to Sustainability for Engineers aims to incorporate sustainability into curricula for undergraduate engineering students. The book starts with an introduction to the concept of sustainability, outlining core principles for sustainable development to guide engineering practice and decision making, including key tools aimed at enabling, measuring and communicating sustainability. It also describes concepts as life cycle assessment, environmental economics, related institutional architecture and policy framework, business context of sustainability, and sustainable buildings and infrastructure. Appendices at the end of the book presents a summary of key concepts, strategies and tools introduced in the main text. Five Key Benefits: A comprehensive textbook for engineering students to develop competency in sustainability. Presents a framework for engineers to put sustainability into practice. Presents the link between sustainability and the design process. It shows the application of a sustainable engineering design process for putting sustainability into practice. There are well woven case studies and links to websites for learning in various engineering disciplines. Includes challenging exercises at the end of each chapter that will inspire students and stimulate discussion in the class.

A multidisciplinary introduction to sustainable engineering exploring challenges and solutions through practical examples and exercises.

Sustainability has become a sine qua non in the study and practice of engineering. This introductory textbook aims to make the concepts of sustainable engineering accessible to the undergraduate students of engineering. This will help them to keep in view the philosophy of sustainability while learning the core subjects of their specialisations and will equip them with a set of tools for this purpose. In addition to providing a broad-based introduction to the idea of sustainability and its relevance, the book talks about environment-related legislation, air and water pollution, solid waste management, local and global environmental challenges, climate change and the steps taken at an international level to manage them. Tools used to ensure sustainability in engineering activities such as Environmental Management Systems (EMS) and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) are mentioned. Green buildings, green computing, green chemistry, sustainable cities, sustainable transportation, sustainable sources of energy, economic and social factors affecting sustainability including rapid urbanization and poverty are also covered. A set of questions, some of them quite open-ended, are added at the end of each chapter to help students test their understanding. The reader is encouraged to use this book as a starting point to explore how the principles of sustainable engineering are relevant to their chosen branch of study and professional practice. The references given at the end of the book will serve as efficient guideposts in this journey which is well worth taking.

Sustainability has become a sine qua non in the study and practice of engineering. This introductory textbook aims to make the concepts of sustainable engineering accessible to undergraduate students of engineering. This will help them to keep in view the philosophy of sustainability while learning the core subjects of their specialisations and will equip them with a set of tools for this purpose. In addition to providing a broad-based introduction to the idea of sustainability and its relevance, the book talks about environment related legislation, air and water pollution, solid waste management, local and global environmental challenges, climate change and the steps taken at an international level to manage them. Tools used to ensure sustainability in engineering activities such as Environmental Management Systems (EMS) and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) are mentioned. Green buildings, green computing, green chemistry, sustainable cities, sustainable transportation, sustainable sources of energy, economic and social factors affecting sustainability including rapid urbanisation and poverty are also covered. A set of questions, some of them quite open-ended, are added at the end of each chapter to help students test their understanding. The undergraduate students of engineering are encouraged to use this book as a starting point to explore how the principles of sustainable engineering are relevant to their chosen branch of study and professional practice.

Sustainable Engineering Practice: An Introduction provides a broad, fundamental understanding of sustainability principles and their application to engineering work. It is intended to fill a need for a primer on sustainability that can be introduced early in an engineer's career: it brings together all the basic dimensions of the history, concepts, and applications of sustainable engineering; and through a variety of examples and references, inspires and encourages engineers to pursue and integrate sustainable engineering into their work on a life-long basis. The report contains: background summary of the role and accomplishments of engineers in sustainable development. The complete report, Engineers and Sustainable Development, is contained on the accompanying CD ROM; summary of the major commitments made and implementation activities agreed upon at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in September 2002, and the initial steps taken by the U.S. engineering community and its global partners; wide spectrum of examples, which describe how sustainability principles can and are being integrated and applied in engineering education, researc will benefit from this primer on sustainable development and its concepts and applications.

Sustainable Engineering: Principles and Implementation provides a comprehensive overview of the interdisciplinary field of sustainability as it applies to engineering and methods for implementation of sustainable practices. Due to increasing constraints on resources and on the environment and effects of climate change, engineers are being faced with new challenges. While it is generally believed that the concepts of sustainable design must be adhered to so that future generations may be protected, the execution and practice of these concepts are very difficult. It is therefore the focus of this book to give both a conceptual understanding as well as practical skills to apply sustainable engineering principles to engineering design. This book introduces relevant theory, principles, and ethical expectations for engineers, presents concepts related to industrial ecology, green engineering, and eco-design, and details frameworks that indicate the challenges and constraints of applying sustainable development principles. It describes the tools, protocols, and guidelines that are currently available through case studies and examples from around the world. The book is designed to be used by undergraduate and graduate students in any engineering program (with particular emphasis on civil, environmental and chemical engineering) and other programs in which sustainability is taught, in addition to practicing scientists and engineers and all others concerned with the sustainability of products, projects and processes. Specific Features: Discusses sources of contaminants and their impact on the environment Addresses sustainable assessment techniques, policies, protocols and guidelines Describes new tools and technologies for achieving sustainable engineering Includes social and economic sustainability dimensions Offers case studies demonstrating implementation of sustainable engineering practices

Assessing Engineering Designs for Environmental, Economic, and Social Impact Engineers will play a central role in addressing one of the twenty-first century’s key challenges: the development of new technologies that address societal needs and wants within the constraints imposed by limited natural resources and the need to protect environmental systems. To create tomorrow’s sustainable products, engineers must carefully consider environmental, economic, and social factors in evaluating their designs. Fortunately, quantitative tools for incorporating sustainability concepts into engineering designs and performance metrics are now emerging. Sustainable Engineering introduces these tools and shows how to apply them. Building on widely accepted principles they first introduced in Green Engineering, David T. Allen and David R. Shonnard discuss key aspects of designing sustainable systems in any engineering discipline. Their powerful, unified approach integrates essential engineering and quantitative design skills, industry perspectives, and case studies, enabling engineering professionals, educators, and students to incorporate sustainability throughout their work. Coverage includes A concise review of the natural resource and environmental challenges engineers face when designing for sustainability Analysis and legislative frameworks for addressing environmental issues and sustainability Methods for identifying green and sustainable materials Principles for improving the sustainability of engineering designs Tools for evaluating sustainable designs and monetizing their benefits

This book, Engineering and Sustainable Community Development, presents an overview of engineering as it relates to humanitarian engineering, service learning engineering, or engineering for community development, often called sustainable community development (SCD). The topics covered include a history of engineers and development, the problems of using industry-based practices when designing for communities, how engineers can prepare to work with communities, and listening in community development. It also includes two case studies -- one of engineers developing a windmill for a community in India, and a second of an engineer "mapping communities" in Honduras to empower people to use water effectively -- and student perspectives and experiences on one curricular model dealing with community development. Table of Contents: Introduction / Engineers and Development: From Empires to Sustainable Development / Why Design for Industry Will Not Work as Design for Community / Engineering with Community / Listening to Community / ESCD Case Study 1: Sika Dhari's Windmill / ESCD Case Study 2: Building Organizations and Mapping Communities in Honduras / Students' Perspectives on ESCD: A Course Model / Beyond Engineers and Community: A Path Forward

"The efficient utilization of energy, sustainable use of natural resources, and large-scale adoption of sustainable technologies is the key to a sustainable future. The Handbook of Sustainable Engineering provides tools that will help us achieve these goals". Nobel Prize Winner Dr. R.K. Pachauri, Chairman, UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change As global society confronts the challenges of diminishing resources, ecological degradation, and climate change, engineers play a crucial role designing and building technologies and products that fulfil our needs for utility and sustainability. The Handbook of Sustainable Engineering equips readers with the context and the best practices derived from both academic research and practical examples of successful implementations of sustainable technical solutions. The handbook’s content revolves around the two themes, new ways of thinking and new business models, including sustainable production, products, service systems and consumption while addressing key assets based on new materials, optimized resource management, and new energy sources. Contributions reflect a focus on state-of-the art insights into employing smart materials, recycling e-waste, water utilization, solar cells, product lifecycles, transportation and reverse manufacturing. Supportive of this, underlying issues such as engineering education, consumer behaviour and the regulatory climate complete the handbook’s comprehensive treatment of the problems and most promising solutions.

Environmental engineers support the well-being of people and the planet in areas where the two intersect. Over the decades the field has improved countless lives through innovative systems for delivering water, treating waste, and preventing and remediating pollution in air, water, and soil. These achievements are a testament to the multidisciplinary, pragmatic, systems-oriented approach that characterizes environmental engineering. Environmental Engineering for the 21st Century: Addressing Grand Challenges outlines the crucial role for environmental engineers in this period of dramatic growth and change. The report identifies five pressing challenges of the 21st century that environmental engineers are uniquely poised to help advance: sustainably supply food, water, and energy; curb climate change and adapt to its impacts; design a future without pollution and waste; create efficient, healthy, resilient cities; and foster informed decisions and actions.