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10 Advancements in Environmental Engineering

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Key Takeaways

• Key advancements in environmental engineering include the development of sewers to manage waste, aqueducts to transport water, and biofiltration systems to remove odors and contaminants.
• Innovations such as bioswales for managing stormwater runoff, hybrid and electric vehicles for reduced emissions, and sustainable building certification programs like LEED and BREEAM demonstrate the field's focus on eco-friendly solutions.
• Future-oriented technologies include eco-san systems for waterless sanitation, ultraviolet germicidal irradiation for disinfection, agroforestry for integrated land use, and high-altitude wind energy generation using kites.

Environmental engineering is something that you can get a degree in these days, but the field is one that existed long before it had a name, begun at the dawn of civilization when we started modifying our environment to meet our needs. It involves applying science and engineering practices to how we utilize and impact our natural resources. Modern environmental engineers work on solutions to issues like pollution reduction and cleanup, energy consumption and emissions, land erosion, water treatment and waste management in an effort to properly manage and maintain the quality of our soil, water and air. They strive to keep everyone healthier and happier by helping us live off the land more efficiently and less destructively.

Environmental engineers are perhaps unsung heroes who have helped make the modern world what it is today, replete with relatively safe food and water, breathable air, largely plague-free living environments and energy-efficient fuel consumption to help power pretty much everything we do. The human population is around 7 billion and counting. The field will only increase in importance as that number grows.

There have already been some major innovations that helped get most of us to this point alive and well. Read on to find out what sorts of things these stewards of the earth have provided for us in the past, and are working on for the future.

• Biofiltration Systems
• Hybrid Vehicles
• LEED, BREEAM, Green Star and Other Certification Programs
• Ecosan Systems
• Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation
• Agroforestry
• High-altitude Wind Energy from Kites

We have long desired to live in an environment free of human waste, initially because of the foul smell, and later, once we made the connection, to prevent serious and deadly outbreaks of disease. Sewer systems fit the bill by transporting large amounts of human excrement away from populated areas, and they have been evolving for thousands of years.

Between 2000 and 4000 B.C.E., the Mesopotamian Empire (modern-day Iraq), Mohenjo-Daro (modern-day Pakistan), Egypt, the island of Crete and the Orkney Islands in Scotland already had drainage systems -- and, in some cases, indoor sanitation facilities. By a few hundred years B.C.E., the Greeks had sewer systems that transported rain and wastewater to collection basins that irrigated and fertilized fields. The ancient Romans had underground sewers that fed into the Tiber River.

There was a lot of trial and error through the years, with disease outbreaks pointing out the need to keep sewer outlets away from drinking water. Over time, we also learned of the need to maintain the sewers, and the manhole was born (or re-invented, as we'll see later). Most were also constructed to be periodically flushed out with tidewater or rainwater.

From ancient times to just a few decades ago, sewers mainly transported raw waste directly to rivers, oceans or other large bodies of water. Modern sewer systems are more complex, leading to sewage treatment plants where the water is treated via filtration and addition of various chemicals to disinfect and remove contaminants before it's returned to nature. And no doubt they will continue to evolve.

9: Aqueducts

We need water to live, so it's no coincidence that many ancient civilizations sprang up around natural water sources. But the ancient Greeks and Romans found a way to thwart, or at least divert, nature with the invention of aqueducts. Aqueducts were used to transport large amounts of water from one place to another, sometimes over as far as 60 miles (96.6 kilometers). They used the force of gravity to move water downhill via manmade conduits constructed at a steadily falling incline.

The aqueducts were mainly made of materials like concrete, cement, brick and stone. They would often originate at springs in hilly areas, but damns and reservoirs were also built to feed them from rivers or streams. When we think of aqueducts, the arcades, or aboveground stone bridges supported by arches, spring to mind. But the aqueducts were also made up of shorter walls, covered ground-level trenches, underground tunnels and pipes to facilitate the water's travel across a wide variety of landscapes.

An aqueduct's destination was a distribution tank called a castellum, which was usually at a high point in the city. It sent water to smaller castella, from which it flowed via masonry conduits or pipes to feed fountains, baths, public drinking basins and sometimes even private residences.

Rome's first aqueduct was constructed in 312 B.C.E. By the time of the construction of the Aqua Traiana by the Emperor Trajan around 109 C.E., the Roman aqueducts brought hundreds of millions of gallons of water into the city daily. These waterways allowed Roman cities to support much larger populations than they would have been able to with natural water sources alone.

8: Biofiltration Systems

Biofiltration is the process of passing air or water through a porous, moist material containing microorganisms in order to remove odors and contaminants. The contaminants are degraded to basic compounds like water or carbon dioxide, along with other benign biomass products, all as byproducts of the microbes' metabolic processes. Biofiltration systems are used to treat wastewater and industrial gaseous emissions, as well as emissions from composting operations, among other applications. They have been used since the 1950s for removing noxious odors, but are now seeing widespread use for removal of industrial contaminants as well.

Different strains of bacteria, along with moisture, pH and temperature control, can be used to effectively degrade various target contaminants. Unlike traditional filters, biofilters destroy harmful substances rather than just filtering them out, but they can only work with biodegradable contaminants. Biofiltration is mainly used to destroy toxic emissions like fuel-generated hydrocarbons and certain types of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

VOCs are created and released during production of a wide variety of products that contain organic chemicals, including paints, cleaning supplies, cosmetics and fuels. They are technically carbon compounds that react with oxygen-containing molecules in the atmosphere when exposed to sunlight, leading to the formation of ozone containing smog.

7: Bioswales

Bioswales are patches of vegetation made up of grass, flowers, trees or other plants that absorb storm water runoff, helping to degrade or remove pollutants before it flows untreated into any nearby bodies of water, or into sewer systems. Bioswales can be used to form channels that direct the flow of and filter the water, or they can be placed in strips (sometimes called biofiltration strips or filter strips) to catch water that flows over in thin sheets from paved areas. Some bioswales also include other mechanisms to further direct and filter runoff, such as under-drains and infiltration trenches.

Bioswales remove contaminants like heavy metals, oil, grease and sediment from runoff. They also cool water that has heated up while traveling across pavement before it reaches natural bodies of water, where warmer water could harm wildlife . They can be used in parking lots in place of storm drains, and, in urban areas that don't have a lot of plant cover, they can help prevent sewers from overflowing due to too much rainfall going directly down the drain.

The vegetation will vary by region, and unfortunately, bioswales are not ideal for arid climates. But in places that can support them, bioswales can do a lot of good. They also look like little landscaped parks in some cases, which are more aesthetically pleasing than concrete drainage structures. Bioswales can even end up sheltering small forms of wildlife like butterflies and birds. They're a win-win for nature.

6: Hybrid Vehicles

Hybrid cars were invented far earlier than most of us imagine. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they competed alongside gas, electric and even steam-powered cars for dominance. Of course, gas-only vehicles won the day. But as issues of fuel efficiency and emissions became increasingly important, hybrids reemerged. Newer hybrid prototypes were developed starting in the 1970s, but most never made it to market. The first commercially available hybrid was the Toyota Prius, introduced in Japan in 1997 and in the U.S. in 2001. Many more have since come out.

We're referring here to hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) that use combustion engines and electric motors (also called motor generators) in conjunction to yield better gas mileage than standard cars.

You still have to fill them up with gasoline, but the electric motor leads to gains in fuel efficiency by allowing the combustion engine to shut down while idling via automatic start/shutoff. It also provides additional power while the car is accelerating or going uphill through electric motor drive/assist, enabling installation of a smaller, more efficient gas engine. Some hybrids use regenerative braking. While the motor is applying resistance to the drive train and slowing the car, energy from the wheel is turning the motor and generating electricity, which is stored in the metal hydride (NiMH) battery for later use. Some of the more expensive hybrids can also operate in electric-only mode for a few miles, although others will shut down if they have no gas.

Depending upon make and model, hybrid-electric cars can get far better gas mileage than comparatively sized traditional vehicles.

5: LEED, BREEAM, Green Star and Other Certification Programs

Buildings are going certifiably green. As we've become more conscious of the effect our buildings have on the environment and on us directly, organizations have developed voluntary methods of rating the environmental impact and efficiency of buildings, homes and other similar structures. These include the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ( LEED ). BREEAM was started in 1990 by the BRE Trust and has been the dominant assessment standard in the U.K. LEED is a U.S. standard created by the U.S. Green Building Council in 1998. BREEAM and LEED are the most commonly used methods worldwide at the moment, but others are springing up, like Green Star -- created by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) in 2003 -- as well as CASBEE in Japan and Estidama in Abu Dhabi.

Assessments take place both during design and after completion. Existing structures or commercial interior spaces can also be rated. The standards can be tailored to different regions or construction types, and buildings are rated on various things, including energy efficiency, water efficiency, land use, pollution, waste and indoor environmental quality.

The existence of such assessment entities helps to bring environmentally friendly construction and operational practices into the mainstream, which is especially important since buildings apparently contribute more than 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in some areas [source: HVN Plus ]. Going green can also cut down on energy, water and other costs and improve the health of people working in the structures. As an added bonus, good ratings might qualify a building for tax rebates and other monetary incentives, and may increase property and rental values.

4: Ecosan Systems

Ecosan (ecological sanitation) systems include various designs of environmentally friendly toilets or latrines that generally require little or no water, while isolating waste in a way that prevents odor and disease. In many cases, the resulting waste can even be composted and used as fertilizer or fuel. Some designs immediately separate the urine and feces (urine diversion systems). Some require covering the waste with sawdust, lye, sand or other material to eliminate odor, remove moisture and assist with decomposition for disposal or composting. Such systems are ideal for places where water is scarce, since they usually require no connection to a plumbing or sewer system.

One brand -- EcoSan -- was introduced in 2000. It's a stand-alone toilet; lifting the lid causes waste to make its way through a coiled conveyor over 25 or so days, all the while evaporating and venting the liquid waste and breaking down the solid waste using biological processes. Dry, odorless matter only 5 to 10 percent of its original mass is eventually deposited into a receptacle for removal and repurposing.

An ecosan toilet described by Unicef India is similar to a large outhouse with a concrete bunker underneath each toilet. The floor-level toilets have separate holes for liquids (which are diverted to pots outside) and solids, plus a cleansing water basin and a hole for users to drop a handful of lime, sawdust, ash or something similar after depositing solid waste to help with decomposition, moisture reduction and odor control.

There are other ecosan toilet construction methods and products that vary in price, functionality and complexity.

3: Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation

Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) rids water, air and surfaces of harmful microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria. Sunlight does this naturally to some extent. We know that UV light damages our skin and eyes; it also kills or inactivates some microorganisms.

UVGI systems use concentrated UV light to do so in a controlled manner, emitting shortwave ultraviolet-B and ultraviolet-C radiation at certain wavelengths, namely in the germicidal range between 200 and 320 nanometers -- often via a low-pressure mercury lamp. The UV light damages the cells or DNA of the affected microorganisms , killing them or rendering them unable to replicate. UV light in the higher 320 to 400 nanometer range is not effective against germs.

UVGI has been incorporated into ventilation ducts, heating and air conditioning systems and air disinfection units. It has also been used on entire rooms, preferably while they are unoccupied or everyone is in protective gear. Some systems emit UV light in near-ceiling areas to disinfect the air above peoples' heads in conjunction with vertical airflow mechanisms. High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters or other types of filtration can be used alongside UVGI to remove other contaminants that UV won't kill.

Heavy research on UVGI was done from the 1930s through the 1970s in hospitals and schools, but despite its demonstrated efficacy, UVGI was mostly abandoned, in part due to breakthroughs in immunization, antibiotics advancements and safety concerns about UV radiation.

The increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant germs (including drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis) and fear of bioterrorism has renewed interest in UVGI. It's most commonly accepted for water disinfection, but air and surface disinfection uses continue to gain ground. In 2003, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) sanctioned its use in hospitals in conjunction with air cleaning systems to help control the spread of TB.

2: Agroforestry

Agroforestry is the simultaneous management of trees and shrubs with crops and/or livestock for more efficient, integrated and environmentally sustainable land use. Applied properly, it increases product diversity, agricultural production and soil and water quality and decreases erosion, pollution and susceptibility to harsh weather conditions. It can also be used to shelter wildlife, protect watersheds and manage carbon emissions more effectively. All of these can add up to greater income for farmers and a better environment.

Various agroforestry methods can be employed depending upon the available land and resources. One is alley cropping -- growing crops alongside rows of trees like oak, ash, walnut, pecan or other nut trees. The crops and nuts can be harvested and sold while the trees mature and continue to produce nuts. Another is forest farming, using canopies of trees to provide the right level of shade for crops like ferns, mushrooms and ginseng. These can also be sold before the trees are ready for harvesting. A third is the creation of riparian forest buffers -- groups of trees, shrubs and grasses are planted as a buffer to prevent pollution and erosion of banks and waterways. Similarly, trees and shrubs can be planted in configurations called windbreaks that shield crops from wind damage and erosion and protect animals from harm. Windbreaks can increase bee pollination and manage the spread of snow over crops or roads. Another agroforestry method is silvopasture, using trees to shelter livestock and the grasses and other plants they eat. In all cases, crops, animals and trees symbiotically coexist together, and the farmer can concentrate on harvesting whatever is ready at the time.

In some countries, governmental policies stifle these practices, partially because of disconnects between the agencies that deal with the different items involved. But there's increasing attention being given to agroforestry as a sustainable farming method. In the U.S., the 1990 Farm Bill led to the creation of the USDA National Agroforestry Center.

1: High-altitude Wind Energy from Kites

When we think of harnessing the power of wind to provide electricity, most of us probably think of windmills. Very few think kites. But a San Francisco-area start-up founded in 2006 called Makani Power has been working on using kite-like wind turbines attached to tethers to generate wind power at high altitudes, where there are stronger and steadier winds than we have at ground level. Makani means wind in Hawaiian, incidentally.

The tethers can reach up to 2,000 feet (609.6 meters) above ground, and they're both the suspension method and the method for transmitting power back to the base. The kites themselves are around one hundred feet long and made of carbon fiber. They have four propellers and incorporate sensors and GPS units on the wings that transmit data that can be used to optimize their flight. They actually fly in loops rather than hover. And they are light enough to maintain altitude in winds slower than 15 miles per hour (MPH).

The turbines reportedly have the potential to generate twice as much power, perhaps even more, at half the cost of modern ground-level wind turbines. The costs are competitive with that of coal burning , and take up less space than other power generation methods.

The kites -- still a few years away from commercial availability -- are likely to be used along shorelines, or in the ocean attached to buoys. Makani Power has received funding from Google and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for the Department of Energy (ARPA-E), and it is slated to be acquired by Google X, the laboratory working on projects like Google Glass and self-driving cars.

Lots More Information

Author's note: 10 advancements in environmental engineering.

As an inhabitant of this planet, I'm very interested in what we can do to properly use and conserve our natural resources. Partially because it's the right thing to do, and partially because I like living and breathing. I also prefer my food, air and water uncontaminated by disease and pollutants. I love having clean running water that comes straight into my house and working bathroom facilities free of noxious odors.

This is all pretty obvious stuff, but how often do we think about how our current hygienic state of being was attained? I only gave it scant thought before researching this article. I am thankful for all of our modern sanitary conveniences and the scientists and engineers past and present who have made them possible. Let's stay cholera-free, people!

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• USDA National Agroforestry Center. "Working Trees." (June 16, 2013) http://nac.unl.edu/Working_Trees/index.htm
• U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "Compare Hybrids Side-by-Side." (June 16, 2013) http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/hybrids.jsp
• Wagner, Eric. "High-Altitude Wind Power." Conservation Magazine. (June 14, 2013) http://www.conservationmagazine.org/2012/12/high-altitude-wind-power/

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Tech 2020 Update: What's Next in Environmental Engineering in 2021

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The impacts of global climate change are calling all of us to take action. By 2030, it is estimated that climate change will kill more than 250,00 people per year if we continue on the environmentally destructive path we are currently traversing.

Taking steps away from environmental destruction in a range of industries will not be done in an information silo, nor will it be done with one silver bullet. The way forward will be multidisciplinary; it will require cooperation on a global scale, and it will often require creating localized solutions that can operate independently of large-scale infrastructure.

When it comes to creating the technology we need to ensure that our planet sustains life for generations to come, the knowledge, skills, and insights of environmental engineers will be critical to the work to come.

For five millenia , humans have been modifying their environments to:

• Make potable water more accessible
• Provide sanitation systems that prevent disease and promote health
• Assess and reduce the negative impact of air pollution
• Create solutions that simultaneously improve human health while protecting the environment

The practical applications of environmental engineering have the potential to contribute to solutions to the plastic crisis, the climate crisis, the lack of sanitation on a global scale, the environmental impact of Western hunger for meat, and the devastating impact of fossil-fuel based air travel.

Many of the small solutions needed to save life on earth are already underway. Keep reading to learn about some of the planet-saving breakthroughs mediated by environmental engineering.

The Environmental Impact of Cement

Cement is a widely used material that is currently responsible for 5 to 6 percent of annual carbon emissions—the third-ranking cause of emissions behind fossil fuels and deforestation.

The reason for the high rate of carbon emissions from cement lies in the decarbonization of limestone. To ensure the limestone can serve as a binder in cement (i.e., the paste that makes everything in concrete stick together), it is roasted to liquefaction in a kiln to catalyze a chemical reaction where calcium carbonate splits into calcium oxide (the material needed for concrete) and carbon dioxide (a waste product). Sixty percent of carbon emissions from concrete result from this process, with the other 40 percent resulting from energy use in production.

To compound this very real environmental issue, sand— a commonly used aggregate in concrete—has been over-extracted and is becoming increasingly scarce . The over extraction of sand can lead to ecosystem degradation, loss of species, social conflicts, and black markets. Preventing damage from the concrete industry and the over-taxation of our sand resources is a prime example of an issue built for environmental engineering to overcome.

Using Waste to Create Alternatives to Concrete - Eco-Concrete & Eco-Bricks

Strategies that aim to simultaneously decrease carbon emissions, reduce sand use, and provide viable waste-management strategies in concrete production are popping up all over the world in the form of eco-concrete and eco-bricks.

Researchers in Australia have figured out a way to create cement from the hundreds of thousands of tons of glass that a failing recycling system was no longer processing. To create waste glass-based concrete, researchers break the glass waste down into increasingly smaller sizes, until it becomes a fine powder. The powder is then combined into the cement mix with other, more traditional industrial waste-products (e.g., fly ash, blast-furnace slag, etc.) and tested for stability.

The Australian researchers are currently making cement with a 10 to 30 percent waste-glass composition , resulting in cheaper, stronger, and lighter cement with functional insulation, fire-resistance, and a lower emissions threshold. Researchers are confident that over time, the high-quality prefabricated slabs of concrete made from glass-waste can contain more glass and eventually be scaled up to industrial production.

Researchers across the globe are also looking into renewable plant-based solutions as well. Scientists are exploring alginate —a biopolymer obtained from brown seaweed—to create unfired clay bricks as an alternative to conventional fired bricks and concrete blocks. Swiss researchers are also moving cement-bonded wood products into the realm of weight-bearing wood-based concrete .

Another breakthrough in environmental engineering that tackles the concrete problem is one completely outside the concrete box. An invention based out of New Zealand, ByFusion has created a system to turn all forms of plastic waste into concrete brick-shaped building blocks.

The mobile brick-maker, called the ByFusion blocker, shreds any form of plastic waste (no sorting or pre-washing needed); fuses the shredded plastic into blocks using superheated water and compression (no adhesives needed); and creates modular plastic bricks that can be used for non-load-bearing construction.

In addition to being nontoxic and having a lower carbon footprint than concrete blocks, the bricks don’t crumble under pressure, provide high-level sound and temperature insulation, and can be made into customized shapes and densities.

While not useful for all forms of construction, this solution could eliminate the need for concrete in a wide range of infrastructural uses, while fighting against the scourge of plastic that currently threatens our planet.

Water Scarcity

All life on earth relies on water, and humans are no exception to this rule. Water scarcity for humans, whether due to physical shortages or lack of access, is already a big issue—one that will continue to expand through population growth, rapid urbanization, and the devastating effects of climate change.

According to the United Nations , 1.2 billion people live in areas of severely constrained agricultural areas, and an additional 2 billion live in areas where agricultural water scarcity is high to very high. 4 billion people experience severe water scarcity at least one month of the year, and over 2 billion people live in countries experiencing high water stress. One third of the world’s largest groundwater systems are in distress and by 2030, water scarcity in arid and semi-arid regions will displace anywhere from 24 million to 700 million people.

In addition, 35 percent of all water in distribution systems is lost to phenomena like pipe leakage, meter errors and unauthorized consumption. WIth 80 percent of energy being used for pumping, some of that energy is being lost to leaky systems. With the fact that only about 1 percent of the world’s freshwater is available to us, getting water to all people effectively and without waste is a huge problem for environmental engineering to solve.

Creating Water from the Atmosphere - The Skywater Technology

To tackle the enormous issue of water scarcity, researchers took to the sky—or, more accurately, the atmosphere.

While the atmosphere only contains an estimated 0.04 percent of the world’s freshwater , that percentage translates into 12 quadrillion gallons of water. According to the chief officer of XPRIZE—a design competition to create technological advances for a better, safer, and more sustainable world—that 120,000,000,000,000,000,000 gallons is 300 million times the amount 7 billion people require for household needs!

Before the contest, many air-to-water devices existed, but none on an affordable or scaleable level. Or at least, that was the case until David Hertz, Laura Doss-Hertz, and Richard Groden founded the Skysource/Skywater Alliance; entered the XPRIZE water abundance competition; and developed a technology that could pull 2000 liters (~530 gallons) of water per day from the atmosphere for less than two cents per liter using renewable technology inside of a shipping container.

The prize-winning innovation combines two formerly separate technologies: dehumidification and biogasification. The dehumidification process combines warm and cold air, condenses atmospheric humidity, and replicates a rainstorm inside the shipping container.

To ensure functionality in low-humidity environments, the Skywater can stimulate condensation at the level of dew-point (i.e., less humidity than what is required for a rainstorm). A byproduct of the “rain” is a naturally occurring gas called ozone (O3). The Skywater technology pumps ozone through the water at the point of collection, and as the ozone binds to the water, bacteria and other impurities are eliminated.

Powering the container relies on biomass gasification. In biogasification, wood, coconut shells, or other biological feedstock is cooked in a low-oxygen environment, resulting in a syngas that can power the technology required for dehumidification. The inventors of the device also note that the technology could be powered by wind or solar in regions where biomass is scarce.

In addition to creating a system that could be used anywhere and without massive, inefficient infrastructure, the utilization of shipping containers is also a waste management strategy. Generally, more shipping containers are imported than exported , resulting in a surplus of shipping containers that can now be used for a higher purpose.

Human Waste Management

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) , two billion people—one out of every four people on earth—do not have access to sanitation facilities, and 673 million people are currently defecating out in the open.

Lack of access to sanitation and open defecation can lead to issues in health, well-being, economics, and society. Poor sanitation is linked to disease transmission, some of which can exacerbate stunted growth. Poor sanitation can result in anxiety, risk of sexual assault, and lost educational opportunites, reducing human well being and social and economic development. WHO estimates that 432,000 people die from diarrhea each year in regions with inadequate sanitation.

In addition, the World Bank estimates that poor sanitation costs our global community $260 billion dollars each year. Compounding the issue is the fact that many urban centers are becoming more populous at a rate that infrastructure cannot match, or are becoming populous with a socioeconomic demographic that does not have enough money to ever build the necessary sanitation systems.

Environmental engineering mindsets are required to figure out how to protect people from the negative impacts of open defecation and sanitation systems that can’t keep up with demand.

Tiger Toilets

Bill Gates recently announced that the first innovation to toilet technology in over 200 years will solve the issue of bringing sanitation to the people without the need for full-scale sanitation systems.

The “tiger toilet” is a self-contained vermicomposting toilet that requires no sewer system and very little water to function. It is a simple pour-flush toilet on top of a worm-filled compartment. The name of the toilet comes from the tiger worm (Eisenia fetida), whose natural habitats are animal dung heaps and who are the star player in the tiger toilet revolution.

The toilets are simple yet extremely effective . After doing their duty, a person’s fecal matter drops down into a vermifilter (a container) where the tiger worms then eat and process the waste. After feasting on a meal they find quite tasty, the worms remove 99 percent of the pathogens and leave behind less-than-15 percent of waste by weight—a biomatter rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon, and potassium that can be removed from the system and used for fertilizer.

There is a fair amount of water created as a byproduct of the process , which although not clean enough to drink, is clean enough to go into the ground and complete the filtration process without contaminating soil or groundwater.

In addition to not requiring any central sewage infrastructure, the design of the toilets lead to fewer smells, attract fewer flies, and do not provide a habitat for mosquitos. Gates hopes that the toilets can cost as little as $350, creating an affordable and scalable option for sanitation that can be installed anywhere.

Meat and Global Emissions

According to Project Drawdown —a research-based comprehensive solution to global warming—the meat-centric Western diet is responsible for one-fifth of global emissions. It found that “if cattle were their own nation, they would be the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases.” Of the top four commodities driving deforestation , beef is responsible for more than twice as much deforestation as soybeans, palm oil, and wood products (the other top three drivers) combined.

In addition, the production of beef results in more than 200 times the global warming emissions of soy, and more than 60 times that of palm oil per calorie. If that weren’t enough, there are beef farms who use soy as feedstock, thereby compounding deforestation and greenhouse emissions.

In our oceans, overfishing has far-reaching consequences for oceanic and human ecosystems. With methods that take too many fish and sea creatures out of the oceans, the natural nutrient cycle that fosters the perpetuation of life becomes disrupted. Populations decrease, there are less fish to catch, less life in the sea, and this ends up impacting economies and the health of our earth.

If even just 50 percent of the world's population adopted vegan and vegetarian diets, emissions from meat production and deforestation could be reduced by as much as 70 percent and 63 percent, respectively.

However, due to cultural and personal concerns, many are skeptical that this strategy will be widely effective. Taming the seemingly insatiable cravings for meat while also protecting life from the devastating impacts of deforestation will require creative environmental engineering.

Growing Meat in a Lab - Slaughter-Free and Cell-Based Meat

Companies and start-ups all over the world are tackling the negative environmental impact of meat production and overfishing, with a meat production relocation strategy of truly sci-fi proportions. Instead of raising a methane-emitting animal in grazing land that was formerly a carbon-sinking forest or stripping the sea of life, researchers are getting closer and closer to growing meat and seafood in a lab that rivals cuts of meat from living animals.

Known as “cell-based meat,” researchers take cells from a living animal through an anesthetized biopsy from an antibiotic-free animal; digest the sample with enzymes; and break the tissue into individual cells. From there, the individual cells that comprise meat (i.e., cells for nerves, blood vessels, muscle fibers, fat, collagen, tendons, etc.) are selected. Once selected, they are placed into a culture medium (a liquid rich with salts, vitamins, proteins, and sugars) and kept moving in a bioreactor (a huge vat) so they can grow. Projections show that from the cells of ten animals, 62,500 times more meat can be produced in this manner than if the ten animals were slaughtered.

In addition, instead of waiting for years for the animal to come to a maturity where it can be slaughtered, cell-based meat can be produced in a number of weeks. The way slaughter-free meat is cultivated varies depending upon which of the 40 emerging cell-based meat and six cell-based seafood companies are developing the technology. The holy grail of cell-based meat and seafood is a product indistinguishable from that taken from a live animal.

Some companies are attempting to get to this end by growing the cultivated cells together using 3D technology —i.e., growing the cuts of meat like they would grow in nature. Companies using 3D strategies either utilize pre-formed scaffolding where seeded cells grow into a predetermined shape, or they use 3D printing technology to build the meat and scaffolding simultaneously. Using biological, mechanical, and electrical cues, the cells will grow into a cohesive piece of raw meat, ready for sale or for processing into other cell-based meat products.

In addition to taste parity, price parity is also on the minds of cell-based meat makers. Cell-based meat megalith Memphis Meats , with it’s massive $161 million in funding, believes that price parity is on the horizon.

What isn’t in parity between cell-based and animal-derived meat is the cruelty, antibiotics, environmental degradation, and water costs. All cell-based meat and seafood companies are sure that, at scale, lab-grown meat will be less destructive to the ecosystem than the continued cultivation of animals.

A hybrid plant and cell-based ground meat option from Future Meat Technologies could be in markets as early as this year (2021). Other companies are working to create structurally sound and tasty steaks, pork, tuna, salmon, duck, and mre.

Air Travel and Climate Change

When it comes to total human impact on climate change, the impact of air travel ranges from 4 to 9 percent . Jet fuel released from planes bonds with oxygen to form carbon dioxide, and also releases soot into the atmosphere.

Both CO2 and soot can result in positive radiative forcing —a phenomenon by which energy and heat are allowed into the earth but hinder the flow of heat out of the earth, thereby raising global temperatures. The altitude at which planes travel may trigger a series of chemical reactions that have a net warming effect as well.

While fuel efficiency, better aerodynamics, improved route mapping, and biofuels are all strategies being used by the aviation industry, aviation is part of the reason why US greenhouse gas emissions rose in 2018 after a three-year decline.

While overall carbon emissions dropped during the Covid-19 pandemic, the decline may not persist if we return pre-pandemic habits and behaviors. Environmental engineering is well-suited to figure out how to best protect life on earth from the warming effect catalyzed by air travel.

Electric Planes and Vertical Take-Offs

The electrification of air travel is currently underway, with one solar-powered around-the-world-flight already completed in 2016. Although replacing fossil-fuel airliners may not be a reality until 2050, researchers are starting the journey toward an electrified air-fleet with short-range planes built for a small number of passengers.

Perhaps the most exciting breakthrough in the pack is the Lilium Jet —a 100 percent electric plane with a 300 km range—that can travel 300 km/h for one hour, takes off vertically, and can be ordered on-demand like an carshare vehicle.

The key to the vertical take off and the lightning-fast speed is in the tilting-flap technology. Thirty six electric electric ducted fans (EDF) sit in four flaps that begin in a vertical position for take off and tilt to a fully horizontal position when the plane is ready to cruise. Shaped like a manta ray, the lift to drag ratio of the Lilium Jet is 21:1—the highest lift to drag ratio amongst all sustainable aviation.

As a result of a lower drag coefficient, the use of lightweight carbon fiber, and the distributed propulsion coming from the 36 separate EDFs, the energy consumption per seat and kilometer in a Lilium Jet is comparable to an electric car, but the jet travels much faster.

The impact of the Lilium Jet on the environment could be huge in terms of reducing the time and fossil fuels spent commuting long distances, reducing the need for cars, and not increasing infrastructure burden as they will not require roads or bridges.

However, and this is a big however, the true impact of the Lilium jet depends upon battery production. Extracting lithium for lithium ion batteries is cheap in money, but expensive in water, ecosystemic destruction, and pollution. The cobalt and nickel for batteries are concentrated in one place on earth, and creating unethical, unsafe extraction economies.

Even if Lilium utilizes the abundance of aluminum by using aluminium ion batteries, there are still negative impacts on our earth from extraction, refining, and processing. To truly be a force for good, Lilium will have to measure and balance more than just carbon emissions.

Becca is building a better future on a thriving earth by fostering healing, human wholeness, and next-world building through storytelling help, one-on-one self-awareness workshops, and customized team-alignment sessions. She offers these services at a rate of $0.00 to anyone interested (contact her at [email protected] for more information). Previously to her journey as an adventurer for a just, meaningful, and regenerative world, Becca was a formally trained sexuality educator with a master of education.

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8 inspiring innovations that are helping to fight plastic pollution 

Every year, eight million tonnes of plastic pollution ends up drifting or sinking in the ocean. Image:  TONTOTON

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Listen to the article

• Plastic pollution is a global problem, threatening both the health of humans and ecosystems all over the world.
• In June 2021, the Global Plastic Action Partnership and UpLink launched the Global Plastic Innovation Network (GPIN).
• The initiative aims to source innovative solutions to help stem the devastating flow of plastic pollution.

Plastic waste and pollution are now threatening the health and well-being of humans and ecosystems the world over. Every year, out of an unimaginable 300 million tonnes of plastic produced, half is made into single-use items: takeaway cups, food wrappers, grocery bags and more. And, every year, another eight million tonnes of this plastic ends up drifting or sinking in the ocean, adding to what’s already there and taking decades to break down. And the figure isn’t going down – if we do not take action, by 2025 we can expect this number to increase to 17 million tonnes per year.

Through the Global Plastic Innovation Network (GPIN), we are building a community of high impact innovators that can help tackle pollution at the national and global level. Dealing with plastic pollution demands creativity – from re-designing packaging and delivery models to implementing new recycling technologies that help address waste production and management.

To discover innovators around the world, the Global Plastic Action Partnership collaborated with UpLink to launch GPIN, aiming to build a community of innovators working to eradicate plastic pollution. This week, eight new innovators are joining the network that is paving the way to tackle plastic pollution. They will receive support through visibility on social media and leveraging the network of the Global Plastic Action Partnership to scale impact.

Innovations that are fighting plastic pollution

Learn more about the eight innovators that are making an impact on the ground to fight plastic pollution:

Siklus is reinventing the future of retail in Indonesia by delivering refills of everyday needs to people's doors - without plastic waste. They offer an alternative by replacing low value plastic with refill stations, allowing consumers to buy household products in any quantity without plastic packaging.

gCycle is tackling sustainability in the nappy industry, which contributes to polluted landfills and waterways. The solution brings the circular economy to nappies and regenerates natural systems. The newest invention is the world’s first patented fully compostable and disposable nappy.

Plastic Fischer have developed a low-tech plastic collection systems for rivers and have already deployed several systems in the Citarum River in Bali. Thanks to their low-tech system, their solution is designed to be easily scaled around the world.

Diwama provides a hardware and software solution to waste-sorting facilities. The technology uses AI-based image recognition software that automates waste analysis, which can be used to optimize waste management.

RiverRecycle offers disruptive methods to alter waste management systems. The solution seeks to stem the tide of plastic pollution in rivers by collecting and recycling plastic waste and floating debris while providing a livelihood for local communities.

Waste Bazaar is a clean-tech providing waste collection and recycling services in Nigeria. They have developed a mobile-phone app that uses geolocation functionalities to connect users to the nearest recycling station, where recyclable waste can be exchanged for “green credits”.

Wasser 3.0 have developed a solution that is quick, efficient and cost-effective to remove microplastic and micropollutants from different types of water. The solution uses agglomeration fixation for microplastics and chelation for inorganic compounds.

TONTOTON is building a system in which the communities play a key role in cleaning their own environment while earning a livelihood through a certified plastic credit system. They work closely and empower local waste pickers to address plastic pollution in Vietnam and Cambodia.

The Global Plastic Innovation Network is supported by Government funding from the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Global Affairs Canada.

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10 Engineering Innovations Powering a More Sustainable Future

In today’s rapidly changing world, the need for sustainable solutions to combat environmental challenges has become more urgent than ever. Engineers and innovators around the globe are trying to create ground-breaking technologies that pave the way for a greener and more sustainable future. 

Table of Contents

Smart grids: efficient energy distribution, vertical farming: growing food sustainably, hyperloop: revolutionising transportation, robobees: pollination reinvented, solar impulse plane: a journey toward sustainable aviation, seabin: cleaning our oceans, ocean thermal energy conversion (otec): tapping into the power of the ocean, flexiwings: nature’s design for wind turbines, self-healing materials: prolonging lifespan and reducing waste, carbon capture and storage (ccs): mitigating climate change.

Meeting the rising energy demands of society while reducing their environmental impact is not an easy task with traditional power systems. Some of the reasons are costs, energy losses and limited integration of renewable energy. Smart grids , which are made possible by advanced sensors , communication networks , and data analytics , offer a solution to these issues. 

Through dynamic changes in supply and demand, these intelligent energy distribution networks optimise the generation, delivery, and consumption of electricity. Smart grids enable the integration of renewable energy sources, energy storage, and real-time monitoring which results in reduced carbon emissions, improved energy efficiency, and opens the door for future energy production that is more sustainably produced.

Population increase and urbanisation are two factors that strain traditional agricultural practices. One solution to this is vertical farming, a cutting-edge method of producing food. Through the use of vertical space and cutting-edge technology like LED lighting and hydroponics, engineers have developed vertical farms that allow crops to be grown indoors, nearer to metropolitan areas. 

Many organisations and brands, like Würth Elektronik or Intelligent LED Solutions specialise in the production of LED solutions for modern farming and horticulture . This technique minimises the requirement for a lot of land, uses less water, and does away with the need for pesticides. In addition to ensuring a steady supply of food, vertical farming lessens the environmental impact of conventional farming methods.

Elon Musk’s and SpaceX’s Hyperloop concept captivated the interest of engineers and transportation enthusiasts across the globe. The goal of this futuristic transportation system is to move cargo and people quickly using low-pressure tubes. The Hyperloop has the potential to greatly cut travel times, energy consumption, and carbon emissions by employing electric propulsion and magnetic levitation. Despite being in its infancy, the technology is a promising advancement in environmentally friendly transportation and has the power to completely alter the way we commute. Here is more information about high-speed trains.

“If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would have only four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.” Albert Einstein

Because bee populations are declining, pollinators play an ever-more-important role in guaranteeing food security. RoboBees are autonomous drone robotic pollinators. With GPS, high-definition cameras, and artificial intelligence these drones imitate bee activity. RoboBees boost crop yields and improve pollination by gathering pollen grains on their horsehair-coated undersides and moving them from blossom to flower. In addition to assisting farmers in meeting the increasing need for food supply, this technology enhances crop quality overall and encourages genetic diversity.

The Solar Impulse aircraft, designed by engineer Bertrand Piccard and his team, is a major advancement in environmentally friendly aviation. This innovative aircraft uses 17,000 integrated solar cells and ultra-light materials to power its four electric motors using renewable energy. The plane can fly even at night because the solar cells charge the energy-dense lithium batteries during the day (more on the importance of batteries in renewable energy transition here ). 

The Solar Impulse plane inspires and increases awareness about the potential of clean-tech and renewable energy sources in the aviation industry by completing the first-ever round-the-world solar flight. If you are curious about the future of green aviation, and if it is possible, read our article on this page .

Ocean is one of the biggest and most important habitats and we should live in harmony with it as it gets more polluted which results in a danger for human health and marine ecosystems. 

The Australian co-founders of the Seabin Project , Pete Ceglinski and Andrew Turton, have devised a creative solution to help reduce the ocean plastic pollution. The Seabin is a floating container with a built-in bag that efficiently collects debris by drawing water from the surface and directing it through a submersible water pump. The Seabin targets trash in marinas and ports and helps to improve overall water quality by having the capacity to gather a portion of oils and pollutants on the water’s surface. This environmentally friendly technology has a lot of potential to protect marine life and preserve our oceans.

The vastness of the ocean presents a great opportunity for the production of renewable energy. A technique called Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) uses the temperature differential between warm surface water and chilly deep water to produce energy. Similarly to geothermal energy , OTEC systems employ heat exchangers and turbines to transform thermal energy into useful power. Utilising the ocean’s consistent temperature gradient, OTEC presents a viable substitute for conventional energy sources and holds promise for supplying coastal areas with clean, renewable energy. Read more on how ocean’s water can change the world .

Engineers have always been captivated by the effective and adaptable design of insect wings. These complex structures inspired physicist Vincent Cognet to develop FlexiWings, a revolutionary advancement in wind turbine technology. FlexiWings can optimise pitch angles in response to centrifugal and wind forces by mimicking the flexible structure of insect wings, which leads to an impressive 35% increase in energy production efficiency . These insect-inspired wind turbine blades have the potential to become a viable substitute for fossil fuels.

Self-healing materials could revolutionise a number of industries, including electronics and construction. Engineers have developed innovative materials with self-repairing capabilities to minimise the need for expensive replacements and repairs when they get damaged. When a crack or other damage occurs, these materials’ microcapsules or vascular networks release healing agents. Self-healing materials help create a more resource-efficient and sustainable economy by prolonging product lifespans and decreasing waste.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is not enough to address the problem of climate change; carbon dioxide emissions must also be removed from the atmosphere. By absorbing CO 2 emissions from factories and power plants and storing them underground or using them in other industrial processes, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies present a viable remedy. CCS technologies are constantly being improved by engineers to increase their effectiveness and affordability so the technology is becoming crucial in reducing carbon emissions and tackling climate change because it lessens the environmental effects of CO 2 emissions.

From solar-powered planes to self-healing materials, these new engineering technologies highlight the power of human ingenuity in addressing pressing environmental challenges. As engineers and innovators continue to push the boundaries of what is possible, we can look forward to a future where sustainability and technological advancement go hand in hand.

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Engineering Responses to Climate Change

By Sara Frueh

The National Academy of Engineering will hold its annual meeting Oct. 2-4 , with the theme of Engineering Responses to Climate Change. NAE President John Anderson sat down to talk about the contributions engineers — and NAE in particular — can make to mitigating and adapting to climate change.

Q: As you watch the types of extremes that are likely to increase as the climate changes — intense heat waves, for example, and electricity outages from hurricanes — how do you think about that? How worried are you?

Anderson: I’m a parent of two and have five grandchildren, and I’m worried about the future. As a scientist and as an engineer, I’m convinced — and have been for a number of years — that emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases have caused problems; the correlation between the CO2 composition of the atmosphere and what we’re seeing is just too strong, and there are compelling scientific explanations for why CO2 increases the mean temperature of the Earth.

We’ve all enjoyed improvement of quality of life and other benefits from burning fossil fuels, though. The question is what do we do about it? I think from an engineering point of view, we have to both mitigate climate change — reduce the rate of global temperature rise — and adapt to it.

Adaptation is going to be just as important, if not more important, than mitigation. Even if we put no more CO2 in the atmosphere now, we are still going to have problems. Human beings have been adapting over millennia, and we can do it better than our ancestors. I think the real issue is political will. There are engineering changes that can be made — for example, building houses that are more resilient to wind and rain — but the issue is political will.

Q: What are some concrete ways engineers can help communities and the nation adapt to climate change?

Anderson: One important way is to design infrastructure for resilience. Resilience is defined as the ability for a community to withstand and recover rapidly from disruptions, and to adapt to changing conditions. So when we build anything, we should build for resilience. But resilience means more financial investment up front. Will people do that? If the codes and zoning are strong enough, they will.

Protecting our water and electricity supplies is key. Every power line should be underground, but you still see wires all over the place. It’s also important not to rebuild residences on flood plains, or where wildfires are common. Research on smart grids to store and distribute electrical power from different sources will lead to promising technologies.

Q: This fall at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), dozens of nations will discuss how to reduce net carbon emissions to zero by 2050. What are some ways engineers can contribute to that net-zero goal?

Anderson: I think it’s going to take a whole bunch of things; every part of life is going to have to reduce energy usage.

We’ll need to replace some carbon fuels with renewables, which is slowly but surely happening. Solar was prohibitively expensive 30 years ago, and now it’s becoming very cost effective. One step engineers can take is using renewable energy generation in residences and high-rises; there’s a big effort to design high-rises with wind turbines and solar panels.

And we need to improve efficiency — making all of the things we use, like refrigerators and automobiles, more energy efficient. One important goal is to reduce energy use in manufacturing. Manufacturing accounts for almost 25% of energy consumption in the U.S., so we need to find more energy-efficient ways to manufacture finished metals, cement, and other products.

Another way engineers can help reduce CO2 emissions is to sequester it — capture and store the CO2 from power plants right when it’s emitted, so that it can’t get into the atmosphere. Studies are also looking at ways to make trees and other vegetation more efficient as natural carbon sinks.

Also, if we don’t do more with nuclear energy, there’s no way to get to net-zero by 2050. NAE has a study going on now on advanced nuclear reactors — smaller reactors that have the potential to be safer, less expensive to build, and better integrated with the modern grid.

We’re going to discuss some of these things at the NAE annual meeting.

Q: You’ve stressed the need for engineers to think about equity in their work on climate change. What are some examples of inequities in climate change impacts, and how might engineering decisions either exacerbate or lessen them?

Anderson: In general, people living in poverty live in areas that no one else wants to live in — in low-lying areas that flood a lot, for example, and in old buildings that need to be retrofitted. That’s where some inequity comes in.

One important action to minimize inequity is to protect against flooding and wind destruction, and to make sure that when we go back in to rebuild, we build back better — and not rebuild in dangerous places where you know it’s going to happen again. Protecting electrical power and potable water for all people is vital; that’s what we have to focus on as engineers and as citizens and political leaders. That means designing systems that protect those things.

Q: Do you think the higher education system is doing enough to prompt young engineers to think about equity as they do their work? Are there things engineering programs should be doing differently?

Anderson: Teaching ethics via lecture and project work has been introduced in most engineering colleges throughout the country and is required for accreditation. However, more can always be done.

I have argued that we should include more social science in engineering programs. It’s important if we want more ethical considerations in engineering practice. I don’t just mean checking a box that says, “I took a course in psychology or sociology.” I mean having social sciences and engineering instructors work together on courses, so that when engineers are designing something, they consider: What are the potential unintended consequences of this? Some unintended consequences are heavily weighted to promote inequities, especially based on poverty.

Q: What kind of work is NAE currently doing around climate change?

Anderson: We’re doing several things. For example, the NAE has established a business advisory committee — a group of current or former technical executives from industry who represent pharmaceutical, petrochemical, IT, transportation, and other industries. The committee has formed an energy working group that is collaborating with the National Academies to assess issues of energy production and usage in the context of mitigating climate change.

We’re also embarking — under the leadership of one of those technical leaders — on an effort around sustainability in commercial operations and residential living, which involves among other things reducing carbon footprints and using less materials for construction and daily living. Engineering for sustainability will be a theme we will focus on over the next several years.

Of course, many NAE members are involved in various National Academies studies related to climate change. In my discussions with our members, climate change is raised as one of the most important challenges that we must address — along with pandemics.

Related Resource

• NAE 2021 Annual Meeting website

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Earth Day, which is celebrated annually on 22 April, aims to drive transformative change by educating people about what they can do to help. The day reminds us of the need to protect our planet and its ecosystems against the worsening climate crisis.

Our planet is no longer the same as it was even just a decade ago. The climate crisis is threatening people across the world, as well as every species of animal and plant life. We need to address the crisis now in a sustainable way. Fortunately, we still have a narrow window of opportunity to alter the Earth’s climate path, and I believe we can do it.

Climate change is a global societal crisis that is causing devastating consequences. Its costs have been projected as high as US $23 trillion in reduced annual global economic output , according to Swiss Re, a reinsurance company. Multifaceted collective efforts are necessary to address the crisis.

Engineers and technologists can and should play major roles in creating a greener planet, creating tools that address environmental degradation.

HOW THE CRISIS AFFECTS US

In the past few years, we’ve witnessed devastating cases of extreme weather all over the world, including deadly floods, massive forest fires, and severe droughts. Lives and businesses are being severely affected, and the cost of recovering after each event continues to mount.

The climate crisis is also having a severe effect on the planet, which is being battered by pollution, deforestation, and soil degradation.

About 7 million people every year die from diseases caused by air pollution, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections, according to the World Health Organization . Ninety-nine percent of the global population breathes in air that exceeds WHO-guideline limits on pollutants, with low- and middle-income countries suffering from the highest exposures. More than half the world’s people live in urban areas, yet only 12 percent of cities achieve WHO guidelines for air quality. To create a sustainable environment, we need to contain air pollution.

Deforestation is contributing to climate change. Trees capture and store atmospheric carbon and help cool the globe’s temperature. Deforestation has caused the Amazon rainforest and similar areas to lose their ability to recover from disturbances such as drought, wildfires, and human development, according to a recent article published in Scientific American . The loss of the Amazon rainforest would cause large-scale drying across the region. In response, the circulation of the atmosphere could change—which would alter weather patterns around the world, the article says.

About 95 percent of food production relies on topsoil. The soil also helps to address the climate crisis, as it stores more carbon than the world’s plants combined. The microbes and minerals in soil systems regulate water, cycle nutrients, filter pollutants, physically support plants, and sequester greenhouse gasses.

But Earth’s soil is being spoiled and degraded, presenting us with several risks. According to a 2017 United Nations –supported study, a third of the planet’s land is severely degraded, and fertile soil is being lost at an alarming rate.

The climate crisis has serious health consequences, the WHO warned in its recent COP24 report . Direct health impacts include an increase in respiratory and cardiovascular disease and injuries or death due to extreme weather events. Climate change also causes indirect effects on health, such as food and water insecurity, the spread of climate-sensitive infectious diseases, and population displacement.

TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS

There are many ways that IEEE members from the technical and scientific community can help. Engineers and computer professionals can use information technologies such as cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS), Earth’s digital twin, and the Internet of Things (IoT) to help make buildings, energy production, farms, health care, and manufacturing greener.

SaaS platforms, such as Project Canary of Denver, help energy companies track, measure, and score the impact of methane and other volatile organic compounds on the environment across the energy supply chain. Canary uses high-fidelity spectroscopy-based methane detection and emissions quantification for the oil and gas sectors. The SaaS platform also uses laser-based gas analyzers to detect methane, formaldehyde, and more.

The IoT has vast potential to address sustainability by making energy systems more connected, improving their operational efficiency, and reducing the carbon intensity of buildings, manufact­uring, and transportation. It also can lower energy consumption through smart operations and improve resource utilization. By using IoT-equipped sensors, deforestation and poaching can be monitored. IoT food container tags can reduce food and water waste.

Engineers and technologists can and should play major roles in creating a greener planet with technology that addresses environmental degradation.

Using a digital model of the Earth—or digital twin—environmental impacts can be studied. A new model developed by the European Commission ’s Destination Earth initiative is designed to track the impact of humans on water, food, and energy management. Data collected through the digital twin can help predict environmental impacts and enable remedial measures to be taken.

Artificial intelligence , data science, and distributed ledger technology can play major roles as well.

Researchers are developing smart materials, next-generation batteries, autonomous vehicles, carbon capture and storage, hydrogen-powered fuel cells, precision agriculture, and 4D printing that might help solve environmental problems.

Although information technologies and similar tools leave their own environmental footprint, they are often small compared with their positive contribution toward creating a greener planet. And efforts are underway to make the technologies greener.

CALL TO ACTION

Undoubtedly, environmental degradation is a complex, global problem and the defining challenge of our time. Our inaction could jeopardize the well-being of current and future generations.

We must envision and ensure a sustainable future through responsible planning, development of effective solutions leveraging technological advances, actionable regulations, and sound practices. We need an environmental mindset as well as systemic transformation and individual behavioral changes.

Let’s be optimistic in what we do. Optimism can drive us to achievement. As German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said: “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.”

If we don’t care about our environment and the future of our planet, then who will? Let’s treat every day as Earth Day. Let’s invest in creating and sustaining a better environment than the one we inherited.

Let’s pledge—and act now—to create a cleaner, greener planet. If not now, when?

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Nice article that stays in the middle of the road with conventional refs but does not address the CAUSE of climate change and specifically, global warming. Thanks to Dr. Jim Hansen, we now have a linear relationship of CO2 to temperature for engineers. See my chapter in Modern Advances in Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences Vol. 5, on ResearchGate https://tinyurl.com/climateforecast. It is time for engineers to come to the aid of their world by demanding GIGATON carbon capture to remove the heat-trapping blanket stifling our world (290 ppm pre-industrial CO2 up 42% to 412 ppm now is intolerable). For visual engineers, see https://tinyurl.com/CO2heat which is a YouTube video to convince the skeptics that CO2 is the heat trapper. My articles prove that 412 ppm is 42% above the maximum CO2 levels ever seen in 400,000 years, which is why we are heating up about 1 degree C every 20 years now, for the rest of this century, and beyond. Maps and charts are in my J of Geoscience and Env. Protection , March 2021 article: https://tinyurl.com/GlobalTempCO2. Billionaires and wealthy countries need to start GIGATON carbon capture NOW. No more "million ton" per year nonsense. Forty Billion of tons of CO2 are added to the world's atmosphere EVERY year. The earth needs CCS on a larger GIGATON level than that to make a dent and start a cooling trend worldwide.

- T. Valone, PhD, PE, Integrity-Research.org

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Sixteen science and engineering projects that could make the world a better place

Aug 11, 2016

[[read-time]] min read

Editor's note:  Today, we’re announcing  16 Global Finalists for Google Science Fair 2016 . One of these top projects will become the Grand Prize Winner, announced live at the sixth annual Awards Celebration in September from Mountain View, California. To follow the final stages of this year’s competition, visit the Google Science Fair site, and follow along with us on  Google+  and  Twitter .

From a breathalyzer test that could predict lung cancer to a carbon filter that may significantly decrease styrofoam waste, these top 16 projects from 9 countries around the world, represent the brightest ideas to make things better through science and engineering. 

Meet the finalists 

Please join us and our partners — LEGO Education, Scientific American, National Geographic and Virgin Galactic — as we welcome the 2016 Global Finalists and their incredible ideas.

Lactose-free milk for everyone!   Maria (16) - Brazil Maria (16) of Londrina, Brazil, wanted to solve a stomach-upsetting problem: around the world, most communities have a high percentage of people who don't produce the enzyme needed to properly digest milk, and in Brazil, at least 50 million people are affected. Buying lactose-free milk and non-dairy alternatives like soy or almond milk can be extremely expensive and difficult for most people to afford regularly, and while food manufacturers can produce lactose-free products fairly easily, the final product can reduce the quality and nutrient value of the milk in production. So Maria set out to create an affordable capsule that anyone can add to milk directly to neutralize its lactose in the comfort of their own home. After multiple experiments, she produced a reusable capsule that works from fridge temperatures to up to 37 degrees Celsius, and it performs equally well in both low-fat and regular fat milk. Her capsule can be reused to effectively neutralize the lactose enzymes in milk for up to seven days, and costs just pennies. Maria is excited to make her solution for removing lactose from milk easily accessible to anyone. 

Fighting foam waste with recycled filters Ashton (14), Julia (14), Luke (14) - United States

Ashton, Julia, and Luke (14) were stunned to learn how much expanded polystyrene waste (like disposable foam cups) littered the beaches of Central America. Back at home in Columbus, OH, the group were also dismayed to find that the US alone produces millions of pounds of polystyrene foam annually. This material takes up a quarter of America's landfills, and can take hundreds of years to degrade. Hoping to find a solution for recycling the material, the group's research showed that polystyrene foam is so difficult and expensive to recycle that most communities don't even make the effort to include it in their recycling efforts. Since expanded polystyrene consists of over 90% carbon, these young scientists put their heads together to see if they could find a cost-effective way to convert the material into something useful: carbon filters that can remove contaminants from polluted water. After testing several chemicals to break down the waste into an effective filter, the trio hit the jackpot, producing a carbon filter that could not only decrease polystyrene waste from any landfill, but also make water safe to drink. 

Nikhil (15) - United States

Nikhil (15), a student living in New Jersey, had a serious family health scare when his aunt nearly died of a particularly resistant malaria strain in 2015. Malaria kills hundreds of thousands of people worldwide annually, mainly in less developed countries like Africa and India. Nikhil's aunt lives in a rural part of India, and while she was able to receive basic diagnosis and treatment, her doctor did not have access to laboratories that could determine how much of the malaria parasite she had in her blood, and to what degree her medications were working to remove them. His aunt almost didn't recover because of this, so Nikhil was determined to create an affordable solution to test for more than just whether or not a patient has malaria. Expanding on the basic principles of enzyme analysis used in immunology, he built an app and device that can analyze malaria parasite levels in the blood that requires no lab and minimal power: all you need is a photo from a smartphone camera to analyze the light and $50 worth of materials. Nikhil is currently in talks with the World Health Organization and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and hopes to share his malaria testing solution with the world. 

Kiara (16) - Johannesburg 

Kiara (16) lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, which like other nearby countries, is suffering from the worst drought the region has seen in over 20 years. Kiara believes that a critical solution to long term water needs is a special material that can hold hundreds of times their weight in water while stored within soil. Typically, these materials are man-made and filled with harmful chemicals that are both non-biodegradable and too expensive for local farmers to afford. Through her research, Kiara found the ideal material in a simple orange peel, and created a way to turn this everyday waste into soil-ready water storage with help from the avocado. Kiara hopes this low-cost material can reuse food waste while helping local farmers save both money and their crops. 

Shriank (16) - India 

In Bangalore, India, Shriank (16) enjoys engineering and coding applications to build innovative solutions that can help people in his community. He noticed that as we get older our ability to keep track of items we use on a daily basis deteriorates. This can make life particularly stressful and difficult for people with memory-related illnesses like dementia, Alzheimer's disease, or amnesia. So Shriank created a wearable device that can keep track of static (non-moving) objects in the world around you, as well as objects you may pick up and move yourself. While wearing the device, you can use Google Now to easily find out where you left everything from your medicine to your keys. With the ability to track objects with over 90% accuracy in ambient light, the KeepTab app relies on only your smartphone and your wearable device, making it easy to use and afford. Shriank hopes his invention can help people struggling with memory loss to improve the quality of their everyday lives. 

Marion (18), Joy (18), and Sonia (18) - Singapore 

Marion, Joy, and Sonia (18) live in Singapore and specialize in three different scientific fields: biomedical research, chemical engineering, and chemistry. These students decided to improve the design of the modern supercapacitor: an energy storage device that outperforms batteries significantly. It also lasts for over a decade, requiring less frequent replacement versus chemically-based batteries that can harm the environment as waste. Today, supercapacitors are physically created and mounted onto the surface of a device (like a smartphone). But, given their rigid shape, it can be difficult to apply them to non-standard shapes and they can be easily damaged. The trio of scientists created a paintable supercapacitor design: completely flexible, their design can adhere to a wide variety of surface types and still retain a significant amount of energy even when damaged. The group hopes their new design will be used throughout the electronics industry to improve devices like smartphones and even hybrid electric cars, making renewable, portable energy easily accessible for everyone. 

Mphatso (18) - Zambia

In Lusaka, Zambia, family involvement in local politics has made Mphatso (18) keenly interested in reducing poverty in his community. As Southern Africa struggles to recover from its worst drought in decades, farmers are seeing their crops destroyed due to El Nino weather changes, leading to famine for millions. Without crops, farmers can't make a living, making it harder than ever for them to pay for the farming supplies they need to keep their farms fertile and their families thriving. To help local farmers find low-cost, affordable solutions for pesticides and fertilizers, Mphatso investigated alternative ways of generating the supplies farmers need. He created a simple, portable production station that requires basic cooking materials like charcoal and local plant leaves from the ground. Based on his methods, Mphatso believes farmers can save hundreds of British Pounds in costs, saving ~50% on fertilizers and ~80% on pesticides to help them produce better, more abundant crops.

Anushka (13) - United States 

Anushka (13) lives in Portland, Oregon and she really enjoys chemistry. Inspired by Marie Curie, whose work contributed to major advances in modern medicine, Anushka wanted to find a solution for a commonly overlooked medical problem: chronic wound care. In the US there are about 165 million injuries a year, and many of those patients suffer from chronic, larger wounds that require more complex care. Recent science shows advanced wounds need a wet environment to heal, and if dressings are changed too often, these wounds can take weeks or even months to heal. This leaves many patients susceptible to recurring infections and pain for unnecessarily long periods. Anushka wanted to create a sensor that could help doctors analyze the state of a wound without removing its dressing, and after multiple iterations on her design, she created an ideal sensor design that is cheap to build and biocompatible. Anushka believes her solution can help people suffering from chronic wounds heal more quickly, so they can get back to living life. 

Nishita (13) - United States

Nishita (13), of San Jose, California, loves coding, physics, and biology. Fascinated with how cars are produced in vehicle manufacturing plants, she was surprised to discover that human specialists perform random visual tests to subjectively determine whether a car's exterior has any defects later in the car production process. This can mean expensive corrections, slowing car production down and lots of extra metal waste late in the process. Nishita was inspired to design an automated scanning system that can accurately find defects in metal sheeting at the beginning of the production process. Her system analyzes light reflection to detect dents, scratches, and other defects that aren't easily seen by the human eye. Nishita believes her system can easily be implemented via robotic arms in automated car production lines, and she hopes that her work can help reduce factory waste, improve car quality, and keep car costs low. 

Xin Yong (18) - Malaysia

Xin Yong (18) of Seremban, Malaysia, was shocked and worried when he heard that his mathematics teacher, a non-smoker, had suddenly developed advanced lung cancer - the most common form of cancer in the world. Whether or not smoking is the cause, patients’ breath contains similar chemicals once they have the disease. As a young scientist particularly interested in nanotechnology, Xin Yong used his skills to create a sensor that can detect the progression of lung cancer by analyzing their breath. He tested his device on patients formally diagnosed with cancer, as well as patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (who were yet to be diagnosed), and finally patients who were non-smokers and not diagnosed to have pulmonary disease. Xin Yong's device costs only $1, is easy for anyone to operate, and it can provide test results within 10 minutes. Given that the device only requires the patient to breathe into it, it's an easy test to administer. Xin Yong believes his device can help doctors and patients to catch lung cancer early enough to treat it easily and potentially eliminate the cancer entirely. 

Anika (14) - United States

As a young woman, Anika (14) of Cupertino, California is acutely aware of the health problems facing women around the world. In particular, breast cancer is the second leading cause of death for women with cancer, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. Curious about how current medicine predicts the likelihood of breast cancer, she researched testing methods and was disturbed to discover that more than 1/3 of the predictive tests using digital mammograms are inaccurate, relying on a 64% Area Under the Curve (AUC) accuracy that is too low to be useful. So, Anika set out to create a more accurate testing model, designing software that analyzes digital mammograms with 84% AUC accuracy. Anika is excited to offer a solution for predicting breast cancer that could eliminate costly and painful invasive procedures for women while helping them enjoy healthier, longer lives.

Ryan (15) - United States

Hailing from Arlington, Virginia, Ryan (15) loves programming and building apps. With his smartphone always by his side, he found himself wondering if the camera on his phone could be used to analyze a substance and immediately recognize that substance. After heavy research and experimentation, he coded a software program that analyzed images taken with and without the infrared smartphone camera setting to test them for color and shape to identify the exact substance. He used common items like food scraps, cotton cloth, aluminum foil, and a leaf for his tests, and his application correctly identified the substances in every case. Ryan hopes infrared imaging smartphone technology can be used by the health industry along with his program to identify substances like cancerous cells quickly at a relatively low cost or hazardous substances to protect scientists without the use of lab equipment.

Saliha (15) - Bangladesh

Growing up in Pakistan and Bangladesh opened Saliha's (15) eyes to the sheer volume of waste being generated by these densely populated areas, leading her community to host some of the world's largest landfills. Determined to find a solution to cut down on non-biodegradable waste, Saliha turned to a common personal hygiene item: sanitary pads. With the local economy booming with the sanitary industry, she knew it was only a matter of time before landfills would become overwhelmed with these products, which contain plastics and harmful chemicals. So, Saliha created a safer, chemical-free option made entirely of plant materials that will degrade in just two year's time. She hopes her new "Sreshto" pads will help more local women feel comfortable while also making the environment safer for everyone. 

Charlie (16) - United States

Charlie (16) lives on Martha's Vineyard Island, Massachusetts and he's fascinated with aerospace engineering, particularly rockets. Rockets are used in everything from exploring space to environmental research and the global positioning systems that help us figure out where we're going with our smartphone map apps. He's been building his own rockets since 6th grade, and Charlie was recently inspired to find out if he could make jet rockets even more efficient. Typical jet performance is controlled by fins built with complex mechanical pieces that can weigh down a jet and lead it to perform at lower speeds and altitudes. After experimenting with multiple fin types, Charlie determined that Synthetic Jet Actuators offer the best aerodynamic control for rockets. The more efficient rockets are, the less fuel they'll use, keeping costs low. Charlie believes that if the Synthetic Jet Actuator is used in the production of all rockets they'll be even more effective at performing their various missions on Earth or in space

Mansha (15) - India

In India, over 50% of people in India depend on agriculture, including rice cultivation, to make a living, but many farmers do not have the resources or knowledge to efficiently manage these crops. Even more alarmingly, many rice crops waste high volumes of water due to this problem, and farmers often over-water their crops, negatively impacting their own rice yields. Eager to find a solution, Mansha (15) of Hyderabad, India, wanted to create a low-cost way to monitor water levels in rice paddy fields as well as automate water levels for the best possible crop yields. She designed an automated irrigation system that waters crops based on their age, with the potential to save 30% of the water normally used per hectare of land as well as increase rice crop yields by up to 13%. Mansha looks forward to seeing her system conserve significant amounts of water while improving crops and minimizing financial stress and labor for farmers. 

Zain (16) - Saudi Arabia

In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Zain (16) became interested in robotics at a young age and wondered how he could help the 200 million people living with disabilities worldwide. Many of these people suffer from lost motor function, and while some rehabilitation centers do offer robotic exoskeletons in recovery therapy, the equipment is often bulky, expensive, and focused only on assisting patients with regular exercise. Zain had a question: could an exoskeletal robot retrain a patient's brain to develop new pathways and completely recover or improve their motor skills? Using the human hand for inspiration, Zain designed an exoskeletal robotic glove that mimics the movement of a sensor hand in parallel. After testing, he found that his own motor skills in the "learning" hand appeared to be improved after use. Featuring a design that's lightweight and completely customizable to the wearer's hands, Zain believes his "ExoHeal" device can help physically disabled patients around the world navigate more easily through life. 

What’s next for these Global Finalists? 

This is just the beginning. We can’t wait to welcome these 13-18 year olds to the sixth annual Google Science Fair Awards Celebration in California for the chance to win one of our awards including a $50,000 scholarship. Here, an esteemed panel of judges will review the 16 finalists and announce the much-anticipated winners. Don’t miss the Awards Celebration, livestreamed on our website, on September 27th.

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Why Environmental Engineering Is Vital for Our Future

Humanity has always engineered the environment around us. From the earliest days of wetland drainage and the need to acquire fresh water, to keep it flowing and keep it clean enough to drink, building cesspits to take away our waste and to stop pollution of vital waterways, we have always strived to maximize our sanitation and living conditions in order to expand and survive.

Shortage of Engineers

There is presently a shortage of STEM graduates coming out of our colleges and universities right across the western world and engineering is one of the core areas that has suffered the most. This means that with a good degree, there is a high likelihood of getting a good job fresh out of your studies. A master's degree then may be unnecessary for most people, but for the especially gifted who may be looking towards greater responsibility in future or to move towards the very top of the field, it may be advisable to do an advanced degree - all the way to the PhD. If you choose to go that high, you may be more involved in business or government policy than the “hands on” approach of the job of the bachelor's graduate. Environmental engineering is an applied science.

Learn more about environmental engineering careers .

Read about environmental engineering degrees ., history of environmental engineering, ancient world to industrialisation.

How far back were humans aware of the need for sanitation? It is generally believed that the first civilisation to have express concern for what happens to sewage waste and to develop more complex ways of moving it, and the first designers of sewer systems as we would understand them, was Republican Rome. Certainly, archaeologists interested in the study of sanitation will often turn to the largest Republic and later Empire the ancient world has ever known in order to understand urban development amongst other things, but the process goes back further than this to the Harappan Civilisation of the Indus Valley (3) . Their remarkable achievements included grid-planned cities with the most elaborate network of water supply and waste disposal. Larger houses had their own wells and the poorer abodes made do with communal water, but these were all connected - just as the sewer systems taking the waste away were connected (4, p7-15) . Surprisingly, they also had public toilets and baths. Cleanliness was of the utmost importance.

By the time we reach the Roman Republic, technology had developed into elaborate systems of water and sewage transportation for which we know the ancient world was famous. We have all heard about the aqueduct systems across the empire; the Romans knew that drought was a possibility in the Mediterranean climate that dominated most of the land of the empire so they built massive stone networks to carry water from areas where it was abundant to areas that could suffer in a drought. The Romans did not invent them, but they did enhance the technology and create monuments that far exceeded the examples they emulated (5) . The massive sewer system that still exists beneath the city of Rome today was used to drain the marshes to create farmland as well as to remove sewage from the houses and businesses in the city; it was built as early as the 7 th century BC, way before the Imperial era (6) .

Both the aqueducts and the sewers allowed Rome to expand their cities to the immense sizes that still hold us in awe today, so it is no surprise that we do not really see much change for some 1400 years after the fall of Rome. The beginning of environmental engineering arguably came with a great public work in London in the 19 th century (1) . Joseph Bazalgette was charged with overseeing the building work of a massive sewer system after what historians now call The Great Stink. The city was in the grip of a cholera epidemic with the conduits providing the basis of the sewer system then proving inadequate, leading to raw sewage pumped into the River Thames that also provided the majority of the city's drinking water (7) . Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli extracted a �3.5m budget from Parliament for the project. The completed project replaced all the pipes and improved the existing network, dramatically improving the city's health, ending the cholera epidemic (a disease that never returned to London after that) and leading to similar programmes in industrialised cities throughout the world. This was a time where free market capitalism was subject to no environmental regulation and was not encouraged to think about the people's health.

20 th to 21 st Century

The next leap forward would make us question the role of some pesticides used in farming methods. Rachel Carson was a highly qualified biologist , but not a famous one, when she released her book Silent Spring . It was a careful and lengthy study of the role of pesticides and their impact on the environment since the birth of intensive farming following World War II (8) . Carson presented evidence that delicate ecologies were being lost and could be lost in the future without the study of the role of certain pesticides, particularly DDT, and the correct action taken if proven harmful. At the time, the chemical was proving vital in the fight against malaria yet it was also proving damaging to crops and other wildlife too. Most alarmingly, Carson (and those who followed her work) noted that while DDT use was expanding, malaria-carrying mosquitoes were building up a resistance to the substance (9) .

Her book made governments take notice of the dangerous of industrial activity -President John F. Kennedy and his successor Johnson both focused heavily on a growing concern for the environment during their presidencies. They set the wheels in motion and the EPA came into being in 1970 during the Nixon era (10) who proclaimed the 1970s a “decade of environmental transformation”, enacting legislation to cover air and water quality. Couple this with environmental awareness in the general population and the (then) growing understanding of the effects of climate change meant that environmental engineering was born in this era. Since then, environmental legislation has sought to define environmental standards on clean water, air quality, solid waste disposal and pollution management (toxic and radioactive) - at state and national level (11) , and to define international standards. We are using an ever-increasing number of chemicals with toxic waste and the remit of the environmental engineer is to keep the environment safe for humans and for other forms of life.

Types of Environmental Engineering

Management of solid waste.

We are, and have been for a very long time, a consumer society and consumer societies generate a lot of waste. Food packaging, white goods, broken electronics and everything else that we dispose of is considered solid waste. In the western world, we recycle a lot of solid material, but not nearly enough and new technologies will bring problems of their own in reclamation, recycling or otherwise disposal of those material. In the developing world where recycling is limited or non-existent, this is expected to be a major problem as they seek to industrialise to the point that they too can join the developed world (12, p1-2) . Climate change is now a large factor in how fast these countries can develop. Environmental engineers of the future will be expected to provide answers and strategies for this form of waste disposal.

Landfill sometimes remains the only option for some materials, and how we manage these sites and the materials that go into them is something that environmental engineers work with every day. Recycling is big business and we are learning how to recycle material (and to do so safely) in order to better utilise the resources we have.

Water Supply

As the human population expands, we need access to an ever-increasing supply of water - whether that is drinking water, to keep our crops nourished so we can eat, to preserve local wildlife and the delicate ecosystem, water is vital to life. Over the last decade, we have been aware of the limits of water acquisition and retention. California has suffered drought , putting an enormous strain on water supplies in the south-western USA (13) . Europe too has suffered both drought (14) and flooding (15) and both scenarios bring problems of their own for Environmental Engineering. Drought affects food supply and increases fire risks in urban areas; flooding also affects food supply and the economy; businesses cannot open and local and national governments have a large bill for a clean-up operation, as well as putting an enormous strain on public services.

Environmental engineers already play a huge part in managing water supply - in droughts and in floods and outside of disaster areas, identifying where there are problem areas not getting enough water - irrigation or inadequate facilities.

Management of Water Waste

Environmental engineers ensure the smooth running of supplying us with water, and of taking it away from our homes and businesses. As mentioned earlier, humans have always needed to remove waste water as quickly and effectively as possible; it is good for our health and for the environment and today we produce so much waste water from our toilets, from our showers and baths, from swimming pools, from washed clothes and dishes - and that's just home use. We produce a lot of waste industrially too and disposal of these substances do not necessarily follow the same process; dangerous materials can leak into the environment and our drinking water so it needs careful handling.

The majority of this water goes to waste treatment facilities is filtered, processed and pumped back to us after a rigorous cleaning process (16) . Much of what you drink and use has been used over and over again for the same things and it's thanks to experts in this area that our water is so clean. They also tackle water pollution in all its forms.

Air Pollution Management

Air pollution has been a big issue since the 1960s and many countries introducing a Clean Air Act or equivalent. Some of the world's largest cities were big polluters until then; over the decades, the remit of the Environmental Engineer has changed. It used to be control and management of toxic materials and their effects on the environment - the 1980s was a big problem for Acid Rain (17) ; professionals in the air pollution category were fundamental to raising awareness of the problems cause and advising on legislation to reduce the output of relevant gases (sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide) into the atmosphere. Today, acid rain still has the potential to cause harm, but levels have been reduced by 70% in some parts of the world (18) .

Today, they are also concerned with greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide in attempting to reduce the global output so that we may limit the temperature rise in the future. This is not their only area though; industrial pollutants are not limited to greenhouse gas emissions. Read more on air quality .

The Future of Environmental Engineering

The future is likely to see more technological development, population growth and a greater need for enough food for our growing population, housing and facilities to cater to our growing needs, new farming methods and so on. These are likely to see more areas needing management to avoid pollution or ecological damage; we will see new potential contaminants as well as a need to change conditions in some areas to cope with the changing climate. There will be an even greater need for environmental engineers to help us deal with the potential problems that this future will bring.

• http://www.livescience.com/48390-environmental-engineering.html
• http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes170000.htm
• https://www.jstor.org/stable/124907?seq=1
• https://www.academia.edu/5937322/Chapter_2_Sanitation_and_wastewater_technologies_in_Harappa_Indus_valley_civilization_ca._26001900_BC
• http://www.ancient.eu/aqueduct/
• http://www3.iath.virginia.edu/waters/Journal4Hopkins.pdf
• http://www.waterhistory.org/histories/london/
• http://orgprints.org/22934/7/22934.pdf
• http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140224204808.htm
• http://www2.epa.gov/laws-regulations
• http://www.euractiv.com/sustainability/european-drought-cuts-food-outpu-news-514331
• https://www.gov.uk/government/news/winter-weather-uk-government-response
• http://water.worldbank.org/shw-resource-guide/infrastructure/menu-technical-options/wastewater-treatment
• http://www.epa.gov/region1/airquality/nox.html
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Thinking Green: How Mechanical Engineers Help the Environment

Mechanical engineers are behind some of the most important environmental technologies, including carbon capture, electric transportation, and energy transportation. However, their environmental impact goes far beyond any specific technology, and all mechanical engineers play an inherent role in helping the environment.

Sustainable engineering is “the process of using resources in a way that does not compromise the environment or deplete what is available for future generations.” It means innovating to better society, solving environmental challenges and adding value to products and systems. It’s the responsibility of all engineers, including mechanical engineers, to adopt sustainable practices.

Now that we know what sustainable engineering is, let’s see it in action. Mechanical engineers across the globe are working to make our air cleaner, energy safer and future brighter, and some of them are doing so in our own backyard. Here’s a look at how mechanical engineers help the environment.

Making Electric Vehicles a Reality

Cars, planes, trains and other gas-guzzlers are the number-one generators of greenhouse gasses in the U.S., but finding an alternative energy source hasn’t been easy.

For electric vehicles to become a viable mode of transport for most commuters, our energy capacity and distribution infrastructure must improve. This also goes for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), which emit only water but rely on hydrogen that’s almost entirely derived from fossil fuels.

Mechanical engineers in the automotive industry are working to make EVs more affordable and efficient, and when they inevitably succeed, who do you think will be designing the airbags, electric motors, and windshield wipers in these vehicles? Mechanical engineers, of course.  

Solving the Problem of Energy Storage

Solar panels and wind turbines may seem like an obvious solution to the problem of greenhouse gas emissions — clean, renewable energy courtesy of mother nature. Unfortunately, there’s a renewable energy bottleneck preventing countries from adopting these technologies: The storage capacity of the U.S. national grid is only 1%.

How do we store the energy created by renewable energy sources? At The University of Texas at Austin, Arumugam Manthiram and his research group are working on a solution.

Recently, the Manthiram Lab had a breakthrough with sodium-sulfur batteries . Sodium and sulfur are more abundant and less harmful for the environment than the lithium needed for lithium-ion batteries. The problem, however, is shuttling: a process in which sulfur dissolves in the battery’s liquid electrolyte, resulting in the growth of needle-like dendrites that can cause the battery to degrade, short circuit, and, in some cases, explode. Manthiram and his research group created a new electrolyte that prevents shuttling. Next, they plan to apply their breakthrough to electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies, and we wish them the best of luck.

Capturing and Storing Carbon

For about a million years before the industrial revolution, carbon dioxide levels did not exceed 300 parts per million (PPM). In 2021, however, we reached 414.72 ppm . Since nature-based solutions like planting trees can only do so much, we’ll need to tackle the problem of climate change using a diverse set of strategies.

The idea of vacuuming carbon out of the air has been kicked around for decades but is now gaining scientific traction. “Orca,” the first and largest direct air capture plant in the world, captures 4,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year , pumping the gas into underground caverns where it’s mixed with water and turned to stone. Still, that’s equivalent to the annual emission of just 790 cars.

Elon Musk threw down the gauntlet when he took to Twitter, offering a $100 million prize for carbon removal . To his credit, the Musk Foundation and XPRIZE awarded 15 winning teams $1 million each for their efforts in fighting climate change. “The pace and depth of initiatives in carbon removal and other crucial climate solutions has never been greater, but we still need more,” said XPRIZE Vice President of Climate and Environment Marcius Extavour .

Predicting How Fire Behaves

Wildfire plays an essential role in nature, stimulating growth by nourishing soil and burning debris that shades forest floors from sunlight. The process does, however, release stored carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and homes, lives and wildlife can be destroyed by any uncontrolled blaze. 

Led by Ofodike Ezekoye, director of the 100% online Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering program , UT Austin’s Fire Research Group is working to control the wildland fires that are becoming more frequent and intense as a result of climate change. One project involved studying wildland firebrands, which are known to ignite attic spaces in homes, to learn how various insulation materials react when exposed to an ignition source. Although unorthodox, this is just one of the many ways mechanical engineers help the environment.

Engineer a Brighter Future

UT Austin offers two 100% online programs to mechanical engineers who aspire to do more with their talents. Our non-thesis executive MS in mechanical engineering program prepares professionals for leadership roles, while our Mechanical Engineering Controls Graduate Certificate program provides the critical competencies mechanical and petroleum engineers need to succeed.

Led by industry professionals like Professor Ezekoye, our programs will teach you how to use emerging technology to analyze, design and produce products and design processes and, in doing so, make them more efficient and less harmful for the environment. Learn to save time, money and resources while minimizing risk. As a graduate, you’ll have the knowledge, skills and credentials needed for leadership roles in the industry, giving you even more control over how your work impacts the world around you.

Who says environmental engineers get to have all the fun? As a mechanical engineer, you can help the environment by doing what you do best. Check out our 100% online engineering programs and apply to UT Austin when you’re ready to adapt your skills to the needs of the future.

https://blog.ucsusa.org/samantha-houston/can-the-electric-grid-handle-ev-charging/

https://www.utfireresearch.com/wildland-fires

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Sustainability engineering: Addressing Environmental, Social, and Economic Issues

ESG , Sustainability , Sustainable Design

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As the world faces increasing challenges such as climate change and resource depletion, there is a growing need for more sustainable and resilient infrastructure.

Sustainability engineering is a holistic approach that addresses environmental, social, and economic issues in infrastructure design, construction, and maintenance.

In this article, we will explore the current trends and prospects for sustainability engineering and how civil engineers are working to create an infrastructure that is more responsive to the needs of communities and the environment.

We invite you to learn more about this critical and rapidly evolving field.

What is sustainability engineering ?

Sustainability engineering integrates environmental, social, and economic considerations into civil infrastructure design, construction, and maintenance. This includes everything from buildings and roads to bridges and water systems. sustainability engineering aims to create an infrastructure that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Sustainability engineering takes into account the entire lifecycle of a project, from the selection of materials and the use of natural resources to the disposal or reuse of materials at the end of a project’s useful life. It also considers the impacts of a project on the local community and the environment and seeks to minimize these impacts where possible.

Sustainability engineering has many benefits, including reduced environmental impacts, improved resource efficiency, enhanced quality of life for communities, and cost savings.

In addition, by adopting sustainable practices, civil engineers can contribute to a more sustainable future and help to address global challenges such as climate change and resource depletion.

Overall, sustainability engineering is a critical and evolving field that plays a vital role in developing and maintaining our built environment.

By considering their projects’ environmental, social, and economic impacts, civil engineers can help create an infrastructure that is functional, durable, sustainable, and responsible.

How is sustainability incorporated into civil sustainability engineering projects ?

Sustainability can be incorporated into civil engineering projects in many ways, including:

• Design for efficiency: sustainability engineering projects often incorporate design elements that maximize efficiency and minimize the use of resources. This can include using locally sourced, recycled, or renewable materials and designing buildings and infrastructure to maximize energy and water efficiency.
• Minimize environmental impacts: sustainability engineering projects seek to minimize their environmental impacts by reducing waste, minimizing the use of hazardous materials, and conserving natural resources. This can include strategies such as using sustainable materials, incorporating green spaces and natural features into the design, and implementing measures to mitigate the impact of construction activities.
• Consider the lifecycle of the project: sustainability engineering projects consider the entire project lifecycle, from the selection of materials and the use of natural resources to the disposal or reuse of materials at the end of a project’s useful life. This helps minimize a project’s environmental impacts and ensure that it is as sustainable as possible.
• Engage the community: sustainability engineering projects often involve the participation and input of the local community. This can help to ensure that the needs and priorities of the community are taken into account and that the project is responsive to local concerns.

Overall, sustainability can be incorporated into civil engineering projects, including designing for efficiency, minimizing environmental impacts, considering the project’s lifecycle, and engaging the community.

By adopting these practices, civil engineers can help to create an infrastructure that is sustainable and responsible.

Want A Sustainable Project?

Talk to ugreen and position your brand towards a sustainable future., want to learn green design, discover our courses and become a protagonist of the sustainable future., what are some examples of sustainability engineering projects .

There are many examples of sustainability engineering projects around the world. Here are a few examples:

• The Gateshead Millennium Bridge in the United Kingdom is a pedestrian and cyclist bridge powered by a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS). The KERS captures the energy generated by the bridge’s movement and stores it in a flywheel, which is then used to power the bridge’s lighting and other systems.
• The Eden Project in Cornwall, England, is a visitor attraction that features a series of geodesic domes that house a variety of plant species from around the world. The domes are made from a lattice of hexagonal and pentagonal cells clad in transparent plastic. The domes are designed to be energy efficient and autonomous, with rainwater collection and greywater systems, as well as solar panels and wind turbines.
• The Pearl Farm Beach Resort in Davao City, Philippines, is a sustainable resort built using locally sourced materials and incorporates many sustainable design features. The resort features a wastewater treatment plant, solar panels, a rainwater harvesting system, and some eco-friendly buildings and facilities.
• The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s Sunset Reservoir Solar Project is a solar power installation located on top of a drinking water reservoir in San Francisco, California. The project features more than 7,000 solar panels that generate clean electricity and provide shade for the reservoir, which helps to reduce evaporation and improve drinking water quality.

Overall, many examples of sustainability engineering projects worldwide demonstrate the potential for civil engineering to contribute to a more sustainable future.

From kinetic energy recovery systems and geodesic domes to solar power installations and eco-friendly buildings, these projects showcase the innovative and creative approaches that can be used to create sustainable infrastructure.

What are the benefits of sustainability engineering ?

There are many benefits to sustainability engineering, including the following:

• Environmental benefits: sustainability engineering projects can help to reduce the environmental impacts of infrastructure development and maintenance. This can include minimizing waste, conserving natural resources, and reducing the use of hazardous materials.
• Resource efficiency: sustainability engineering projects are designed to be resource efficient, which means they use fewer resources and generate less waste than traditional projects. This can help reduce the demand for raw materials and energy and lead to cost savings.
• Enhanced quality of life: sustainability engineering projects can enhance the quality of life for communities by providing access to clean water, efficient transportation, and other essential services. These projects can also help create livable and healthy environments, improving public health and well-being.
• Cost savings: sustainability engineering projects can offer cost savings over the long term due to their resource efficiency and durability. For example, a building that is energy efficient may require less energy to operate, leading to lower energy bills and maintenance costs.
• Social and economic benefits: sustainability engineering projects can also provide social and economic benefits to communities. These projects can create jobs and stimulate local economies, and can also help to improve social cohesion and community resilience.

Overall, sustainability engineering has many benefits, including environmental, resource, and cost savings, enhanced quality of life, and social and economic benefits. In addition, by adopting sustainable practices, civil engineers can contribute to a more sustainable future and help to address global challenges such as climate change and resource depletion.

What are the challenges of implementing sustainability engineering ?

Implementing sustainability engineering can present many challenges, including:

• Cost: One of the main challenges of implementing sustainability engineering is the cost. Sustainable infrastructure projects can often be more expensive to design and build than traditional projects, which can be a barrier to their adoption. This can be particularly challenging in resource-constrained or developing areas, where funding and other resources may be limited.
• Limited resources: Another challenge is the limited availability of resources such as funding, skilled labor, and materials. This can make it difficult to implement sustainable infrastructure projects, particularly in resource-constrained or developing areas.
• Complexity: Sustainable infrastructure projects can be complex and require the integration of multiple disciplines and stakeholders. This can make coordinating and managing these projects challenging and difficult to measure and demonstrate their impact.
• Regulation: sustainability engineering can be impacted by various regulations and standards, varying by region and sector. Ensuring compliance with these regulations can be challenging, particularly for innovative or pioneering new projects.
• Public perception: Another challenge is the public perception of sustainable infrastructure projects. Some people may be skeptical of or resistant to these projects, making it difficult to secure support and funding.

Overall, there are many challenges to implementing sustainability engineering. However, these challenges can be overcome by developing strategies to address them, such as finding ways to reduce costs, seeking funding and other resources, building partnerships and collaborations, and engaging with stakeholders and the public.

Civil engineers can help create a more sustainable infrastructure that meets present and future needs by overcoming these challenges.

How can civil engineers contribute to sustainability engineering?

Civil engineers play a vital role in building and maintaining the infrastructure that underpins our communities and economies. By adopting sustainable practices, civil engineers can contribute to a more sustainable future and help to address global challenges such as climate change and resource depletion.

Here are a few ways that civil engineers can contribute to sustainability:

• Incorporate sustainability into the design and construction of infrastructure projects: Civil engineers can design infrastructure projects that are efficient and use sustainable materials, which can help reduce these projects’ environmental impacts. They can also consider the lifecycle of a project and design for reuse, recycling, and other sustainable practices.
• Use data and technology to optimize infrastructure performance: Civil engineers can use data and technology to monitor and optimize the performance of infrastructure projects. This can help identify opportunities for efficiency improvements and reduce these projects’ environmental impacts.
• Engage with communities and stakeholders: Civil engineers can engage with communities and stakeholders to ensure that their needs and concerns are considered in the design and implementation of infrastructure projects. This can help create projects more responsive to local needs and more likely to be supported by the community.
• Promote sustainable transportation options: Civil engineers can design and implement sustainable transportation options, such as bike lanes and public transit systems, which can help reduce transportation’s environmental impacts and improve the quality of life for communities.
• Support the development of renewable energy sources: Civil engineers can support the development of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, which can help reduce reliance on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions.

Overall, there are many ways that civil engineers can contribute to sustainability, including by incorporating sustainability into the design and construction of infrastructure projects, using data and technology to optimize performance, engaging with communities and stakeholders, promoting sustainable transportation options, and supporting the development of renewable energy sources.

By adopting these practices, civil engineers can play a vital role in building a more sustainable future.

What are the current trends in sustainability engineering ?

Several sustainability engineering trends shape how infrastructure is designed, built, and maintained. Some of these trends include:

• Climate change adaptation: Civil engineers are increasingly focused on designing infrastructure that is resilient to the impacts of climate change, such as sea level rise, flooding, and extreme weather events. This can include preparing infrastructure to withstand these impacts and incorporating features that can help mitigate their effects.
• Resource efficiency: Civil engineers are also focused on designing more resource-efficient infrastructure, which means using fewer resources and generating less waste. This can include using locally sourced, recycled, or renewable materials and designing buildings and infrastructure to maximize energy and water efficiency.
• Green infrastructure: Green infrastructure refers to using natural systems, such as green roofs, rain gardens, and permeable pavements, to manage stormwater runoff and reduce the impacts of development on the environment. Civil engineers are increasingly incorporating green infrastructure into infrastructure projects to improve water quality and reduce the risk of flooding.
• Circular economy: The circular economy is an economic model that aims to reduce waste and resource depletion by designing products and systems that are reusable, recyclable, and regenerative. Civil engineers are exploring ways to apply the circular economy principles to infrastructure projects, such as designing for reuse and recycling and incorporating closed-loop systems.
• Smart infrastructure: Smart infrastructure refers to the use of technology and data to optimize infrastructure performance and improve the quality of life for communities. Civil engineers are exploring using sensors, IoT technologies, and other tools to monitor and manage infrastructure in real-time and improve efficiency.

Many sustainability engineering trends shape how infrastructure is designed, built, and maintained.

These trends are focused on addressing global challenges such as climate change and resource depletion and are helping to create more sustainable and resilient infrastructure for the future.

What are the goals of sustainability engineering ?

Sustainability engineering aims to design, build, and maintain an environmentally responsible, socially equitable, and economically viable infrastructure. This can be achieved through a variety of practices and approaches, such as:

• Minimizing the environmental impacts of infrastructure development and maintenance: sustainability engineering aims to reduce the environmental impacts of infrastructure projects, such as air and water pollution, habitat destruction, and waste generation. This can be achieved through the use of sustainable materials, the incorporation of green infrastructure, and the optimization of resource use.
• Enhancing the quality of life for communities: sustainability engineering also aims to enhance the quality of life for communities by providing access to essential services such as clean water, transportation, and energy. This can help improve public health and well-being and contribute to social cohesion and community resilience.
• Supporting economic development: sustainability engineering can create jobs, stimulate local economies, and foster innovation and technological advancement. This can help create more sustainable and resilient communities better equipped to address global challenges such as climate change and resource depletion.
• Promoting social equity: sustainability engineering also aims to promote social equity by ensuring that infrastructure projects are inclusive and responsive to the needs of all community members, regardless of their socioeconomic status or other factors.

Sustainability engineering aims to design, build, and maintain environmentally responsible, socially equitable, and economically viable infrastructure. By achieving these goals, civil engineers can contribute to a more sustainable and resilient future for all.

How does sustainability engineering address environmental, social, and economic issues ?

sustainability engineering is a holistic approach that addresses environmental, social, and economic issues in infrastructure design, construction, and maintenance. Here are a few examples of how sustainability engineering addresses these issues:

• Environmental issues: sustainability engineering aims to minimize the environmental impacts of infrastructure projects, such as air and water pollution, habitat destruction, and waste generation. This can be achieved through the use of sustainable materials, the incorporation of green infrastructure, and the optimization of resource use.
• Social issues: sustainability engineering also aims to enhance the quality of life for communities by providing access to essential services such as clean water, transportation, and energy. This can help improve public health and well-being and contribute to social cohesion and community resilience. In addition, sustainability engineering promotes social equity by ensuring that infrastructure projects are inclusive and responsive to the needs of all community members, regardless of their socioeconomic status or other factors.
• Economic issues: sustainability engineering can support economic development by creating jobs, stimulating local economies, and fostering innovation and technological advancement. This can help create more sustainable and resilient communities better equipped to address global challenges such as climate change and resource depletion. In addition, sustainability engineering can offer cost savings over the long term due to its resource efficiency and durability, which can help reduce the demand for raw materials and energy and lead to cost savings.

Overall, sustainability engineering is a holistic approach that addresses environmental, social, and economic issues in infrastructure design, construction, and maintenance. By addressing these issues, civil engineers can contribute to a more sustainable and resilient future.

What are the prospects for sustainability engineering ?

The prospects for sustainability engineering are bright, as there is increasing demand for more resilient, resource-efficient, and socially equitable infrastructure. Here are a few trends that are shaping the future of sustainability engineering:

• Climate change adaptation: As the impacts of climate change become more pronounced, there is increasing demand for resilient infrastructure to the impacts of extreme weather events and other climate-related risks. This includes designing infrastructure to withstand the impacts of sea level rise, flooding, and other natural disasters and incorporating features that can help mitigate their effects.
• Resource efficiency: There is also growing demand for more resource-efficient infrastructure, which means using fewer resources and generating less waste. This can be achieved through the use of sustainable materials, the optimization of resource use, and the incorporation of circular economy principles.
• Green infrastructure: Green infrastructures, such as green roofs, rain gardens, and permeable pavements, are becoming more popular for managing stormwater runoff and reducing the impacts of development on the environment. Civil engineers are expected to continue incorporating green infrastructure into the design of infrastructure projects to improve water quality and reduce the risk of flooding.
• Smart infrastructure: Smart infrastructure, which uses technology and data to optimize infrastructure performance and improve the quality of life for communities, is also expected to play a larger role in the future. Civil engineers will likely continue to explore the use of sensors, IoT technologies, and other tools to monitor and manage infrastructure in real time and to improve efficiency.
• Decentralization: There is also a trend towards decentralization in infrastructure, with an emphasis on building smaller, local infrastructure projects rather than large, centralized projects. This can help to reduce the environmental impacts of infrastructure development and to support local economic development.

Overall, the prospects for sustainability engineering are bright, as there is increasing demand for more resilient, resource-efficient, and socially equitable infrastructure. Civil engineers will continue to play a vital role in building and maintaining infrastructure that meets present and future needs.

Sustainability engineering: conclusion

In conclusion, sustainability engineering is essential to building a more sustainable and resilient future.

From designing more resilient to climate change impacts to using sustainable materials and incorporating green infrastructure, civil engineers are working to create an infrastructure that is more responsive to the needs of communities and the environment.

As the demand for sustainable infrastructure continues to grow, there will be increasing opportunities for civil engineers to contribute to this vital field.

Suppose you are interested in learning more about sustainability engineering and how you can contribute to this field. In that case, we invite you to discover our green building consultancies or our green building courses.

These resources can provide you with the knowledge and skills you need to make a positive impact in the world of sustainability engineering.

If you need our services in the Portuguese language, click here.

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Engineering for social impact

A desire to make meaningful contributions to society has influenced Runako Gentles’ path in life. Gentles grew up in Jamaica with a supportive extended family that instilled in him his connection to his faith and his aspiration to aim for greatness.

“While growing up, I was encouraged to live a life that could potentially bring about major positive changes in my family and many other people’s lives,” says the MIT junior.

One of those pathways his parents encouraged is pursuing excellence in academics.

Gentles attended Campion College, a Jesuit high school in Jamaica for academically high-achieving students. Gentles was valedictorian and even won an award “for the member of the valedictory class who most closely resembles the ideal of intellectual competence, openness to growth, and commitment to social justice.”

Although he did well in all subjects, he naturally gravitated toward biology and chemistry. “There are certain subjects people just make sense of material much faster, and high school biology and chemistry were those subjects for me,” he says. His love of learning often surprised friends and classmates when he could recall science concepts and definitions years later.  

For several years Gentles wanted to pursue the field of medicine. He remembers becoming more excited about the career of a surgeon after reading a book on the story of retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson. During his advanced studies at Campion, he attended a career event and met with a neurosurgeon who invited him and other classmates to watch a surgical procedure. Gentles had the unique learning experience to observe a spinal operation. Around that same time another learning opportunity presented itself. His biology teacher recommended he apply to a Caribbean Science Foundation initiative called Student Program for Innovation, Science, and Engineering ( SPISE ) to explore careers in science, technology, engineering, and math. The intensive residential summer program for Caribbean students is modeled after the Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science ( MITES ) program at MIT. Cardinal Warde, a professor of electrical engineering at MIT who is also from the Caribbean, serves as the faculty director for both MITES and SPISE. The program was Gentles' first major exposure to engineering.

“I felt like I was in my first year of college at SPISE. It was an amazing experience and it helped me realize the opportunities that an engineering career path offers,” Gentles says. He excelled in the SPISE program, even winning one of the program’s highest honors for demonstrating overall excellence and leadership.

SPISE was profoundly impactful to Gentles and he decided to pursue engineering at MIT. While further exploring his engineering interests before his first year at MIT, he remembers reading an article that piqued his interest in industry sectors that met basic human and societal needs.

“I started thinking more about engineering and ethics,” says Gentles. He wanted to spend his time learning how to use science and engineering to make meaningful change in society.  “I think back to wanting to be a doctor for many years to help sick people, but I took it a step further. I wanted to get closer to addressing some of the root causes of deaths, illnesses, and the poor quality of life for billions of people,” he says of his decision to pursue a degree in civil and environmental engineering.

Gentles spent his first semester at MIT working as a remote student when the Covid pandemic shut down in-person learning. He participated in 1.097 (Introduction to Civil and Environmental Engineering Research) during the January Independent Activities Period, in which undergraduates work one-on-one with graduate students or postdoc mentors on research projects that align with their interests. Gentles worked in the lab of Ruben Juanes exploring the use of machine learning to analyze earthquake data to determine whether different geologic faults in Puerto Rico resulted in distinguishable earthquake clusters. He joined the lab of Desiree Plata in the summer of his sophomore year on another undergraduate research opportunity (UROP) project, analyzing diesel range organic compounds in water samples collected from shallow groundwater sources near hydraulic fracking sites in West Virginia. The experience even led Gentles to be a co-author in his graduate student mentor’s abstract proposal for the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2022 conference.  

Gentles says he found the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering a place for him to have the big-picture mindset of thinking about how technology is going to affect the environment, which ultimately affects society. “Choosing this department was not just about gaining the technical knowledge that most interested me. I wanted to be in a space where I would significantly develop my mindset of using innovation to bring more harmony between society and the environment,” says Gentles.

Outside of the classroom, learning acoustic guitar is a passion for Gentles. He plays at social events for Cru, a Christian community at MIT, where he serves as a team leader. He credits Cru with helping him feel connected to a lot of different people, even outside of MIT.

He’s also a member of the Bernard M. Gordon-MIT Engineering Leadership Program, which helps undergraduates gain and hone leadership skills to prepare them for careers in engineering. After learning and exploring more UROPs and classes in civil and environmental engineering, he aspires to hold a position of leadership where he can use his environmental knowledge to impact human lives.

“Mitigating environmental issues can sometimes be a very complicated endeavor involving many stakeholders," Gentles says. "We need more bright minds to be thinking of creative ways to address these pressing problems. We need more leaders helping to make society more harmonious with our planet.”

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List of Projects Related to Environmental Engineering

Following are few topics which can be used for your Project Works. You can choose the project from the list below depending on your field of interest and your project duration.

Kanwarjot Singh

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34 comments on " List of Projects Related to Environmental Engineering "

Am an environmental student from uganda, I have appreciated your website because of its materials. It is of great importance

how can found BOD VALUE?

hw can i get a full details and materials 4 ds project

PLEASE, help me the prepare the project concerning; Recycling And Reuse Of Building Waste In Construction

I must confess I like these topics

Hello and could you help me come up with a good topic in solid waste management for a master research

I m civil diploma engg student and I want to make a my final year project on environmental problems… plz guide me and give some new idea

PLEASE, help me to prepare the project concerning; Recycling And Reuse Of Building Waste In Construction

Need a ppt of eco freindly fuels

HI please give some idea about generating a project related to environmental engineering and waste management

im a civil enng(BE) student i need make a project in environmental engineering so pls guide me …

Hlllo dear I am Sandeep and I pursuing M.Tech environment engg. I want knw some minor project related to env. Can u help me.

i am very thanksful to this web site and for project ideas. i had the topic but i lost the paper and my friend told me to go this web site and i had a gud time thxs

hi. i am an env eng student and need to come up with a topic for my final year project that has to do with problems in southern africa and the solutions. your help will be greatly appriciated

pls advice me .to make project on environment

hi can you please help me with a topic on water supply or water resource engineering

I am study in environment engineering I want to make project related to environment fild. I need unique type and some new idea project

I am study in civil engineering. I want to make my project for that I want a new concept or ideas. So plz help me for choose a subject.

hello I need a help on a research topic on environmental engineering precisely on waste management or waste water treatment

hw can i get a full details and materials 4 ds project for BE civil

its better re do it the project to access all people

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